‘Jeopardy!’: Ken Jennings Makes Contestants Cringe With NSFW Joke (VIDEO)
Ken Jennings returned to his Jeopardy! hosting duties on Monday, July 18, and cut right to the chase with a NSFW joke that left the contestants cringing and the viewers laughing.
The Jeopardy! G.O.A.T. took over from his co-host Mayim Bialik; the pair have been sharing the podium while the producers search for a permanent host. Jennings had previously told fans that he would be gone for “months”; however, he surprised viewers when he returned to the long-running game show on Monday.
While many were happy to see Jennings back, it was an off-color quip that had people talking. It came during a Double Jeopardy round under the category “Active Bible Verses”. The clue read, “Since no one had done this for 40 years, God told Joshua to get a knife and do this to male Israelites.”
Contestant Erica Weiner-Amanchi, a fourth-grade teacher from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was the first to buzz in with the correct answer. “What is, circumcise?” she said.
Not missing a beat, Jennings replied, “That is correct. A painful $2000 for you,” as Weiner-Amanchi and her fellow competitors cringed and giggled at the host’s gag. Those watching at home were also laughing and took to social media to praise Jennings as host.
“Ken Jennings just made a circumcision joke on Jeopardy!, make him the official host already,” tweeted Men’s Health culture editor Evan Romano. “Probably just a coincidence, but @KenJennings is back one night and ‘shuttlecock,’ ‘circumcision’ and ‘bush’ are all Jeopardy! answers #WhatIsFreudian,” added writer and photojournalist Gregory Anderson.
Ken Jennings just made a circumcision joke on Jeopardy, Make him the official host already
— evan romano (@EvanRomano) July 18, 2022
Probably just a coincidence, but @KenJennings is back one night and “shuttlecock,” “circumcision,” and “bush” are all Jeopardy answers #WhatIsFreudian
— Gregory Anderson (@g_e_anderson) July 19, 2022
“We love a circumcision joke on Jeopardy,” said another amused viewer. “Gotta laugh at Ken Jennings’ quick quip,” added another.
We love a circumcision joke on jeopardy
— Grayuhhhhhmmmm (@GrahamSig) July 18, 2022
Gotta laugh at Ken Jennings’ quick quip,
“A painful $2,000 for you.”#Jeopardy
— Deborah Edwards-Oñoro (@redcrew) July 18, 2022
A painful $2000 for you.#Jeopardy pic.twitter.com/iRBNoNJOVF
— AC (@ACinPhilly) July 18, 2022
“What is Circumcision?”
Ken: “That is correct, here’s a painful $2000 for you!”😭😭😭😭#jeopardy
— Sammie (@Sammieflute531) July 18, 2022
Jennings and Bialik will continue to share hosting duties until the end of Season 38 on July 31, 2022. A permanent host is expected to be announced soon.
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Conversation69 Comments
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Comments are closed on this story.
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R
What a huge improvement in quality a single weekend made with Ken returning to host. No pauses or anything- just pure Jeopardy as it should be played!
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P
Oh, Ken's back? I wish I had advance notice so I could resume watching. We skip the Bialik episodes because they are so difficult to watch.
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B
I hope that Ken’s return means that we have seen the last of Mayim on this show. Hopefully she can walk over to another soundstage where her services might actually be necessary. Could somebody please hand her a mop?
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O
A broom might be more appropriate considering her resemblance to Margaret Hamilton.
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R
LOL! WW of the W? How apt!
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Then can we sing the Munchkin song?
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R
Ken is hardly a Cary Grant
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C
No he's more of a lovable Tony Randall; the antithesis of his co-host.
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So grateful for having Ken’s resemblance to Tony Randall (in looks and personality) pointed out. I was 100% behind Ken before. Is it possible to be 110% behind him? There is a charming, comfortable resemblance.
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Wow, you all sound like a bunch of jealous, immature, bratty teenagers. Grow the hell up ...
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Get back to us after you actually watch Jeopardy.
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C
Or after they research the "art Piece", the subway incident, the Weinstein defense, the plethora of bizarre views she exhorts.
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B
I have Jeopardy on my DVR. I watch it every day it is on. Plus all the nighttime special editions. You see, unlike all the Mayim bashers on here, I watch regardless of who is reading the answers.
