Trending Jeopardy! Category Sparks Outrage Among Fans

HOLLYWOOD, California — Fans of the iconic game show Jeopardy! are expressing their frustration after a disastrous category left contestants struggling to answer questions during a recent episode.

The controversy erupted during an episode aired on Monday, May 12, where contestants were left with a record of zero correct answers in one particular category titled “Jeoportmanteau.” The returning champion, Kara Peruccio from Bangor, Maine, faced off against Andrew Jones from Queens, New York, and Rachel Hall from Washington D.C. Peruccio, a university professor, had competed on the show 12 years ago, returning with a one-day total of $12,400.

Host Ken Jennings remarked at the start of the episode about how special Mother’s Day was for Maureen Peruccio, having seen both of her daughters compete on the show. However, the excitement quickly turned to disappointment as contestants collectively answered six out of 15 questions incorrectly in the early stages.

After the first commercial break, Peruccio held a narrow lead with $2,400, but things took a turn during Double Jeopardy when all five questions in “Jeoportmanteau” resulted in no answers. The category was designed as a wordplay challenge, blending elements of familiar words with a Jeopardy! twist.

The first clue under this category read, “A mental survey of the past that follows ‘in’ + old-timey term for eyeglasses,” which was answered correctly as “retrospectacles.” However, the contestants failed to respond correctly on subsequent clues, including “Blushing dwarf of fame + point about which a lever rests,” which required the answer “Bashfulcrum.”

The frustration grew as the contestants encountered further clues, with none able to provide answers for the $1,600 clue “Twin-hulled boat + spoiled or putrid,” which was revealed to be “catamarancid,” or the $2,000 clue “To urge passionately + the science of growing plants,” which required the answer “exhorticulture.” Jennings commented, “Tough category,” highlighting the struggles faced that episode.

Fans quickly took to social media to voice their opinions, many directing their ire at the show’s writers. Commentators criticized the excessive cleverness of the category and questioned whether the writers would assess their choices for future shows. One user stated, “After that disaster of a wordplay category, do the writers have a meeting to determine where they went wrong?”

Peruccio ended the game with $400, while Jones and Hall ended up tied with $5,600. In the Final Jeopardy round, contestants answered incorrectly to the clue regarding the youngest CEO in Fortune 500 history. Jones ultimately won the episode and will return to compete against two new contestants on Tuesday, May 13.