The US Sun

Jeopardy! fans are ‘crying laughing’ over biggest mistake in memory as show re-shares Olympic fail during summer break

By Darian Lusk,

2 days ago

JEOPARDY! fans have been left in shambles all over again, having relived a contestant’s fail of Olympic proportions on Wednesday.

The iconic game show re-shared the blunder from early 2024, asking fans to pick their favorite moment of Season 40.

The Instagram post came as fans await the new season during the show’s annual summer break.

The post featured a slideshow of various show moments and fails from the past year.

It was captioned, “And the next category is … Favorite Show Moment Which of these is your fave from S40? Vote below.”

The decision was near-unanimous as almost every commenter selected the fourth slide, in which contestant Deb Bilodeau mixed up male and female Olympians.

‘CRYING LAUGHING’

“How do you confuse Mary Lou Retton and Scotty Hamilton?? Best moment for sure!,” one comment read.

“Mary Lou Retton had me crying laughing!” another fan agreed.

“Poor Scott Hamilton. Lolololol!” wrote a third.

“Mary Lou/Scott Hamilton. One of those moments you scream the answer at the TV,” one more put it.

The flub was reposted as America is currently caught up in the Olympic spirit.

However, it initially aired in February 2024 and went viral even then, as it’s undoubtedly one for the books.

Deb Bilodeau was competing in the Champions Wildcard tournament – which they won – but stumbled mightily on the $400 “40 years in 1984” clue.

When the camera panned to the board, a youthful-looking Scott Hamilton at the 1984 Olympics was displayed on screen.

The contestants had to guess what American at the Winter Olympics won gold with a four-and-a-half-minute program featuring triple jumps.

Bilodeau beat their opponents to the Jeopardy! clue and responded, “Who’s Mary Lou Retton?”

No one else buzzed in, prompting host Ken Jennings to reveal the correct response, “Who is Scott Hamilton?”

Deb covered their mouth in embarrassment and exclaimed, “Sorry!”

Mary Lou Retton is an American retired gymnast who, in Deb’s defense, won gold at the Olympics that year.

During the interview segment in the same game, Deb went as far as to address her blunder.

Deb apologized to the skating legend for the embarrassing gaffe and explained they lost their glasses before taping.

“I apologize to Scott Hamilton. I did lose my glasses the day before I came down here,” Bilodeau shared.

“My boyfriend was trying to get me to buy glasses here, so that’s that.”

When the clip was posted on Jeopardy’s Instagram the first time, Hamilton himself buzzed in and was a good sport about the mixup.

He commented on the post, “It was the hair, wasn’t it?”

Jeopardy!’s 41st season premieres on September 9, 2024.