Viewers Slam 'Jeopardy!' for 'Poorly Worded' Clue
Another Jeopardy! clue has gone viral, this time after some claimed it was "poorly worded."
During the episode that originally aired on Wednesday, June 21, co-host of the long-running game show Mayim Bialik revealed the final category as "World of Water," followed by the clue: "The Bass Strait divides Tasmania & mainland Australia & hydrographers have disputed which of these 2 larger bodies it’s part of."
Two out of three contestants–including returning champ Ben Goldstein and his opponent Nabeela Rahman–correctly guessed, submitting "Indian and Pacific Oceans" as their final answers.
The third contestant, Lee Papa, lost his wager after incorrectly answering "Pacific and Atlantic Oceans."
After Goldstein was crowned the champion for the fourth day in a row, viewers took to social media to share their opinions of the controversial clue.
Citing regional colloquialisms as the basis of the claims, fans attempted to explain why they were aggravated by the "poorly worded" question in the comments of the now-viral YouTube clip.
"The Aussies would say What are the Pacific and Southern Oceans?. Their definition of the Southern Ocean goes all the way to the south coast of their continent," one wrote before another added, "The question is poorly worded: I think the default position of Australians on this question would be ‘What are the Southern Ocean and Tasman Sea?’ but you do you America."
Others disagreed and called the clue one of the "easiest" they've seen in a while.
"Could this have been the easiest FJ clue in a while? All the more amazing that someone thought Australia was next to the Atlantic Ocean," one Reddit user shared.
"It was easy if you didn't overcomplicate it like I did," another suggested, further explaining in part, "At first I was wondering if they wanted Great Australian Bight (objectively wrong) and Tasman Sea (too specific), but then I settled on the Pacific and Southern Oceans, as the strait's western edge empties into Australia's south coast."
Whether or not you agree with either argument, one thing is sure: viewers have had a lot to say about the game show this season–from calling out inconsistent rulings to misspellings and mispronunciations.
Next: Internet Reacts to 'Jeopardy!' Contestant Who Missed a Titanic Submersible Tour
