‘Jeopardy!’ Contestant Penalized For 'Gangsta' Pronunciation

CULVER CITY, CA — A contestant on the popular quiz show “Jeopardy!” was penalized earlier this week for mispronouncing the word “gangsta” while responding to a clue that asked for the name of the rap song “Gangsta’s Paradise.” Contestant Nick Spicher buzzed in to respond to a clue from the “music and literature before and after” category, in which players are tasked with combining two unrelated pieces of trivia into one answer. When a contestant picked the $1,600 clue in that category Monday night, host Alex Trebek asked: “A song by Coolio from ‘Dangerous Minds’ goes back in time to become a 1667 John Milton classic.”

Spicher buzzed in and gave the answer: “What is ‘Gangster’s Paradise Lost?”

Trebek awarded Spicher the $1,600 for the correct answer, but it was later retracted after the show’s judges determined he mispronounced “gangsta” in his response.

Let Nick’s mistake be a lesson to us all. In 2018, you gotta keep it gangsta at all times. Never Gangster #Jeopardy pic.twitter.com/NMO7QsAfyI
— Roy Wood Jr- Ex Jedi (@roywoodjr) January 2, 2018

The “Jeopardy!” judges explained the decision on the show’s blog after the mishap, writing:

“Although Nick’s response of “Gangster’s Paradise Lost” was initially accepted, the hard R sound caught the ear of one member of the onstage team, who immediately followed up with a quick check.

It turns out that “gangsta” and “gangster” are both listed separately in the Oxford English Dictionary, each with its own unique definition.

Nick changed not only the song’s title, but also its meaning ­– making his response unacceptable.”

Photo credit: Seth Wenig/Associated Press