Jeopardy! is explaining a clue from Friday’s show involving Russia and the neighboring country that it has invaded, Ukraine.
The $800 clue was revealed during the “Double Jeopardy!” round, under the category of “Bordering Russia.”
“The Kerch Strait — along with serious border issues — separates Russia from this country on the Black Sea,” Ken Jennings, the night’s host, read. The words “Recorded on January 11, 2022” appeared in the upper left corner of the screen.
One of the night’s two challengers Adrian Alcalá buzzed in and gave the correct response: “What is Ukraine?”
At the end of the game, Alcalá, Caitlin McHale and three-day champion Margaret Shelton had left two clues in the Russia category on the board.
For people who missed the show, Jeopardy! shared a statement on social media:
Please note the clue in today’s show concerning Russia and Ukraine was recorded on Jan. 11, 2022.
— Jeopardy! (@Jeopardy) March 4, 2022
One million Ukrainians have been forced from their homes in just the first week of the invasion, UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi tweeted Thursday.
For something that’s been on the air for decades — since 1984 in its current run — Jeopardy! has regularly made news in recent months, and it’s had more to do with contestants than it has the show’s search for a permanent host. In January, Amy Schneider set the record for the second-longest winning streak, after she won 40 consecutive games. (The only person with more is Jennings, who won 74 matches in 2004.) And that was just the beginning. She’s also the first openly transgender contestant to qualify for Tournament of Champions and the highest-winning female contestant ever.
Just last month, contestant Christine Whelchel, a breast cancer survivor, ended up in a tie — something that’s incredibly rare for the show — with two-day champion Henry Rozycki. She left with the win, though, following a tiebreaker question. She kept winning and, in her fourth and final game, wore her hair much shorter for a good cause.
“After the winnings, I decided that I didn’t need to hide behind a wig anymore,” she said, “and I wanted to normalize what cancer recovery looks like.”
