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What is\u2026 I\u2019ve seen him before? An upcoming Jeopardy!<\/a> contestant, who marketed himself as a substitute teacher, has a secret past as an actor. Erik Charles Nielsen is an actor who was on the NBC<\/a> comedy Community<\/a>, among other roles.<\/p>\n On the Jeopardy! website<\/a>, Nielsen shared that he is from Hollywood, California, and is a substitute teacher. He will play on Thursday, September 25, against Vickie Talvola, a quantitative trader from Jersey City, New Jersey, and the previous day\u2019s champion.<\/p>\n Nielsen, 44, shared the news on his Instagram on September 22. \u201cSo my next TV appearance is\u2026 a little different. I\u2019m fulfilling a lifelong dream by appearing on Jeopardy! this Thursday. Check it out!\u201d he wrote. \u201c(Fun fact: my shirt is the same one I wore when I did Conan <\/a>in 2013. I thought it might bring me luck or something.)\u201d The shirt in question is a baby blue button-down long-sleeve shirt with a black sweater vest over it.<\/p>\n The actor is best known for playing the recurring role of Garrett Lambert on Community from 2009 to 2015. Nielsen also starred in the horror comedy film Bad Milo, the pilot episode of Maron, and the web series Erik the Librarian, as well as the comedy shows Just For Laughs, Conan, and Funny As Hell.<\/p>\n Fans recognized Nielsen right away after looking at the website. \u201cGarrett from the TV show Community (Erik Charles Nielsen) will be a contestant on this Thursday\u2019s (9\/25) episode,\u201d the Reddit<\/a> poster said. \u201cI was looking to see if any of this week\u2019s contestants were from my Zoom mock game session (none were) and, upon seeing Erik, was immediately reminded of one of the most memorable recurring characters from my favorite sitcom. Sure enough, it\u2019s the same guy.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m really excited to see him \u2013 and thought it was cool that he\u2019s teaching now, in addition to his standup work. Retroactive good luck to him, Vickie, and whoever the third player turns out to be!\u201d a fan said.<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019re kidding! Love this. He was such a sweetheart at the Community fan conventions we used to have,\u201d wrote another.<\/p>\n \u201cWow! I know you\u2019ll do well. Hope you get all the categories you\u2019re best prepared for. Godspeed,\u201d an Instagram user said.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Nielsen is not the first actor to compete on the syndicated version of the game show<\/a> and not the celebrity<\/a> version. Nick Cascone<\/a> competed on Jeopardy! in November 2023 and advertised himself as an orthopedic physician assistant, but he has a past in acting.<\/p>\n The contestant earned himself a spot in the Tournament of Champions that season after\u00a0triumphing in the first-ever Champions Wildcard competition.<\/a><\/p>\n Nicholas Cascone appeared on Matlock<\/a>,\u00a0Highway to Heaven<\/a>,\u00a0My Sister Sam<\/a>,\u00a0Moonlighting<\/a>, Star Trek: The Next Generation<\/a>, L.A. Law<\/a>,\u00a0Star Trek: Deep Space Nine<\/a>,\u00a0The Marshal<\/a>,\u00a0ER<\/a>, and\u00a0The West Wing<\/a>, but did not mention his acting career on Jeopardy!. He also appeared in several movies, including Titanic <\/a>and Nightwatch. Other celebrities have also played the regular version<\/a> throughout the years, including Greg Proops<\/a>, John McCain, and more.<\/p>\n Do you think Nielsen should compete on Celebrity Jeopardy! instead of the regular version? Let us know in the comments.<\/p>\n