The program “Danger!” The contestant who received an apology on the show due to a “problematic” track has responded to the controversy.
The clue in question came from a famous Dorothy Parker quote: “Men rarely make advances on girls who wear glasses,” and contestants were asked to complete the last part of the maxim for the rhyming phrases category.
Heather Ryan, a bespectacled health director for upstate New York, said the Oct. 28 tip made people uncomfortable.
“It's definitely an odd choice,” Ryan told Binghamton University's Pipe Dream newspaper. “I think it made everyone in the audience and on stage, and [host] Ken Jennings too, a little awkward. It was like, 'Oh, that was unexpected.' “
When the game's design director, Will Wallace, correctly completed the quote, Jennings immediately called the response “a little problematic,” turning to Ryan and saying, “I'm sorry, Heather.”
Some “Danger!” Viewers took issue with the appearance of the line and called it sexist in online discourse. The saying, believed to be a quip about Parker's own romantic weaknesses, has been used on the show in some form at least a dozen times since 1985, according to J! archive. It hadn't been used in over a decade before appearing in Ryan's episode.
“Maybe we'll pick better rhyming phrases in 2024,” Ryan said Monday. “Unfortunately, there are still girls who are [in] high school and they don't want to wear glasses and they are missing out on their education. So, I think it's much better to be able to see than anything else.”
The Broome County Health Department director lost to Cleveland food sales representative Ian Taylor and came in second after falling short by $1 on Final Jeopardy. Wallace, who had been on a four-day streak, came in third. Despite the headline-making track and her loss, Ryan spoke fondly of her “fun” run on the show and said everyone present was very welcoming. He also kept in touch with his fellow contestants.
“It's something very special to play a small part in this big role,” he said. “It's been going for 40 years, so I have to play my part in it.”
Ryan's episode aired days after two former Sony Pictures Entertainment employees filed complaints of racial and gender discrimination against “Jeopardy!” and “Wheel of Fortune.” In response to the complaints, the game shows' parent company said the shows' new leadership team was “dedicated to fostering a culture of inclusivity and respect” and that Sony “takes all allegations of discrimination very seriously.” “.
Representatives of “Jeopardy!” declined to comment Thursday.
