# Jeopardy! was wrong! **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 3, 2010, 11:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeopardy-was-wrong/545413 "2010-07-03T11:18:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2010, 11:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeopardy-was-wrong/545413/1 "2010-07-03T11:18:50Z")
Here’s the answer: “Cold Pizza” was a morning show that debuted in 2003 on this sports cable network And here’s the question that Trebek (and the judges) allowed as correct: What is ESPN? However… Cold Pizza only ever aired on ESPN 2, a separate cable network. I thought I had found a Jeopardy error a few months ago, but I was reassured when I realized that I had misunderstood the question they were asking. However, this time there’s no mistake. Jeopardy! is wrong and my world is a little bit darker. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Enderw24](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ba9def/32.png) [@Enderw24](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enderw24)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2010, 11:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeopardy-was-wrong/545413/2 "2010-07-03T11:45:03Z")
I thought it was on ESPN 8: The Ocho. ---
**Author:** ![notfrommensa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/f14d63/32.png) [@notfrommensa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/notfrommensa)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2010, 11:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeopardy-was-wrong/545413/3 "2010-07-03T11:59:00Z")
> [@Justin\_Bailey](#): > > Here’s the answer: > > “Cold Pizza” was a morning show that debuted in 2003 on this sports cable network > > And here’s the question that Trebek (and the judges) allowed as correct: > > What is ESPN? > > However… > > Cold Pizza only ever aired on ESPN 2, a separate cable network. > > I thought I had found a Jeopardy error a few months ago, but I was reassured when I realized that I had misunderstood the question they were asking. However, this time there’s no mistake. Jeopardy! is wrong and my world is a little bit darker. ☹ Possible explanation: Wouldn’t ESPN be the Network, and ESPN2 be a channel within that network? ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2010, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeopardy-was-wrong/545413/4 "2010-07-03T14:08:22Z")
^^ ---
**Author:** ![scamartistry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/919ad9/32.png) [@scamartistry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scamartistry)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2010, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeopardy-was-wrong/545413/5 "2010-07-03T14:33:09Z")
Interesting!..I bet you are one of those people that write a two page complaint letter if the news presenter on TV mispronounces a word ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2010, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeopardy-was-wrong/545413/6 "2010-07-03T14:39:06Z")
> [@scamartistry](#): > > Interesting!..I bet you are one of those people that write a two page complaint letter if the news presenter on TV mispronounces a word Jeopardy! is a quiz show where the winners and losers are determined by who knows the most right answers (or questions in Jeopardy!'s case). If the show can’t do enough research to ensure they know the right answer, then that is a HUGE problem. Much more so than someone mispronouncing a word. Or using an ellipsis wrong for that matter. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2010, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeopardy-was-wrong/545413/7 "2010-07-03T17:25:33Z")
I think the correct answer could have been: What is a network that did not exist in 1950? ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2010, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeopardy-was-wrong/545413/8 "2010-07-03T17:31:38Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > I think the correct answer could have been: > > What is a network that did not exist in 1950? Well, it would have been better than “Name three people who have never been in my kitchen.” 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![x-ray\_vision](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/x-ray_vision/32/351_2.png) [@x-ray\_vision](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/x-ray_vision)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2010, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeopardy-was-wrong/545413/9 "2010-07-03T17:46:32Z")
> [@notfrommensa](#): > > Possible explanation: > > Wouldn’t ESPN be the Network, and ESPN2 be a channel within that network? According o the Wikipedia article for ESPN2, it is a network on its own which is owned by ESPN. ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2010, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeopardy-was-wrong/545413/10 "2010-07-03T18:31:39Z")
Shows and programming are volleyed amongst ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNews and ESPNU so much that this is a distinction without a difference. ---
**Author:** ![TWDuke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e495f1/32.png) [@TWDuke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TWDuke)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2010, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeopardy-was-wrong/545413/11 "2010-07-03T18:40:21Z")
From Merriam-Webster: Network… 4 a : a group of radio or television stations linked by wire or radio relay b : _a radio or television company_ that produces programs for broadcast over such a network. It could be argued that “ESPN” refers to ESPN Inc. which is a single company that produces programs to be broadcast over ESPN, ESPN2, etc., and therefore meets one of the standard definitions of a network. Of course it could be argued that ESPN Inc. itself refers to ESPN, ESPN2, etc. as separate networks. Most answers and questions could be debated endlessly, which is why all game show contestants must agree that judges’ decisions are final. (Of course they do sometimes reconsider their decisions, but it is at their and the producers’ discretion.) ---
**Author:** ![The\_Controvert](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/dec6dc/32.png) [@The\_Controvert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Controvert)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2010, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeopardy-was-wrong/545413/12 "2010-07-03T19:22:24Z")
> [@Enderw24](#): > > I thought it was on ESPN 8: The Ocho. Forget “The Ocho”, the time has come for ESPN 85: The OchoCinco. All OchoCinco, all the time. We got your Chad, your Brad, your Stan, your Dick. We even cover Harry OchoCinco’s little league game. Is your name Ocho Cinco? Well, you’re outta luck, buddy. (Ah, who are we kidding? We’re broadcasting you, too!)