‘Jeopardy!’ Fans Slam Show After ‘Unfair’ Ruling Over Houseplant Clue

Martin Holmes October 23, 2023, 7:57 am

Ken Jennings hosts Jeopardy! — Jeopardy, Inc

Jeopardy! viewers are calling for justice for contestant Kristin Hucek after she was deemed incorrect on Friday’s (October 20) episode after a highly debatable houseplant clue.

The attorney from Washington, D.C., got off to a strong start as she faced off against think-tank research fellow William Chou and field application scientist Dave Pai in the ongoing Champions Wildcard tournament. After landing on a Daily Double early on, Hucek led in Double Jeopardy with $11,200 to Pai’s $8,000 and Chou’s $3,000.

However, things took a turn under the $1,600 clue in the “Houseplants” category.

“Though its name means ‘loving tree,’ it’s very popular indoors as a houseplant,” host Ken Jennings read as the screen showed a photo of a plant with split leaves and holes.

Hucek answered “Monstera,” which Jennings ruled incorrect, saying, “No. That’s philodendron.”

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While philodendron matched the clue Jennings read, many viewers pointed out that the picture actually showed Monstera.

“That was Monstera, not philodendron. Get your s*** together #Jeopardy,” wrote one fan on Twitter/X.

A variety of philodendron/Getty

“@Jeopardy that absolutely was photo of a Monstera,” said another viewer.

“I think they should give her Monstera,” added another.

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“Ooooh Jeopardy gonna have to do a correction this lady just correctly guessed at a pic of a monstera deliciosa but they said it was a philodendron (of which there are like 200+ types) soooo waiting on that score correction for her!!!” commented another fan.

That was Monstera, not philodendron. Get your shit together #Jeopardy

— kells (@So_Is_YourFace) October 20, 2023

@Jeopardy that absolutely was photo of a Monstera. #monstera #Jeopardy

— Michael Davenport (@MicDav87) October 20, 2023

I think they should give her Monstera…#jeopardy

— Catherine (@RoxieKat) October 20, 2023

Ooooh Jeopardy gonna have to do a correction this lady just correctly guessed at a pic of a monstera deliciosa but they said it was a philodendron (of which there are like 200+ types) soooo waiting on that score correction for her!!! pic.twitter.com/GoUSLNVxlI

— Heather Lindsy (@heather_lindsy) October 20, 2023

“That monstera answer for house plants seems like it should have been correct,” wrote another fan on the Jeopardy! Reddit forum, with another adding, “The picture was a Monstera so I feel like they were setting her up for failure.”

Others pointed out how Monstera didn’t match the clue Jennings read out, so Hucek was rightly deemed incorrect. According to the show’s official rules, “Correct responses must satisfy the demands of both the clue and the category.”

What’s even more surprising is that this isn’t the first time this houseplant mix-up has happened on Jeopardy! The exact same picture was used for a similar clue back in 2019, which also showed a Monstera plant despite philodendron being the correct answer.

Thew difference between the two plants is explained here.

“The image shown on @Jeopardy is a monstera which actually is NOT a philodendron,” wrote one fan at the time. “Monsteras are often called philodendrons, but it is not part of that genus. You can tell the difference because monsteras have a Swiss cheese look and philodendron splits down the leaf.”

The image shown on @Jeopardy is a monstera which actually is NOT a philodendron. Monsteras are often called philodendrons, but it is not part of that genus. You can tell the difference because monsteras have a Swiss cheese look and philodendron splits down the leaf. pic.twitter.com/OapqE4SHYP

— Eye M Probably Amused (@eyemusing) March 28, 2019

TheHousePlantGuru.com also commented at the time, writing, “It really bothered me when Jeopardy showed a picture of a monstera and called it a philodendron.”

As these recent Jeopardy! episodes were filmed during the WGA strike, many clues used recycled material.

In the end, Hucek’s houseplant answer didn’t have much of an effect on the overall game. She went into Final Jeopardy! with $10,000, slightly trailing behind Pai at $13,200. But Hucek failed to answer the final clue correctly, whereas Pai and Chou were both correct.

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