Jeopardy! contestant says 'gangster' instead of 'gangsta', loses $3200
Coolio himself said Nick Spicher should have been given the point
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.A Jeopardy! contestant was penalised for what music fans will understand to be a small - yet important - mistake of pronunciation.
The long-running game show saw 2018 off to a fantastic start with the awkward moment. In the category "Music & Literature Before & After" - where the contestant has to find the common word which links two separate titles.
The clue read: "A song by Coolio from Dangerous Minds goes back in time to become a 1667 John Milton classic."
Nick Spicher, a museum educator from Everett, Washington, appeared to answer correctly: "What is Gangster's Paradise Lost."
"Yes," host Alex Trebek responded.
But Spicher was quickly crushed by the news that he had, in fact, got it wrong, by a show with a history of being a stickler for pronunciation.
"Our judges have re-evaluated one of your responses a few moments ago, Nick," Trebek said. "You said 'ganster's' instead of 'gangsta's' on that song by Coolio, so we take $3,200 away from you."
Mispronouncing Coolio's chart-topping 1995 track "Gangsta's Paradise" saw Spicher drop from first place, with $12,000, to second place with $8,800.
In its official blog, Jeopardy! explained: "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 listed separately in the Oxford English Dictionary, each with its own unique definition. Nick changed no only the song's title, but also its meaning, making his response unacceptable."
Enjoy unlimited access to 100 million ad-free songs and podcasts with Amazon Music
Sign up now for a 4 month free trial (3 months for non-Prime members)
Enjoy unlimited access to 100 million ad-free songs and podcasts with Amazon Music
Sign up now for a 4 month free trial (3 months for non-Prime members)
The Oxford English Dictionary defines a gangster as: "A member of a criminal gang, esp. one involved in organised crime." A gangsta is "a member of an urban territorial gang".
But Coolio himself stepped in after the show to say he probably would have counted the answer.
"I probably would have gave it to him," he told TMZ, then offering the advice: "This is for white people. The E-R will always get you in trouble."
Follow Independent Culture on Facebook
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments