Paris Themmen surprised "Jeopardy" audiences when he made an appearance on Tuesday's show but neglected to mention that he played the character of the child obsessed with television and cowboys in "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory."
Themmen, who played the role of Mike Teevee in the 1971 film, described himself as an "entrepreneur" and "avid backpack" during the portion of the show during which "Jeopardy" host Alex Trebek asks contestants basic questions about themselves, People noted.
However, Themmen kept his role in the movie a secret, instead saying that he has traveled to 61 countries and was an avid backpacker.
"Sixty-one countries … on six continents, not yet Antarctica!" Themmen said, according to Us Magazine. "My favorite was Mount Everest Base Camp."
His secretiveness did not stop viewers from recognizing the former child star and soon social media was buzzing with posts from excited fans.
"A contestant on Wednesday's #Jeopardy played Mike Teevee in Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory... and his interesting fact about himself was about backpacking," one viewer tweeted.
"Is nobody realizing that Paris on Jeopardy right now, is Mike TV from Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory?.... Like legit it's the actor," another viewer posted to Twitter.
Soon the posts were flooding in as more and more viewers identified Themmen.
At the end of the show, Themmen ended up in second place with $6,800 in winnings, People noted.
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