'Foot in Mouth' for $100: Trebek in Hot Water With 'Nerds'

Alex Trebek upset some fans Wednesday when he mocked one contestant’s taste in music on "Jeopardy."

Susan Cole, who works as a legislative librarian in Bowie, Maryland, told Trebek that her preferred musical genre was "nerdcore" hip-hop. When Trebek admitted that he didn’t know what nerdcore was, Cole explained it in her own words.

"It’s people who identify as nerdy, rapping about the things they love — video games, science fiction, having a hard time meeting romantic partners," she said. "It’s really catchy and fun."

"Losers, in other words," Trebek replied.

While the audience roared with laughter, and even Cole laughed good-naturedly, social media users took to Twitter to criticize the jab.

“Shocked and ashamed of #AlexTrebek 's words. Shocked that @Jeopardy actually aired his words,” wrote one.

Another commented on the game show’s lack of tactical marketing strategy: “#alextrebek and @Jeopardy managed to cross their biggest audience. Losers? Really?” Still another implied that Trebek was grumpy, tweeting that he "needs to eat a snickers." 

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Philadelphia-based nerdcore artist Mega Ran responded to the comment with a video while on tour in Birmingham, Alabama. "Alex Trebek, you lost a lot of respect," he rapped. "I gotta’ check you off the rip for coming outta’ your neck. Talking sideways on geeks, man you a trip. Guess you haven’t heard, nerds make up half of your viewership." 

But Cole didn’t let the insult distract her. She walked away with $22,600, and will return to "Jeopardy" Thursday to defend her winning title. Mega Ran applauded her success, ending his rap with "Suck it, Trebek."

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"But Susan got the last laugh," he said. "20 grand in cash. And to go to all my shows, you don’t even have to ask."