The smartest show on television isn’t always right.

9 Jeopardy mistakes that sparked fan backlash

The smartest show on television isn’t always right.

By Louis Peitzman

June 29, 2026 4:00 p.m. ET

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A perplexed 'Jeopardy' contestant in 2025. Credit:

Jeopardy/TikTok

It’s an experience *Jeopardy* fans know well: we return from the commercial break to find host Ken Jennings directly addressing viewers to announce a scoring change. There’s always a certain thrill in these rare moments, reminders that even the smartest show on television isn’t always right.

But those are only the flubs that *Jeopardy* judges catch and acknowledge during tapings. Over the course of its more than four-decade run, the series has sometimes messed up in ways that are only caught after the fact by eagle-eyed audiences. In more recent years, with active fan communities on Reddit and other social media platforms, those errors have been spotted more frequently — and loudly debated in the comments.

We’re talking about the clues that aren’t quite accurate to the desired responses, or the answers that were incorrectly rejected (or accepted!) by the judges. There are also gameplay inconsistencies that have frustrated viewers who prize fairness above all. No matter how much we respect *Jeopardy*, we know it’s not immune from making mistakes.

Read on to discover nine times *Jeopardy* got it wrong.

'Jeopardy' contestants stumped during 'John Pork' clue.

Jeopardy/YouTube

A mistake in an October 2025 clue on *Jeopardy* prompted enough angry comments to necessitate an apology from Jennings — even if it was a bit tongue-in-cheek.

In the category “Daddy, Is There Really a…,” the clue read, “No: A.I. generated the TikTok image of this pig/human eventually killed by Tim Cheese.” It ended up being a triple stumper, with Jennings himself acknowledging that he “didn’t understand any of that.” The answer, he revealed, was “John Pork.”

But while John Pork, a fictional character who has a pig’s head on his human body first appeared on social media in 2018, years before generative AI became commonplace, even though many later memes featuring him have used AI-generated imagery. As one commenter put it: “Calling John Pork AI is a genuine mistake from the writers that needs addressing.”

And address it Jennings did. “I’ve had a chance to learn quite a bit about the late Mr. Pork, including the fact that some viewers took exception with our description of him as ‘AI generated,’” the host said in an apology video posted to social media. “John, I hope you’ll forgive me and all of us at *Jeopardy* for any insult we may have committed against you or your memory.”

Inconsistent penmanship rulings

Whenever possible, *Jeopardy* sticks to its traditions. That means "Final Jeopardy" is still answered with contestants writing their responses by hand. Unfortunately, that has led to what some viewers consider to be inconsistencies within judging.

In a July 2022 episode, the "Final Jeopardy" clue read, “Asked to design a new set for a re-staging of this 1952 play, Alberto Giacometti came up with one scraggly plaster tree.” Erica Weiner-Amachi’s response — “What is *Waiting for Godot*?” — was deemed correct, but fans called out her nearly illegible handwriting. (Weiner-Amachi lost the game to Megan Wachspress regardless.)

The issue for many fans was that *Jeopardy* had previously ruled players incorrect for similarly muddled handwriting. Many pointed to an episode from the month prior, where a response from contestant Sadie Goldberger was not accepted because of her penmanship.

Whether this was a *mistake* on the show’s part is up for debate, however. Although viewers attributed the ruling on Goldberger’s response to her handwriting, The Jeopardy Fan explained that she did not finish writing her answer, calling the judges’ opinion “a heartbreaking-but-fair ruling.”

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“Grinch syndrome”

A June 2021 episode of 'Jeopardy'. Jeopardy!/YouTube

In June 2021, *Jeopardy* upset members of the disability community with the clue, “Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome is also known as Grinch syndrome because this organ is too small.” The response of “what is a heart?” referred to a 2010 paper that had suggested the terminology for POTS patients.

The problem was twofold: By then, the cause of POTS had been determined to be related to the autonomic nervous system rather than an undersized heart. Furthermore, critics argued it wasn't very nice to refer to anyone as a “Grinch” (unless they’re stealing Christmas).

As actress and writer Mara Wilson, who has spoken about her dysautonomia, explained in a post on X: “[Grinch syndrome] was based on one doctor's contentious theory proposed more than ten years ago. There's no scientific consensus. Disappointed to see @Jeopardy spreading medical misinformation.”

The show’s official Twitter account posted an apology the following day. “Yesterday’s program included a clue about postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS),” the statement reads. “After hearing from the community, we found we used an outdated and inaccurate term for this disorder, and we apologize.”

Dysautonomia International President and cofounder Lauren Stiles told CNN that she was glad to see the show listening to feedback and acknowledging the mistake. “You know, everyone relies on *Jeopardy* for things to be accurate and correct and not really outdated stuff,” she said.

“Orange Ricky”

Some *Jeopardy* snafus are far less serious. In an October 2019 game, host Alex Trebek read a clue from the category “Video Game-pourri”: “The 7 rotatable blocks used in this video game have names like Orange Ricky, Hero & Smashboy.”

Jessica Garsed answered, “What is *Tetris*?” But while she was deemed correct, there was one big problem with the clue itself: *Tetris* has never officially referred to its blocks by those names.

