‘Jeopardy!’ Contestants Slammed for Not Knowing Kris Kristofferson

Jeopardy! contestants were slammed for not knowing who Kris Kristofferson was, despite being shown a photo of the country music star and actor on the game show. This isn’t the first time fans called out the contestants for not knowing a celebrity this season.

Steve Olson, from Princeton, Illinois, played against Natalie Shapero, from Los Angeles, California, and Jaedon Jerue, from Danville, Illinois, on Wednesday, September 24, for his fourth game.

There were four Triple Stumpers during the first round, but the one that shocked fans the most was the one about Kris Kristofferson. In “Country Music,” the game show contestants didn’t know “In 1971, 3 of the 5 Grammy Country Song nominees were written by this late master, not yet a movie actor.” A picture was shown of the actor, but no one got clue 20.

“Oh, what a shame. That’s the great Kris Kristofferson,” host Ken Jennings said. The contestants also didn’t know Chris Stapleton in the same category.

Jeopardy! fans were shocked that none of the contestants knew Kristofferson. “None of tonight’s geniuses knew Kris Kristofferson? Even with a photo? Shameful,” a member of the Facebook group, Jeopardy Fan Group, posted.

“I know… generation gap,” replied one fan.

“They’re smart, but not country smart apparently,” said another.

“So sad how quickly they forget,” a third added.

“I was screaming at the screen,” a fan wrote.

“I was sadly surprised,” a Facebook user said. Others said they were “too young.”

However, on the other side of it, fans said it wasn’t the best picture of him. “Frankly, that wasn’t a very good photo of Kris Kristofferson,” one said.

“It didn’t look like him,” a fan defended.

Kristofferson was a country music star and actor who died in September 2024. Some of his most popular songs included “Me and Bobby McGee,” “Help Me Make It Through The Night,” and “For The Good Times.” As an actor, he starred in the 1976 version of A Star is Born, the Blade trilogy, Planet of the Apes, and more.

This isn’t the first time contestants didn’t know a Hollywood staple. On September 15, the contestants looked at a picture of James Earl Jones, who also died in September 2024, and couldn’t name him. However, it was a younger photo of him, but he still looked pretty much the same.

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