“Danger!” host Ken Jennings gave a “problematic” answer during Monday night’s episode and apologized to the female contestant before moving on with the rest of the show.
The moment arrived when contestant Heather Ryan picked a $400 tip in the “Complete the Rhyming Phrase” category.
Jennings read out the clue in a slightly awkward tone: “Men rarely make passes at…”
“What’s a ‘girl with glasses’?” asked fellow contestant Will Wallace, who jumped in and answered correctly.
Ryan was the only woman in this episode and wore glasses. Jennings quickly addressed the issue.
“Well, we have a little problem,” said the host. “I’m sorry, Heather.”
Wallace nodded in agreement and said, “Very much.”
This quote is attributed to poet and author Dorothy Parker. Ryan did not touch the clue and continued to answer the following rhyming phrase, which, when completed, was “Risk it for a biscuit.”
Representative of “Jeopardy!” NBC News did not respond to requests for comment.
Ryan ended up taking second place during the episode, losing out to Ian Taylor, the show’s third contestant, by just $1.
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