Two Minnesotans get a chance to play Ellen DeGeneres's 'Game of Games'

Kathy Keeler and Sheletta Brundidge will appear on the NBC prime-time series.

January 14, 2020 at 3:07PM
(The Minnesota Star Tribune)
ELLEN'S GAME OF GAMES -- "Hit Me Baby One More Slime" Episode 311 -- Pictured: Kathy Keeler -- (Photo by: Mike Rozman/Warner Brothers/NBC)
(Mike Rozman/Warner Brothers/NBC/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

Kathy Keeler/NBC photo

Ellen DeGeneres may be the reigning Queen of Nice, but the wildly popular personality also has a bit of a mean streak.

Two Minnesotans got a chance to experience that side of the Emmy winner during recent tapings of NBC's "Ellen's Game of Games," a series in which contestants can find themselves in embarassing situations on their way to cash prizes.

Minneapolis native Kathy Keeler, an office manager for Metropolitan Pediatric Dental, participated in the game "Son of a One-Eyed Monster" for an episode airing at 7 p.m. Tuesday on KARE, Ch. 11.

"This was the most amazing experience of my life," said Keeler, who first impressed the show's producers when she appeared on DeGeneres's daytime show with her daughter this past spring. "Every single person I encountered from producers to interns to Ellen herself were beyond my expectations -- so kind, so friendly and made you feel like family."

An episode featuring Sheletta Brundidge, a Twin Cities podcaster and radio personality, is scheduled to air March 31. Brundidge recently impressed another daytime favorite. Oprah Winfrey gave her a shout out on social media after her appearance this past weekend in St. Paul.

about the writer

about the writer

Neal Justin

Critic / Reporter

Neal Justin is the pop-culture critic, covering how Minnesotans spend their entertainment time. He also reviews stand-up comedy. Justin previously served as TV and music critic for the paper. He is the co-founder of JCamp, a non-profit program for high-school journalists, and works on many fronts to further diversity in newsrooms.

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