(WFLA) — Fans of the game show “Jeopardy!” were left reeling after a seemingly easy question about the most commonly recited Christian prayer stumped all three contestants.
The perturbing puzzle popped up during Tuesday night’s episode. The $200 clue — typically considered the easiest in its category — read, “Matthew 6:9 says, ‘Our Father, which art in heaven,’ This ‘be thy name.’”
The three contestants — Suresh Krishnan, Laura Blyler and Joe Seibert — did not attempt to solve the puzzle. Host Mayim Bialik revealed the answer was “hallowed” and it didn’t take long for the clip to go viral.
“None of them even took a guess,” one Twitter user wrote. “I’m really surprised — I thought that would be an easy one!”
Some fans of the quiz show found the unanswered question distressing.
“Not one contestant on Jeopardy last night knew the answer to this. Are you waking up yet?” read one Twitter post with thousands of likes and retweets. Another user claimed the quiz show clip showed “how sad our country is becoming.”
Others, however, took a more light-hearted approach.
“How can those Jeopardy! nerds not know this answer. Have they never listened to Iron Maiden?” a Twitter user wrote, referring to the band’s song, “Hallowed Be Thy Name.”
The moment also sparked debate about whether “Jeopardy!” contains too many questions about the Bible and Christianity in general. The number of Americans who identify themselves as Christians has “declined at rapid pace” over the past decade or so, according to Pew Research Center.
It’s also possible some of the contestants may have had a hunch that “What is hallowed?” was the correct response, but didn’t feel confident enough to throw out a guess and potentially lose more money. Byler and Seibert’s podiums displayed negative point values before the clue was read — with their balances at -$400 and -$200, respectively.