10 Really Incorrect Jeopardy! Answers

Amanda Edwards/Getty Images
Amanda Edwards/Getty Images / Amanda Edwards/Getty Images

It takes a lot of smarts to get chosen for Jeopardy!—but even smart people freeze under pressure sometimes. Here are 10 of those instances.

1. THE $75,000 GAMBLE

Seventeen-year-old Leonard Cooper was pretty sure he was going to win the 2013  Jeopardy! Teen Tournament and take home the grand prize of $75,000. And when you're that confident in a win, it doesn't really matter what your answer is.

2. WATSON'S BIG ERROR

Even computers mess up sometimes, as IBM's question answering computer proved in 2011. Though Watson missed the mark, the manager of the Watson project was actually pleased with the computer's performance: The multiple question marks showed that Watson "realized" it was unable to gather enough information to be confident in its answer.

3. THE MOST AWKWARD ANSWER EVER

In April 2015, a contestant replied to an awkward answer with an awkward question. For the record, the correct response was "puberty."

4. A VERY COSTLY NICKNAME

Though he would have won with a correct answer, this teen tournament contender lost everything after making a costly spelling mistake.

5. WOLF BLITZER GETS EVERYTHING WRONG

Feel like you never get any Jeopardy! questions right? You'll feel better after watching this clip of CNN reporter Wolf Blitzer whiff it over and over again.

6. A SHORT WORKDAY INDEED

To be fair, this contestant was probably referring to this, not this.

7. SOUNDS LIKE A BOND GIRL REJECT

In 2011, a Teen Tournament contestant named Raya buzzed in without really knowing how to answer. Her attempt to fill in the blanks is at least PG-13.

8. CLOSE, BUT NO CIGAR

Contestant Jonathan Couser had a similar experience in 2013, when he buzzed in thinking he could guess the answer based on the clue. He couldn't.

9. KAREEM ABDUL-JABBAR'S ANSWER IS BETTER THAN THE RIGHT ONE

During "Power Players Week" in 2012, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar gave an incorrect response—but the laugh it got from the crowd should have been worth a few bucks.

10. OOPS, WRONG SPORT

Though buzzing in early can provide an advantage, it can also pay to listen to the whole question first. We're guessing this contestant stopped paying attention after "assists."