He Missed Jeopardy! Clue About Her, Gets a Do-Over

A New York resident who was stumped by a Jeopardy! question about his state's governor got a do-over Friday, joining Gov. Kathy Hochul's virtual COVID-19 briefing to tell her he knows who she is now. “Here in New York we actually believe in second chances,” Hochul said before introducing Ben Walthall, the Brooklyn resident who failed to buzz in on the following clue: “In 2021, she became the first female governor of New York state.” The clue was read again Friday by a Hochul staff member who at first said “first female president” and then corrected himself to “governor of New York state.” Walthall correctly responded, “Who is Kathy Hochul?" per the AP.

None of the contestants in the episode that aired Wednesday answered the question about Hochul, not even Amy Schneider, the show's current, record-breaking champ. Walthall told Hochul that his episode was filmed “a couple months ago, right when you took office, so that’s part of the reason why I may have sat out on that question.” Hochul, the former lieutenant governor, took over as governor in August when fellow Democrat Andrew Cuomo resigned amid sexual misconduct allegations. A Jeopardy! spokesperson said Wednesday's episode was filmed Oct. 12. “I don’t have a long memory,” the governor told Walthall, “so we’re good.”

(More Kathy Hochul stories.)