‘Jeopardy’ Contestants Totally Blow it on This Simple Michigan Clue

I'll admit, living in Michigan might have given us the home team advantage, but a Jeopardy clue that seemed obvious to us definitely stumped all three contestants on last night's (7/12) episode of the perennial game show.

Contestants Justin White and Ittai Sopher both took a swing at the Michigan-based clue that was presented in the category 'Double-Vowel Places' but missed out. The third player, Mia McGill, held back and didn't buzz in.

By the way, you'll love it when you see Ittai Sopher's incorrect response in the video below.

The Clue - In 'Double Vowell Places'

The returning champ started the round by asking for the $1,600 clue in Double Jeopardy.

OK, I'll give you a minute to think.

Think, think, think.

So, did you come up with the right response?

Deconstructing the clue, you may know that a city in West Michigan was once (and sometimes still is) referred to as the 'Celery City.' There's a little ambiguity about who was responsible for coining the phrase, but Kalamazoo became well-known for its celery crops sometime in the mid-1800s, according to this source. 

But celery production waned in the 1930s and sometime in the 1950s, K'Zoo adopted its new nickname, the 'Mall City,' which also was referenced in the Jeopardy clue.

And then there's the hint that lions and tigers are being kept in a different part of the state. While Kalamazoo does have the Air Zoo (an aerospace and science museum), it doesn't have a traditional zoo, like the one you'd find north of Detroit.

So Kalamazoo is the place in Michigan they were looking for with double vowels.

And no, Ittai, Minneapolis is not in the Mitten, sir.