Ottawa clue stumps Jeopardy! contestants
If you caught 'Jeopardy!' Tuesday night, you probably knew the correct response to the final clue.
The Final Jeopardy category was world capitals, and the two players remaining were given a clue that likely had Ottawa fans shouting at their TVs.
The clue, as read by host Ken Jennings: “An annual event called Winterlude includes skating on the Rideau Canal, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in this city.”
At this point, most Ottawa viewers, including CTV’s Patricia Boal, were probably screaming the correct response.
But both contestants were stumped. The first, Genesis Whitlock, said Paris. Then five-time champion Amy Schneider said Amsterdam.
Mayor Jim Watson says he wasn't surprised the contestants were stumped on the final question.
"It was blasphemy on their part that they didn’t even know what the capital of Canada was and that we have this amazing canal that you can skate on in the winter and boat on in the winter," said Watson.
Ottawa's Andrew Thomson, a two-time Jeopardy! champion, said he could have only dreamed of such an easy clue.
"I think I would have felt a deep sigh of relief before he even finished reading that clue as I could write Ottawa down," he said.
Even Jennings, the record-holder for the longest Jeopardy! winning streak, had a possible slip-up.
In response to the ‘Paris’ guess, he said, “No, the name is French, but it’s not Paris.”
The origin of Ottawa’s name is not French. It comes from the Algonquin word ‘Adawe,’ which means ‘to trade.’
However, it's possible Jennings was referring to the name 'Rideau Canal,' rather than Ottawa itself.
The late longtime Jeopardy! host Alex Trebek was a huge Ottawa booster. He graduated from the University of Ottawa, later donating millions of dollars to his alma mater. A building on campus now bears his name, and he would often return to the capital for visits.
Andy Saunders of TheJeopardyFan.com suggests the clue tripped up the contestants.
"I think that the show deliberately wrote that clue and category the way it did in order to potentially trip up the contestants," Saunders said. "And I believe they were certainly successful in doing that."
- with files from Dave Charbonneau, CTV News Ottawa
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Indian envoy warns of 'big red line,' days after charges laid in Nijjar case
India's envoy to Canada insists relations between the two countries are positive overall, despite what he describes as 'a lot of noise.'
Stormy Daniels describes meeting Trump during occasionally graphic testimony in hush money trial
With Donald Trump sitting just feet away, Stormy Daniels testified Tuesday at the former president's hush money trial about a sexual encounter the porn actor says they had in 2006 that resulted in her being paid to keep silent during the presidential race 10 years later.
U.S. paused bomb shipment to Israel to signal concerns over Rafah invasion, official says
The U.S. paused a shipment of bombs to Israel last week over concerns that Israel was approaching a decision on launching a full-scale assault on the southern Gaza city of Rafah against the wishes of the U.S.
Former homicide detective explains how police will investigate shooting outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion
Footage from dozens of security cameras in the area of Drake’s Bridle Path mansion could be the key to identifying the suspect responsible for shooting and seriously injuring a security guard outside the rapper’s sprawling home early Tuesday morning, a former Toronto homicide detective says.
Northern Ont. woman makes 'eggstraordinary' find
A chicken farmer near Mattawa made an 'eggstraordinary' find Friday morning when she discovered one of her hens laid an egg close to three times the size of an average large chicken egg.
Susan Buckner, who played spirited cheerleader Patty Simcox in 'Grease,' dead at 72
Susan Buckner, best known for playing peppy Rydell High School cheerleader Patty Simcox in the 1978 classic movie musical 'Grease,' has died. She was 72.
Jeremy Skibicki has 'uphill battle' to prove he's not criminally responsible in Winnipeg killings: legal analysts
Accused killer Jeremy Skibicki could have a challenging time convincing a judge that he is not criminally responsible for the deaths of four Indigenous women, a legal analyst says.
Bye-bye bag fee: Calgary repeals single-use bylaw
A Calgary bylaw requiring businesses to charge a minimum bag fee and only provide single-use items when requested has officially been tossed.
Alcohol believed to be a factor in boating incident after 2 men die: N.S. RCMP
Two Nova Scotia men are dead after a boat they were travelling in sank in the Annapolis River in Granville Centre, N.S., on Monday.