So, what went wrong? The explanation is even funnier than the name “Orange Ricky.” *Jeopardy*’s clue writers appear to have been fooled by a viral tweet that purported to show an image from the original *Tetris* instruction booklet. The fake image claimed the official Nintendo names for the blocks were Orange Ricky, Blue Ricky, Cleveland Z, Rhode Island Z, Hero, Teewee, and Smashboy — but the image had been doctored.

In essence, the show got fooled by a meme.

James Bond confusion

Jeopardy/TikTok

Was it a genuine mistake or just sloppy wording? We’ll let you be the judge. In July 2025, the "Final Jeopardy" category “Movie Music” had the following clue: “The last 2 Best Song Oscar winners whose titles were the same name as the movie they were in had this man in the leading role.”

Those who were able to parse all of that may have realized *Jeopardy* was asking for Daniel Craig, the actor who played James Bond in *Skyfall* (2012) and *No Time to Die* (2021), which earned Best Song trophies for Adele and Billie Eilish, respectively. Contestants Vince Carter and Scott Riccardi did answer correctly, with the latter winning the game.

Some viewers at home, however, found the clue perplexing, noting that the clue could also be read as referring to the two most recent Best Song winners. “​​This was poorly phrased,” a commenter on the *Jeopardy* YouTube page complained. “I assumed they were asking about the last 2 Best Song winners: 2024 and 2025. The strength of the comma!”

And that wasn’t the only pushback the clue received. Other fans pointed out that “this man in the leading role” was ambiguous, and wondered whether “who is James Bond?” — the lead character in both films — would have been an acceptable response. As another commenter noted, “When the clue says leading role, it doesn’t specify if they are asking for actor or character…”

Canoe vs. kayak

Few *Jeopardy* categories are more divisive than “Rhyme Time,” which forces contestants to rephrase clues into two-word rhymes. When presented with “a kayak inspection,” none of the three players buzzed in. Jennings revealed the answer was “a canoe review.”

The problem, according to several viewers at home, is that “canoe” and “kayak” are not equivalent terms. It's true that these words are often used interchangeably by those not in the know, but there are actual differences between them. And *Jeopardy*’s clue writers are generally considered to be pretty in the know.

“Kayaks and canoes are not synonymous,” one online commenter pointed out*.* “As an avid boater that one really stuck in my craw.”

Alex Trebek in 2010.

Amanda Edwards/Getty

*Jeopardy* made two related mistakes in January 2020. In the category “Where’s That Church?,” players were tasked with naming the location of the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem. Katie Needle responded with Palestine and was ruled incorrect by host Alex Trebek. Jack McGuire then answered, “What is Israel?” That response was accepted.

Bethlehem is located in the Israeli-occupied West Bank and is generally considered part of the Palestinian territories. In other words, there may not have been one simple answer, which *Jeopardy* acknowledged in a statement on its website.

“We became aware that the clue was flawed as written and that determining an acceptable response would be problematic,” reads the statement. “In accordance with our rules and in the interest of fairness, we voided the clue and threw it out. We restored Katie’s and Jack’s scores to what they were prior to the clue. The outcome of the game was not affected.”

Viewers at home were supposed to see the replacement clue that *Jeopardy* had filmed, but that’s not what happened thanks to another misstep. As the series went on to explain in its statement, “Unfortunately, through human error in post-production, the uncorrected version of the game was broadcast. We regret the error and we will make every effort to ensure this never happens again.”

Inconsistent name rulings

Even the most casual *Jeopardy *viewers can tell you that the show doesn't usually require contestants to answer with a first and last name when the correct response is a person — a surname will generally do. In a July 2024 episode, however, the “First Ladies” category demanded more than a last name. Contestant Ashley Weaver learned this the hard way when she answered, “Who is McKinley?” She was ruled incorrect because she could not give the full name of Ida McKinley.

As frustrated viewers noted online, there is only one First Lady with the last name McKinley. More to the point, *Jeopardy* had previously allowed contestants to give responses about First Ladies using just their surnames — aside from “Bush,” which could refer to Barbara or Laura.

“It would have been nice if Ken had at least warned the contestants about [the need for full names] at the top of the round — particularly for Ashley,” a Redditor commented at the time.

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”Wah-gyoo” vs. “Way-goo”

How do you pronounce the word “wagyu”? There is a standard Japanese pronunciation — “wah-gyoo” — but it’s not one that everyone uses. And it cost one *Jeopardy* contestant dearly during a July 2024 game.

In the category “Some Hats, Some Cattle,” Jennings read the clue: “The name of this cattle breed prized for its marbled beef literally means ‘Japanese cow.’” Contestant Meredith Miller answered, “What is wagyu?” and was ruled incorrect. Why? Because she pronounced the word “way-goo.”

The online backlash was swift. As one commenter posted on X, “I can’t believe *Jeopardy* docked someone for pronouncing ‘wagyu’ like someone from Iowa; I would have picked up my podium.”

Another posted at the *Jeopardy* X account to complain: “No one knows how to pronounce that word and you know what she meant.”

Given that there is a right and wrong way to say “wagyu,” this may not be an instance where *Jeopardy* got it wrong, exactly. But for the many fans who have been calling the beef “way-goo” for years, the ruling still stings.

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