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B
You’re proud of watching even when Mayim Bialik creates a dumpster fire from an iconic, much-loved show? If you think hosting requires only “reading the answers,” why bother watching at all? The boards are available the next day. You can play the game yourself and also know what happened with each clue. You don’t understand the responsibilities and challenges of a host (of a game show, a talk show, an awards show) any more than Mayim Bialik does. Stay in your lane and stop passing judgment on people who do understand.
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My, my are you getting touchy .... I san't stop shaking my head over all the fiery and hateful comments that have been made about someone who is merely hosting a TV game show. There are many more important and real things in this world to be concerned about.
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G
Ken's low key sense of humor is hilarious, almost Trebek-like. It tows the fine line between subtle and the obnoxious "in your face" scripted jokes reshot and edited in for Mayim.
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G
I found this more funny than I did cringeworthy. Let’s stop with the clickbait. And while we’re at it, let’s stop promoting this notion that fans are evenly split with their preferences for host. The vast majority want Ken and the ratings (and TV Insider’s OWN polls) are indicative of this!
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O
I have no problem with the click bait, this is a business after all. That being said, I can't get enough of opportunities to support Ken and/or dis MB, so I'm good with it.
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B
Particularly notable considering Mayim Bialik's "art piece" after her son's procedure.
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P
Geez I just googled that and that is grotesque!
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O
Mayim is grotesque, Google her breastfeeding her THREE AND A HALF year old son on the subway!
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R
Indeed it is!
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O
This is awful. Mayim and the child's father have stooped to the level of gross, sadistic child abusers.
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C
Ken Jennings has impeccable comedic timing and his hosting skill makes it obvious that he should get the job over Mayim!
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Whatever you do, don't look up the "wall art" that Mayim commissioned that is tangentially related to the subject matter of this article!
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I wish I actually took your advice and didn't google this, it's terrible.
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C
Such a pleasure last night with Ken hosting! No more of the constant, "You have $3200. How much of that would you like to wager?" at every single Double Jeopardy! Plus, Ken is so at ease when interviewing the contestants. Mayim is dreadful at this.
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G
How long before we get bombarded with terse little posts that are pro MB?
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They usually appear 12 hours from the initial publishing time, give or take a couple hours.
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They're so obvious by their brevity and sophomoric phrasing. Clearly she isn't paying them by the word.
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3-2-1. She’s full of personality whereas Ken has none. None
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Pro tip: “Full of personality” is not an advantage when that personality is giggly, awkward, and phony.
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O
I saw it commented on this site before, but it was so well put, I have to post it as it was written.
Mayim Bialik's personality resides in a TelePrompTer!
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And she must have left her brain in a jar of formaldehyde at uni.
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C
She's certainly full of herself and another word comes to mind.
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B
Jeopardy is comfort food for the brain, and Mayim is a dreadful cook.
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I'm gonna go ahead and take a wild guess that the number of questions dealing with Judaism will be reduced by 85% over the next few weeks? Just a coincidence I'm sure
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She’s not the producer of the show
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No, but she is in a position to push her agenda, like insisting she be introduced as "the host of Jeopardy" rather than "hosting Jeopardy" as Ken is introduced. The permanent host has yet to be announced. Then there's the fact [google it] that she wants $18 million per season which is nearly double what Alex was paid and is $4 million more than Pat Sajak makes for Wheel. She is insufferable.
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Producers make their decisions based on input from many sources.
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In a game show hosting tutorial, Mayim would be the example of What Not To Do.
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O
Ken is the best host...........I like Mayem but only as a temp. Bring Ken to us nightly please.
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O
Nah, give us Ken for everything. No need to settle for Mayim for anything if she can't cross the threshold for the bare minimum of competence
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There is no reason for her to be on that sound stage at any time for any reason. She is incompetent. She doesn’t even understand what the job requires, let alone how to do it.
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R
Off color? Really?
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B
Nothing ill-informed about my opinion. I just like watching Jeopardy. No matter who the host is. Shoot, I even enjoyed LeVar Burton.
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B
Well, I’m just glad you found the time to get so involved in the conversation about Jeopardy, considering how many “real and important” things there are to be concerned about. Especially glad you found the time to trash every person who has an opinion which is different from yours and then assumed a holier-than-thou attitude. And all while there are so many “real and important” things to be concerned about.
