Jeopardy! host Ken Jennings sparked outrage after controversial ruling© NBC

Jeopardy! host Ken Jennings has come under fire from fans following a “harsh decision” that cost a contestant thousands of dollars and her reigning champion title.

During Wednesday’s episode of Jeopardy, viewers were left fuming over Ken’s “appalling” judgement as he deducted $2,000 from one-day winner Kelly Proulx for accidentally pluralizing a word, despite giving the correct answer.

The contentious moment occurred after Ken posed a question to returning season 40 champion Kelly and game show newcomers Issac Hirsch and Dana Keane.

In the challenging Waterfalls category, Ken provided the clue: “A Yosemite fall with a wispy ribbon of water that flutters in the air like a diaphanous cloth bears the name of this marital wear.”

Kelly responded with: “What is Bridalveil Falls?”


Ken Jennings© ABC

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Despite correctly identifying the California waterfall, Ken rejected Kelly’s answer because she said “falls” instead of “fall.”

Following the severe ruling, Kelly’s total score fell to $3,600, putting her in last place.

After her points dropped, she found herself trailing behind her fellow contestants, with Dana at $3,900 and Isaac at $4,000.


Jeopardy player Kelly Proulx© ABC

Following the controversial decision, Jeopardy! fans voiced their outrage on Reddit.

One enraged viewer posted: “There is nothing pinning the clue to ‘fall,’ so she got the required information correct. That was positively disgusting.”

Another user agreed: “I typically give long and wide deference to the judges, but f–k the judges for that ruling.”

A third voiced their displeasure commenting: “Yeesh that’s a brutal call on the last clue.”

One more added: “Some of these rulings are arbitrary as heck.”

Post the unfavorable call, Kelly struggled to bounce back and finished third among her rivals.

After the final Jeopardy round, the non-profit communications director held the dubious honor of last place with earnings of $8,000.

At the end of the intense round, Dana had amassed $9,800 while Issac emerged victorious, pocketing a hefty sum of $22,000.

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