Viral

The top 3 "Jeopardy!" contestants to ever win big are going head-to-head (to head) on TV -- and one guy who had a great run thinks he knows what sorta questions will be asked.

We spoke to Austin Rogers -- who had a 12-game winning streak in 2017 -- and he mused with us over what Alex Trebek and his crafty writers are gonna ask Ken Jennings, Brad Rutter and James Holzhauer come Jan. 7 for "Jeopardy! The Greatest of All Time."

It's exactly what it sounds like -- these guys have amassed the most cash out of anyone on the show, and it's time find out who's the true king in a 3-way face-off. As for what'll be asked -- or answered, rather -- Austin tells us the "Jeopardy!" crew will get diabolical.

Fact is, Austin says the writers know exactly how to tailor the topics for these three -- and he believes they'll be throwing pop culture curveballs instead of ancient history softballs.

Check it out -- Austin even weighs in on who he thinks has an edge here among these titans of trivia, and it sounds like our boy, James, is in the driver's seat with his scattered approach in hunting for Daily Doubles ... and his go big or go home wagers.

Good luck, fellas!!!

Rep. Eric Swalwell seemed to cut the cheese live on national TV ... but the cheese, as it turns out, was apparently a studio mug.

The California congressman was doing an interview Monday on MSNBC's 'Hardball' with host Chris Matthews -- and while he was going on and on about Ukraine and alleged malfeasance by DT ... something that sounded like a loud, wet fart blasted through the airwaves.

It certainly seemed like flatulence, and Rep. Swalwell even paused a moment right afterward in what many viewed as an acknowledgment of the ripped gas. And, of course, #fartgate and #shartgate soon started to trend everywhere on Twitter as a result.

Funny enough, the official 'Hardball' account excused the noise away as someone dragging a coffee mug across a table in the studio -- which just happened to get picked up on a mic.

Swalwell was ecstatic, quickly using the network's cover as what he described as "TOTAL EXONERATION!" -- very Trump-like, right?! And yes, everyone had a good laugh over it -- Republicans and Dems alike. It might've been the most uniting thing in a while, actually.

And, for those looking to go even deeper down the rabbit hole ... some have pointed to a theory that the would-be fart actually came from Matthews. Apparently, there's a history of gas being passed on his show over the years, as one Twitter user dutifully pointed out.

Anyway, if these impeachment hearings are lacking pizzazz -- as NBC News itself noted last week -- then Swalwell (or Matthews) just dropped a much-needed fun fart bomb.

Touching moment on the golf course this weekend ... a fan with Down Syndrome yelled during a critical putt, but the PGA Tour Latin America golfer who missed the shot quickly forgave the guy with a hug and autographs.

The incredible scene all went down on Sunday at the Visa Open de Argentina in Buenos Aires ... where Brandon Matthews needed to sink an 8-footer in a playoff hole to keep his championship hopes alive.

But, while the 25-year-old was in the middle of his backswing ... a fan yelled out, causing Brandon to shank the putt -- and you can see on video, Matthews was initially pissed.

"I kind of flinched on the putt and immediately knew I missed it," Matthews told Golfchannel.com. "I thought someone had done it intentionally. I was frustrated."

But, when tournament officials went to Matthews and explained to him the fan had Down Syndrome and didn't mean any harm ... they say Brandon nearly cried.

Matthews raced over to the fan ... embraced him and handed him a signed glove and golf ball.

"I gave him a hug and I asked him, 'Hey, are you doing okay? Are you having fun?'" Matthews said. "I just wanted to make sure he was enjoying himself, that he had no hard feelings, that he didn’t feel bad about what happened."

It's an awesome gesture from Matthews, considering if the guy had won the tournament, he would've received an automatic invite to the prestigious British Open in 2020.

A giraffe at the Cincinnati Zoo has died after what appears to be a bad reaction to a recent surgery done on its hooves ... which was supposed to mitigate a major health issue.

The zoo says that the male giraffe, named Kimba, passed away Sunday after it had collapsed to the ground early that morning in the zoo's giraffe barn -- where the staff had been monitoring a pregnant female giraffe who's supposed to go into labor any day now.

