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Jeopardy! fans call category a ‘waste of time’

Jeopardy! fans ‘annoyed’ about category highlighting influencers and call it a ‘waste of time’ after several stumpers 

Plus, one major internet celebrity that the contestants couldn’t name

An image collage containing 2 images, Image 1 shows Ken Jennings hosting Jeopardy!, Image 2 shows A woman with long brown hair, bangs, and an off-the-shoulder black top smiles while standing in front of a blue background

JEOPARDY! fans have expressed their frustration over a new category, with some believing it had no place on the show.

Devoted Jeopardy! watchers tuned in to Thursday night’s episode, eager to follow along and yell out their suspected answers to the trivia clues.

Ken Jennings hosting Jeopardy!
Jeopardy! fans voiced their frustrations about a new category being introduced to the showCredit: ABC

A woman with long brown hair, bangs, and an off-the-shoulder black top smiles while standing in front of a blue background.
The contestants struggled to answer the clues correctly in the category ‘Internet Celebrities’Credit: ABC
However, one new category had those at home, and even the contestants were scratching their heads while searching for the correct responses.

Host Ken Jennings introduced the “Internet Celebrities” category, which tested the three players’ knowledge of influencers and famous figures known for their online platforms.

The clues proved much more difficult for the contestants, who included Dave Keder, a tutor from Durham, North Carolina, and Cindy del Rosario, a hospice and palliative nurse from Denver, Colorado.

Their opponent was one-day champ Delaney O’Dea, an undergraduate from Santa Monica, California, pegged by many as the one who’d know the most about online celebs, given she’s just 18 years old.

But some clues in the category even left Delaney stumped.

One, in particular, that the group struggled with was identifying content creator Alix Earle from a photograph and a brief description of her career success.

Ken was met with silence from the competitors after reading the clue, as no one could even guess who the blonde beauty could be.

Alix is famous for her “Get Ready With Me” TikTok videos, and she’s currently competing on Dancing with the Stars.

Ken, at one point, joked, “If you didn’t know who those were, ask your kids,” after seemingly realizing the clues in the category would be difficult to crack.

Viewers weren’t keen on this category either, and they complained on social media about it being used at all.

“Well Ken, I don’t have kids, but if I did I’d hope they wouldn’t waste their time with that nonsense the way the show just wasted our time with that category,” one person wrote on Reddit in response to Ken’s silly remark.

“Got 3 out of 5 in the internet celebs category, shook my head and sighed the whole time so people knew i disagreed with them,” another commented.

“Sorry, Ken… no kids, so if I wanted to know more about these Internet celebrities (and I’m not sure I do), I have to look them up myself,” someone else said on X.

“I think my top 5 most annoying words this century would have to include ‘influencer,’” a fan replied.

MOST LUCRATIVE JEOPARDY! WINNERS OF ALL TIME

While no one has been able to top contestant-turned-host Ken Jennings’ incredible winning streak from 2004, the trivia show has produced a number of successful champions. Here are the top earners:

    Ken Jennings – 74 games, $2,520,700 earnings from regular season in 2004
    James Holzhauer – 32 games, $2,462,216 earnings from regular season in 2019
    Matt Amodio – 38 games, $1,518,601 earnings from regular season in 2021
    Amy Schneider – 40 games, $1,382,800 earnings from regular season in 2022
    Cris Pannullo – 21 games, $748,286 earnings from regular season in 2022
    Mattea Roach – 23 games, $560,983 earnings from regular season in 2022
    Jason Zuffranieri – 21 games, $532,496 earnings from regular season in 2019
    Scott Riccardi – 16 games, $455,000 earnings from regular season in 2025
    David Madden – 19 games, $430,400 earnings from regular season in 2005
    Julia Collins – 20 games, $428,100 earnings from regular season in 2014

Newcomer, Cindy, won the game with $23,201, ending Delaney’s run, who finished in second place with $1,600.

Dave finished third with $700 in total earnings after wagering a hefty amount in Final Jeopardy! and answering incorrectly.

Many fans are hoping Cindy can keep her streak going, as no woman has had a multi-day winning streak this season.

The last contestant to have a considerable run was TJ Fisher, who won five consecutive games before being dethroned a week earlier.

Amy Schneider on Jeopardy!
The players had a difficult time identifying the names of the online celebritiesCredit: ABC

TikToker Alix Earle explaining something.
One influencer they had trouble naming is TikTok star Alix EarleCredit: TikTok/alixearle

A contestant on Jeopardy! in a pink blouse smiling.
Newcomer Cindy del Rosario came in first place and won the gameCredit: ABC

Disclaimer: This story is fictional and created for entertainment purposes only. Any names, characters, places, or events are fictitious or used fictitiously. No real person or organization is intended to be portrayed.

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