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Trebek Responds to 'Jeopardy!' Controversy

Says he doesn't like taking flak for something he didn't do.

When Newtown, Conn., eighth-grader Thomas Hurley misspelled the word "emancipation" in his Final Jeopardy answer and the judges said he got the answer wrong, who knew it would turn into such a controversy? Host Alex Trebek wants people to know it wasn't his fault, though. “It wasn’t my decision; it was the judges’,” Trebek said. “I don’t mind being accountable if it’s something I have done, but it kind of bothers me to take a lot of flak for something I haven’t done. I must be getting thin-skinned in my old age.” Hurley, who came in second with $2000, said he felt "cheated" by the show. Viewers have taken to the show's Facebook page to protest. Producers released a statement prior to Trebek's in which they said "If Jeopardy! were to give credit for an incorrect response (however minor), the show would effectively penalize the other players," but that didn't satisfy Trebek who said he thought it didn't go far enough to explain that he wasn't involved in the decision.