Fans are disappointed by the use of Marineland, which is notorious for the deaths of its captive whales and is under investigation for animal cruelty as a clue in the show

What is ethics?

Jeopardy! fans took to Reddit to express their disappointment over a clue that involved a controversial facility that has been under investigation for animal cruelty. The conversation brought attention to the principles behind the game show’s writing and whether or not reputability should be a factor when designing the clues.

The category was “Blows” for $800, and the question was “Researchers at Marineland in Canada say this pale whale blows bubbles in meaningful ways from bored to startled.” Contestant Aaron Brown, who happens to also be a trivia host, answered correctly: What is beluga?

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The thing that had fans booing and shouting at their screens was the fact that Marineland, a Niagara Falls, Ontario marine life park, is notorious for the staggering number of animal deaths, especially beluga whales, that have occurred under their care. According to reports by the CBC, the park has been under investigation by Ontario’s Animal Welfare Services for the last four years.

What the Jeopardy! clue failed to note is that in 2015, the Government of Ontario officially banned the practice of breeding and keeping orcas in captivity, despite Marineland’s continuation of the practice as the only place in the country that still does so. Since 2019, 16 belugas and a killer whale have died at the park. The latest of the beluga deaths was in July, along with two Magellanic penguins in August.

As one Redditor pointed out, “There’s a reason many Canadians call it the Whale Jail!” When it comes to the ethics behind the controversial clue, fans were disappointed in the apparent lack of research that allowed Marineland to fall through the cracks and end up on the screens of the show’s on average 9 million viewers.

One user wrote, “…it’s disappointing that Jeopardy would give publicity, even inadvertently, to a business that’s widely known for being cruel and abusive to animals. Seems a little research could have easily prevented this clue from making it on the show,” while another echoed the sentiment by adding, “They needed more due diligence on this. A writer appears to have found a mention somewhere and thought ‘this could be a clue,’ but never seemed to consider whether the source or subject was reputable.”

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