‘Jeopardy’s Chaka Khan Mistake & 11 More TV Game Show Fails (VIDEO)
Fortunately, two memorably wrong answers didn’t keep Jeopardy! contestant Sarah Jett Rayburn from remaining champion.
But that nationally-televised mix-up follows countless other on-air fails, and inevitably it will be eclipsed by countless more. In the meantime, however, relive that flub and other embarrassing game show moments with the hall of shame below.
A Legendary Musical Warrior Leader?
In reply to “here, as on each September 24, Zulus celebrate a holiday that was named in honor of this warrior leader of the early 1800s.” Rayburn answered music legend “Chaka Khan” instead of “Shaka Zulu” on Jeopardy.
I … I am crying. pic.twitter.com/A8UL4SQEbA
— KelleyLCarter (@KelleyLCarter) April 28, 2020
Last Name Obama, First Name…?
Comedian and daddy blogger Evan Kaufman mistook a certain commander in chief for a certain terrorist leader. (What a difference a letter makes!) He later blamed a lack of sleep for his “worst answer in game show history” on The $100,000 Pyramid, but props to everyone involved for keeping a straight face and continuing on with the game.
Maybe *He* Should Be a Non-American
Faced with a Jeopardy question about the non-American featured on the first commemorative United States coin, Brooks answered, “What is an Indian?” Oh, Brooks, no….
The Price Is Wrong
Kudos to wheelchair-bound Price Is Right contestant Danielle Perez, who laughed off winning a treadmill, telling Inside Edition she can appreciate the “delicious irony that is being gifted something [she] has absolutely no use for.”
The Revenge of Who Now?!
The 2010 Cats & Dogs sequel would have been a lot less forgettable had it been subtitled the way teenaged Jeopardy contestant Raya thought. We’re not sure we can print Raya’s response here, but let’s just say it evokes certain grooming habits of the 1970s.
The Butt of the Joke
When she and groom Henry appeared on The Newlywed Show, Olga misunderstood the question about the “weirdest place she’s ever gotten the urge to make whoopee.” Olga’s response? “In the ass.” Poor Olga.
Not Exactly an Urbanite
Speaking of Newlywed Game fails, contestant Kathy was stumped when asked if her hubby was “more urban or rural.” Not because she didn’t know how to respond… but because she didn’t know what those words meant.
Non-Consensual Humiliation
This contestant had to actually tell the Daily News he wasn’t a pedophile — after suggesting that the age of 14 in boys and 12 in girls is the “age of consent.”
Blitzed Out
Here’s Wolf Blitzer. He can host The Situation Room. He can analyze election night results. He can even help Ethan Hunt save the world. But he most assuredly cannot play Jeopardy, famously ending up with -$4,600 during one of the game show’s celebrity episodes.
The Gondolas of Paris
Host Pat Sajak was right to test David and Keri’s geography knowledge after they won a gondola ride through Venice. When Sajak asked them what country they were heading to, David confidently responded, “Paris.” Then he corrected himself: “France.”
A Pickled Answer
American Idol contestant and Dancing With the Stars winner Kellie Pickler could join David and Keri in remedial geography class: On Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader, she confessed she thought Europe was a country. (At least she was honest!)
Ho No He Didn’t
Even legendary Jeopardy champ Ken Jennings made us wince. The prompt: “This term for a long-handled gardening tool can also mean an immoral pleasure seeker.” Jennings’s answer: “What’s a hoe?” Alex Trebek’s response: “Whoa, whoa, whoa…”
Watchlist Easy access to only the shows you care about — all in one simple place
Alerts Only important notifications — when a show is returning, when it becomes available to stream, and more.
Special Offers Exclusive products we release related to your favorite shows and streaming services