'Racist' '$100,000 Pyramid' Guy Evan Kaufman Responds to Backlash: There's 'Inherent Racism Lurking in My Brain'

The $100,000 Pyramid
Michael Strahan hosts “The 100,000 Pyramid" on the ABC Television Network. Contestant Evan Kaufman flubs his answer in his first round. ABC/Lou Rocco

In a mortifying twist of words, a contestant on ABC's The $100,000 Pyramid accidentally confused President Barack Obama with former al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden.

The $100,00 Pyramid is a game show where a contestant is paired with a celebrity. Contestants offer clues to their teammate as they attempt to guess a series of words or phrases based on different topics.

On Sunday's episode, new father Evan Kaufman was paired with former Saturday Night Live cast member Tim Meadows. Kaufman tripped up in his very first category: "People Whose Last Name is Obama." The first clue he offers up is, unfortunately, Bin Laden. Realizing his mistake, he corrects himself with "Barack" and receives a proper response from his partner.

On Monday, Kaufman posted a thirteen-part Twitter thread to both express his embarrassment and explain his mortifying fumble.

"This is me below," Kaufman said after linking the video to his now-viral mistake. "'Racist' '$100,000 Pyramid' Guy. Let me tell you the story about perhaps the most embarrassing moment of my life."

"My son had been born two weeks prior. I am very tired but excited to win money for my family," he said. "We play up the whole tired Dad thing." He explained that the producers over-emphasized to contestants that they must read their questions very carefully. "'People misread them!' they say. They have no idea."

"I make it to the final round," he went on. "I remember what the producers said. I try and focus. The first square flips. I read, 'People Whose Last Name is Obama.' I freeze. There's only one."

In his panic, Kaufman apparently forgot everyone else with the surname Obama. "My brain is racing. I need to list multiple people. I can't just say Barack," he said. "What I should have said was, 'Michelle, Sasha, Malia.' Here's what my brain decided. Who is associated with Obama? Who did he kill? What sounds like Obama?"

The $100,000 Pyramid
Michael Strahan hosts “The 100,000 Pyramid" on the ABC Television Network every Sunday. Contestant Evan Kaufman flubs his answer in his first round. ABC/Lou Rocco

In a brilliant moment if word-association, Kaufman blurted out "Bin Laden." At the end of the show, he ended up walking away with $8500. "This just goes to show you that even a liberal globalist cuck like yours truly has some inherent racism lurking in my brain. What a disaster."

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