Another day, another pronunciation scandal for Jeopardy! Eagle-eyed watchers are always quick to pounce on both the hosts or the contestants for seemingly flubbing a word, but this time around, fans criticized the entire show for denying a win to all three players.
This latest conundrum happened during a Double Jeopardy for the category “The Quotable Alex.” The clue read, “An author & former prisoner: ‘Socialism of any type & shade leads to a total destruction of the human spirit,’” but things went south for all three players when it came time to pronounce the Russian author.
Via Decider:
While all three of them buzzed in with the correct answer — Russian writer Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn — host Mayim Bialik was looking for a slightly different pronunciation than what the three contestants gave.
“This is a tricky one to pronounce,” Bialik said.
Jeopardy! fans took to Twitter to blast the show for having a clue that should’ve provided a bit more flexibility, which is pretty surprising if you know how strict Jeopardy! fans on social media can be about answers.
“Even with weeks of practice, I don’t think I can properly pronunciate ‘Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn’ and I think #Jeopardy needs to loosen the standards,” one fan tweeted. “It is getting ridiculous.”
Even with weeks of practice, I don’t think I can properly pronunciate “Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn” and I think #Jeopardy needs to loosen the standards. It is getting ridiculous
— Michael Scibetta (@mscibetta) May 10, 2023
“If you’re not going to accept anyone’s attempt to pronounce Solzhenitsyn, don’t write a clue about him,” another Jeopardy! watcher wrote.
If you’re not going to accept anyone’s attempt to pronounce Solzhenitsyn, don’t write a clue about him.
#Jeopardy
— Pasha Paterson (@zer0bandwidth) May 8, 2023
“This seems particularly egregious when some answers (e.g., player had read the word only, didn’t know how it was pronounced) are routinely accepted,” a fan added in response. “This feels very arbitrary. It can also throw the players off their game which is equally unfair.”
This seems particularly egregious when some answers (e.g., player had read the word only, didn’t know how it was pronounced) are routinely accepted. This feels very arbitrary. It can also throw the players off their game which is equally unfair.
— The Real Shy Little Flower (@TheRealShyLF) May 9, 2023
“What is with these super-lame pronunciations on Jeopardy lately?!” another fan tweeted. “Helen Keller could tell all the contestants were trying to say ‘Solzhenitsyn.’ So annoying.”
What is with these super-lame pronunciations on Jeopardy lately?! Helen Keller could tell all the contestants were trying to say “Solzhenitsyn”. So annoying. #jeopardy
— James Lewison (@squand4) May 8, 2023
(Via Decider)