‘Jeopardy!’ Fans Debate Ken Jennings’ Ruling Over ‘Scott Pilgrim’ Clue

Jeopardy! fans are sounding off over one of the clues from the July 3rd game, as host Ken Jennings ruled against one player’s initial answer.

The match which saw one-day champion Kelly Proulx take on Sarasota-based attorney Dana Keane and Burbank-based customer support team lead Isaac Hirsch, raised eyebrows with the $800 clue in the category “Don’t Go, Jason.” The clue read, “Playing the evil Gideon in this Edgar Wright flick, Jason Schwartzman gets his head kicked in; K-O, Cera Cera.”

The correct response was Scott Pilgrim vs. The World, but Isaac’s initial answer of Scott Pilgrim was seemingly not accepted, leading him to extend the response, saying, “What is Scott Pilgrim…. vs. The Universe?”

Ken Jennings for Jeopardy! and Michael Cera in Scott Pilgrim vs. The World (Jeopardy!, Inc.; Copyright © ©Universal/courtesy Everett / Everett Collection)

“Sorry, no,” Jennings responded before Kelly buzzed in with the right answer. As some may know, Scott Pilgrim vs. The World is the 2010 film starring Michael Cera as the titular character alongside an all-star cast. The cult classic got an animated update in 2023 when Scott Pilgrim Takes Off debuted, with much of the film’s main cast voicing their characters.

Based on Bryan Lee O’Malley’s graphic novel series, it seemed that Scott Pilgrim vs. The World had no room for errors, or so fans pointed out on Reddit.

“Ken (seemingly) not accepting Scott Pilgrim and requiring the full Scott Pilgrim vs the World has me wondering if there’s a hard and fast rule about movie titles and subtitles, or if it’s more vibe-based on the judges’ part?” one fan questioned.

“Isaac said vs. The Universe, but in general, it is absolutely ‘vibe-based.’ another viewer responded. “They don’t make you say Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb,” they pointed out.

Ultimately, the blame appears to be on Isaac for not waiting a fraction of a second longer as another viewer chimed in, “Yeah, he eventually gave a wrong answer, but he initially simply said Scott Pilgrim, paused long enough to let Ken rule, Ken didn’t rule, and he continued on with his guess at the subtitle.”

In this case, it must also be noted that considering all of the Scott Pilgrim adaptations, specificity was key to securing the winnings for the clue. But what do you think? Was the ruling fair? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section, below.

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