Rather Trebek Than A Contestant

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The CNN Challenge Jumps From the Web to TV

By Alex Weprin on May 17, 2010 -- 10:45 AM

When CNN relaunched CNN.com last October, one of its new features was a weekly game called The CNN Challenge. The premise: let a CNN anchor guide you through questions from the week's news. It even sold advertising around it, with Ford on board as the launch sponsor.

Now, in what may be a first for cable news, the online game has jumped to television. On Friday's edition of "AC360," which featured a live studio audience, Anderson Cooper did his best Alex Trebek impersonation, and had his three guests Mary Matalin, Donna Brazile and John Leguizamo compete in a live version of the CNN Challenge.

Matalin won, with a charity of her choice getting a donation.

One thing is for sure, Cooper looks a heck of a lot more comfortable when he is the one asking questions. When he was a contestant on Jeopardy! In March, he couldn't quite compete with that legendary quiz master Cheech Marin.