There are a huge number of Jeopardy! fans who enjoy the trivia show and follow it closely. Many hardcore fans dream of appearing on the show as contestants and competing against fellow participants. However, there are times when even such a popular game show as Jeopardy! has faced "awkward" moments over the years.
The viewers who have been paying close attention and are avid fans must have come across such awkward moments. It can be a clue, a controversial question, a ruling that might have gone wrong, or several other things.
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For all the hardcore fans, here is the list of awkward moments that have occurred over the years on the popular game show.
Jeopardy! - Awkward moments throughout the years on the game show
1) When all the contestants were unfamiliar with football
Among several awkward moments that Jeopardy! has faced over the years, fans must remember the February 1, 2018 episode. The competitors were Sara Helmers, Justin Earnshaw, and returning champion Ryan Fenster. Among many categories, there was "Talkin' Football," which each of the contestants avoided.
No one wanted to wager on the last five clues, while Ryan went ahead with $200. None of the contestants recognized the clue. At the time, the host, Alex Trebek, got the gist of the situation and shared that none of the participants were "big football fans."
Until the four clues were used, Ryan could still not answer it. In the end, when the show host was sure that none of the contestants knew about the Minnesota Vikings defensive line's nickname from the 1970s, the host teased,
"If you guys ring in and get this one, I will die!"
2) Kristin Sausville: Two-day champion on Jeopardy!
Another incident occurred during a 2015 Jeopardy! episode featuring Kristin Sausville. After two of her competitors lost, she was the sole player in the final round of the game show.
Although Kristin's answer was wrong because there were no other players besides herself, she won the round and emerged as a two-day champion.
3) Ken Jennings on Jeopardy! as a contestant
Another incident happened back in 2004. It was when the current host, Ken Jennings, was a contestant on the legendary game show. The clue that then host Alex shared was,
"This term for a long-handled gardening tool can also mean an immoral pleasure seeker."
Ken Jennings was the first one to answer; he said, "What is a hoe?" which was the wrong answer but ended up with everyone laughing out loud. The host, Alex, also teased Ken by asking,
"Whoa, they teach you that in school in Utah, huh?"
Later, the correct answer was revealed by a fellow contestant: "A rake."
4) A shocking moment during Mayim Bialik's March 8 episode
Fans must remember that Mayim Bialik also appeared on the trivia and hosted the game show. The final amount for all three contestants was visible on their screens at the beginning of the High School Reunion Tournament episode, which aired on March 8, 2024.
It happened while Mayim was speaking right when the episode started, and because of an editing mistake, the shot revealed the final score of all three contestants.
Later, during the March 13, 2024 episode, the production admitted to having made a "horrible mistake" and apologized to viewers.
Executive producer Michael Davies shared,
"Right off the bat, apologies to the entire audience. We totally blew it at the top of the show. We made a horrible error, where we revealed the final scores at the end in the opening cutaway shot during Mayim's monologue."
He added that it was a serious mistake that he promised to "avoid" in the future.
Depending on their geolocation, fans can stream Jeopardy! on weekdays through their regional channels.
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