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One week after her appearance on Jeopardy!, contestant Heather Ryan is speaking out about a “very problematic” clue from her time on the show.
Ryan, 30, competed on the Monday, October 28, episode of the hit game show. In the “Complete the Rhyming Phrase” portion of the episode, host Ken Jennings read the clue “Men seldom make passes at…” to which returning champion Will Wallace correctly answered, “Girls who wear glasses.”
After confirming Wallace’s answer, the game show host apologized to Ryan for the clue, as she was the only female contestant and was wearing glasses. “A little problematic, sorry, Heather,” Jennings stated. Wallace acknowledged his own disapproval of the clue, quipping, “Very,” to Jennings.
On Wednesday, November 6, Ryan, who hails from Binghamton, New York, spoke to Binghamton University’s student newspaper Pipe Dream, and addressed the “uncomfortable” moment that transpired onstage.
Ryan said everyone was caught off guard after the clue was read. “It is definitely an odd choice,” she remarked to the paper. “I think it made everybody in the audience and on stage, and Ken Jennings too, a little uncomfortable. It was like, ‘Oh, that was unexpected.'”
Ryan explained that she believed the clue was outdated and did a disservice to young girls who wear glasses. “Maybe we choose better rhyming phrases in 2024,” she quipped. “Unfortunately, there are still girls who are [in] middle school and they don’t want to wear their glasses and they’re losing out on their education. So, I think it’s much better to be able to see than anything else.”
Besides the awkward moment, Ryan said she enjoyed her time on Jeopardy!. “It was very fun,” she said. “I had a great time. Everybody there was very welcoming.” She also noted that she keeps in contact with the other contestants from her episode, Wallace and Ian Taylor.
Ryan told the paper she was happy to have competed on a game show with such a legacy. “It’s just a very special thing to play a small role in this big part,” she said. “It’s been running for 40 years, and so I got to play my part in it.”
