&34;What's a hoe?&34; 13 of the most shocking Jeopardy answers — and Alex Trebek's priceless reactions &34;What's a hoe?&34; By Louis Peitzman June 18, 2026 9:00 a.m. ET Leave a Comment :maxbytes(150000):stripicc()/Jeopardy06172660f32501d7294ca7baf9e1d9a99bbe69.jpg) Lilly Chin on 'Jeopardy'. Credit: Jeopardy Productions, Inc. There are countless reasons for Jeopardy fans to tune in nightly: the thrill of tight games, the laughs from host Ken Jennings’ banter with contestants, the bragging rights that come from knowing the answers to the toughest triplestumpers.

"What's a hoe?"

13 of the most shocking Jeopardy answers — and Alex Trebek's priceless reactions

"What's a hoe?"

By Louis Peitzman

June 18, 2026 9:00 a.m. ET

Leave a Comment

Lilly Chin on 'Jeopardy'. Credit:

Jeopardy Productions, Inc.

There are countless reasons for *Jeopardy* fans to tune in nightly: the thrill of tight games, the laughs from host Ken Jennings’ banter with contestants, the bragging rights that come from knowing the answers to the toughest triple-stumpers.

But for many loyal viewers — particularly those of us who have been watching the show for decades — the true appeal of *Jeopardy* is its consistency. While the clues and contestants change night to night, the game itself stays the same. It’s one of the few comfort watches we can always count on.

Well, for the most part. Every once in a while, a player buzzes in with an answer that truly catches fans off-guard. We’re talking about responses so wrong that the host is rendered speechless, or so unintentionally dirty that it’s incredible they made it to air.

We’ve scoured *Jeopardy*’s 42-year history to find some of the most glaring and blush-inducing missteps ever made.

Read on to discover the 13 most shocking *Jeopardy* answers of all time.

"What's a hoe?"

Ken Jennings on 'Jeopardy'.

Jeopardy Productions, Inc.

While he’s now hosting *Jeopardy!*, Jennings first made a name for himself as a contestant, thanks to an incredible 74-game winning streak in 2004. He still holds the record for the most consecutive games won.

Though he gave far more correct answers than incorrect ones, Jennings has had his share of flubs. The most infamous was in response to the clue: “This term for a long-handled gardening tool can also mean an immoral pleasure seeker.”

Jennings buzzed in with, “What’s a hoe?” His answer prompted laughter from the audience and a surprised “whoa” from late host Alex Trebek. “They teach you that in school in Utah, huh?” Trebek prodded.

The correct response was “rake."

Jennings has recently referenced what is perhaps his most memorable answer. When a contestant wrongly answered “hoe” in a June 2025 game, Jennings quipped, “It seems like ‘What is a hoe?’ is never correct out here.”

“What is regular Virginia?”

Margaret Shelton on 'Jeopardy'.

Jeopardy Productions, Inc.

Sometimes a *Jeopardy* answer can be both correct and funny enough to be remembered years after the fact.

That was the case in a March 2022 game. A clue in the "Road Trip" category read: “The Blue Ridge Parkway connects the Great Smoky Mountains National Park with this state's Shenandoah National Park.”

Ujal Thakor was first to the buzzer, incorrectly guessing Tennessee. Then came Christie Baugher, who said West Virginia. Finally, returning champion Margaret Shelton got her turn. “What is regular Virginia?” she guessed.

Given that her answer was technically accurate, Shelton was awarded the points. “Regular, original recipe Virginia, yes,” Jennings confirmed amid audience laughter.

In a July game that same year, the show hilariously referenced the moment with the category "West Virginia & Regular Virginia," a deep-cut callback for *Jeopardy* diehards.

“What are public toilets?”

Way back in *Jeopardy*’s second season, Gary Giardina triumphed for five games in a row at a time when contestants were capped at that many consecutive wins. He returned for the 1986 Tournament of Champions, delivering a response that has become his lasting legacy.

In the category "Roman Empire," the clue was: “By the 4th century A.D., Rome had 28 public ones stacked with rolls of papyrus.” Giardina buzzed in and responded, “What are public toilets?”

Contestant Harvey Becker ended up getting the correct response of “libraries,” but Trebek had a good laugh about Giardina’s assumption that papyrus might have been the Roman Empire’s answer to toilet paper.

“I kind of like Gary’s line for humor, though,” the host admitted to Becker, an attorney-turned-author. “You might remember that, Harvey, when you’re writing.”

