'Jeopardy!' Responds to 'Rare Mistake'

Jeopardy! acknowledged the show had stepped on a rake when it made a "rare mistake" about The Simpsons.

Bill Oakley, one of the writers on Fox's animated series, The Simpsons, corrected the popular TV quiz show when it misspelled one of his characters' names.

On Wednesday's show, the clue was: "Robert Underdunk Terwilliger is the real name of this vengeful 'Simpsons' character."

The correct way to respond was, "Who is Sideshow Bob?" but there was one glaring error in the clue.

The right way to spell his middle name is "Onderdonk," and Oakley was sure to correct the Jeopardy! team.

"Yes @Jeopardy you made a rare mistake. It's 'Onderdonk'. And @Joshstrangehill and I are certain cause we wrote that script. Cc:@KenJennings," Oakley wrote on X, formerly Twitter.

The official Jeopardy! account reposted Oakley's quip, taking it in good humor by adding a GIF of Sideshow Bob— who is voiced by Frasier star, Kelsey Grammer— stepping on a rake and getting hit in the face by its handle.

Two of the main The Simpsons Wiki pages feature the alternate spelling when mentioning Sideshow's Bob mother "Dame Judith Underdunk." It is likely that's where the writers and fact-checkers got their information.

Newsweek contacted Jeopardy! representatives by email for comment.

There have been several crossovers between the syndicated quiz show and the animated series.

The late Jeopardy! host, Alex Trebek, appeared as himself in the episode called "Miracle on Evergreen Terrace" in Season 9 of The Simpsons.

In the Christmas-themed episode the family matriarch, Marge Simpson goes on Jeopardy! in an attempt to win $15,000 to pay back their town of Springfield, the residents of which had raised the money thinking the family had lost their tree and presents in a fire. But really, her oldest child, Bart accidentally set their Christmas tree on fire and made up a story about a fake burglar.

Marge fails at Jeopardy! and when she arrives home from the game show, the entire town and even an animated Trebek himself are on her lawn and plan to steal the family's belongings in order to get their money back.

Current host Ken Jennings also played himself during season 28's episode called "The Caper Chase."

Jennings plays himself alongside other brainiacs such as astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson, financial adviser Suze Orman and author Robert McKee.

They appear in the episode as professors hired by Springfield's villain and billionaire, Charles Montgomery Burns, to teach at his newly opened private university.