Alex Trebek Calls Nerds “Losers”, Nerdcore Rappers School Him On How Nerdy Jeopardy! Is

Now, correct me if I’m wrong, but the game show Jeopardy! is nerdy AF, right? Like, it’s kind of the epitome of nerddom. Well, apparently Alex Trebek never got the memo that he hosts of one of the nerdiest shows on television and thought it totally OK to imply that nerds and fans of nerdcore hip-hop are “losers.” Thankfully, there are some nerdcore rappers around to set him straight.

On a recent episode of Jeopardy!, Trebek was introducing a contestant named Susan Cole who, among other things, is a fan of nerdcore hip-hop. Granted, it’s not the most mainstream kind of music, but Jeopardy! contestants have had way more obscure interests than this.

Anyway, as you can see in the above tweet, after she describes nerdcore artists as, “people who identify as nerdy rapping about the things they love: video games, science fiction, having a hard time meeting romantic partners. It’s really catchy and fun,” Trebek offers the unhelpful shorthand, “Losers in other words.”

The lack of self-awareness is mind-boggling.

Thankfully, some nerdcore rappers have come out in support of Cole with some Grade A, USDA Choice beef. According to Billboard, MC Chris issued a statement saying, “Nerdcore is a genre that has been around for at least 15 years. I’m in my tenth year of touring, and my latest album MC Chris Is Dreaming peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard comedy charts this week. It’s a small corner of the hip-hop world but it’s a real and true respite to hundreds of thousands of people that are tired of being called losers, and would rather celebrate their nerdiness instead of trying to conform to society’s mandates.”

Meanwhile, Mega Ran actually wrote some rhymes to express his feelings about the situation, and it’s pretty amazing:

Oh, and by the way, Cole herself took home $20,000 in prize money. I hope she uses it to buy all the nerdore albums and concert tickets she wants.

Suck on it, Trebek.

(via NBC News 3 Las Vegas, featured image via screengrab)

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Teresa Jusino

Teresa Jusino (she/her) is a native New Yorker and a proud Puerto Rican, Jewish, bisexual woman with ADHD. She's been writing professionally since 2010 and was a former TMS assistant editor from 2015-18. Now, she's back as a contributing writer. When not writing about pop culture, she's writing screenplays and is the creator of your future favorite genre show. Teresa lives in L.A. with her brilliant wife. Her other great loves include: Star Trek, The Last of Us, anything by Brian K. Vaughan, and her Level 5 android Paladin named Lal.

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