You say 'flamingo,' I say 'flamenco'

Celebrity Jeopardy! kicked off with a curiously eclectic trio: the ubiquitous Regis Philbin, the flamboyant Carson Kressley (Queer Eye) and Nancy Grace of Headline News and Court TV fame.

I admit I was rooting for Carson since I've watched more Queer Eye than any amount of Regis & Kelly/Who Wants to Be a Millionaire or Court TV program combined.

Frankly, he was a huge disappointment at the outset, beginning with his attire, which was very safe: suit and sedate tie with tiny polka dots. No zhooshing in sight. And while he didn't have much to makeover with Regis and Alex (more salt than pepper, with a silver rinse) looking dapper, he could have called on fellow Queer Eye Kyan to take a stab at Nancy's drab bob.

He also failed miserably in the first round -- making lame mistakes when he bothered to ring in at all. The only time he perked up was when Regis selected the "Straight Men" category. Carson answered two correctly then, but still was in the hole $800 before the break.

But then his hustle was revealed. Nancy Grace made numerous flubs, including pronouncing "flamenco" as "flamingo" on a Daily Double and then trying to blame her accent: "I'm from Georgia." At another point, she answered a Sound of Music question without buzzing in, leaving Carson to swoop in. After answering correctly, he commented, "Thanks Nancy, but I'm gay: I knew that one anyway." He almost achieved a clean sweep of the "Strait Guy" category, and this time around was on top when the second round ended.

Okay, so he lost in the end by one measly buck to Regis because of bad betting strategy. But he got the final question right, and that strong performance, coupled with his rather sober appearance and demeanor, was probably the best strategy to make people question their preconceptions about gay men. And we all know that the question is key on Jeopardy!