It's unclear how exactly the giraffe ended up dying -- the Cincinnati Zoo says they're awaiting the results of a necropsy to learn more about what exactly happened -- but they note that Kimba had been dealing with complications from a surgery he had done on his hooves last week. The photo above shows Kimba getting that work done by a team of specialists.

The surgery was meant to help Kimba fight off chronic lameness in his legs -- something the zoo says he'd been experiencing since last summer ... which was causing mobility issues.

The surgery was basically a hoof trim, and based on what the doc told them ... it was supposed to make him "sound" again -- but unfortunately, it sounds like it didn't take. Kimba was 12 years old, and had sired 6 calves, including a 7th on the way now.

Of course, this is the same place where Harambe the gorilla was shot and killed a few years ago after a child fell into his cage and got dragged around by the animal.

Sad news all around.

The rescue puppy with the tail growing out of his head will have to wait to find a forever home, because the shelter's worried some folks applying to adopt him might have the wrong motives.

As we reported ... the undeniably cute little dog named Narwhal is "a perfectly healthy puppy, with an extra tail on his face" who was rescued by Mac's Mission Animal Rescue in Jackson, Missouri. Naturally, he's gone viral due to his unique condition.

The shelter has received hundreds of adoption applications for Narwhal, but its founder, Rochelle Steffen, tells TMZ ... she's pumping the brakes for now. She says on Wednesday alone they got more than 100 applications, which is highly unusual because they are normally lucky to get one for a "special dog."

She tells us the shelter is nervous people may be wanting to adopt Narwhal for the wrong reasons -- for instance, fame and notoriety -- and not for love of a family pet. As a result, Rochelle says they're halting the application process for at least 2 months.

Rochelle says they've never had a dog like Narwhal, so they want to keep him and let him get bigger while they monitor the tail and make sure there are no negative health effects. If all's well in 2 months, they will put him back up for adoption, but she says they'll likely add a few questions to narrow down prospective candidates.

Rochelle adds, Narwhal's been checked by a vet and she's been told there is no reason to remove the tail -- it doesn't wag and has no bone structure -- so it would be a cosmetic surgery.

Chris Morgan, aka The Angry Bagel Guy, is currently in a New York hospital after suffering an apparent stroke ... TMZ has learned.

Morgan's manager, Bill Shannon, tells us Chris was outside a Long Island deli Monday when the medical emergency happened. Shannon says he's with Chris in the hospital now, and it appears he's lost feeling on the left side of his body. A video posted on his Twitter account showed Chris laid up in his hospital bed.

There does seem to be at least one positive sign -- Bill tells us Chris was able to raise his right arm to respond when Bill entered his hospital room. Bill says Chris has diabetes, but it's unclear if that's related to the apparent stroke.

We're told Chris' family members are on their way to the hospital.

Morgan gained internet fame back in July when he was caught on video in an angry confrontation inside a NYC bakery.

Waffle House is being sued for discrimination by a black woman whose arrest went viral ... and she's claiming the restaurant treats black customers like crap.

The woman behind the lawsuit is Chikesia Clemons, and she says she went to the WH in Saraland, AL with 2 friends in April 2018 -- a visit that ended with her in handcuffs following a scuffle with police ... all of it recorded by a friend.

In the suit, Clemons claims within 2 minutes of walking in, the manager told a Waffle House employee to call 911 and tell the dispatcher the group was intoxicated and refusing to leave. Clemons claims the 911 operator asked if the customers were male or female, but the employee responded, "They're black."

According to the docs, Clemons claims a white waitress told her she would be charged 50 cents for plastic utensils, which sparked an argument because Clemons says white customers don't get hit with that charge. Clemons says the waitress then refused to serve the table.

Another waitress -- also white -- tapped in, but things didn't go any smoother ... according to Clemons who claims the woman said, "You're racist," and "You need to learn your place."

The viral video shows 2 cops showing up, one grabbing Clemons and throwing her to the ground. One of the officers told her, "I'm about to break your arm," as they tried to put cuffs on her.

In her lawsuit, Clemons claims the only reason the officers roughed her up was because Waffle House employees falsely reported her and her friends as being drunk. She wants Waffle House to serve up some money -- as in damages -- and to stop the alleged discriminatory treatment.

We reached out to Waffle House for comment ... no word back, so far.

