'Jeopardy' fans are calling out Ken Jennings after his harsh ruling nearly costs a contestant

Ken Jennings has been quite popular as the host of “Jeopardy!” and, apart from being friendly, he has also been seen apologizing to contestants for problematic clues or comments. But all that did not stop fans from calling out the contestant-turned-host when they found his ruling too harsh, especially since it cost a contestant a $2,000 prize.

Jennings refused to give the contestant the win even though she answered the question correctly. The reason why the answer was deemed incorrect is that it was pluralized by the contestant. Fans were not happy with Jennings's call and didn't mince their words. The contestant was a woman named Kelly Proulx, a one-day winner on the show, according to an MSN report. The clue that she got was, "A Yosemite fall with a wispy ribbon of water that flutters in the air like a diaphanous cloth bears the name of this marital wear." Proulx gave the answer, "What is Bridalveil Falls?" Although she named the correct waterfall, it was deemed incorrect as the contestant should have said ‘fall’ instead of ‘falls.’ This led to a $2,000 deduction from her purse.

After the round, Proulx found herself in last place with $3,600. She ended the game in second place with $7,000. Fans of the show criticized Jennings’s ruling in the comments section of a Reddit post in r/Jeopardy. “The ruling against Kelly for saying "Bridalveil Falls" with an "s" was especially unfortunate, since there are places called "Bridal Veil Falls" in several other states. However, the penalty did not wind up negatively impacting the outcome for Kelly,” a part of the post read.

“There is nothing pinning the clue to 'fall,' so she got the required information correct. That was positively disgusting,” one user commented. “I typically give long and wide deference to the judges, but f**k the judges for that ruling," quipped another. The host of the show addressed his ruling in an episode of Inside Jeopardy! Podcast, according to a TV Insider report. The host acknowledged that his ruling was tough, but believed that it did not affect the outcome of the game. “Well, all three of you played well. It was not a foregone conclusion until the very end,” he said.

“Sadly, ‘Bridalveil Falls’ with the ‘S,’” the host added. “I’m glad it didn’t hinge on my very harsh ruling on the ‘S’.” The contestant also laughed a little at his comment, making the situation a lot more light-hearted. It just goes to show that even the best can be called out for harsh decisions. Jennings took accountability and acknowledged that what he had ruled at the time was indeed quite harsh. However, this doesn’t mean that he is going to be loved any less by the fans of the show.