Celebrity Blackjack was a television show on GSN where celebrities played tournament style blackjack for charity. The show was hosted by Matt Vasgersian. Dave Stann was the dealer. Season 1 aired weekly from July 5 through August 9, 2004. Season 2 premiered October 12, 2004 and ran weekly through January 11, 2005.
Snoop Dogg v. Shannon Elizabeth v. Jason Alexander v. Camryn Manheim v. Kevin Nealon
Jul 5, 2004
The action starts fast on Celebrity Blackjack with the first group of celebrities. Throughout most of the episode, it's a duel between Shannon Elizabeth and Jason Alexander, with Snoop Doog and Camryn Manheim providing most of the entertainment. Camryn Manheim and Snoop Dogg both lose large amounts early, but manage to hang on until the final hand. Meanwhile, Jason Alexander leads the majority of the game, with Shannon Elizabeth trailing close behind. It comes down to the secret final bets in the 21st hand. The cards go Shannon's way and she finishes with a total of $191,000, with Snoop Dogg in second at $60,000. Jason ends with $50,500, Camryn ends with a measly $500 and Kevin busts out completely.
Richard Belzer v. Chynna Phillips v. Marissa Jaret Winokur v. Andy Dick v. Mark Steines
Jul 12, 2004
A wild match features some of the craziest betting of any episode of a GSN blackjack show so far. Richard Belzer bets wildly, while Chynna Phillips acts like she has no idea what she's doing. Yet, luck shines on her throughout the night. In the end, several bust out, but Marissa and Chynna battle in the final hand. Things go Chynna's way one more time and she wins - seemingly to her surprise.
Eddie Griffin v. Jamie Kennedy v. Melissa Joan Hart v. Hal Sparks v. Dean Cain
Jul 19, 2004
It's an entertaining, action-filled blackjack night with a lot of lead-changes and comedy. Eddie Griffin takes off to an early lead, but is hurt by losing some high bets. Dean Cain starts slow, but has a large lead in the end. Rather anticlimactic finale for the final hand. Eddie Griffin is out of the game and as long as Dean bets the minimum, he is assured at least tying for first. He does bet the minimum and wins in his own right.
Shannen Doherty v. Caroline Rhea v. D.L. Hughley v. Willie Garson v. Bijou Phillips
Jul 26, 2004
In this episode of Celebrity Blackjack, the cards take strange turns as a player goes from worst to first and a few favorites end up being shut-out. D.L. takes off to an early lead, but when he falls behind with three hands to go, he bets it all and loses. Caroline Rhea develops a weird dynamic with the dealer and an even weirder dynamic with the cards. At first, she just keeps losing and insults everyone from the dealer to D.L. Nearly out of the game, she then bets heavily and wins several hands in a row. The final hand comes down to her vs. Willie Garson, with everyone else out. Although Willie is good gambler, he is so far behind that the result is basically assured. The game ends with a dealer blackjack and Caroline takes home the money for her charity, having smartly bet only $5,000 in her secret final bet.
William Baldwin v. Ben Stein v. Shelley Morrison v. Rodney Peete v. John Melendez
Aug 2, 2004
The celebrities play a game of blackjack that is marked by betting that is far more conversative than games of the series up until this point. The lead changes many times, with Billy and Shelly falling into a hole, but both still in it in the end. The other players all remain generally within just thousands of dollars of each other. Ben Stein bets the minimum bet first most of the entire round. The game is marked by blackjacks, with dealer ""Hollywood"" Dave getting a blackjack on his first two hands. In a surprise twist, Ben Stein bets $100,000 on his secret final bet and then scores a blackjack to basically assure him the win. He does win and takes him $25,000 for his charity.
Championship Tournament
Aug 9, 2004
The Championship Tournament of Celebrity Blackjack features an intense match with tensions sometimes threatening to boil over. Caroline Rhea's lively personality provides a lot of comedy as she takes huge leads with her incredible luck and wishes bad tidings for the rest of the table. Ben Stein is the most consistent player, maintaining his previous strategy of usually betting minimum, but it costs him when it comes to the final hand. At the final hand, Caroline Rhea has a lead of about $30,000 over her nearest opponent, Dean Cain. With only $5,000, Shannon finds herself out of the match for all intents and purposes. Interesting final hand in which Caroline Rhea stood unexpectedly and won the game with a total of $348,500 after the dealer busted. She took home $100,000 for her two charities.
