Fans of “Jeopardy!” have expressed dissatisfaction with the show’s writers, accusing them of “destroying” the game by including a “lazy” category that baffled all three contestants on the episode aired Monday. Viewers are calling for changes in the show’s format.
The category, “Jeoportmanteau!” — a frequent feature on the show — requires contestants to combine two words in both sound and meaning to create a single portmanteau. In the May 12, 2025 episode, contestants failed to answer any of the five clues correctly.
A critic suggested the permanent removal of “Jeoportmanteau!,” arguing it lacks intelligence and is poorly designed.
The episode included returning champion Kara Peruccio, a university professor from Bangor, Maine, who previously won $12,400. Competing against her were Rachel Hall, a data analyst from Washington, D.C., and Andrew Jones, a graduate student from Queens, New York.
The game got off to a challenging start when Kara hit the first Daily Double but answered incorrectly, losing $1,000. By the end of the “Jeopardy!” round, Peruccio led with $3,200, Jones had $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 correct answer 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 could solve. The trend continued with the remaining clues.
For the $1,600 clue — “Twin-hulled boat + spoiled or putrid” — the correct answer was “Catamarancid.” The final $2,000 clue, “To urge passionately + the science of growing plants,” needed the answer “exhorticulture.”
“Tough category,” remarked host Ken Jennings afterward.
A Reddit user questioned whether the writers hold accountability meetings after creating such a category or proceed without recognizing when their cleverness results in poor television.
Another Reddit user commented that when all contestants miss every clue in a category, the writers who prioritize cleverness over accessibility are at fault.
Attendees at the show’s taping confirmed the category’s difficulty, with an audience member in the green room noting that everyone there also struggled with the “Jeoportmanteau!” clues.
The “Jeopardy!” Fan website took a different perspective, highlighting that “Jeoportmanteau!” categories have appeared a dozen times since 2004, arguing that contestants’ poor performance doesn’t invalidate the category.
The site further defended wordplay as a crucial part of “Jeopardy!,” similar to sports categories, while acknowledging the difficulty in preparing for it as it can’t be easily memorized from archives. They suggested only a vocal minority opposes the wordplay format.
Aside from the challenging wordplay category, one fan noted that the game was overall difficult. There were numerous unexpected instances where all contestants missed answers, and many avoidable 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 the clue asking contestants to identify a person who, at age 27 in 1992, became the youngest CEO ever when his company entered the Fortune 500. None correctly identified Michael Dell as the answer.
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 did not respond, wagered nothing, and finished with $400.
Some fans expressed concern about newly 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 being “overly cute” with wordplay and using “excessively long titles that make it difficult to figure out what is being asked.”
Despite the critiques, Jones won the game and returned for Tuesday’s episode as the new champion.
