Hell hath no fury like a Swiftie scorned. Taylor Swift fans were up in arms over the July 20 episode of Jeopardy!, after the lyrics to one of her hits went over the players' heads. The singer’s songs have been featured on a number of TV shows and movies, but this wasn’t one for the scrapbook, as all three contestants failed to ring in with even a guess. There is a certain amount of pride to be had when a viewer bests the three televised contestants on any given clue, but fans seemed to be in a state of disbelief, and they took to social media to air their grievances.
The clue came in the Double Jeopardy! round and was the $400 clue for the category “The Title That Completes the Rhyme.” Jeopardy! GOAT Ken Jennings — whose return to co-hosting has already been noteworthy after a joke about circumcision — read, “And I’m just like oh-oh oh-oh oh-oh oh-oh oh-oh you need to just stop like can you just not step on my gown?” The lyrics come from Taylor Swift’s upbeat, anti-troll, anti-homophobia anthem “You Need to Calm Down,” but Swifties tweeted that they were just unable to do so:
Everyone who makes it on to #Jeopardy clearly has a crown in my book, but I cannot calm down when there is a triple stumper Taylor Swift clue.
Ken Jennings’ delivery of the song lyrics definitely didn’t do the contestants any favors. “Oh-oh oh-oh oh-oh oh-oh oh-oh” doesn’t do justice to what fans are used to hearing from the great T-Swift, and one Twitter user said they understood why the trio on stage might have had trouble:
In fairness, @KenJennings hilariously deadpanning the lyrics made me miss even really obvious ones. I don’t know about anyone else, but it’s really hard for me to identify the song without the music!
Not all viewers were so understanding. Some Taylor Swift fans, like this one, recognized “You Need to Calm Down” immediately and just simply didn’t understand why none of the contestants buzzed in:
Ikr. I saw this today live and I JUMPED I knew exactly what it was and everyone was silent like omg!!??
And not to be overdramatic or anything, but some Swifties’ tweets sounded like they were ready to burn it all down:
none of the jeopardy contestants got the taylor swift clue shut the whole show down
Logically, very few, if any, people are going to know the answers to every clue on the Jeopardy! board, and even Taylor Swift herself would not approve of any social media attacks lodged at these players. We also know it’s easier to answer the questions from home than it is for the players on the Alex Trebek Stage. But it’s also thrilling to see a clue pop up on that board that you know, particularly if it’s a subject you feel passionate about, and there’s no place for logic when it comes to fandom.
Only a week remains in the current Jeopardy! season, after which viewers will hopefully get to see if Ken Jennings lives to deadpan song lyrics for another season, or if that job will fall permanently to Mayim Bialik or even multiple hosts. While we wait, check out our 2022 TV schedule to see what new and returning shows are premiering soon.
