‘Jeopardy!’ Fans Shocked at NSFW Clue During Tense ‘JIT’ Quarterfinal
Jeopardy.com
The second round of the semi-finals for Jeopardy! Invitational Tournament left fans chuckling after host Ken Jennings made a shocking joke.
The Monday, March 3, game had fan-favorite Matt Amodio, from New York, New York, face off against Luigi de Guzman, from Arlington, Virginia, and Emily Sands, from Chanhassen, Minnesota.
De Guzman, an attorney, started off in the lead, correctly answering multiple questions. Amodio was right behind him. However, Sands found the Daily Double on her second question, moving her above Amodio with $1,600. After that, she was on a roll, and it was a battle between her and de Guzman.
During the interview round, Sands revealed that her job as a benefits consultant is fairly new. She landed the job shortly after the Tournament of Champions ended, so it caused her to be behind on Jeopardy! Amodio, a quantitative researcher, suggested that now that there is a Pop Culture Jeopardy!, they should eliminate those categories from the syndicated version. He didn’t have much luck as a pop culture question was the last in the game.
By the end of the first round, de Guzman was leading with $8,800. Sands was in second with $5,400. Amodio trailed in third with $2,200, but his luck would turn around in Double Jeopardy! when he found both Daily Doubles.
The first question under “In Ye Olde 18th Century Bookshoppe” was a Daily Double. He made it a true DD and bet all of his money. The clue read: “‘Of the division of labour’ kicks off chapter one in ‘an inquiry into the nature and causes of’ the rest fo this 1776 title.” Amodio guessed, “What is Wealth of Nations?” bringing his total to $4,400. He was still in last place.
Standing at $8,000 in Double Jeopardy, Amodio found the second DD and had the chance to move to first. “Dinar is served in many countries including this small oil-rich one; In the ’90s, the Iraqi Dinar briefly replaced its own dinar,” the question read. “What is Kuwait?” he answered, bringing him up to $16,000 and the lead.
However, the last clue of the game had fans shocked. “In 2024, many flocked to a memecoin with this 4-letter Avian name that was released by Hailey Welch,” the clue read. “What is hawk?” de Guzman buzzed in.
“Yes! You remembered hawk tuah somehow,” host Ken Jennings said. Sands had a shocked expression on her face as de Guzman shook his head. Hawk Tuah became famous when a viral YouTube video was posted in 2024. A Nashville woman was asked, “What makes you wifey material?” She replied, “You gotta give ’em that ‘hawk tuah’ and spit on that thang.”
Reddit users couldn’t believe the game show had an NSFW clue.
“Never did I expect a clue on Jeopardy! to refer to Hawk Tuah, but it happened, haha. What a great game. These finals, and tomorrow’s semi-final, are gonna be fun,” one fan wrote.
“Everyone’s reaction, but particularly Emily’s, after Ken’s remark about hawk tuah had me rolling,” said another.
“Lol Luigi looked so embarrassed with himself for getting it right. Almost as if he were thinking, ‘man, this was not worth the $400,’ hahaha,” a fan replied.
At the end of Double Jeopardy!, Amodio led with $22,800. De Guzman was in second with $16,400. Sands trailed with a total of $11,400.
The category for Final Jeopardy! was cabinet members. “In order of fame, the first cabinet was Jefferson (later prez), Hamilton (‘my shot’ guy), Knox (of fort fame), this attorney general,” the question read.
Sands answered incorrectly with “Who is Marbury?” dropping her to $11,000. De Guzman answered, “Who is Jay?” which was also incorrect. He wagered $16,399, bringing his final total to $1. Amodio answered correctly with “Who is Randolph?” He added $10,001 to his total, ending with $32,801, making him the winner.
De Guzman and Sands both went home with $10,000. Amodio advances to the Finals. Another semi-final round will take place on Tuesday, March 4.
