Latest news with #KenJennings
Daily Mail
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Jeopardy! fans left polarized as contestant wins because of shock family link to final clue
Jeopardy! fans were left sharply polarized when contestant Emily Croke won thanks to an astonishing family link to the final clue. The prompt was: 'In 1896, the Vassar-educated wife of this man wrote: "Thousands of dollars may be paid for a copy of Shakespeare."' Emily was able to correctly deduce the answer, writing: 'Who is Folger?' and walking away from the show with $13,201 in prize money. However she then divisively revealed that Emily Folger, who wrote the line in the prompt, 'was my great, great, great aunt Emily.' Host Ken Jennings was bowled over, asking: 'Emily Folger, the one we mentioned in the clue, is the person you, Emily Croke are named after?' to which she said: 'Yeah.' When a clip of the moment was posted to Instagram, fans leapt into the comments to share their opinions, with some feeling there was 'nothing wrong' with the 'cool' and 'amazing coincidence' as others regarded the result as 'rigged' and 'not fair.' 'Her family was pulling for her *spooky voice* from beyond the grave. So cool!!' wrote one Jeopardy! watcher who clearly supported Emily. 'I love Slumdog Millionaire moments,' said another, a third wrote: 'How fitting! That's so lucky AND she played so well,' and a fourth said: 'Synchronicity and serendipity!' 'What are the odds of that happening?' marveled a viewer as another gushed: 'Ancestral power right there! You just saw it in her smile! So cool!' 'Nothing wrong here,' a fan insisted. 'Good for her for knowing that! That's how you win trivia, know things others don't. How many people don't care to find out things about their family one or two generations back, let alone this far back!' 'Happy to have known it without any connection!!' boasted another member of the viewing public: 'Well, other than I love Shakespeare!!!' Others wrote: 'Wow, how cool is that!!,' referring to Emily's stroke of luck as the 'most amazing coincidence in the history of Jeopardy.' Meanwhile a number of audience members were rather less impressed with Emily's victory, maintaining that the family ties meant the result was not entirely above board. Making reference to a 1994 film about a television competition that was fixed behind the scenes, one wrote: 'Anyone else ever seen the movie Quiz Show?' Fans leapt into the comments to share their opinions, with some feeling there was 'nothing wrong' with the 'cool' and 'amazing coincidence' as others regarded the result as 'rigged' 'How is anyone not a family member supposed to deduce the correct reply?' demanded another commenter. 'What am I missing? Is the library at Vassar named for Folger, I wonder. Off to find out, later yall.' None of the libraries at Vassar College is named after the Folger family, although there is a Folger Shakespeare Library on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC. 'Nepo babies keep winning,' sighed one fan, another groused: 'Not fair. She cheated,' and another quipped: 'Rigged,' with a crying laughing emoji.
The Sun
20-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Sun
Jeopardy! contestant loses in ‘brutal' and ‘painful' way as fans ‘would've walked off set!' over unfair show rule
A JEOPARDY! contestant lost in the most 'brutal' and 'painful' way, as fans 'would've walked off set' over an unfair show rule. Jeopardy! challenges contestants to showcase their general knowledge, always phrasing their responses in the form of a question. 4 4 The three contestants wrote their answers to 'U.S National Parks. Much of this 73-square-mile National Park is located beneath the Chihuahuan Desert.' But it was a finish that left fans wanting to 'walk off the set' as they revealed their answers. As host Ken Jennings asked them for their responses, one of the contestants wrote down: 'What is Arches?' It was the wrong answer, leading his $12,000 dollars to plummet to just $2. Next up, the contestant in the middle went for the answer of: 'What is Carlsbad?' Again, it was a wrong answer and so her $13,600 went down to $600. Finally, the last player revealed his answer, which was: 'What is Carlsbad Cavrans?' But he made a small mistake, in what fans have called an unfair show rule. The 'r' was before the vowel, which changed the pronunciation of the word, meaning he lost. Jeopardy! fans demand major rule change to shake up format as show has 'gone downhill' with 'carousel' of one-day champs Ken said caverns with an 'er' they would've taken, because the answer was Carlsbad Caverns. As a result, his money went from $13,600 to $0. As he lost everything, the female contestant who had $600 ended up being the Jeopardy! champion. She looked delighted, if not a little in disbelief, and fans were gobsmacked by the result. Jeopardy! Set Secrets Jeopardy! fans don't see everything behind the scenes from watching on TV. These hidden set features make the show run smoothly: Each podium has a hidden riser so that all contestants appear to be the same height. After each clue is read, signal lights go off around the game board, indicating players can buzz in and respond. Buzz in too early, and you're locked out for .25 seconds. The podiums have a small white light in the lower left corner, which tells Ken Jennings who goes next. Contrary to popular belief, the player with control doesn't have a buzzer advantage on the next clue. To the game board's left is a scoreboard so the players can see their opponents' scores. All contestants must bring three outfits to the studio, but only the host and returning champion change for the next episode. There are wardrobe rules, including restrictions on busy patterns, solid white, purple (like the background), and logos. Five episodes are taped in a single day, and sometimes more. The categories, players (aside from the returning champion), and Final Jeopardy! for a tape day are all drawn randomly to ensure fairness. Female contestants are asked not to wear makeup, which is applied backstage, and don't wear mascara because of sweat. Contestants fill out a questionnaire, and producers select five Q&A topics for the host. Host Ken isn't allowed to interact with the contestants until after the game. Players can request to sit in a chair while competing without question. One person wrote on X: 'I simply would have to walk off the stage.' Others called it the 'most painful final' they'd ever seen on the show, and someone else wrote: 'Really fun, close game, but man that final Jeopardy was an absolutely brutal way to lose. You've got to feel bad for Jacob.' Someone else commented: 'Oh my god. What a brutal ending,' and another penned: 'Oh my god. What a brutal ending.' The brutal ending comes after a Jeopardy! contestant in the UK made history after scooping one of the daytime show's biggest ever wins. In May, viewers watched as hotel receptionist Ben Jones continued the game, competing against Jonathan and Rosemary. From Caerphilly, Ben was already a nine-day reigning champion before his major win. In the final round, host Stephen asked a question based on the category Classic 80s Films. He said: "Matthew Broderick starred in the title role of the 1980s comedy film 'Ferris Bueller's Day Off', directed by this man." Ben, 23, correctly answered: "Who is John Hughes?" His impressive knowledge saw him walk away with a jackpot prize of £64,530 - the largest win for all Jeopardy! series and one of the biggest wins on daytime TV. Stephen congratulated Ben as he brought the curtain down on the last episode of the series. 4
