He’s a game show host loathed by fans today.
Who is Ken Jennings?
During the recent episode of “Jeopardy!” hosted by Jennings on ABC, a decision made by Jennings and the show’s behind-the-scenes judges sparked outrage among certain viewers, who took to social media to express their frustration.
One blasted the move as “disgusting.”
The drama unfolded during the last clue of Double Jeopardy, which was in the category “Waterfalls.”
Jennings presented a clue for $2,000 that proved puzzling to contestants and viewers alike. The clue involved describing a Yosemite waterfall as “A Yosemite fall with a wispy ribbon of water that flutters in the air like a diaphanous cloth bears the name of this marital wear.”
Returning champion Kelly Proulx, a communications director from Billerica, Massachusetts, buzzed and guessed, “What is Bridalveil Falls?”
Unfortunately, she was off by an “s.”
“No, I’m sorry,” Jennings, 50, said. “It’s actually Bridalveil Fall, so we couldn’t take that. It is, ‘What is a Bridalveil?’”
This particular clue caused confusion because other water-related sites in Yosemite have an additional letter at the end of their names, such as Yosemite Falls, Wapama Falls, and Carlon Falls, adding to the challenge and frustration of the contestants.
To boot, the smallest of the three waterfalls that make up Niagara Falls in New York and Ontario, Canada, is called Bridal Veil Falls.
Poor Proulx ended the round in last place with $8,000. Contestant Dana Keane had $8,300 and Isaac Hirsch had $18,000.
After Final Jeopardy, Hirsch, a customer support team leader from Burbank, California, came out on top with $19,185 — and Proulx’s winning streak was brought to a close.
Regular viewers were peeved by the Double Jeopardy blunder.
“I typically give long and wide deference to the judges, but f–k the judges for that ruling,” one Reddit user said. “There is nothing pinning the clue to ‘fall,’ so she got the required information correct. That was positively disgusting.”
“Yeesh that’s a brutal call on the last clue,” another Reddit user said.
A third was more blunt.
“That ruling was garbage,” they said.