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Well, I haven't "trashed" anyone, just disagreed with them. You're the one trashing the current host of Jeopardy.
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B
I am trashing one person, who is doing a terrible job. It is not my responsibility to make Mayim Bialik feel good about herself. This is not preschool. She is ruining something I’ve loved for many years and I hope by my speaking out she will be stopped. You are not only hypocritical. You are dishonest. “Wow, you all sound like a bunch of jealous, immature, bratty teenagers. Grow the hell up ...” is what you said to a whole group of strangers because you don’t value their take on things.. That is not disagreement. That is judgment and condemnation and you know it. Maybe you should have deleted your first comment because now you’re just embarrassing yourself. I’m done here. Go have your preposterous and hypocritical argument with someone else.
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Bye-bye. I'm not wasting my time anymore with your comments.
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G
I’m not getting the dissatisfaction over Maim! I think she does a good job, certainly on a par with Ken…Is it more misogyny?
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No, it isn't. We'd be delighted with Brooke Burns, Sara Haines, Meredith Vieira, Robyn Roberts etc. It's MB we can't stand.
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Ken is very stiff and very fast. The show seems to run toward the end MB is a better host and. Doesn’t try to “put down” contestants. My vote for MB!!!!
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She is the WORST game show host in TV history.
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Man, some of you are taking your Mayim hate/criticism to absurd levels. Just remember, it's just a game show.
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I’ll take “Missing the Point” for $200, Alex. It is an iconic, much-beloved game show. Mayim Bialik’s incompetence and inability to understand what a host is supposed to is destroying the show and making it unwatchable. All while they have Ken Jennings RIGHT THERE. He understands the responsibilities and challenges of hosting Jeopardy and will make it possible for this show to continue with its trademark wit, intelligence, precision, camaraderie, and suspense. If you don’t understand why people are upset (and you obviously don’t), maybe it’s not your place to criticize.
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I understand perfectly where people are coming from (I've been watching the show for 20+ years) but I just find many of their complaints and the level of attacks they levy/hurl at Mayim to just be laughable while acting like Ken is someone who can do no wrong. Some Jeopardy fans are taking it way too seriously.
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I hate to break it to you, but you don’t get to decide when someone is or isn’t taking something too seriously. No one appointed you judge of everyone. And you don’t have remarkable insight into the workings of the minds of millions of strangers. So you do not understand “perfectly” where people are coming from. You don’t even understand why people are upset. How could you possibly understand the motivations for their comments? Amazing that you have been able to avoid that understanding since it has been made so clear in these forums and has absolutely nothing to do with wanting to hurt Mayim Bialik. The vast majority of Jeopardy viewers want her to have a happy life far, far away from a Jeopardy sound stage.
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Apparently, you don't understand that repugnance toward Mayim isn't just due to her hosting skills or lack thereof: it's difficult to overlook our distaste for the person she is in her personal life while she is also spoiling our favorite game show.
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O
People Puzzler is just a game show. Jeopardy is a workout for one's intellect.
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It's still a game show.
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With content that is beyond the scope of 3/4 of the population.
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I love Ken but I think Mayim does a great job. I just don’t get all the negative vibes about her. But that’s the beauty of freedom of speech I guess.
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Take the time to look into her personal views and acts. Then really watch her performance on Jeopardy; the jerky posturing, her repeating the contestant's response putting her own inflection on it, her sing song speech making her sound like she's speaking to children. I wouldn't be surprised if she said "And now, boys and girls, it's time for Double Jeopardy". This is the most cerebral and erudite game show in TV history and is aimed at intellectuals. She diminishes it.
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G
Precisely!
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Yes! And the producers continuing to taunt us with her “will she or won’t she” cartoonish hosting is an insult to the game, Alex Trebek, and the viewers.
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While you are at it, check out Ken’s inappropriate tweets from days gone. He uis not without fault for sure
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Ken apologized for his tweets, often and profusely. Mayim never actually apologized for her past transgressions, in most cases even trying to rationalize them. The vaccine stance is the most obvious- she magically changed her mind after years speaking out against vaccines when the Jeopardy job became available!
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No one is without fault. But “not without fault” is not the same as an incompetent, giggly, swaying, phony, unwatchable, cartoonish imitation of the host of a beloved, iconic game show.
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