“Jeopardy!” enthusiasts are criticizing the show’s writers for allegedly weakening the game with a category that perplexed all three contestants on Monday’s episode, leading to viewer frustration and demands for change.
The category, “Jeoportmanteau!” — a regular feature on the show — requires contestants to combine two words in sound and meaning to create a portmanteau. On the May 12, 2025 episode, none of the participants could answer the five clues correctly.
A critic suggested the permanent removal of “Jeoportmanteau!,” labeling it as lacking intelligence and poorly designed.
This episode included returning champion Kara Peruccio, a university professor from Bangor, Maine, who had previously secured $12,400. She faced off against Rachel Hall, a data analyst from Washington, D.C., and Andrew Jones, a graduate student from Queens, New York.
The game had a rocky start when Kara found the first Daily Double but answered incorrectly, losing $1,000. By the end of the “Jeopardy!” round, Peruccio led with $3,200, Jones held $2,400, and Hall had $400.
The “Double Jeopardy!” round began with categories including: “Ancient Persia,” “It Ain’t Shakespeare,” “Suburban Legend,” “We’ve Got Rights,” “Movie & Song, Same Title,” and “Jeoportmanteau!”
Hall selected the $400 clue in “Jeoportmanteau!”: A mental survey of the past that follows ‘in’ + old-timey term for eyeglasses.” The solution was “retrospectacles,” but none of the contestants responded correctly.
The $800 clue was: “Blushing dwarf of Snow White fame + point about which a lever rests.” The answer was “Bashfulcrum,” which none of the contestants answered. This trend continued with the remaining clues.
The $1,600 clue — “Twin-hulled boat + spoiled or putrid” — required the response “Catamarancid.” The final $2,000 clue, “To urge passionately + the science of growing plants,” needed the answer “exhorticulture.”
“Tough category,” host Ken Jennings remarked afterward.
A Reddit user questioned whether the writers hold accountability meetings after creating such a category or proceed without acknowledging when their cleverness results in poor television.
Another Reddit user noted that when all contestants miss every clue in a category, it indicates the writers’ focus on cleverness over accessibility.
Individuals at the show’s taping confirmed the category’s difficulty, with an audience member in the green room reporting that everyone there also struggled with the “Jeoportmanteau!” clues.
The “Jeopardy!” Fan website offered a different perspective, highlighting that “Jeoportmanteau!” categories have appeared multiple times since 2004 and arguing that contestants’ poor performance doesn’t invalidate the category.
The site further defended wordplay as an integral part of “Jeopardy!,” comparing it to sports categories, while acknowledging its preparation challenges as it can’t be easily memorized. They suggested that only a vocal minority wants to remove the wordplay format.
Besides the challenging wordplay category, one fan remarked that the game was difficult overall, with several unexpected instances of all three contestants missing answers and many preventable errors throughout the episode.
By the end of the “Double Jeopardy!” round, Hall and Jones were tied with $5,600 each, while Peruccio had $400.
The “Final Jeopardy!” category was “Texas Technology,” with a clue asking contestants to name a person who, at age 27 in 1992, became the youngest CEO when his company entered the Fortune 500. None correctly identified Michael Dell.
Jones answered “Who is Mark Cuban?” and wagered $0, finishing with $5,600. Hall guessed “Sergei Brin” and wagered $5,100, ending with $500. Peruccio didn’t provide a response, wagered nothing, and finished with $400.
Some fans expressed concern about recently hired writer Buzzy Cohen. “I hope Buzzy Cohen wasn’t involved in this. If so, things are off to a rocky start,” one viewer commented.
According to Screenrant, a Reddit user named “tfl03” described it as “one of the sloppiest games of all time.” Meanwhile, RasputinsAssassins criticized the show for trying to be “overly cute” with wordplay and using “excessively long titles that make it difficult to figure out what is being asked.”
Despite the criticism, Jones won the game and returned for Tuesday’s episode as the new champion.
