Jeopardy! had yet another song question that caused a fan uproar. This time, it wasn’t a wrong answer or a complete lack of awareness but the question itself. When Ken Jennings read the clue, the answer angered many music purists, with one even saying that the show would “pay for this disrespect.”
Here is the question on the show this week and why it upset so many Jeopardy! fans.
Jeopardy! Offends Music Fans With Recent Question
Champion Adriana Harmeyer was on Jeopardy!, and she chose the category “Songs in the Key of Life.” Ken Jennings read the clue: “In the title of a Rascal Flatts song, ‘Life Is’ this type of road.” Adriana got the answer right when she said, “What is a highway?” This was a $400 answer, and it raised her total to $10,200.
However, the question itself rubbed many fans the wrong way. “Life is a Highway” is a song by Tom Cochrane from his 1991 album Mad Man World. It was a number-one hit in Canada and peaked at No. 6 on the U.S. Billboard charts. It was easily his biggest hit and has been covered by two significant artists.
Chris LeDoux covered it in 1998 on his One Road Man album, and Rascal Flatts covered it for Pixar’s Cars soundtrack. For LeDoux, it peaked at 64th on the Hot Country Charts. For Rascal Flatts, it peaked seventh on the Billboard Hot 100 in 2006.
While many younger fans might only know Rascal Flatt’s version, it wasn’t even as successful as the original by Tom Cochrane. As a result, fans on X were unhappy with this question and answer.
- “Very offensive to Tom Cochrane to call Life is a Highway a Rascal Flatts song”
- “Why has #Jeopardy decided Life is a Highway is a Rascal Flatts song when they just produced an inferior cover?”
- “RASCAL FLATTS DID NOT WRITE LIFE IS A HIGHWAY. YOU WILL PAY FOR THIS DISRESPECT”
However, one person pointed out a perfect take on the question:
- “They never claimed Rascal Flatts wrote the song. The clue said it was a song BY them, as in performed, meaning the answer was in that popular title.”
The Jeopardy! Music Categories Provide A Problem
This isn’t the first time fans have stumbled on questions surrounding music or other modern-day topics in the past month. Just last week, someone guessed that Rihanna’s baby daddy was Jay-Z, and Ken Jennings joked that it would surprise Beyonce if he were.
Another question stumped all the contestants in the Producer Tags category. It was about a Drake song, and no one could figure out that the answer was “Tuesday.”
There is hope that the new Pop Culture Jeopardy! show could help with this problem, as all the music, movies, and more modern-day questions are given their own series. Do you think that will fix things? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
Shawn S. Lealos has been a freelance writer for over 25 years and is a voting member of the Oklahoma Film Critics Circle. He is also a published author with a book about the Stephen King Dollar Baby Filmmakers.