(NEXSTAR) – What is “uncomfortable,” Ken?
That was the feeling in the room after “Jeopardy!” host Ken Jennings read aloud a "problematic" clue on the October 28 episode, according to a contestant on that show.
Contestant Heather Ryan, a health program director from Binghamton, New York, recently spoke about the incident with Pipe Dream, the Binghamton University student newspaper.
Ryan was competing against contestants Will Wallace and Ian Taylor when Jennings read the $400 clue from the “Complete the Rhyming Phrase” category.
That clue? “Men seldom make passes at …”
Wallace buzzed in and responded, “What is 'girls who wear glasses'?”
Jennings acknowledged the clue was “a little problematic” and quickly offered an apology to Ryan, who was wearing glasses during her appearance.
“It is definitely an odd choice,” Ryan told Pipe Dream of the clue. “I think it made everybody in the audience and on stage, and Ken Jennings too, a little uncomfortable. It was like, ‘Oh, that was unexpected.’”
Ryan then said “Jeopardy!” should consider using “better rhyming phrases” so as not to offend any younger viewers.
“Unfortunately, there are still girls who are [in] middle school and they don’t want to wear their glasses and they’re losing out on their education. So, I think it’s much better to be able to see than anything else,” Ryan told the outlet.
She also appeared to respond to the viral moment on TikTok, voicing the same feelings about the Dorothy Parker-penned poem at the center of the clue.
Overall, however, Ryan claimed she had a positive experience on “Jeopardy!” and especially loved hearing her name and hometown announced during the taping, Nexstar’s WIVT reported.
“It was very fun,” Ryan said. “I had a great time. Everybody there was very welcoming.”
