Published April 24. 2020 02:45PM
There may be no mistaking the town of Jim Thorpe around these parts, but for three “Jeopardy!” contestants on Thursday night, it was a geographical stumper.
During the “Jeopardy!” round, under the category “Pennsylvania Geo,” contestants were asked, “In 1954, the towns of Mauch Chunk and East Mauch Chunk were joined and named after this 1912 Olympian?”
Though it was worth $600, nobody buzzed in.
None of the three contestants were from Pennsylvania. They included Tim Latham, an accountant from Massachusetts; Molly Bierman, an engineering program manager from California; and Sharon Lawson, an administrative assistant from Canada.
Locals shouldn’t feel bad, however, as the Jim Thorpe question was one of three about Pennsylvania that went unanswered by all three. Other missed questions asked them to identify the commonwealth’s nickname (Keystone State), and the Espy House in Bedford, which served as George Washington’s headquarters during the Whiskey Rebellion in 1794.
On a positive note, Latham did correctly identify the Poconos as the mountains in the northeast that are the site of many resort facilities. That earned him $1,000.
Thursday was far from the first time Jim Thorpe has been an answer on “Jeopardy!” Similarly worded questions appeared on the June 19, 2015, and June 25, 2003, episodes. The value of the question has changed over time, ranging from $600 to $1,200. On both previous occasions, the question was answered correctly.