Travis Kelce has long been one of the NFL’s most visible stars, but recently, he has achieved a new level of widespread cultural notoriety thanks to his relationship with Taylor Swift. Jeopardy! made a nod to that during the November 6 episode.
In the episode’s opening round (per J! Archive), the $200 clue in the “The TV Show In Question” category read, “Are You Smarter Than a Celebrity? is hosted by this man who’s maybe more famous as a BF than as a 3-time Super Bowl champ.” Contestant Derek Hieronymus correctly responded with Kelce.
Here’s a video of the moment.
This came shortly after Jeopardy! found itself in a bit of hot water. As USA Today notes, Heather Ryan, a contestant on the October 28 episode, recently spoke out about a clue that read, “Men seldom make passes at…,” with the correct response being, “Girls who wear glasses.” She said, “It is definitely an odd choice. I think it made everybody in the audience and on stage — and Ken Jennings, too — a little uncomfortable. It was like, ‘Oh, that was unexpected.’ Maybe we choose better rhyming phrases in 2024. […] Unfortunately, there are still girls who are (in) middle school, and they don’t want to wear their glasses and they’re losing out on their education. So, I think it’s much better to be able to see than anything else.”
Jennings apologized following the incident, saying, “A little problematic, sorry Heather.”
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