One of the Greatest Mysteries on ‘Jeopardy!’ Was Just Put to Rest

There is perhaps no game show more famous in the US than Jeopardy! Running for over 40 years as of this year, the series has seen countless memorable contestants, moments, and even the odd controversy. However, despite consisting of over 9,000 episodes, the series still brings some together in confusion on occasion thanks to a pivotal question. If Jeopardy! contestants need to know one rule and one rule only, it is to phrase the answer as a question. That simple premise has been the backbone of the game show for decades, although, occasionally, it can throw fuel onto a slow-burning fire. If the answer to a question were to already be phrased as a question – for example, “Who Framed Roger Rabbit?” – does the answering contestant need to still include a question-based prefix, i.e. “What is Who Framed Roger Rabbit?”

Well, luckily the die-hard fans on the Jeopardy! Subreddit have been hard at work deciphering exactly what the rules regarding this are thanks to a thread posted on October 11. The question posed by the user read, “Let’s say the board says ‘This book series features a hidden stripped protagonist’, and someone just says ‘Where’s Waldo’ and not ‘What is Where’s Waldo’, would they accept it? Since it’s in the form of a question?” What are the rules?” Quickly, those in the know gave their response, with one reply stating, “As long as your answer is in the form of a question, it is acceptable,” they continued, “For example, if the correct answer was the movie, ‘Who Framed Roger Rabbit?’, you would not need to add anything to the title of the movie when you answered since it is already a question.”

However, not all could agree, with someone else replying, “I don’t think that’s correct? You’d have to say ‘What is ‘Who Framed Roger Rabbit’?’. The ‘what’ ‘who’ etc are not part of the solution. If you use this example, you’re saying the movie is called ‘Framed Roger Rabbit.'” This reply was swiftly disapproved of by Jeopardy!’s fanbase, with another commenter saying, “Somewhat surprisingly, they really do only require the response to be in the form of a question, so ‘Who Framed Roger Rabbit?’ alone would be acceptable, though of course there is nothing wrong with adding ‘What is’ to the beginning of that either.” Finally, another added, “There have been entire categories where all the answers were in the form of a question. Contestants usually don’t get the hint and still add ‘what is’ to the front.”

‘Jeopardy!’ Answered the Question Themselves Some Three Years Ago

For many, the search for this answer has led to several living room debates with disagreeing family and friends. The hunt for a response has been in the back of viewers’ minds, with sporadic moments in the series’ iconic history prompting the conversation to arise yet again. However, little do many know thanks to the cyber-burial of the post, but, back in 2021, Jeopardy! actually answered this question on a blog. The response stated:

“The rules state, “…all contestant responses to an answer must be phrased in the form of a question.” It’s that simple. Jeopardy! doesn’t require that the response is grammatically correct. Further, the three-letter name of a British Invasion rock band can be a correct response all by itself (“The Who?”), and even “Is it…?” has been accepted.”

So, it seems as if the onus is on the contestant to choose their response, grammatically correct or not. As long as it is posed as a question, the game will continue. That is unless producers start assuming you’re making a mockery of the format, something addressed in another pair of Redditor’s replies. One said, “I too have heard, ‘Is it…?’, and Ken accepted it by saying, ‘It is.’ But I only recall it once in recent history. I have a sense that it is most likely frowned upon”, which prompted another to respond, “I believe some former contestants have said the producers will stop the game and ask you to stop.”

One of Jeopardy!‘s biggest mysteries has been solved. You can stream the show online and it airs each weeknight on ABC.