'Jeopardy!' Taking Heat for Question About Gabby Petito's Murder

By Michael Hein

Jeopardy is under fire for using the murder of Gabby Petito by her fiance Brian Laundrie as a clue in an episode earlier this month. Many viewers were horrified by the game show's reference to Petito's disappearance and Laundrie's suicide, and social media soon filled with incredulous complaints. According to a report by CBS News, Laundrie's family is also expecting an apology.

The case of 22-year-old Gabby Petito became a national sensation last year when she disappeared while live-blogging a cross-country road trip. People around the nation were frustrated with law enforcement's slow decision to detain Petito's fiance, Laundrie. Before he could be arrested, Laundrie fled into the wilderness preservation areas of Florida, leading to a weeks-long manhunt to bring him to justice. His remains were discovered with a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

While all this happened just over a year ago, Jeopardy wasted no time in working up a clue based on this story. On Sunday, Nov. 13 during Celebrity Jeopardy, host Mayim Bialik read the clue: "In 2021 fugitive Brian Laundrie ended his days in Florida's Myakkahatchee Creek area, home to these long [and] toothy critters." The correct answer was: "What are alligators?"

Attorney Steven Bertolino told CBS News that his clients, the Laundry family, are expecting an apology from the producers of Jeopardy. He said: "The entire Laundrie family is appalled and concurs with all of the comments on social media on how distasteful this was. I believe an apology is due."

"For this distasteful Jeopardy question to be posed only highlights the sensationalism that surrounded this tragedy and puts salt on the wounds of a family that has not been afforded any rights or privacy when the family themselves did nothing wrong," Bertolino went on. An attorney for the Petito family said that their clients had no comment.

Jeopardy has yet to respond to the Laundrie family's outcry, but it's clear that they're not the only ones upset. Here is a look at what others are saying over on social media.

Live Reactions

Viewers watching Celebrity Jeopardy live that night new at once that they had crossed a line with this clue.

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Alternate Clues

One source of outrage was that many people saw the clue as unnecessary, believing that there were plenty of other roundabout ways to hint at "alligators" as an answer.

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Apologies

Many fans hoped to hear producers apologize to the Petito family, or others involved in this tragedy.

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Out of Place

Many viewers were in awe of this clue simply because it struck them as out of place on a lighthearted game show.

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Alex Trebek

Many fans argued that this kind of clue never would have aired under the late host Alex Trebek.

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Distasteful

Finally, while some viewers argued the ethics of writing this clue, some stepped out of the conversation by simply agreeing that it was distasteful if nothing else.

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