Jimmy Kimmel Scolds Audience For Totally Failing To Guess The Identity Of Patrick Dempsey, People’s Sexiest Man Alive: “This Is The Worst Batch Of Questions Ever”

Jimmy Kimmel might have to rework his strategy for announcing People’s Sexiest Man Alive next year. After enlisting his Jimmy Kimmel Live audience in a guessing game on Tuesday night’s (Nov. 7) episode, he was forced to give them two hints to help narrow down the answer.

Using hologram technology, Kimmel introduced the disguised man to the audience, who then had to guess his identity was through a game of 20 Questions.

“I am a huge fan of sexy men who are alive,” Kimmel said. “Right now, there is a team of scientists who are working at People Magazine laboratories. They’ve spent the last 12 months crunching numbers determining which of the 4 billion men on this planet will be called sexiest this year. And that man is about to be crowned right now, folks.”

While the guessing game seemed like a good idea at first, the questions posed proved to be a little too broad for Kimmel’s viewers.

Was he born in the USA? Yes — but it wasn’t Bruce Springsteen or Timotheé Chalamet. Was he older than 50? Yes — resulting in a “wave of disappointment” from the audience.” Did he have a podcast? No — which makes him the “only living American without” one. Was he blonde? No.

“This is the worst batch of questions ever,” a defeated Kimmel said. “I’m gonna give you a hint, OK? The hint is: star of one of the most popular television series of all time.”

The vague questions continued — until Kimmel finally revealed that he “played a doctor on television.” Once that hint was dropped, it wasn’t long until someone correctly guessed Patrick Dempsey, who famously played Dr. Derek Shepherd, a.k.a. McDreamy, on Grey’s Anatomy.

“I’m glad it’s happening at this point in my life,” Dempsey told People. “It’s nice to have the recognition, and certainly my ego takes a little bump, but it gives me the platform to use it for something positive.”

When he first heard he would be crowned the Sexiest Man Alive, the Can’t Buy Me Love star said he was “completely shocked.”

“Then I started laughing, like, this is a joke, right? I’ve always been the bridesmaid!” he said. “I’d completely forgotten about it and never even contemplated being in this position. So my ego is good.”