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JEOPARDY!’S Heather Ryan slammed an ‘uncomfortable’ clue and told the show to ‘choose better in 2024’ after fans called it ‘sexist’.
Contestant Heather, who appeared on the October 28 episode, addressed the controversial moment in an interview with Binghamton University’s student-run newspaper.
Jeopardy!’s Heather Ryan slammed an ‘uncomfortable’ clue and told the show to ‘choose better in 2024′[/caption]
Host Ken Jennings immediately recognized the awkwardness of the situation[/caption]
The clue in question was “Men seldom make passes at…,” with the answer being, “Girls who wear glasses.”
Host Ken Jennings immediately recognized the awkwardness of the situation, as Heather was wearing glasses, and apologized on air.
She described the moment as “definitely an odd choice”, adding to Pipe Dream, “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.’”
Heather went on to suggest a solution for future episodes, saying: “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 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.”
Despite the controversy surrounding the clue, Heather reflected positively on her experience.
She lost by just one dollar, according to the meticulous J! Archive.
Heather said: “It was very fun. I had a great time. Everybody there was very welcoming. It’s such a part of American culture that I definitely wanted to go on when I got the call for it.”
She also expressed her pride in being part of the show’s rich history, saying, “It’s just a very special thing to play a small role in this big part.
“It’s been running for 40 years, and so I got to play my part in it.”
During the episode, Ken – who previously hosted the game show with Mayim Bialik – admitted that the clue was “a little problematic,” immediately apologizing to Ryan by saying, “Sorry, Heather.”
Contestant Will Wallace, who provided the answer, added, “Very problematic.”
Just yesterday, The U.S. Sun confirmed Jeopardy! will finally be hitting streaming platforms for the first time in the show’s history.
After years of fans begging for past and current episodes of the beloved game show series to be available on a streamer, Ken confirmed the news in an off-camera confession.
A source who was in the audience of a recent Jeopardy! taping exclusively told us he made an announcement that the modernized change would be coming in early 2025.
“It is happening, indeed,” Ken said when asked when the 41 seasons of the Emmy-winning program would be hitting one of the platforms.
The 74-time-champ then said “early 2025” is when fans can expect to catch up on past seasons – adding that it will end up “most likely on Hulu or Prime.”
Fans have been up in arms about having the entirety of the trivia show, including the beloved years hosted by the late Alex Trebek, be available on one of the streaming platforms, such as Amazon Prime, Netflix, Paramount+ or Disney+.
The call for a modern change only intensified over the Summer when Pluto TV – which was the only way for fans to watch the syndicated show outside of cable – abruptly ended its service in July.
Jeopardy! Set Secrets
Jeopardy! fans don’t see everything behind the scenes from watching on TV. These hidden set features make the show run smoothly:
- Each podium has a hidden riser so that all contestants appear to be the same height.
- After each clue is read, signal lights go off around the game board, indicating players can buzz in and respond.
- Buzz in too early, and you’re locked out for .25 seconds.
- The podiums have a small white light in the lower left corner, which tells Ken Jennings who goes next.
- Contrary to popular belief, the player with control doesn’t have a buzzer advantage on the next clue.
- To the game board’s left is a scoreboard so the players can see their opponents’ scores.
- All contestants must bring three outfits to the studio, but only the host and returning champion change for the next episode.
- There are wardrobe rules, including restrictions on busy patterns, solid white, purple (like the background), and logos.
- Five episodes are taped in a single day, and sometimes more.
- The categories, players (aside from the returning champion), and Final Jeopardy! for a tape day are all drawn randomly to ensure fairness.
- Female contestants are asked not to wear makeup, which is applied backstage, and don’t wear mascara because of sweat.
- Contestants fill out a questionnaire, and producers select five Q&A topics for the host.
- Host Ken isn’t allowed to interact with the contestants until after the game.
- Players can request to sit in a chair while competing without question.
Former fired host Mayim Bialik[/caption]
