A province that's a Jeopardy! category: What is New Brunswick? - Action News
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New Brunswick

A province that's a Jeopardy! category: What is New Brunswick?

New Brunswickers might have been surprised to see their province as a category during the game show Jeopardy! on Monday night.

Canadian-born Alex Trebek botches pronunciation of Kouchibouguac as players' N.B. knowledge tested

New Brunswick appeared as a category on Jeopardy! Monday night. (CBC)

I'll take "What the heck is going on?"for $200, Alex.

New Brunswickers might have been surprised to see their province as a category during Jeopardy!Monday night.

Contestants rattled through the whole category quickly in under two minutes and it's unlikely the questions would have puzzled aNew Brunswicker, had one been lucky enough to be on the long-running television gameshow.

Contestant Joe Di Dio, a "daylight engineer and stay-at-home dad" from Queens in New York City,ran the category.

But he missed questions about the Atlantic Salmon Museum in Doaktown and Campobello Island in Charlotte County.

Mispronunciationsabound

He also pronounced "Fredericton" as "FredericTOWN" in one answer.

"We have to take money away from you," Canadian-born host Alex Trebektold the disgruntled-looking contestant.

But Trebek didn't have perfect pronunciation either.

For the $1,600 answer, "The name of Kouchibouguac National Park means 'Rivers of long' these, for which the area's seacoast is famous," Trebek mispronounced the park's name as "Koo-shee-BOO-quack." It was never acknowledged on the show. (A more correct pronunciation would beKOO-shib-boo-guack.)

The question, for those curious, was, "What are tides?"

The $400 answer, "With these two official languages, New Brunswick is the only legally bilingual province in Canada," probably would have left even non-Canadians rolling their eyes.

New Brunswick contestant reflects

MichaelIreton, a formerNewBrunswickerwho was onJeopardy! in the mid-1990s, certainly didn't get questions about bilingual New Brunswick during his own appearance on the show.

"I wish that had been a category like it was this week," Ireton, whonow lives in Calgary, said in an interview.

Fredericton native Michael Ireton won an episode of the game show Jeopardy! in the mid-1990s, but says his New Brunswick roots didnt help. (Submitted by: Michael Ireton)
The Fredericton nativewon an episode of the game but said his New Brunswick roots didn't help.

"There was no 'Maritime provinces' category," he said. "No 'lobster' category."

While Ireton used to watch the show regularly, he doesn't anymore and missed last night's episode.

He is stillknowledgeable, however, about his home province, and knew the response to this $800 answer: "At the Atlantic Salmon Museum In Doaktown, you can learn to tie one of these to hook a salmon."

"Well, what is a fly?" said Ireton, a former host of CBC Radio'sInformation Morning Saint John. "At least they weren't asking for a particular type of fly."

And for those wondering how Frederictonfigured into a question, here is the answer: "This capital was laid out byToriesin 1785 andnamed for the son ofKing George III not the son's wife, Frederica."

AndCampobello? An international park maintained by the U.S. and Canada on this island
features the summer home of Franklin Roosevelt.