At least he’s owning it.
“Jeopardy!” host Ken Jennings acknowledged he made a “very harsh ruling” that infuriated viewers during last Wednesday’s episode.
Jennings, 50, didn’t accept contestant Kelly Proulx’s guess that was only one letter off.
Ken Jennings is the host of “Jeopardy!” ABC
The answer to the $2,000 clue was Bridalveil Fall — but Proulx guessed “Bridalveil Falls.”
On Monday’s episode of the weekly “Inside Jeopardy!” podcast, Jennings talked about the controversial moment with the contestants.
The $2,000 clue on “Jeopardy!” ABC
Yosemite’s Bridalveil Fall was featured on “Jeopardy!” AP
“Well, all three of you played well,” he told Proulx, Dana Keane and Isaac Hirsch. “It was not a foregone conclusion until the very end.”
“Sadly, ‘Bridalveil Falls’ with the ‘S,’ ” Jennings said to Proulx, before noting that Final Jeopardy “didn’t really matter” since nobody knew the answer.
Kelly Proulx on “Jeopardy!” ABC
“I’m glad it didn’t hinge on my very harsh ruling on the ‘S,’ ” the host added.
Proulx — whose winning streak came to an end because of Jennings and the unseen judges’ call — laughed in response.
Kelly Proulx, Dana Keane and Isaac Hirsch competed on the “Jeopardy!” episode that aired on July 3, 2024. ABC
The incident that upset so many fans happened during the last clue of Double Jeopardy, which was in the category “Waterfalls.”
“A Yosemite fall with a wispy ribbon of water that flutters in the air like a diaphanous cloth bears the name of this marital wear,” the clue read.
Proulx was first to buzz in, but her guess was one letter off.
Ken Jennings on “Jeopardy!” Disney
“No, I’m sorry,” Jennings told the communications director.
“It’s actually Bridalveil Fall, so we couldn’t take that. It is, ‘What is a Bridalveil?’ ” he added.
Proulx ended the round in last place with $8,000.
Hirsch, a customer support team leader, ended up winning the game with $19,185.
Isaac Hirsch won “Jeopardy!” on July 3, 2024. ABC
After watching the debacle unfold, viewers took to X (formerly known as Twitter) to rip on Jennings, deeming his ruling “brutal” and “disgusting.”
“@Jeopardy just cheated champion Kelly by not accepting Bridal Veil Falls because it’s actually ‘Fall.’ But they accepted ‘larnyx’ for larynx. Make it make sense,” one fan wrote.
“F – – k the judges for that ruling,” another person said.
Ken Jennings on “Jeopardy!” Disney
Critics also shared their frustrations on a “Jeopardy!” Reddit thread.
“Some of these rulings seem arbitrary as heck,” one person wrote.
“Wow, Kelly was robbed,” said another. “That ruling on Bridal Veil Fall/ Falls was ridiculous. Adding the S seems to fall firmly in ‘yea, we’ll take that’ territory.”
