Why All The Fuss Over A Misspelled ‘Jeopardy’ Answer?

You probably heard about all the criticism the game show Jeopardy has received after a 12-year-old boy said he was cheated when he misspelled Emancipation Proclamation.

It was the correct answer, but he added an extra "T".  I don’t know how he thinks he was cheated because the kid who won the game spelled it right and ended up with $66,600 – an all-time record for kids on the show and the third-highest one day amount in the show’s history. Even if Thomas Hurley spelled it right, he would have ended up in second place and would have taken home $2,000, and that’s what he got.

The episode that was aired last week was recorded back in February. Having to relive it again, Thomas was probably more embarrassed than anything, but the kid he was up against was incredible. Cheated? I feel for him, but he wasn’t cheated.

And give credit to the producers for standing by their decision. “If Jeopardy were to give credit for an incorrect response (however minor), the show would effectively penalize the other players. We make every effort to be fair and consistent.”

Jeopardy has been around since 1964. Originally it was a daytime show that aired on NBC. Then in 1974 in became a syndicated nighttime show. It’s won 30 Daytime Emmys and a Peabody Award. In a ranking of the 60 greatest TV game shows ever – TV Guide ranked it Number One.

Since 1984, Alex Trebek has been the host and Johnny Gilbert the announcer. Trebek is expected to retire in 2016 giving him a run of 32 years on the show.

Among those being considered to replace him are Anderson Cooper, Matt Lauer, Brian Williams and Dan Patrick.