‘Jeopardy!’ Champ Halley Jokes She’s ‘Seeing Therapist’ Over Mark Wahlberg Gaffe

Chuck D, Jeopardy, Mark Wahlberg
Randy Shropshire/Getty Images; Jeopardy!; Theo Wargo/Getty Images

Another episode of Jeopardy! and another gaffe that is going to live long in the memory of one embarrassed contestant who confused a hip hop legend with an Academy Award-winning actor.

The moment came during the Wednesday, June 29 episode when the contestants were faced with the category “Chuck D, Times 3,” which included clues featuring author Charles Dickens and biologist Charles Darwin. Things were going well until a clue came up about Chuck D, the founder, leader, and frontman of the hip hop group Public Enemy.

“In the 1990s, Chuck D began fighting the power in this hip hop group with Flavor Flav, a man who always knew what time it was,” host Mayim Bialik read.

Contestant Halley Ryherd buzzed in with the answer, “What is the Funky Bunch?” This was obviously incorrect, given that The Funky Bunch was a 90s group headlined by Transformers actor Mark Wahlberg, then known as Marky Mark.

Viewers were quick to pile on Ryherd for her error, with one fan tweeting, “A contestant on Jeopardy just guessed Chuck D was in a group called The Funky Bunch and now I’m turning off the TV.”

However, Chuck D himself didn’t take offense and even had Ryherd’s back. “Everybody don’t know everything… it’s why I introduce myself wherever I go and whoever I talk to … it’s just courtesy,” he wrote. “But the sad thing is not knowing those other Chuck Ds.”

As for Ryherd, she joked that she’s seeking therapy after her on-screen mix-up. “I’ve talk to my therapist about it and I think I’m ready to forever be the person who mixed up Public Enemy and Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch on @Jeopardy. #mylegacy,” she tweeted.

It’s not all bad for Ryherd, though, as she ended up winning the episode, bagging $5,999 in earnings.

Check out more reaction below.

Jeopardy!, Weeknights, Check your local listings