'Jeopardy' fans call a player 'disrespectful' after he clapped and cheered for himself

"Jeopardy!" has some of the brainiest fans, but at the same time, viewers don't like it when a player is too confident about their abilities. Recently, viewers expressed displeasure over the "unnecessary" and "unsportsmanlike" celebrations of a player named Aaron Craig. Taking to social media, fans were outraged over the player clapping and cheering for himself, calling the player "boorish" and "unlikeable" on stage.

In the episode from last year, Craig was competing in the syndicated game show against fellow contestants, T.J. Tallie, an associate professor of African history from San Diego, and Leah Wiegand from Austin. Through the initial rounds, Craig carved out a sizeable lead over his fellow contestants before entering the 'final jeopardy.' While all the contestants failed to answer the final question related to British History and the discovery of King Richard III's remains, Craig won the game as the other two players wagered everything and lost out.

As the show's host, Ken Jennings announced Craig as that day’s champion, he clapped with his hands over his head to celebrate and shouted “Let’s go, Chad!" pointing across the room to the audience where his son was. He even blew a few kisses to the crowd to celebrate the victory. While the player was over the moon, fans weren't happy about his conduct.

On the show's unofficial forum on Reddit, fans expressed their disapproval. “The clapping at the end was unnecessary,” wrote one fan, @BrightAd7870. “I turned the TV off after the self-congratulatory behavior. I certainly am not rooting for this guy to win, and not even sure if I’ll watch the rest of the tournament. I’ve watched Jeopardy for decades and don’t recall seeing such rudeness," added another viewer, @robbie5454. 

"Situational awareness and being happy to advance is one thing. That was unsportsmanlike and disrespectful to the other contestants. It was also very cringe. Self-praise is no praise," wrote a third viewer, @monolife. The issue was also discussed over to X (formerly Twitter) as well where viewers called the celebration "boorish" and "distasteful." "Really kind of embarrassed for Aaron’s kids sitting in the #Jeopardy audience, watching their father’s boorish, unsportsmanlike behavior," suggested a viewer, @ET2U. 

However, a section of the viewers came to Craig’s defense, claiming that he had the right to celebrate, and at the moment, it's hard to control his emotions. Even former "Jeopardy!" winner Jilian Cotter chimed in on the Reddit thread, defending the champion. “In Aaron’s defense, it can be hard to keep your emotions in check on stage. In one of my games (I have no idea which one), I was so mad that I’d rung in with an incorrect answer that I stomped my foot. … The adrenaline does wild things to you," Cotter wrote.

Eventually, the matter was addressed by Craig as well, who also took to Reddit to explain himself. “I’m sorry if I got overly excited. I certainly didn’t mean to show anybody up, but my kids were there and I couldn’t believe that they got to watch me not just play in a semifinal, but win! Anyone who thinks I was over the top, that’s 1000% fair. No argument here," Craig wrote in the same Reddit thread where he faced the backlash.