The Raunchy Jeopardy Clue That Drove Viewers Wild
CBS' long-running hit Jeopardy is pretty tame when you consider competition shows like The Bachelor and The Circle exist. Host Alex Trebek is a consummate professional, and all contestants have to pass a rigorous 50-question eligibility test before they get a shot at the show's iconic game board. So you can imagine viewers' surprise when a raunchy clue appeared on a Feb. 24, 2020 episode of the brainiac series. We won't give away the so-called naughty word just yet, but let's just say it caused quite a stir on social media. We'll take Awkward Moments for $400, Alex!
Interestingly enough, this isn't Trebek's first rodeo when it comes to discussing sex on Jeopardy. The American-Canadian, who is currently battling pancreatic cancer, encountered contestant Liz Miles in 2016, who happened to be writing a dissertation on the sex lives of Japanese men at the time. "I think the media gets a lot wrong about Japanese men— it's very negative, I find," she said when Trebek inquired about her work, per Mashable. "Give me one, just one, point about it," he replied. "I think there's a lot of claims going around that Japanese men don't have sex, and... Am I allowed to say that?" she stated, to which the host enthusiastically shot back, "Yes! I'm all ears now."
So while Trebek might be cooler than you think (no shade to the king of trivia, of course), how do his fans feel about provocative language on Jeopardy? Let's find out after the jump.
Let's talk about sex, baby... on Jeopardy
The Feb. 24, 2020 episode of Jeopardy was tailor-made to be a bangin' time (yes, pun intended) as the first round included a "Lifetime Movie Titles" category. It doesn't get any more dramatic than that, right? After covering two cheesetastic yet amazing movies — 2019's The Secret Lives of Cheerleaders and 2011's Murder on Trial in Italy — Alex Trebek transitioned into this saucy clue, "Ripped from the headlines in 2012, doing this icky kind of messaging 'in Suburbia,'" per Decider. In an arguably surprising twist, a visibly amused Seattle professor named Steve Goodreau quickly buzzed in to answer, "What is sexting?"
Side note: We're pretty sure many people are familiar with the term "sexting," but for those who aren't, it's when a person sends sexually provocative images or messages to another person's phone. You know, the kind of content that's totally appropriate for Jeopardy.
Goodreau's answer was correct, and he had accurately identified the 2012 movie, Sexting in Suburbia. The plot revolves around the tragic aftermath of a teenage girl's nudes going viral without her consent, which is another interesting topic for a typically buttoned-up game show.
As for how viewers reacted to this sexting answer? Fire up the Jeopardy theme song as we reveal the wild reactions...
Viewers had strong opinions about the saucy clue
There were mixed opinions abound on social media following the suggestive moment, including one argument from a fan who took the show to task for referring to sexting as "icky." They wrote, "@Jeopardy mentioned sexting as "icky" in their clue today. Not sure how I feel about that. Who's to judge what people do on their phones C'mon Jeopardy! I know you're a family show, but no need to start getting judgy on us. What is, 'not cool.'" Someone else quipped, "This irks me, the horny trivia player." And one irritated viewer was fed up with the choice in general, penning, "Um, "sexting," #Jeopardy writers? Did you forget this show is rated TV-G?"
Others were tickled pink to hear a contestant utter the word "sexting," as one person joked, "I can't believe I've lived long enough to see 'sexting' be a correct response on @Jeopardy." Another commenter said, "What is sexting?" was a #Jeopardy! answer tonight. What a time to be alive!"
Although sexting is far from an x-rated word, we understand why it caused a ruckus on Twitter. It's not every day you see sexting appear on the game board, after all.