Public Enemy is one of the most important groups in hip hop history, with (at least) two masterpiece albums to its name, It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back and Fear of a Black Planet. Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch is also a hip hop group from the 1990s, and that’s where the similarities between them and Public Enemy end. One group had “Fight the Power.” The other had the Booty Inspector. They are not the same — but one Jeopardy! contestant still somehow confused Chuck D and Mark Wahlberg.
One of the categories during Wednesday’s episode of the game show was “Chuck D, Times 3.” As Yahoo! Entertainment explained, “Four of the five questions pertained to either Charles Darwin or Charles Dickens. But one clue centered around rapper Chuck D.” (What a weird category.) The clue read, “In the 1980s, Chuck D began fighting the power in this hip-hop group with Flavor Flav, a man who always knew what time it was.”
Contestant Halley Ryherd buzzed in and guessed, “Who is the Funky Bunch?” Uh, no.
Everybody don’t know everything… it’s why I introduce myself wherever I go and whoever I talk to … it’s just courtesy. But the sad thing is not knowing those other Chuck Ds pic.twitter.com/gxLnyVmxCp
— Chuck D (@MrChuckD) June 30, 2022
Another contestant, Pete Chattrabhuti, got it right — although Halley got her revenge by winning the episode with $5,999. It takes a nation of millions of Jeopardy! contestants to be in disbelief about the Public Enemy / Funky Bunch mix-up.
The category was “Chuck D,” and the answer was the name of the musical group that he led.
And she answered, “The Funky Bunch.”
I’m gonna be lying down over here for a spell.
— David Aldridge (@davidaldridgedc) June 29, 2022
Did that Jeopardy contestant really just say that Chuck D was in the Funky Bunch? Is this the end times?
— Jamie Gillespie just wants lots of dogs (@filbertina) June 29, 2022
Watching Jeopardy tonight with my Mom, and a category about Chuck D came up. The question came up about what group Chuck D was in, and one lady answered the Funky Bunch, and Mom looked at me and said Public Enemy, and I said thank you for being my Mom, lol. pic.twitter.com/KVeqpeZUbm
— Jerry Parsons21225 (@jerry_parsons) June 29, 2022
the person just now on jeopardy who thought chuck d was in marky mark and the funky bunch basically committed a hate crime in thinking so
— Shithole Country Resident (@SeymourBugs) June 29, 2022
Oh, the Public Enemy/Funky Bunch confusion on Jeopardy tonight was painful.
— Alan Sepinwall (@sepinwall) June 30, 2022
I simply do not have a response to someone confusing Public Enemy and …the Funky Bunch.
Don McLean was incorrect. Today is the day the music died. #Jeopardy
— Terynce B (@TerynceB) June 29, 2022
Oof. A woman on ‘Jeopardy!’ got this clue about Public Enemy last night and guessed… The Funky Bunch. pic.twitter.com/Y5tA65JrNG
— Geoff Herbert (@deafgeoff) June 30, 2022
At least Halley has a good sense of humor about it:
I’ve talk to my therapist about it and I think I’m ready to forever be the person who mixed up Public Enemy and Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch on @Jeopardy. #mylegacy
— Halley Ryherd (she/her) (@Halley_BuzzesIn) June 29, 2022
(Via Yahoo! Entertainment)