Jeopardy!’s Ken Jennings accused of ‘screwing over’ contestant with ‘tricky’ question as fans say it’s ‘not fair’

JEOPARDY! host Ken Jennings has been ripped by fans for seemingly asking a contestant an unfair question.

The moment happened during Thursday’s episode of Jeopardy!

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Jeopardy! fans accused host Ken Jennings of giving a contestant an unfair chance at answering a question correctlyCredit: Jeopardy!

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Mike ended up coming in third, though fans think he could’ve had a better shotCredit: Jeopardy
Returning champ Adriana Harmeyer went up against newcomers Hakme Lee and Mike Flanagan.

In the Daily Double 3, Ken, 50, called on Mike to select the next category, which he chose “Foreign Words and Phrases.”

“In the KFPU (‘Kung Foo Panda’ Universe), Dustin Hoffman voices this role, Mandarin for ‘Master,'” the clue read.

Mike quickly hit his buzzer and responded, “What is Sifu?”

However, Ken said his answer was incorrect, bringing a disappointed look to Mike’s face.

SO CLOSE!

The host passed the question to Adriana and Hakme, both looking puzzled and unable to give an answer.

Ken then revealed that though Mike’s answer wasn’t correct, he was close, with the proper response being “What is Shifu?”

At this point, Mike had banked $800, coming in third against his opponents.

The Massachusetts native struggled to get ahead for the rest of the game, finishing in third place with $5,126.

Hakme came in second with $6,200, and Adriana maintained her winning streak with another first-place victory, ending with $19,800.

Jeopardy! fans insulted as contestants fail to recall iconic ’90s TV ad – but some blame Ken Jennings
Fans reacted to the outcome on social media, with many believing Mike got an unfair shot.

“Mike got screwed with sifu/shifu,” someone else wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.

“Shi and si are almost indistinguishable in Mandarin,” they added.

The conversation continued on a Jeopardy-dedicated message board where fans expressed their thoughts about the mishap.

Jeopardy! Host Timeline

Jeopardy! has had a tumultuous history regarding hosts after the death of the iconic Alex Trebek in 2020. Here are all of the hosts since the game show’s inception in 1964.

Art Fleming – 1964 to 1975, he was the original host of the daytime version of Jeopardy! on NBC.

Alex Trebek – 1984 to 2020, the late, great Alex hosted Jeopardy!’s modern iteration for 36 years until his death from pancreatic cancer.

Guest hosts – 2020 to 2021, Jeopardy! tested out a series of guest hosts for week or two-week stints, including Anderson Cooper, LaVar Burton, and Aaron Rodgers.

Mike Richards – 2021, he was named host for one week before resigning amid controversy. He was the show’s executive producer at the time.

Mayim Bialik – 2021 to 2023, when Mike was announced as the show’s new host, Mayim was chosen to host tournaments and primetime specials.

Mayim and Ken Jennings – 2022 to 2023, 74-time champion Ken (the longest-winning contestant ever) joined Mayim as a guest host and they split hosting duties.

Ken Jennings – 2023 to present. Last December, Mayim announced on Instagram that she would “no longer” host Jeopardy! after a lengthy hiatus, having stood with the writer’s strike, and Ken was named sole host.

Ken now helms all editions of Jeopardy! including Celebrity Jeopardy!, the nightly show, and other primetime specials like Masters.

“I think the writers probably intended it to be a tricky one, especially if you’re not familiar with the differences between dialects,” one person said in the thread.

“I didn’t think it was fair to call his answer incorrect,” someone else wrote about Mike mispronouncing the Shifu.

Another called out Ken for seemingly mispronouncing the word himself.

Ken has repeatedly been slammed by viewers over his missteps on the show.

Jeopardy! producers even shaded Ken for his actions outside the studio, claiming he “dunked” on people while playing trivia at a local bar.

Ken previously dual-hosted the show with actress Mayim Bialik, 48, until she left the podium last December.

He now hosts solo, filling the shoes of the late Jeopardy! host, Alex Trebek.

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Ken took over for former Jeopardy! host, Alex Trebek, following his deathCredit: Getty