“What is a pansy?”

Becky Sullivan's guess of 'What is a pansy' on 'Jeopardy'.

Jeopardy Productions, Inc.

In an October 2015 game, the "Final Jeopardy" round featured a rare picture clue — a pink flower accompanied by the text: “The flower pictured here is called this, also a disparaging term for people on the political left.”

Trebek went to contestant Becky Sullivan first, joking, “You may have found a way to insult liberals in this country.” Given that setup, it’s no surprise that the response “What is a pansy?” earned laughter from the audience.

It’s also no surprise that the moment went viral, and was named by ** as one of the best game show moments of the year.

But Sullivan wasn’t trying to insult anyone — she just didn’t know the answer. As she wrote in a piece for NPR shortly after the episode aired, she had no idea that the correct response, "bleeding heart," was also the name of a flower. She went with the only name for a flower she could think of that was also a “disparaging term.”

“I also didn’t know that host Alex Trebek can read the 'Final Jeopardy' responses before they’re revealed,” Sullivan wrote. “So it was a big surprise when he set up my guess like a joke.”

“What is the age of consent?”

A contestant's response in an April 2015 episode of *Jeopardy* has become one of the most awkward moments in the show's history.

The clue: “In common law, the age of this, signaling adulthood, is presumed to be 14 in boys and 12 in girls.” Contestant Tom Imler quickly buzzed in to deliver the answer, “What is the age of consent?”

The correct answer was “puberty,” but Imler’s response quickly went viral on Twitter and Reddit, with some *Jeopardy* viewers disturbed by the implications of his confusion. The actual age of consent is between 16 and 18, depending on the state.

In an interview with the *New York Daily News*, Imler admitted to being “a little embarrassed” by his answer, but also angry about the accusations strangers were making about him online.

“It’s just utterly ridiculous,” he told the outlet. “I decided I’m not going to let trolls ruin my accomplishment.”

“Who is the spiciest memelord?”

Lilly Chin on 'Jeopardy'.

Jeopardy Productions, Inc.

It’s rare to be able to deliberately turn yourself into a meme — and even rarer when you’re doing it by identifying as a memelord.

In February 2017, *Jeopardy *College Championship contestant Lilly Chin, a senior at MIT, had a runaway game going into "Final Jeopardy," giving her the freedom to write down whatever she pleased. The clue read: “Astronomer who began his epitaph, ‘I used to measure the heavens, now I shall measure the shadows of Earth.’”

With the $100,000 prize guaranteed, Chin gave the instantly iconic answer: “Who is the spiciest memelord?”

In an interview on the show’s YouTube channel, Chin explained the origin of the term “meme,” as well as what it means to be spicy. “A memelord is someone who has mastery of the memes,” she noted, securing her spot as a memelord for the ages.

“What is a threesome?”

Contestant Kara Spak had a tough time living down a surprising response she gave on a November 2011 Tournament of Champions episode.

In the category "Group Countdown," Trebek read the clue: “If Andy yearns for Brenda & Brenda cares about Charlene who pines for Andy, the 3 of them form one of these.”

Spak answered, “What is a threesome?” Then she immediately made a face indicating she knew she was wrong. The instant audience laughter was also a pretty good indication.

After fellow player Roger Craig gave the correct response of “love triangle,” Trebek replied in his infamous deadpan: “Kara has obviously had much more experience than I.”

In an interview with Upper St. Clair Patch after her answer went viral, Spak defended the response.

“I don’t think the answer was totally off base,” she noted. “I was kind of embarrassed that I said ‘threesome’ on TV and in front of my mom in the audience.”

Jeopardy Productions, Inc.

Keep in mind *Jeopardy* responses must be in the form of a question — but that wasn’t the only thing wrong with Kevin McGinty’s answer during an April 2017 game.

As Trebek explained, the category "3 + 3" meant that all correct responses had to be two words that were each three letters. The $200 clue read simply: “A hired killer.”

McGinty buzzed in first, thought about it for a moment, then answered, “Hot gun.”

The right answer was “hit man.” Nevertheless, the undeniable strangeness of “hot gun” made even odder by the missing “What is” preceding it, lives on as one of the show's strangest wrong answers.

“What is fear of Mexican music stars?”

*Jeopardy* contestants have different strategies when it comes to clues they don’t know. Some buzz in and wager a guess, while others avoid getting penalized for a wrong response. When you’ve landed on a Daily Double you don’t know the answer to, however, your best bet is to say *something*.

