Producers at "Jeopardy!" released an apology after fans called out the famous game show for airing an allegedly incorrect clue concerning a medical condition.
Some viewers took to social media to voice their concerns with the clue, which appeared on Monday night’s episode. The clue, under a category named “Plain-Named Maladies,” was read by host Savannah Guthrie.
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“Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome is also known as Grinch Syndrome because this organ is too small,” the clue read.
The answer to the clue was: “What is the heart?”
According to myheart.net, Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome, also known as POTS, is a condition that affects the flow of blood through a human’s body. When experiencing this, a person can experience dizziness when standing. This mainly occurs in younger women. Common symptoms are elevated heart rate, extreme fatigue, and lightheadedness, as other common symptoms. However, there has been an increased POTS diagnosis in patients who had suffered from COVID-19.
“Jeopardy!” used the term “Grinch Syndrome.” The clue associated it with having a small heart, but some social media users did think it was offensive and wrong.
On Tuesday, the show issued a statement on Twitter acknowledging that it didn’t use a proper or acceptable term for POTS patients, and apologizing for the incident.
“Yesterday’s program included a clue about postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS),” the tweet reads. “After hearing from the community, we found we used an outdated and inaccurate term for this disorder, and we apologize.”
This statement comes after several media users blasted the show for incorrect information.
“Oh Jeopardy! this is shameful. I have POTs and am sad you would resort to this. How low. And I might add, incredibly incorrect,” one viewer commented on Twitter. “Would you seriously tell a kid he has a condition that makes him Grinch?! I just... can’t believe this.”
While another fan commented, “Why, Jeopardy, why?”
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