Even though Jeopardy! can be a pretty serious quiz show, there are still plenty of lighthearted moments for both the players and host Ken Jennings. A recent episode showed off Jennings’ sillier side as he let a contestant know they’d given a wrong answer.
Mark Fabros, Eric Kerr-Heraly, and Troy Meyer faced off against each other, with Meyer continuing a winning streak that had begun in the previous episode. When it came time for Final Jeopardy, some viewers thought the clue was pretty easy.
“Mike Post combined the sound of a slamming jail door, an anvil, and 100 men stomping on a floor for this series that debuted in 1990,” Jennings read. When it came time to answer, the host asked Kerr-Heraly for his guess.
He had guessed “What is Home Improvement?” Kerr-Heraly’s answer was incorrect, which led Jennings to make a hilarious, questioning noise that sounded like if Tim Allen got his feelings hurt before saying, “Well, that’s not correct.” Kerr-Heraly ended up losing $2,000, knocking his total down to $5,600.
“That was a good attempt by Ken at the ‘hammmuph?’ vocalization,” one fan jokingly commented on a YouTube clip of the moment. We’re not sure exactly how to best spell out the iconic Tim Allen noise either.
The correct answer? Law & Order, which is famous for its “chung-chung” sound effect that comes at the end of the iconic theme song. Jennings, seemingly already in a goofy mood, also tried his hand at making the effect.
“I don’t know how you phoneticize that,” the host laughed. People in the comment section of the video gave their best guesses at how to spell the sound, with some insisting it’s “dun dun,” while others called it “bang bang” and “doink doink.”
Fabros and Meyer both answered the clue correctly, ending the episode with $15,201 and $35,000, respectively. Meyer’s win is a continuation of his winning streak, which is now six days long.
Jeopardy! fans loved getting to see a more lighthearted moment from Jennings. While the game show host does like to joke around with the contestants, he typically keeps things on track, especially when it comes to revealing answers to clues. This recent moment from Jennings shows how much more comfortable he is in his role as Jeopardy! host this season.
