Half Wits is a game show parody where host Alex Trebel (Eugene Levy) struggles to maintain his sanity while wrangling a panel of four spectacularly dim-witted competitors who make even the simplest questions feel like rocket science. The contestants are all tied at zero points with not a single question answered correctly in previous rounds. Categories include "Articles of Clothing Found in a Bedroom" and "European Cuisine," but the contestants provide hilariously wrong answers like "chest of drawers" for clothing and "Swedish meatballs" for Italian food. The sketch culminates with Alex asking them to pick a number between 1 and 10, and all contestants pick 12. The sketch is a brilliant send-up of game shows, featuring Martin Short's memorable character Lawrence Orbach, who aspires to be both a professional hockey player and a circuit court judge despite being unable to read or write.
This sketch was nominated for three Emmys and won for best writing. Norm Macdonald credited the Half Wits sketch as his inspiration for the SNL Celebrity Jeopardy skits. The sketch is considered an SCTV classic and was influential in comedy.
| Person | Role | |
|---|---|---|
| Dick Blasucci | Writer | |
| Paul Flaherty | Writer | |
| Mike Short | Writer | |
| Bob Dolman | Writer | |
| John McAndrew | Writer | |
| Doug Steckler | Writer | |
| Jeffrey Barron | Writer | |
| John Blanchard | Director | |
| John Bell | Director |
