Jeopardy! viewers stunned by Hawk Tuah answer during semi-finals
Jeopardy! fans were left stunned by the answer of the final clue from the board in tonight’s Invitational Tournament semi-final round.
The questionably NSFW answer came ironically after contestant and round winner Matt Amodio suggested that pop culture clues be scrubbed from regular Jeopardy! in the future.
The answer to a $400 question in the Double Jeopardy round made reference to a viral video from last year that took the internet by storm: Hawk Tuah girl . Viewers who understood where the answer came from were shocked by it being included on today’s board, especially given the context of the meme.
The clue in question was under the category “Currencies.” The $400 question read: “In 2024 many flocked to a memecoin with this 4-letter avian name that was released by Haliey Welch.”
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Host Ken Jennings replied cheekily, “Yes! You remembered Hawk Tuah somehow,” host Ken Jennings said. Luigi and the other contestants traded shocked looks as they headed into final jeopardy.
The phrase “Hawk Tuah” became a meme when a viral YouTube video was posted in 2024 in which a Nashville woman named Haliey Welch was interviewed on the street and asked the question: “What makes you wifey material?”
Since then, the internet personality has launched her own podcast “Talk Tuah with Haliey Welch” and even her own cryptocurrency, which was referenced on the trivia game show.
Jeopardy! fans flocked to Reddit to share their surprise over the NSFW answer. One user wrote: “Never did I expect a clue on Jeopardy to refer to Hawk Tuah, but it happened haha,” while another said: “‘Hawk Tuah’ being mentioned on Jeopardy was not on my 2025 bingo card.”
Other users pointed out the awkward reactions by the contestants after the question was answered. One Redditor wrote: “Everyone’s reaction, but particularly Emily’s, after Ken’s remark about hawk tuah had me rolling.”
Another echoed: “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.”
