There aren’t supposed to be mistakes on Jeopardy! It’s the “smart” game show. Save that sh*t for Wheel of Fortune. But on Wednesday, the game show made a rare error.
The category was “Real Names of Unreal People.” The clue for $600: “Robert Underdunk Terwilliger is the real name of this vengeful The Simpsons character.” Troy Meyer, a music executive from Tampa, Florida, correctly guessed Sideshow Bob, but Jeopardy! had the incorrect name for the H.M.S. Pinafore-loving, Bart-murdering (non-canonical), dam-building villain.
“Yes @Jeopardy you made a rare mistake,” former Simpsons writer (and fast food expert) Bill Oakley wrote on X. “It’s ‘Onderdonk.’ And @Joshstrangehill and I are certain cause we wrote that script. Cc: @KenJennings.”
Yes @Jeopardy you made a rare mistake. It’s “Onderdonk”. And @Joshstrangehill and I are certain cause we wrote that script. Cc: @KenJennings https://t.co/fkUjgYbttZ
— BILL OAKLEY (@thatbilloakley) March 14, 2024
Jennings’ silence is louder than Krusty’s word of the day.
Sideshow Bob’s full name was revealed in the classic season six episode, “Sideshow Bob Roberts,” when Mayor Quimby pardons Bob and releases him from prison (“Boat’s on the other side”). Now, to be fair to Jeopardy!, even the voice of Sideshow Bob got it wrong. Back in 2014, Kelsey Grammer tweeted, “Fact: Sideshow Bob’s real name is Robert Underdunk Terwilliger, PhD. #EverySimpsonsEver.” Boy, I really hope somebody got fired for that blunder.
(Via X / Bill Oakley)