'Jeopardy!' host Ken Jennings' delayed response over unclear pronunciation leaves contestants in splits
CULVER CITY, CALIFORNIA: In a recent episode of the ongoing 'Champions Wildcard' special tournament on 'Jeopardy!,' host Ken Jennings encountered a minor hiccup.
The issue arose from a challenging word presented as the response to a clue, and although the contestants correctly identified the answer, Jennings hesitated a bit before confirming it, adhering to the show's rules.
Tricky pronunciation makes 'Jeopardy!' contestants lose
In the episode that aired on October 16, Monday, a new set of returning contestants competed for another chance on the game show to make it big.
The contestant line-up consisted of Josh Saak, Kendra Blanchette, and Dane Reighard. While all three were neck-to-neck in the fiery trivia game, luck didn't side with all of them as only one was set to be the winner.
One particular question played a significant role in deciding the fate of the contestants. Worth $1000, the clue was chosen from the 'Kickin' Aztec' category by Reighard.
"The Aztecs founded two cities where Mexico City now stands: Tlateloco & this one, their capital," the clue read.
Blanchette was quick to buzz in, answering, "What is Tenochtitlan?"
Jennings, who is usually quick on his feet to respond, took almost all of Blanchette's answering time to say a clear "No".
Next in line to buzz was Saak, who was visibly unsure of his pronunciation as he said the word again. He was ruled incorrect again as Jennings amusingly said, "Uhh, I'm gonna say no!"
The host received laughs from the contestants and the audience for his response. Jennings then went on to provide the correct pronunciation which was revealed to be closer to Blanchette's.
Both contestants lost one grand each but it was Saak who was able to come out as the winner in the end.
Josh Saak turns the tables in the Final Jeopardy round
Saak was not leading in the last round of the tournament game, falling a couple of thousand dollars behind Reighard.
However, he managed to make a solid victory in the round by being the only one to correctly answer while his fellow contestants had their decent scores dipped because of the wrong ones.
Saak left with a total of $14,405 at the end, also landing himself a place in the Champions Wildcard Finals which will be held in December after all the elimination games have ended.