Mina Kimes hilariously recalls being ‘locked out’ on ‘Celebrity Jeopardy!’

Mina Kimes’ appearance on Celebrity Jeopardy! Wednesday went very well, as she won the competition.

But she admitted there was some drama behind the scenes, as she kept getting “locked out” by her buzzer. Kimes shared that story — and possibly created a meme in the process — on The Right Time With Bomani Jones podcast Friday.

“I was furiously trying to buzz in and losing my s***,” Kimes said. “Here’s the thing about Celebrity Jeopardy!, the questions are easy. It’s like high school-level, obviously anyone who’s watched it knows it’s pretty dumbed down.

“However, I didn’t know this … you have a tiny window to buzz in. If you buzz in too early, you get locked out. So I kept getting locked out, because I kept jumping the gun.”

Here’s where Kimes got carried away.

“So every time poor Omar J. Dorsey or Fortune Feimster (Kimes’ fellow contestants) would be talking, you would see me next to them going ‘aaaaah ahhhh ahhhh’ trying to buzz in like a freaking maniac loser, because I was so competitive about it.”

“Just letting you know right now, you just made a meme,” Jones said.

“I don’t know about that,” Kimes said, laughing.

“Actually, if I did it really accurately, and this would be more meme, I was holding it with two hands,” Kimes said.

“At that point, you actually transcend memehood and you go straight into legendary status,” Jones said.

Buzzer issues aside, Kimes seemed to have a great time on the popular show, sharing a story with host Ken Jennings early in the episode.

One of the highlights of going on Celebrity Jeopardy: Getting to tell @KenJennings about a special connection I have with him thanks to the internet pic.twitter.com/FF1dtr5kIM

— Mina Kimes (@minakimes) March 14, 2025

Kimes’ winnings go to benefit SELAH, a Los Angeles-based organization providing help for homeless people.

Here’s Kimes’ appearance on the podcast, including her meme-worthy moment.