Jeopardy! fans are vocal; many were up in arms about the Monday, July 1, episode of the long-running game show.
It all started with contestant Matt Brooks, a healthcare IT analyst from Fredericksburg, Virginia.
In the dramatic episode, he competed against Zoe Strassfield and returning star Cat Pisacano.
During the Jeopardy! round, Matt’s pronunciation of the larynx got the green light from host Ken Jennings, but fans on social media were left gobsmacked.
Matt’s pronunciation had been accepted on the show, so it wasn’t out of the ordinary.
As we said, the Jeopardy! fan base is passionate, so some people were left feeling a certain way about the situation on social media.
Jeopardy fans speak out
One viewer waited “for the other side of the commercial break to see if the judges really do commit to accepting” Matt’s pronunciation.
Another fan opined that there’s “no way ‘larnyx’ is the same as ‘larynx'”.
The decision to let Matt through with the answer didn’t go well with many fans.
Another chimed in, saying they were “big mad” about what they deemed a mistake.
Ken’s decision was undoubtedly driven by the fact that pronunciation had been accepted in the past because consistency is key.
If he didn’t accept it, it would question the validity of the other two competitors who skated using it in the past.
Jennings handled the situation well on the show. Still, it’s unclear whether there will be a follow-up about it later because pronunciation could be a deciding factor for many answers.
Ken Jennings is great as the sole host of Jeopardy
Jennings has performed well as the sole host since Mayim Bialik’s contract was not picked up to return.
The series needed some form of consistency in its hosting panel as viewers were beginning to get confused over who was hosting which show and when.
A new report surfaced last month that alleged Jennings is so devoted to the role that he’s willing to take a pay cut to remain the face of the show.
It’s no surprise that longer-running shows tend to have a higher price point, but we’re sure the show is already saving money by having one host, so it’s hard to believe it isn’t cost-effective.
You can see this by looking at how well the show dominates social media chatter while the episodes are airing.
Despite some bumps in the road following Alex Trebek’s death, the show is finding its groove again.
If it can keep up the momentum, it may even win back some of its former fans.
Love Ken as host not so much Mayim. Why bring her back on reruns. Change channel