Jeopardy! faced some backlash after a category in a recent episode ended up being labeled “one of the sloppiest games” the series has ever seen. The iconic game show has had its share of ups and downs over the years. More recently, the search for a new host to replace Alex Trebek was a mess when Mike Richards was let go just a week after being announced as his successor. Sometimes, the game itself can come under fire, typically from clues that are poorly worded or the contestants’ performances are terrible.
Fans expressed their frustration after recent Jeopardy! contestants had major struggles during one particular category.
In a Reddit thread started by Jaysjep2, fans expressed their frustration after watching the May 12 episode of Jeopardy! The contestants–Kara Peruccio, Andrew Jones and Rachel Hall–were already slightly struggling early in the game, but then came the whammy that messed everything up. A category called Jeoportmanteau! caused a lot of confusion, which became obvious when the contestants couldn’t figure out the answers. While host Ken Jennings called it a “tough category,” on Reddit, tfl03 reacted by calling it “one of the sloppiest games of all time.”
Other fans couldn’t believe what they witnessed during that episode of Jeopardy! Some went so far as to blame the writers for the way they crafted the category. The OP wondered if the writers ended up having a meeting afterward “to determine where they went wrong,” especially since it didn’t seem like the contestants had enough time to come up with a response.
Speaking of the writers, fan-favorite alum Buzzy Cohen recently joined Jeopardy! as a writer, so Altruistic_Will385 was worried that his performance might be “off to a rocky start” if he had any involvement in the Jeoportmanteau category. Yungcherrypops acknowledged how tough the game was but tried to keep the discussion positive by saying that at least “it kept things interesting until the very end.” RasputinsAssassins blamed the show for trying to be “overly cute” with the wordplay and “excessively long titles that make it difficult to figure out what is being asked.“
What Sloppy Category Means For Jeopardy!
The Writers Need To Ensure This Doesn’t Happen Again
Jeopardy! fans being frustrated over that category is very understandable. The contestants themselves were probably even more upset since their prize money is at stake, and when they can’t figure out what the clues mean, it only compounds the problem. There’s always going to be a winner at the end of each episode, though, so any annoyance Andrew may have had probably disappeared pretty quickly once he came away as the winner.
The Reddit fan who speculated about the writers made an intriguing point. It would be interesting to know if the writers and producers have meetings when things go wrong during a game so they can correct the situation going forward. After all, a sloppy game is never fun, both for the contestants and the viewers, so there has to be some sort of plan so this doesn’t happen again.
Our Take On Backlash To Sloppy Jeopardy Game
Ken Jennings Might Have Some Ideas To Fix The Problem
The person I would love to hear from after this backlash is the host himself. While he did admit afterwards on the air that it was a tough category, Ken knows this game inside and out since he’s the host and is the most iconic player of all time, so his perspective would be very valuable in a situation like this. Maybe he has some insight he can share during behind-the-scenes meetings after seeing the contestants constantly getting incorrect answers in just that one category. He knows what it’s like to be in their shoes, after all.
Jeopardy! airs weeknights. Please check your local listings for time and channel.
Source: Jaysjep2/Reddit