Host Ken Jennings admitted it was “a little problematic” in the moment.
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Former contestant and current host Ken Jennings traveled across the country to meet with super fans of America’s favorite quiz show.
One former “Jeopardy!” contestant is speaking out after a clue that even host Ken Jennings called “a little problematic” went viral online.
Heather Ryan, a health program director from Binghamton, New York, competed on the Oct. 28 episode, ultimately losing by $1.
During the first round of play, Ryan selected the $400 clue in the “Complete the Rhyming Phrase” category.
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Jennings then read the clue, saying, “Men seldom make passes at….”
Will Wallace, the reigning champion at the time, buzzed in before Ryan and fellow contestant Ian Taylor — who would go on to win the episode — to correctly answer, “What are ‘girls who wear glasses?'”
A “Jeopardy! Masters” host Ken Jennings.
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Jennings said to Ryan, a glasses-wearer, in response, “Yeah, a little problematic. Sorry, Heather.”
Wallace agreed, chiming in, “Very.”
“It is definitely an odd choice,” Ryan told Pipe Dream, a student-run publication at Binghamton University, in an interview published earlier this week. “I think it made everybody in the audience and onstage, and Ken Jennings too, a little uncomfortable. It was like, ‘Oh, that was unexpected.'”
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“Maybe we choose better rhyming phrases in 2024,” she continued. “Unfortunately, there are still girls who are [in] middle school, and they don’t want to wear glasses, and they’re losing out on their education. So, I think it’s much better to be able to see than anything else.”
Despite the awkward moment, Ryan said her time on “Jeopardy!” was “very fun” and that she had “a great time.”
“Good Morning America” has reached out to representatives for “Jeopardy!” for comment.