No, this puppy did NOT come from the Chernobyl pound, but yes -- this is a tale of 2 tails ... including the one growing out of the doggo's forehead.

The little guy's name is Narwhal, and he's a recent rescue at Mac's Mission Animal Rescue in Jackson, Missouri. The founder of the joint, Rochelle Steffen, says prospective owners need not worry about Narwhal's extra appendage -- "He had x-rays and a vet visit (Tuesday) and is a perfectly healthy puppy, with an extra tail on his face."

She adds the foretail doesn't require surgery, and doesn't seem to be giving him any harm at the moment.

Rochelle says her staff found Narwhal -- a Dachshund and Beagle mix, they think -- recently at a dumpsite, and took him in to help find him a forever home.

It's unclear what the growth is exactly, but it's probably a mutation that occurred at birth.

Either way, Narwhal is just as rambunctious as any other puppy -- hide your shoes -- and doesn't seem too bent about being named after a whale that has a tusk growing out of its head.

Based on how lovable and unique he is, something tells us he'll be scooped up quickly.

The guy who allegedly stabbed someone to death at a Popeyes on the East Coast has been ID'd by cops -- and now they're looking to bring him in on murder charges.

The Prince George's County Police Department in Maryland say they believe 30-year-old Ricoh McClain is the one responsible for the fatal stabbing that took place last week that left 28-year-old Kevin Tyrell Davis dead after an in-line dispute escalated.

Cops say they were called in to respond to a fight, and when they arrived ... they discovered Davis in the restaurant's parking lot with a single stab wound that ultimately killed him.

As for what exactly led up to the stabbing, cops say they believe Davis had cut in line ... which turned into a verbal dispute, and then into a physical altercation outside. Police say McClain fled from the area and has not been captured yet. A warrant for his arrest has been issued, and authorities there are asking anyone who knows his whereabouts to speak up.

Police have released a mug shot of McClain from a previous arrest, and they've also put out an image of him in the Popeyes that was captured on surveillance video.

Trina is dropping a bombshell about that heated Walmart confrontation with a white woman who called her the n-word -- the whole thing started with the rapper trying to help a stranger.

The iconic emcee was on "TMZ Live" when she revealed what led up to the madness last Friday in a Florida Walmart. Trina says all she did was try to console the woman, who was openly crying in the store.

You have to see Trina break down what happened after she asked the weeping woman if she was okay. As they say, no good deed ...

As you know, Trina wasn't having it after the woman called her "n****r bitch." TMZ got the video of all hell breaking loose ... as Trina fired back at her, but only verbally.

Trina told us she was able to restrain herself and not inflict any physical harm on the woman -- which she notes likely would've resulted in major legal trouble for herself instead of the mouthy customer.

Sonic the Hedgehog looks a lot less frightening now after he got an eye job and a good mouth sanding -- which should hopefully put restless die-hard fans at ease.

A new trailer for the part-live-action 'Sonic' movie dropped on Tuesday, and our favorite video game hero underwent a major redesign since tremendous backlash from back in May -- when the blue furball looked more human than cartoon character ... and folks noticed.

Now, he's back to his normal self -- with larger eyes and significantly smaller teeth. And frankly, that's good ... nobody wants to see Sonic's fillings in the upcoming action flick.

Fans knew these tweaks were coming, BTW. The director of the movie, Jeff Fowler, forecast as much when he said he'd heard 'em loud and clear on the feedback, adding it'd happen.

Rough night for Drake, who got booed off stage at his pal Tyler, the Creator's music festival ... due to a crowd that clearly wanted, and expected, to see someone else.

Champagne Papi came out as the surprise guest headliner Sunday night at Camp Flog Gnaw, which was held at Dodger Stadium. It sure seems like folks were jonesin' for Frank Ocean to the hit the stage and sing ... instead, they got Drizzy rapping.

The set didn't seem to be going well from the jump -- barely any energy from the audience, and what's worse ... when Drake offered to stay longer, the crowd didn't want him.

It seems like he heard 'em loud and clear ... Drake thanked the Flog Gnaw festivalgoers for their time and made his way off stage -- seemingly cutting his set short. No love lost between him and the mob either, because they chanted for Frank after Drake left.

As for why this happened to one of the biggest music acts in the world right now ... it might have something to do with the type of music these ticket holders are into, and who else was in the lineup -- tons of alternative hip-hop and R&B artists.

