‘Jeopardy!’ Fan Blasts ‘Awfully Inconsistent’ First Name Ruling

Amanda Bell July 12, 2024, 7:30 pm

Jeopardy contestants Mike Ferguson, Isaac Hirsch, and Ashley Weaver — Jeopardy! Inc.

Is Jeopardy! pulling a fast one with some unstated new answer expectations? Some fans seem to think so after Friday’s (July 12) episode.

The episode saw Isaac Hirsch face a new set of competitors — chemistry professor Mike Ferguson and attorney Ashley Weaver — and notch his eighth consecutive victory with $34,001 added to his winnings for an 8-day total of $195,389.

A point of controversy arose during the episode’s Double Jeopardy round regarding the “First Ladies” category.

In response to Weaver being deemed wrong for not including Ida McKinley’s first name in an answer, one fan wrote on Reddit, “Ok, so apparently now they’re requiring first names for First Ladies?”

The commenter then referenced a previous complaint about the same issue, which included pointing out several instances where the same category did not require the use of the first name, including a game in 2022 and another in 2018. In the latter, a first name was required for one answer, but only because there were two first ladies named Bush.

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“It would have been nice if Ken had at least warned the contestants about that at the top of the round — particularly for Ashley.” the commenter concluded.

Weaver struggled throughout the game and ultimately did not end with a positive score and was eliminated before the Final Jeopardy category. Meanwhile, both Hirsch and Ferguson got the Final Jeopardy answer correct (they both knew Jonas Salk was the person who got a presidential citation in 1955 and was dubbed “the man who saved the children” for his polio vaccine). However, Hirsch bet enough to maintain his lead and his streak.

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