Jeopardy Fail: Puberty Question Inspires Alarming Answer, And More Game Show Flubs

Was it a slip of the tongue? An honest mistake? A TMI moment? Whatever it was, a Jeopardy! contestant’s answer to a simple clue on Friday night’s episode is certainly this: A complete – and creepy – fail.

Alex Trebek, always the professional, began the question as per usual, and like most of us, probably didn’t expect the cringe-worthy fail the question inspired.

The Jeopardy! question was: “In common law, the age of this, signaling adulthood, is presumed to be 14 in boys & 12 in girls,” the Daily Mail reported.

The answer was clearly “what is puberty” to any normal person, but contestant Tom answered … and get ready to cringe.

“What is the age of consent?”

By the way, in case you’re not sure – and you should be – in the U.S., the age of consent is, at its lowest about 16.

So was this a case of nerves? After all, appearing on a prestigious show like Jeopardy!, which has felled plenty of people who once thought themselves intelligent, must be pretty frightening. Doubtless, very few people could come up with a brilliant answer to any game show question while millions of people watch them struggle not to look like an idiot. That’s a recipe for a fail.

But a fail this creepy is a recipe for plenty of speculation, debate, and fury. But perhaps it’s best to give poor Tom a break, forgive him his Jeopardy! fail, and not speculate what was going on in his head.

Stage fright can do a number on people. And it can offer a disturbing and often humorous insight into human psychology. Just take a look at these game show fails (including this most recent one).

[Photo Courtesy YouTube Screengrab]