When it comes to clues on Jeopardy!, it’s host Ken Jennings‘ job to present them with as much accuracy and clarity as possible so that players may buzz in with the corresponding questions, but as with competitors, not every clue can be delivered perfectly, such is the case in a newly shared blooper.
The official Jeopardy! account on X (formerly known as Twitter) shared an 18-second video featuring a funny flub from Jennings as he was reading a clue from the category “Completes the Song Titles” for $200. In an inset image, fans are shown the proper presentation of the clue, with blanked-out sections where the corresponding word would go.
Even the GOAT makes mistakes! We always have spare clues, so we just made a simple swap for broadcast! It’s like it never even happened … #Jeopardy! #bloopers pic.twitter.com/t1SJ1449RR
— Jeopardy! (@Jeopardy) September 20, 2024
The problem? Jennings decided to fill in the blanks while reading it out aloud. “‘Paint it Black’ and ‘Back to…’” Jennings began, realizing his error of including the word “black” in the first song title, which was meant to be presented as “‘Paint it [blank]’ and ‘Back to [blank].’”
While he tries re-presenting the clue, Jennings understands that it was too big a mistake and it’s no use. “We gotta toss it,” he says to the offscreen crew as someone jokingly calls out “What is black?”
The mistake was made during the September 18th match between Aiden Orzech, Chris Lindsay, and Sam Neuman, who were ultimately presented with a different clue in that spot. This was teased by Jennings in the blooper, above, as the show’s page captioned the video, “Even the GOAT makes mistakes! We always have spare clues, so we just made a simple swap for broadcast! It’s like it never even happened …”
“I was supposed to say ‘blank’ there,” Jennings lamented the error. Still, it seems that the rest of the questions and answers in the category went smoothly in the broadcast version, which you can watch, below.
What do you think of Jennings’ little slip-up? Sound off in the comments section, and don’t miss Jeopardy! as it airs weeknights.
Jeopardy, Weeknights, Check your local listings