‘Jeopardy!’ Contestant Makes ‘Most Embarrassing Gaffe Ever’
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Deb Bilodeau might have won Group 2 of Jeopardy!‘s Champions Wildcard, cementing a spot in the 2024 Tournament of Champions, but it came with a couple of hiccups along the way.
And she made a huge gaffe that might just be the most embarrassing in the show’s 40-season history. A lot of Jeopardy! viewers certainly seem to think so after she mistakenly mistook famed male and female US Olympians.
The restaurant server from San Francisco, California, went up against podcast host Mira Hayward and customer success specialist Jesse Matheny on Thursday’s (February 22) final, where the three contestants were vying for the $100,000 prize and a spot in the TOC.
Early in the episode, the three players were faced with a category titled “40 Years Ago 1984,” which included a question about legendary US male figure skater Scott Hamilton.
Under the $800 tile, the contestants were asked which American at the Winter Olympics won gold with a four-and-a-half-minute program featuring triple jumps. In addition to the clue, a photo of a young-looking Hamilton at the 1984 Olympics in Sarajevo appeared on the screen.
Bilodeau was the first to buzz in and quickly said, “Who’s Mary Lou Retton?,” confusing Hamilton for the iconic gold-medal-winning Olympic gymnast.
After Hayward and Matheny failed to come up with a response, host Ken Jennings revealed the correct answer as, “Who is Scott Hamilton?”
Bilodeau immediately threw her hand over there mouth and laughed in embarrassment. Matheny also smiled at his opponent’s reaction.
Who is Mary Lou Retton?
Scott Hamilton is wincing somewhere right now#Jeopardy pic.twitter.com/XZmWhz9q2N— Brendan (@BrendanMcInnis) February 23, 2024
Despite this unfortunate gaffe, Bilodeau went on to win the episode and later apologized to Hamilton for her error.
“Apologies to Scott Hamilton. I did lose my glasses the day before I came down here,” she joked. “My boyfriend was trying to get me to buy glasses here, so that’s that.”
— Emm (@diamondaxels) February 23, 2024
Viewers at home were tickled by Bilodeau’s incorrect response and took to social media to share their reaction.
“Someone on Jeopardy! just thought a photo of Scott Hamilton was Mary Lou Retton I’ve been wheezing for five minutes,” wrote one fan on X (formerly Twitter).
“I literally spit out a mouthful of wine!!” said another viewer in esponse.
“Who is Mary Lou Retton? Scott Hamilton is wincing somewhere right now,” added another.
“I laughed so hard! Poor Deb as well,” commented one fan on the Jeopardy! Reddit forum.
“Oh mylanta. That was so funny. Deb is AWESOME,” said another.
Another sympathized with Bilodeau, confessing, “I VERY confidently said “Mary Lou Retton “ as well. My mom looked over at me in shock.”
Bilodeau now moves onto the TOC, which kicks off tonight, Friday, February 23, with Wildcard 1 winner Emily Sands taking on Suresh Krishnan and Matthew Marcus. Bilodeau’s first game is set for Wednesday, March 6, where they’ll face Troy Meyer and Sean McShane.
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