Safe for a handful of guys who can crossover to the mainstream -- DaBaby, 21 Savage, Juice WRLD, YG, etc -- the majority of the acts cater to a bit of a more indie listener. Ditto for Frank Ocean, who's the king of that whole genre right now.

Meanwhile, Drake is as mainstream as it gets. 'Tis what it is. 🤷🏽‍♂️

Oklahoma QB Jalen Hurts brought a special VIP guest to celebrate with the Sooners this weekend -- 12-year-old Rayden Overbay -- and the video is awesome!

Overbay is the special needs student who was targeted in violent attacks by classmates who mocked him for being autistic, diabetic and deaf in his right ear. He suffered serious injuries and had suicidal thoughts after the incidents.

But, MMA star Justin Wren took Overbay under his wing and has rounded up famous and non-famous friends to offer support. Stars like Baker Mayfield, Mick Foley and more stepped up.

And now, Overbay can add a Heisman Trophy candidate to his friend list -- with Hurts inviting Overbay into the Sooners' locker room after their 42-41 victory over Iowa State.

"You got a whole squad of people behind you," Hurts told Rayden ... who was STOKED to meet the football star.

Hurts tweeted about meeting Rayden on Sunday ... saying, "It was great getting to meet Rayden Overbay this weekend! He is a true soldier and such an inspiration to many."

"He has a friend in me! Much Love! #StopBullying"

Not only did Rayden get to meet the star QB ... he also got introduced to the whole squad by head coach Lincoln Riley, who gave him a game ball and let him break the team's final huddle!!

FaZe Banks is a guy who knows how to clean up after his own mess, even if it takes a bit of time -- at least that's what we gathered when we asked him about his Vegas debacle.

We talked to the gaming guru -- who founded the FaZe Esports collective -- at the Logan Paul/KSI fight this weekend and he cleared the air with us on what exactly happened last month at the Encore at Wynn Hotel in Sin City, where his room was torn to shreds.

Banks comes clean with us here, saying he f***ed  the room -- which caused over $30k in damage, BTW -- and even apologizes for it too. A weekend in Vegas, as he puts it.

You'll recall ... the hotel was pissed about the mess, and got cops involved ... who were investigating for felony malicious destruction of property -- a charge the carries a max sentence of 5 years in prison. Luckily, it didn't get there for FB -- he handled it.

The dude says he and the hotel are all good now, and that it's all love -- the implication being that he paid for the damage and is back in their good graces. Quite a guy, huh?!

We get around to talking about his fellow member FaZe Jarvis' lifetime ban from 'Fortnite' after being caught cheating ... and he gives us his thoughts on that too.

Instagram is getting rid of its "like" feature ... but don't worry, this is just a trial run and it's only going to affect some users in the United States.

IG CEO Adam Mosseri made the announcement that's sure to cause anxiety for some folks Friday at WIRED25 ... explaining the platform will experiment with hiding likes for US-based accounts starting next week.

The social media giant has already tested the same thing in Australia, Brazil, Canada, Ireland, Italy, Japan and New Zealand ... and it's finally coming to America.

Mosseri says Instagram will slowly roll out the changes, removing publicly visible engagement metrics for a limited number of IG accounts. The person who posts a picture or video will still be able to see how many likes it gets.

The fights over the reintroduction of Popeyes' chicken sandwich are not slowing down ... workers at one franchise ganged up on a fellow employee they say was selling the popular item on the low.

Check out this insane video from a Popeyes restaurant in Los Angeles ... it's a madhouse behind the counter, with employees swinging on each other and one worker wielding a frying pan above their head.

The person behind the camera claims the violence erupted after an employee was caught selling the chicken sandwich out of the back door.

In the video, you hear a worker screaming, "You f**king hit me, bitch!!!"

As we've reported ... fights have been erupting across the country after Popeyes brought back the chicken sandwich last weekend, and a man waiting in line in Maryland ended up dead after a violent altercation.

A fight in another part of Maryland shows a customer brawling with employees behind the counter, and getting a bunch of flour dumped on his sweatshirt.

Footage from a fight in Florida showed two men going at it in the drive-thru line, with one dude hitting the pavement after taking a punch.