Jeopardy! is TV’s most famous quiz show, where the quickest and brightest trivia champs answer clues that stump most home viewers.
But in a recent episode, one seemingly easy clue about the Lord’s Prayer stumped all three players — much to the shock of some Christian viewers.
During the June 13 episode, host Mayim Bialik read a $200 clue (the lowest amount on the board, and typically the easiest) in the category “Dadjectives.”
“Matthew 6:9 says, ‘Our Father Which Art In Heaven’, This ‘Be Thy Name.’”
The answer, as anyone who learned the Lord’s Prayer back in Sunday School knows well, is “hallowed” (or rather “what is hallowed,” per Jeopardy! rules.)
It’s not uncommon for Jeopardy! answers to stump the contestants, even seemingly easy ones, but the fact that no one knew one of the most-recited prayers in Christianity seems to have struck a nerve among the faithful.
“Not one contestant on Jeopardy last night knew the answer to this…Are you waking up yet?” one Twitter user wrote.
“The Lord’s Prayer growing up was like knowing The Pledge of Allegiance. You just did,” one tweet says.
“While it may not be a sign of the end times, if DEFINITELY speaks volumes about Americans and their faith…or lack of,” another wrote.
While some viewers took it as a sign of declining faith in the US, others were just surprised they missed a seemingly common knowledge clue.
“I’m an atheist and even I knew the answer to that lord’s prayer question,” one Twitter user said.
“My 4 year old niece got the answer on this Question on Jeopardy! Just wondering maybe the contestants never heard about The Lord’s Prayer?” another wrote.
“How can those Jeopardy! nerds not know this answer. Have they never listened to Iron Maiden?” another user joked, referencing the Iron Maiden song “Hallowed Be Thy Name.”
While it shocked some viewers to see all the contestants get stumped on a seemingly basic question, others were more understanding. Two of the contestants had negative scores, and may have been playing it safe, not wanting to take a chance and go further into the red.
And it’s worth noting that Jeopardy! frequently has questions about Christianity and the Bible, and contestants often respond correctly to clues that would stump even devout churchgoers. In fact it’s such a common category that some have said the show has too many Christian questions.
Furthermore, Jeopardy! welcomes contestants of all kinds of backgrounds and religious faiths — it’s entirely possible that these three contestants did not have the same Christian upbringing many viewers had.
While the contestants were stumped on the Lord’s Prayer, they did fare a bit better when it came to ’70s movies: the Final Jeopardy answer read, “He starred in the 2 films whose soundtracks were the top 2 bestselling albums of 1978.”
The correct response? John Travolta! (The soundtracks were Saturday Night Fever and Grease). Contestant Suresh Krishnan triumphed, extending his win streak to 6 games.
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