Yahoo
10-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
5 takeaways from a major new report on religion around the world
This article was first published in the State of Faith newsletter. Sign up to receive the newsletter in your inbox each Monday night. When people hear that researching religion is part of my job, they often ask me very specific questions about faith-related issues that have been in the news. After I disappoint them by not immediately knowing the answers, I turn to Google for help. My job has made me a search engine expert, not a religion expert. The questions that still trip me up even when I've got a strong internet connection are about the religious makeup of faraway countries. It's hard for me to quickly find info about religious life in the Czech Republic or New Zealand and then talk about what that info means for the athlete or politician who's grabbing headlines in the U.S. But now, I've got an exciting new tool in my trivia tool belt. On Monday, Pew Research Center released an interactive website that shows the religious makeup of nearly every country in the world in a single (very large) table. Once you're on the page, it takes only a few seconds to confirm that New Zealand was 40.3% Christian in 2020 or that the Czech Republic is dominated by religious 'nones.' Pew's interactive table was released alongside a new report discussing how the global religious landscape changed from 2010 to 2020. Based on more than 2,700 censuses and surveys, the report provides an in-depth look at 201 countries and territories — and plenty of fodder for conversations with your friends. Here are five key takeaways from Pew's new analysis of the global religious landscape. Christianity is the world's largest faith group, but it's not keeping pace with global population growth. In 2010, 30.6% of the world identified as Christian. By 2020, that figure had fallen to 28.8%. Islam is the fastest growing religious group. 'The number of Muslims increased by 347 million (from 2010 to 2020) — more than all other religions combined,' researchers wrote. Sub-Saharan Africa is now the region of the world where most Christians live. In 2010, Europe held that title. As of 2020, the United States has the second-largest number of religiously unaffiliated residents. China has the most. The growth of Islam from 2010 to 2020 was mostly due to natural population growth, while the decline of Christianity stemmed, in large part, from religious switching. 'Religious 'switching' — especially people shedding their religious identity after having been raised as Christians — explains much of the unaffiliated population's growth between 2010 and 2020," Pew reported. Americans are divided over religious freedom. The Supreme Court? Not as much How 'Jeopardy!' can save us all, according to Ken Jennings The Supreme Court's surprising decision day This top running back says he believes in God, not the so-called 'Madden curse' A religious school is facing pushback for its partnership with U.S. Customs and Border Protection Hidden Christianity is a unique form of Christianity practiced on some of Japan's rural islands. It gets its name from the fact that its earliest practitioners really were hiding their faith to avoid persecution. 'Hidden Christians were forced to hide all visible signs of their religion after the 1614 ban on Christianity and the expulsion of foreign missionaries. Households took turns hiding precious ritual objects and hosting the secret services that celebrated both faith and persistence,' according to The Associated Press. Early practitioners disguised their Christian icons by making them appear to be Buddhist. Even after it was safe to be openly Christian again, many families continued these secretive practices, in part because they wanted to honor loved ones who'd risked their lives and in part because they didn't fit in with mainstream Christians, the AP reported. 'Many Hidden Christians rejected Catholicism after the persecution ended because Catholic priests refused to recognize them as real Christians unless they agreed to be rebaptized and abandon the Buddhist altars that their ancestors used,' the article said. Hidden Christianity may soon be just a memory in Japan, since most current practitioners are quite old and most young people who grew up with the traditions have moved to cities and either don't want to or can't access the gatherings. A controversial research project featuring faith leaders using psychedelic drugs was released last month after a long delay. The report showed that nearly all of the members of the clergy who took part described their experiences with psilocybin as some of the most spiritually significant of their lives, but health and religion experts don't agree on what type of additional research or policy proposals that finding should inspire, according to Religion News Service. Which groups face the most discrimination in the United States? Pew Research Center recently asked Americans to weigh in, and the survey report offers an in-depth look at how people's political views influence their thoughts about discrimination. My Deseret News colleague Krysyan Edler recently wrote about the inspiring life of Caroline Klein, the chief communications officer for Smith Entertainment Group. After being diagnosed with cancer in her thirties, Klein committed to living every day like there might not be a tomorrow. 'Nothing about my situation is sad to me, but I want to make sure that when I'm gone, I've left people with a lot of great memories that bring them joy, too,' she said. After years of daydreaming about getting back into tennis, I finally started a summer tennis class on Saturday. It felt so good! Take this as the nudge you need to do that thing you've been dreaming about.
