'Contestant on 'Jeopardy!' gains popularity as 'hot priest''

Viewers were drawn to last night's "Jeopardy!" episode, which offered more than just knowledge.

On the Sept. 19 episode of the show, Father Steve Jakubowski made his debut, and soon gained a following among viewers.

"A hot priest is currently appearing on Jeopardy and someone is requesting assistance," another person wrote on X.

"A small win I needed tonight was seeing a hot priest on Jeopardy," another comment read.

"This Jeopardy contestant is a PRIEST? I’m about to convert." One viewer joked.

An extremely attractive Catholic priest is on Jeopardy, and that's not fair.

Several individuals commented on Jakubowski's appearance during the episode, referring to him as a "hot priest."

According to Planet Chronicle Digital, Jakubowski described his time on "Jeopardy!" as a "great experience."

"Ken and the producers and team were very kind to me with the novelty of having a Catholic priest on the show. I hope it gave a positive impression of my community and the Church. The show airs at 3:30 where I live in Austin, and so we had a watch party at our parish school with our students and their parents -- tons of fun to share that with our parish."

Jakubowski competed against a teacher named Jen Feldman and returning champion Chris Lindsay.

In the "New York Movies" category, the clue was "Frank Sinatra got upset that a photo of him caught fire in a Brooklyn pizzeria in this film." Despite playing well, Jakubowski entered the Final Jeopardy round in third place with $5,400.

"There is an extremely attractive Catholic priest on Jeopardy, and that's just not fair." — "Jeopardy!" fan

He bet $5,301 on guessing "The Godfather Part II," but his incorrect answer reduced his final earnings to $99.

As Ken Jennings stated, "The last shall be first, so it's all right," referencing a Bible verse.

Although Lindsay had the correct answer to the clue, "Do the Right Thing," and his wager brought him to $10,801, Feldman, who also had the correct answer, wagered more money, leaving her with $13,800 and making her the new champion.

Viewers observed something else about Jakubowski's appearance besides his own appearance: Jennings called him "Father Steve."

Typically, contestants on "Jeopardy!" are referred to by their first name alone, as was the case with Alex Trebek and his predecessor, Jennings. A fan questioned on the "Jeopardy!" Reddit page whether it is wrong to frown upon contestants being referred to by their honorifics.

"If you were a contestant on the show, you would likely be asked how you would like to be named. One person responded, stating that they believed many contestants on the show were PhDs or doctors, and using all honorifics would cause confusion."

Another person stated, "I hold a PhD, but I would never prefer to be addressed as 'Dr.' because my job does not define me. Being a Catholic priest, on the other hand, is a significant part of one's identity. It's not merely a job or educational degree."

The consistent use of the "Father Steve" moniker was due to Jennings, as one viewer speculated, "It seemed like Ken was obsessed with it, making numerous comments about it throughout the episode."