Jeopardy! Contestant Involved in Sexist Clue Incident Speaks Out About the 'Uncomfortable' Moment: 'An Odd Choice'

AND Danger! contestant addresses a sexist clue given in a recent episode.

Heather Ryan, who competed in the Oct. 28 episode of the quiz, spoke to Binghamton University’s student newspaper A fantasy Nov. 6 to address the sexist trail that drew attention to the show.

After reading the tip, “Men rarely walk into…”, to which the response was, “Girls who wear glasses,” host Ken Jennings realized that Ryan was wearing glasses and apologized.

“It’s definitely a weird choice,” Ryan told the paper. “I think everyone in the audience and on stage, even Ken Jennings, was a little embarrassed. It was like, ‘Oh, that was unexpected.’

Ryan’s suggestion? “Maybe we’ll pick better rhyming phrases in 2024,” she said.

“Unfortunately, there are still girls who are [in] high school and they don’t want to wear glasses and thus lose their education,” she continued. “So I think it’s much better to be able to see than anything else.”

Heather Ryan on Jeopardy!.

ABC

Danger! Host Ken Jennings apologized to the contestant after reading the ‘troublesome’ sexist clue

As for the rest of her experience on the show, Ryan, who lost by just $1 to the meticulous J! Archives, he said it was “a lot of fun” to be a part of it.

“I had a great time,” she said. “Everyone there was very welcoming. It’s such a part of American culture that I definitely wanted to continue when I got the call.”

“It’s a very special thing to play a small role in this big role,” she added. “It’s been running for 40 years, so I had to play my part in that.”

In the episode, Jennings admitted the line was “a little problematic” and said, “Sorry Heather” immediately after reading it. Contestant Will Wallace, who gave the answer, emphasized that it was “very” problematic.

Ken Jennings on ‘Jeopardy’.

Eric McCandless/Disney

Jennings was in the official host position for just under a year after hosting when Alex Trebek died in late 2020. Trebek was on the show for 37 seasons before his death from pancreatic cancer. Jennings was well known to fans from his 74 game streak Danger! wins in 2004

Trebek even hosted a game show The greatest of all time tournament in January 2020, where Jennings competed against his counterpart Danger! greats James Holzhauer and Brad Rutter. Jennings ended up winning $1 million, while Holzhauer and Rutter won $250,000 each.

“It took 15 years for Ken Jennings to finally answer the question ‘Is he as good as he seemed in that great streak? Danger?’” Trebek said after Jennings’ win.

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Danger! airs nightly on ABC (check local listings).

Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education