‘Jeopardy!’ Fans Slam Ken Jennings For Letting Current Champ Correct Himself

Ken Jennings
Jeopardy!/YouTube

Jeopardy! returned on Monday, September 12, with Ken Jennings at the helm, and the new season has already provided some talking-point moments.

The latest controversy came during Wednesday night’s episode when Jennings allowed reigning champion, Luigi de Guzman, to correct himself after a misspoken answer. This led to some viewers accusing the Jeopardy! G.O.A.T. of playing favorites, which he’d also been accused of last season in regards to super-champion Mattea Roach.

This specific moment happened during the “Cons” category. Jennings read the clue, “Here’s a typical early 19th-century landscape by this British painter.” As the painting flashed on the screen, Guzman buzzed in with the answer, “Who is, Constant?” Jennings gave the attorney from Arlington, Virginia, the chance to repeat his answer, stating, “Say it again.”

Guzman shook his head and, this time, answered correctly, saying, “I’m sorry. Who is Constable? Constable.” Jennings accepted the answer, taking Guzman’s total up to $6,200. Guzman would go on to win the episode, marking his fourth consecutive victory.

But this didn’t go down well with all the show’s fans.

“So the guy clearly said the wrong name. Ken asked him to say again, and he corrected himself with the right answer. Why didn’t Ken just say wrong? Why is this allowed?” tweeted one viewer.

Fans became even more annoyed after fellow contestant Harriet Wagner was not afforded the same leniency later in the episode. Responding to a clue about an author, Wagner said, “Who is Angela LeGuin…sorry, Ursula LeGuin.” However, Jennings interrupted and deemed the answer incorrect.

“Yes, Harriet, you remembered that her name was Ursula, but I had already begun ruling against you when you began correcting yourself,” the host explained.

“The way they’re favoring Luigi on Jeopardy and allowing him to correct himself, but not allowing others to do the same,” wrote one fan. Others share similar sentiments, writing, “After Luigi was allowed a correction, Harriet would have a right to be pissed. She could have been in theoretical striking distance.”

“Wow, is @jeopardy fixed? Why is Luigi allowed to correct himself, but Harriet isn’t?” asked another confused viewer.

On the Jeopardy! Reddit forum, one user who was at the taping of the episode said that filming was paused several times for the judges to take a closer look at Jennings’ calls; however, none of the decisions were overturned.

Check out more reaction below.

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