Jeopardy! viewers couldn’t believe their ears after Ken Jennings got to know his players

Jeopardy! viewers were left with their jaws on the floor after one contestant candidly divulged her struggles with bowel function during Thursday’s episode.

Hakme Lee, a scientific instructional technician from Seattle, disclosed she had irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) midway through the show, when host Ken Jennings took a moment to get to know the players.

As the 50-year-old presenter turned his attention to Hakme, he asked: ‘You knew your fiancé was a keeper after only three dates?’

She replied: ‘So I have IBS, which is medical speak for I go to the bathroom when I’m nervous – and I was very open about that with him.

‘On our third date, which was dinner at his place, I go to his apartment, he takes my coat, and then he guides me by the elbow and shows me where the bathroom is.’

They were left shocked when contestant Hakme Lee candidly divulged her struggles with IBS during Thursday’s game

Ken was visibly stunned by Hakme’s revelation and replied: ‘Look at that. Thoughtful.

‘What’s the opposite of a red flag? I love that.’

Viewers were also taken aback by the unexpected tale and shared their disbelief online, with one writing: ‘Absolutely wild for your fun fact on #Jeopardy to be about sh*tting.’

Another posted on X: ‘Nice IBS story, but… She knows, she’s on TV right?’

A third added: ‘I love that one of the contestants mentioned the reality of having IBS. Good for her!’

‘TMI Hakme,’ another simply wrote.

A fifth said: ‘LOL — I cannot believe Hakme chose “I go to the bathroom when I’m nervous” as her conversation topic with Ken.’

IBS is a long-term functional disorder of the gastrointestinal tract, characterized by recurrent abdominal pain and discomfort, accompanied by alterations in bowel function.

Hakme revealed that on her third date with her husband-to-be, he showed her where his bathroom was

Viewers at home were also taken aback by Hakme’s unexpected story

What is IBS and what are the symptoms?

IBS is a functional disorder of the gastrointestinal tract, characterised by recurrent abdominal pain and discomfort, accompanied by alterations in bowel function.

It is hard to diagnose, as symptoms can vary widely, and needs to be monitored over a period of approximately 12 weeks for a proper diagnosis.

Fortunately, unlike more serious intestinal diseases such as ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease, IBS doesn’t cause inflammation or changes in bowel tissue, or increase the risk of colorectal cancer.

Symptoms of IBS can include: frequent bowel movements (more than three a day) or infrequent bowel movements (less than three a week), abnormal stool form (lumpy/hard or loose/watery), abnormal stool passage (straining, urgency or feeling of incomplete evacuation), extreme bloating, lethargy, nausea, abdominal pain or cramping, flatulence and mucus in the stool.

Symptoms may be intermittent and can range from severe to mild.

Symptoms of the syndrome, which effects one in 20 people around the world, can include frequent or infrequent bowel movements, abnormal stool, abnormal stool passage and extreme bloating.

Thursday’s episode ended with contestant Adriana Harmeyer in the lead once again with a 12-game total of $278,500.

Hakme finished the game with $6,200.

Earlier this week, Jeopardy! viewers were left outraged after Ken asked players ‘the easiest final question of all time’ – leading many to accuse the show of ‘dumbing down’ the questions.

At the end of Tuesday night’s episode, Ken revealed that contestants Sarah Hartzell, Scott McCann, and Adriana would be tested on their US Geography.

Before giving the trio 30 seconds to prepare their answers, Ken read the clue: ‘Of the 10 US states with two-word names, this one stretches the farthest south.’

After the timer went off, Ken announced that Sarah had buzzed in the quickest.

‘What state did you write down, Sarah?’ he asked, to which she said, ‘What is New Mexico?’

‘And that is correct,’ Ken confirmed. ‘Quite a bit south of second place South Carolina, the next southernmost two-word state.’

But Jeopardy! fans were furious by the ‘elementary school map question’ and hit out at the presenter for not presenting something more challenging.

‘I implore @Jeopardy host @KenJennings to please do something about the dumbing down of final #Jeopardy,’ wrote one enraged viewer on X.

Another raged: ‘No one likes to see a super-easy Final #Jeopardy clue in a non-runaway game. Contestants and viewers alike!’