Yahoo Lifestyle Stephen Colbert stumped by 'Lord of the Rings' trivia, but still receives precious gift from hobbits
Dominic Monaghan and Billy Boyd, Merry and Pippin in the Lord of the Rings franchise respectively, joined The Late Show With Stephen Colbert Tuesday, where they attempted to stump Colbert, a J.R.R. Tolkien superfan, on Lord of the Rings trivia. Colbert takes pride in his knowledge of the world and characters Tolkien created, and easily got the first question right.
Monaghan went first, asking, “Who is Shelob’s mother, and how did she die?”
“Well, Shelob’s mother is Ungoliant, okay?” Colbert answered confidently. “And she died by consuming herself in her own webs of darkness.” “He’s got it!” Monaghan exclaimed before Colbert stood up and flexed.
But Boyd’s question would prove more problematic, which was clear each time Colbert interjected with an unenthusiastic “Yes” as Boyd asked it.
“As you know, Merry and Pippin meet Treebeard, he is an Ent,” Boyd began. “The Ents have a meeting with Merry and Pippin, which is called an Entmoot. They have this Entmoot in Fangorn Forest. But where in Fangorn Forest?”
It was clear to all when Colbert made a face like he’d bitten into a sour fruit that he didn’t know the answer, and Monaghan and Boyd reacted with appropriate excitement. Monaghan stopped long enough to wonder if Colbert was “goosing” them, but he was not.
After racking his brain with his head in his hand, Colbert finally admitted, “I don’t know. I don’t know the name of it.”
“Ladies and gentleman,” Boyd said, raising his arms, “stumped by Pippin!”
Colbert was not happy when Boyd told him it was Derndingle, and gave Boyd credit for being one of the few people who can stump him when it comes to Tolkien trivia, adding that it rang a bell as soon as the answer was given.
But Colbert, who made a cameo in The Hobbit, had a surprise for Monaghan and Boyd. Lord of the Rings director Peter Jackson had a video question for the three of them.
“Very little-known fact that a hobbit invented the game of golf,” Jackson said. “What I want to know is, Merry or Pippin descended directly from the hobbit who invented golf, and what was the name of that hobbit who invented the game of golf?”
Colbert immediately raised his hand and yelled, “Pippin! And his name was Bullroarer Took!”
Boyd and Monaghan stared blankly at Colbert before Boyd busted out laughing.
Though Colbert was stumped on one question, he still was rewarded a precious gift for his troubles: A genuine pair of Merry’s ears from the movie. Monaghan handed the ears to Colbert, who proudly held them up over his own with a giant smile on his face.
The Late Show With Stephen Colbert airs weeknights at 11:35 p.m. on CBS.
Check out the NSFW gift Courteney Cox keeps getting from Ed Sheeran:
Read more from Yahoo Entertainment:
Former Pentagon official claims government is trying to silence him over UFO knowledge
Bachelorette Katie Thurston kicks contestant to the curb: 'Your "Bachelor" audition ends tonight'
Tell us what you think! Hit us up on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram. And check out our host, Kylie Mar, on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram.
