Pronunciation Matters

Regarding that dilemma, Ken Jennings stated “The Jeopardy rule is, contestant pronunciation doesn’t have to be correct, but it has to be a plausible pronunciation of the correct spelling. So I guess the ruling was, ‘gangster’ is not a plausible pronunciation of ‘gangsta,’ which seems right to me.”

Accuracy is important in game shows and Jennings knows that. He talked about the 1950’s quiz show scandal that paved the way for Jeopardy! in his reddit AMA. “It’s still a felony in America to rig a game show, due to the 1950’s scandals,” he said. “Getting a ruling wrong might not just be a lawsuit, it could conceivably get the FBI involved.”