Jeopardy host Ken Jennings and the popular gameshow sparked the wrath of viewers following a slip-up in a question thrown to contestants. Fans of Jeopardy know to expect anything, from explosive drama on the show to dirt from one’s personal life trickling in at the weirdest times. Yet, what no one saw coming during Thursday’s episode of the show was a wrong question! While the question in itself, asked by host Ken Jennings, wasn’t exactly wrong, Jeopardy fans were quick to point out a “disrespectful” overlooking of an original song creator.
The whole ruckus fired up during the latest episode held on Thursday, May 30. Host Ken Jennings threw out a question to contestants about the song Life Is a Highway. The writers named country band Rascal Flatts as the crooners behind the hit jam, first released in 1991. As Ken read out the question, “In the title of a Rascal Flatts song, “Life is” this type of road,” one of the contestants, Adriana Harmeyer, hit the buzzer, answering “What is a Highway.” The former software engineer confirmed she answered correctly, awarding her the point.
Viewers Slam Jeopardy! Over Offensive Question on Latest Episode
Fans were quick to point out that 71-year-old Canadian artist Tom Cochrane wrote and released the original version of the song in 1991, long before Rascal Flatts’ compilation. In fact, the three-man American country band released their version in 2006 as part of their Me and My Gang album. The soundtrack had a popularity resurgence when Rascal Flatts performed it in Disney x Pixar’s 3D computer-animated film, Cars. This remake somehow overshadowed the original, leaving Tom’s input almost lost in history — but not to his die-hard fans.
Several aggrieved fans have since stormed social media to drag Jeopardy, host Ken Jennings, and the writers behind the erroneous question. Viewers voicing their opinions tagged the question as “offensive” and “disrespectful,” with some even hauling threats at the ABC gameshow.” One aggrieved fan wrote on X,
“Very offensive to Tom Cochrane to call Life Is a Highway a Rascal Flatts song.”
Another fired,
“This Tom Cochrane erasure will NOT stand, #Jeopardy!”
A third fan sounded off,
“Rasqual Flatts did not write Life Is a Highway. @Jeopardy! You will pay for this disrespect.”
Reddit also went abuzz with criticism of host Ken Jenning’s offensive oversight with his Jeopardy question. Many pointed out that while Rasqual Flatt’s remake is more recent than the original and featured in a popular film, it only became popular because Tom made it a hit back in the nineties. Hence, completely failing to give Tom any credit for the song was a dreadful move. One wrote,
“The erasure of Tom Cochrane is unfortunate.”
Another chimed in,
“I was unreasonably outraged by this!”
Ultimately, the costly oversight sparked comparisons between Ken Jennings and former Jeopardy host Alex Trebek. One Redditor described the erroneous song reference discrediting the 71-year-old Canadian singer as an anti-Canadian move, which the late Alex would never have made.
Notably, Alex Trebex hosted the gameshow from its syndicated debut in 1984 until his death in 2020. Twenty years before him, the original Jeopardy kicked off on NBC, with Art Fleming as the host. These two TV personalities, with their extraordinary skills and wit, raised the show to its coveted glory. Hence, following Alex’s demise, the decision to find a replacement wasn’t taken lightly. More than a host, Jeopardy needed someone with foresight who could handle his craft with professionalism and dedication. The show needs a host who can preserve six decades’ worth of untainted legacy, with the right dose of humor, of course.
