Jeopardy! contestant breaks silence about ‘uncomfortable’ sexist clue incident: ‘That was unexpected’
A danger! contestant who was involved in a sexist clue incident on the show said the moment was “awkward.”
Heather Ryan took part in the October 28 episode of the quiz competition show, where an unexpected clue caught viewers’ attention.
The health program director from Binghamton, New York, came in for a question from the “Complete the Rhyming Phrase” category. Host Ken Jennings, 50, then asked the line: “Men rarely make passes at….”
Fellow contestant Will Wallace, a game design director from Austin, Texas, correctly guessed the answer as “girls who wear glasses,” which made for an awkward TV moment because Heather also happened to be wearing glasses.
She now spoke about the incident during an interview with Binghamton University’s student-run newspaper Pipe dreamwhich states: ‘Maybe in 2024 we will opt for better rhyming sentences.’
Danger! contestant Heather Ryan, who was involved in a sexist clue incident on the show, shared in a new interview that the moment was ‘awkward’
She competed on the October 28 episode of the quiz competition, where an unexpected clue caught viewers’ attention, prompting host Ken Jennings (pictured) to apologize.
“It’s definitely a strange choice,” she told the newspaper.
“I think everyone in the audience and on stage, including Ken Jennings, felt a little uncomfortable. It was like, ‘Oh, that was unexpected.'”
‘Unfortunately there are still girls who are [in] high school and they don’t want to wear their glasses and they’re missing out on their education,” she continued.
“So I think being able to see is much better than anything else.”
However, Heather said the rest of her experience on the show “was a lot of fun.”
‘I had a great time. Everyone there was very hospitable. It’s such a part of American culture that I definitely wanted to continue with it when I got the call to do it.”
“It’s just really special to play a small role in this big role,” she added. ‘It has been around for forty years, so I was allowed to contribute to it.’
After Will gave his answer, host Ken was quick to call the clue “a bit problematic” before apologizing to Heather.
Heather came in for a question from the ‘Complete the rhyming sentence’ category. Host Ken, 50, then asked the line: “Men rarely make passes at….”
Fellow contestant Will Wallace correctly guessed the answer as “girls who wear glasses,” which made for an awkward TV moment because Heather also happened to wear glasses
After Will gave his answer, host Ken was quick to call the clue “a bit problematic” before apologizing to Heather
She now spoke about the incident during an interview with Binghamton University’s Pipe Dream newspaper, saying: ‘Maybe in 2024 we will opt for better rhyming sentences’
“It’s definitely a strange choice,” she told the newspaper. “I think everyone in the audience and on stage, including Ken Jennings, felt a little uncomfortable. It was like, ‘Oh, that was unexpected.'”
Former reigning champion Will also joked ‘very’.
Luckily, Heather didn’t seem too disturbed by the situation – and Ken quickly got back to the game.
Danger! However, fans rejected the ‘sexist’ designation on social media and also condemned the category.
On Reddit, someone said, “The rhyming sentences category was terrible, especially the sexist clue.”
Echoing a similar sentiment, another added: “Honestly, I don’t need to hear Ken read an obviously outdated and inappropriate prompt and then call it ‘problematic.’
A third wrote of X: ‘More like extremely problematic!’
“Men rarely make passes at girls who wear glasses” is a quote from the late New York socialite and commentator Dorothy Parker of the 1920s and 1930s.
By the end of the episode, Will only had $2 in the bank, while Heather had accumulated $19,600.
But it was Ian Taylor, a food vendor originally from Cleveland, Ohio, who won the game with an impressive $19,601.
Viewers spread the clue on social media, labeling it ‘extremely problematic’
Earlier this month, it was reported that Ken was at risk of being fired in favor of Pop Culture Jeopardy! host Colin Jost.
The Mirror claimed that the show’s producers were asked to weigh their options after seeing ratings soar on Wheel of Fortune after American Idol’s Ryan Seacrest took over.
‘Danger! “Senior executives are reportedly not completely all in for Ken,” the release said.
‘Instead of Ken the spin-off game show series Pop Culture Jeopardy! to host, they brought in Saturday Night Live star Colin Jost to fill the position.”
Ken is the frontman of Jeopardy! since season 41 after previous host Mayim Bialik was fired in 2023.