Last night’s episode of « Jeopardy! » appealed to viewers who were thirsting for more than just knowledge.
A contestant named Father Steve Jakubowski made his first appearance on the show on the Sept. 19 episode, and the Catholic priest quickly earned himself a number of fans.
« There’s a hot priest on Jeopardy rn send help, » one person wrote on X.
« JEOPARDY! » CONTESTANTS CALLED OUT BY FAMOUS COMEDIAN AFTER FAILING TO IDENTIFY HIM DURING CLUE
A « Jeopardy! » contestant named Father Steve Jakubowski has been dubbed the « hot priest » by fans of the game show. (Eric McCandless/ABC via Getty Images; ABC/Jeopardy!)
« Hot priest on jeopardy tonight, a small win I needed, » another comment read.
One viewer joked, « This Jeopardy contestant is a PRIEST? I’m about to convert. »
Another lamented, « There is an extremely attractive Catholic priest on Jeopardy, and that’s just not fair. »
Comments continued pouring in during the episode, and after it finished airing, with several people referring to Jakubowski as « hot priest. »
Father Steve Jakubowski came in third place on Thursday night’s episode of « Jeopardy! ». (ABC/Jeopardy!)
In a statement to Fox News Digital, Jakubowski said that being on « Jeopardy! » was « a great experience. »
« Ken and all the producers and team were very kind to me with the novelty of having a Catholic priest on the show, » he explained. « I hope it gave a positive impression of my community and the Church. The show airs at 3:30 where I live in Austin, and so we had a watch party at our parish school with our students and their parents — tons of fun to share that with our parish. »
Father Steve Jakubowski told Fox News Digital that Ken Jennings and the rest of the « Jeopardy! » crew were « very kind » to him. (ABC/Jeopardy!)
Jakubowski competed against a teacher named Jen Feldman and returning champion Chris Lindsay.
Each contestant played well, and Jakubowski went into the Final Jeopardy round in third place with $5,400. The category was « New York Movies, » and the clue read, « Frank Sinatra got upset that a photo of him caught fire in a Brooklyn pizzeria in this film. »
« There is an extremely attractive Catholic priest on Jeopardy, and that’s just not fair. »
He guessed « The Godfather Part II » and wagered $5,301. The answer was incorrect, taking his final earnings down to $99.
« But as you know, the last shall be first, so it’s all right, » host Ken Jennings remarked, referencing a Bible verse.
Lindsay had the correct answer to the clue, « Do the Right Thing, » and his wager brought him to $10,801, but Feldman, who also had the correct answer, wagered more money, leaving her with $13,800 and making her the new champion.
In addition to Jakubowski’s appearance, viewers noted something else about his appearance: Jennings referred to him as « Father Steve. »
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Ken Jennings referred to Father Steve Jakubowski as « Father Steve. » (Eric McCandless/ABC via Getty Images)
Typically, Jennings, and Alex Trebek before him, always referred to a contestant by their first name alone. A fan questioned on the « Jeopardy! » Reddit page if it was « wrong to frown upon contestants being referred to by their honorifics. »
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« As a contestant, you are asked how you would like to be named on the show, » one person answered. « I would imagine that quite a few people on the show are PhDs or doctors, so it would be confusing if you had all honourifics used, IMO. »
Ken Jennings offered a Bible verse as consolation after Father Steve Jakubowski failed to correctly answer the Final Jeopardy clue. (Eric McCandless/ABC via Getty Images)
Another remarked, « I’m a PhD, but would never want to be referred to Dr. because my job is not my identity. Being a Catholic priest is pretty much one’s identity. It’s not just some job/educational degree. »
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One viewer suggested the consistent use of the « Father Steve » moniker was because of Jennings specifically, theorizing, « It felt a little like Ken was obsessed. It just seemed like he made a lot of little comments about it for the whole episode. »