Yahoo
05-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
‘Jeopardy Masters' Returns Tonight: How to Watch the Two-Hour Premiere Live Online
If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, Variety may receive an affiliate commission. 'Jeopardy! Masters' is back for a third season, and the stakes have never been higher. Premiering tonight on ABC at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT with a two-hour special, the tournament pits some of the most elite players in Jeopardy! history against one another in a high-stakes, high-IQ battle. More from Variety CBS Temporarily Regains 'Wheel of Fortune' and 'Jeopardy' Distribution Rights From Sony Pictures TV on Appeal Judge Backs Sony Over CBS in High-Stakes Battle Over 'Wheel of Fortune' and 'Jeopardy' Deals 'Wheel of Fortune' and 'Jeopardy' Legal Fight Intensifies as Sony Moves to Take Over Distribution Rights From CBS Amid Lawsuit Hosted by Ken Jennings, the primetime event features a roster of returning champions, trivia titans and fan favorites vying for the $500,000 grand prize and the coveted Trebek Trophy. The premiere will air on ABC but the best way for cable-cutters to stream the tournament is on Hulu + Live TV. STREAM JEAPORDY! MASTERS ON HULU + LIVE TV $82.99/Month The six-week event sees nine top competitors, including Season 2 winner James Holzhauer, Victoria Groce, Yogesh Raut, Matt Amodio, and Brad Rutter, face off in a round-robin format before advancing to semifinals and finals. Unlike the traditional daytime version of 'Jeopardy!,' Masters leans into its sports-like structure—think 'March Madness' meets Mensa—with leaderboard rankings, detailed stats and buzzer-speed showdowns. For fans looking to watch the action unfold live without a cable subscription, Hulu + Live TV is your best bet. With a subscription starting at $82.99/month, Hulu + Live TV offers real-time access to local ABC affiliates in most major markets, allowing viewers to watch the show as it airs. The service also includes unlimited DVR storage and the full Hulu streaming library, so if you miss the live premiere, you can catch up on episodes the very next day. Hulu + Live TV's built-in live guide makes it easy to find ABC in your lineup, and add-ons like extra screens and enhanced DVR let you record the entire season if you'd rather watch at your own pace. It's a seamless way to keep up with the tournament as it progresses—and with competitors this sharp, you'll want to see every clue as it's revealed. Stream 'Jeopardy! Masters' live online below: STREAM JEAPORDY! MASTERS ON HULU + LIVE TV Best of Variety What's Coming to Netflix in June 2025 New Movies Out Now in Theaters: What to See This Week 'Harry Potter' TV Show Cast Guide: Who's Who in Hogwarts?
CTV News
04-06-2025
- Entertainment
- CTV News
Toronto gets shoutout in ‘Final Jeopardy' question
Toronto Blue Jays right fielder George Springer (4) runs on the field with the CN Tower in the background before playing the Baltimore Orioles in MLB baseball action in Toronto, Thursday August 3, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Mark Blinch Anyone in Toronto watching 'Jeopardy!' Tuesday night likely had the correct answer to the quiz show's final question. The category was 'Famous Structures' and the spelling of one of the words in the clue likely gave the all-American contestants a hint. 'In April 2018 an MLB game was postponed after ice falling from this structure punctured the roof of Rogers Centre,' the question read. The answer, of course, is the CN Tower. 'Rogers Centre is where the Blue Jays play. You gotta look out for falling ice,' host Ken Jennings joked. On April 16, 2018, after a bout of winter-like weather, ice fell from the city's iconic landmark and caused damage to the Jays' diamond down below. The Rogers Centre said at the time that the ice tore through the building's retractable roof and caused water to leak onto the field. The Jays were scheduled to play the Kansas City Royals that Monday, but the game was cancelled and the teams played a double header the following day. Peter Vorissis, a writer and teacher from Los Angeles, couldn't come up with the answer and opted to shout out his friends instead. Geoff Barnes, an analyst from Washington, D.C., and Stella Trout, a software engineer from Houston, both answered correctly, with the latter finishing first with US$28,800.
