‘Jeopardy!’: See Ken Jennings’ Shocked Reaction After Contestants Don’t Know Garth Brooks

Martin Holmes November 15, 2023, 8:41 am

Ken Jennings and Garth Brooks — Jeopardy, Inc!; Theo Wargo/Getty

Jeopardy! contestants are known for having a wide range of trivia knowledge, but clearly, country music was a blindspot for the three returning champions on Tuesday (November 14) night’s episode.

Host Ken Jennings and viewers at home were shocked when nobody could identify Grammy-winning singer-songwriter Garth Brooks, despite the clue including a photo of the famous country star.

Law student Brandon Deutch had selected the $800 clue under the “90s Singers” category, which read, “This country superstar’s ‘Friends In Low Places’ was named CMA Single of the Year in 1991.”

Deutch was stumped by the question, and so were his two opponents, marketing manager Emily White and orthopedic physician assistant Nick Cascone. All three contestants simply stared blankly ahead until the timer ran out.

“Whoa!” Jennings said, seemingly taken aback by the triple stumper. “How soon we forget. That’s Chris Gaines’ alter ego, Garth Brooks.”

Brooks is a multi-platinum selling, multi-award-winning singer and the only artist in music history to have released nine albums that were certified Diamond by the Recording Industry Association of America, surpassing The Beatles’ previous record of six.

“I can’t believe Garth Brooks was a triple stumper, after the clue said “Friends in low places.” I barely listen to country and I knew it,” wrote one fan on the Jeopardy! Reddit forum.

“Came here for that! I was stunned,” replied another commenter.

“I said the same thing. Crazy. He’s one of the top 10 earning artists ever, isn’t he?” said another.

“Really?!! I don’t particularly like country music, but #GarthBrooks was everywhere in the 90’s. Very easy triple stumper,” one fan wrote on X.

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“How do these three not know who Garth Brooks is?? lmao Even if you aren’t a country fan, he’s one of the most well-known music artists from the 90s,” said another.

Others defended the three contestants, with one viewer writing, “We’ve had plenty of examples of players not knowing even hugely popular songs and artists. If you don’t listen to the radio or watch awards shows, it’s not that hard to avoid.”

“I think that was before their time,” added another.

Replying to the backlash, White tweeted, “Look, y’all, I may have flubbed on the Garth Brooks clue, but I got in on Wu-Tang Clan and that’s way cooler.”

Look, y’all, I may have flubbed on the Garth Brooks clue, but I got in on Wu-Tang Clan and that’s way cooler. #Jeopardy

— Emily White (@emianwhite) November 15, 2023

Cascone, who ended up winning the episode and advancing to the Champions Wildcard semi-finals, also responded on Reddit, writing, “I kinda knew it, but not certain enough to buzz. They made merciless fun of us when we got back to the green room.”

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