'Jeopardy!' Fans Shocked, 3 Contestants' Loss Over Classic Movie

Jeopardy! is no stranger to clues about pop culture. While these are sometimes written off as “easy” by some, they could still prove capable of confusing players. In fact, fans were recently shocked after a clue concerning a famous movie ended up stumping all these contestants during a recent episode.

Fans Of A Classic Movie Might Have Guessed The Jeopardy! Question If They Read The Original Book

Jeopardy! makes use of all sorts of categories for their clues. Pop culture, such as movies and television shows, has often been a prominent feature on the show. In fact, this led to a spin-off centered around the category, Pop Culture Jeopardy!, which was hosted by Colin Jost.

This past Thursday, Mary Walheim, Alfred Wallace and three-day champion Bryce Wargin were presented with the “Fictional Characters” category. Admittedly, however, the clue somewhat required the contestants to be familiar with the source material.

'Jeopardy!' - YouTube — ‘Jeopardy!’ – YouTube

As a clue read, “Boq is one of these fictional people, ‘Not as big as the grown folk… but neither were they very small.'” This clue notably served as the game’s Final Jeopardy.

Walheim incorrectly guessed, “What is a Lilliputian?” This cost her $5,999 out of a total of $6,000, leaving her with only a dollar. As host Ken Jennings explained, “I’m afraid it’s not the Lilliputians from ‘Gulliver’s Travels.'”

Notably, Wallace and Wargin also appeared to come to the same conclusion. Wallace’s answer was “What are lili?” Wargin similarly wrote, “What are Lilliputians?,” before scratching out with “dwarves,” possibly as a nod to Snow White and the Seven Dwarves.

Jennings then revealed the clue was referring to The Wizard of Oz. The correct response was “What is a Munchkin?” As Jennings explained, “In the 1939 movie of ‘The Wizard of Oz,’ the Munchkins are very small, but in the book, the Munchkins are said to be about Dorothy’s height.”

Boq Has Gotten A Bit More Notoriety Thanks To A Certain 2024 Film

Boq is a minor character who appears in the L. Frank Baum book, being a wealthy Munchkin who hosts a banquet for Dorothy and offers her shelter during her first night in Oz. Fans of the book often view the Mayor of Munchkin City from the 1939 film as Boq’s analogue.

Boq, however, became a more prominent character in Gregory Maguire’s book, Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West. In the story, he has an unrequited crush on Galinda, the future good witch Glinda.

The character is given a larger role in the Broadway musical adaptation, where he also served as a love-interest to Nessarose, the younger version of the Wicked Witch of the East. Eventually, his character is conflated with the Tin Woodman. In the 2024 film adaptation, the character was portrayed by Ethan Slater.

Presumably, it had been hoped that the contestants would recognize Boq’s name from the 2024 film. However, all three were ultimately confused by the clue. In the end, Wargin still came out on top with $10,799, making him a four-day champion.

Taking to social media, as shared by Fox News, many fans were shocked that the clue flew over all three contestants’ heads. In particular, fans of the Wicked franchise were especially surprised. Some comments included:

“Read the word “Boq” and SCREAMED “MUNCHKIN!!!!!!!!” How did NO ONE GET THIS???”
“Everyone who watched Jeopardy and recently watched ‘Wicked’ was screaming at their TV tonight…”
“My entire household was shouting MUNCHKIN!!! Apparently not one of the 3 saw ‘Wicked.’”

Did you see this recent episode of Jeopardy!? Would you have guessed this Wizard of Oz-related clue? Make sure you come back to TV Shows Ace for all the latest TV and celebrity news.