That’s likely what 2014 contestant Michelle DeGrothy was thinking when she was given the clue “Selenophobia” in the category "What Are You Afraid Of?" Her answer: “What is fear of Mexican music stars?”

“No, but that’s a great response,” Trebek admitted. The actual answer is fear of the moon, though you can see how DeGrothy landed on her response, as Selena was an acclaimed Mexican American singer-songwriter.

For what it’s worth, DeGrothy had only wagered $600 and went on to win the game in a runaway.

“What is Kinky Boots?”

Choyon Manjrekar's guess of 'Kinky Boots' on 'Jeopardy'.

Jeopardy Productions, Inc.

"Final Jeopardy" is another situation where you might as well answer even if you aren’t sure. In a May 2015 game, contestants were given the clue: “A Christian hymn & a Jewish holiday hymn are both titled this, also the name of a 2009 Tony-nominated musical.”

Two players didn’t put anything down, but returning champion Choyon Manjrekar followed his heart and answered, “What is Kinky Boots?”

To his credit, *Kinky Boots* *is* a Tony-nominated musical, though it first strutted onto Broadway in 2013. There are also, it perhaps goes without saying, no Christian or Jewish holiday hymns with the word “kinky” in their titles.

“Whenever people go to temple or church, they sing ‘Kinky Boots’!” Trebek cracked.

Manjrekar still went on to win the game. “I panicked and put down something,” he admitted in an online panel discussion. “The moral of this story is bone up on musicals next time.”

“What is a — oh, God — a dick?”

Austin Rogers after giving his infamous answer on 'Jeopardy'.

Jeopardy Productions, Inc.

In October 2017, Austin Rogers was already a 12-day *Jeopardy!* champion when he was presented with the clue “Slang for a detective” in the category "Starts or Ends With a Tree."

After buzzing in, the champ realized the awkwardness of his intended reply, but powered forward: “What is a — oh, God — a dick?”

“Dick” *is* slang for a detective, but the most shocking aspect of this memorable *Jeopardy* moment is the exchange that followed Rogers’ response.

“I know nothing about a dick tree,” Trebek said. “But there is a gum tree.” The correct answer here was “gumshoe.”

Refusing to let the joke die, Rogers replied, “I’ve seen one.”

“Who is Kareem Abdul-Jabbar?”

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar on 'Jeopardy'.

Jeopardy Productions, Inc.

There’s nothing particularly shocking about incorrectly responding to a clue with the name of a famous athlete — unless, of course, you’re the famous athlete in question.

From September 2009 to April 2010, *Jeopardy* hosted the Million Dollar Celebrity Invitational featuring 27 different stars. One of the invitees was Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, a former NBA player, actor, and writer.

Trebek read the first clue from the category "I Went to UCLA": “Tell your old man to drag this '70s UCLA & Trail Blazer center (& Lanier!) up & down the court for 48 minutes.”

Abdul-Jabbar buzzed in instantly, confidently answering: “Who is Kareem Abdul-Jabbar?”

“No!” Trebek replied to raucous laughter from the audience. Abdul-Jabbar facepalmed as the host revealed that the right answer was Bill Walton.

“Embarrassing moments on *Jeopardy,*” Trebek correctly concluded.

“Who is Alex Trebek?”

Alex Trebek hosting 'Jeopardy'.

Eric McCandless via Getty

It was a "Final Jeopardy" response that Trebek could only laugh at — and it happened twice.

In a January 2008 game, the category was "TV Celebrities." The clue: “Not an actor, he is the highest-paid foreign-born personality on the 2007 *Forbes* list of top television earners.”

First up was Steven Melendez, who answered, “Who is Trebek?”

Without missing a beat, Trebek responded, “I wish.”

***Get your daily dose of entertainment news, celebrity updates, and what to watch with our ******EW Dispatch newsletter******.***

Next was Ethan Brosowsky. “Did he put Trebek also?” the host asked.

Indeed, Brosowsky’s answer was revealed as, “Who is Alex Trebek?” Laughing, Trebek noted, “You are forgetting many other important people.”

Only Melissa Prusi correctly identified Simon Cowell, making her the game's champion.

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Original Article on Source

Source: "EW Game"

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Source: Game

Published: June 18, 2026 at 09:38AM on Source: PRIME TIME

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