"Jeopardy!" host Alex Trebek is known for drawing out his show's contestants, but on Wednesday night's show, that casual conversation went in an uncomfortable direction.
Contestant Tom Cavanaugh is making a documentary about sweatshop labor, and when Trebek asked for details, he was glad to deliver.
"I went to Bangladesh 10 years ago and toured a garment factory and I thought, 'What if I saw a shirt that I was wearing being made by these people?'" he told Trebek and viewers. "So (the film's goal) is to try and put a face on who makes our clothes."
If he'd stopped there, he might have been fine. But Cavanaugh hit the Daily Double of awkwardness with his next remark. "Maybe you can find out the names of the 8-year-olds who made your fancy suit there, Alex," he said, to gasps and giggles from the audience.
"What, was that too low?" Cavanaugh said as the reaction unrolled. "Was that a low blow?"
"Larissa, give him a shot," Trebek joked to contestant Larissa Kelly, who stood next to Cavanaugh.
Cavanaugh's comment made Trebek's previous conversation with Kelly look tame. She'd revealed that she and her husband edit questions for academic competitions, and Trebek seized on the obvious "Jeopardy!" similarity.
"Are you trying to set yourself up as a rival for 'Jeopardy!' down the road?" he teased. "Are you going to take away our audience?"
"I'm coming for you, Alex," she said smiling.
