'Jeopardy!' Has Finally Clarified Its Rules After Matt Amodio's Answering Style Irks Fans

After nearly a week of squabbling within the Jeopardy! universe, Papa Jeopardy! has finally stepped in to set the kids straight, once and for all. Fans have spent the week chattering on social media about current champion Matt Amodio’s controversial style of answering clues in the format of “what’s” rather than “what is” or “who is,” earning him the moniker of “Most Annoying Contestant Ever,” according to some. Jeopardy! bosses have now stepped in to clarify the rules of the game, proving that Amodio has done nothing wrong.

On Monday, Jeopardy! tweeted, "What's up with Matt Amodio? A lot of 'what's' in his response—and that's totally acceptable!" Their tweet enclosed a link to an FAQ about the game’s rules.

The FAQ explains:

Jeopardy! bosses further state, "All contestant responses to an answer must be phrased in the form of a question. It's that simple. Jeopardy! doesn't require that the response is grammatically correct. So, Matt Amodio's no-frills approach is unique but well within guidelines.”

Amodio responded to fan pushback late last week, saying, “I guess I just want to say that I hope nobody's offended by it. I do hear some people say that it's disrespectful to the game, and I would counter that if there was a Jeopardy! fan club ranking, I think I would have a strong case to be number one Jeopardy! fan. I live and breathe the show, I love every aspect of it, and so I'm definitely not doing it out of any disrespect or undermining of the show.” Now, Amodio has responded to the rule clarification, replying cheekily to the tweet, "Diehard #jeopardy fans like me carry a copy of the official rules at all times, anyway."

Amodio’s style of play hasn’t done anything to hold back his game. Amodio is currently on a ten-day streak, with $362,400 in winnings to his name. He has lodged himself in the pantheon of Jeopardy!’s top ten highest-winning champions of all time; he’ll also return for next season’s Jeopardy! Tournament of Champions, which will pit him against other top-scoring champions for a prize of $250,000.

Jeopardy’s FAQ goes on to state that lengthy question formats “eat up game time as well as brain power,” advising contestants “to keep their response short, and keep the game moving. That can make all the difference between a third place finish and setting a new record high.” Even the most disgruntled fans can’t deny that Amodio’s contracted answers keep the game moving—maybe he had the right idea all along.

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