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Bongbong Marcos' controversial appearance on Jeopardy! sparks social media frenzy

 




On a recent episode of the American game show Jeopardy!, President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. was featured as someone who had taken numerous foreign trips. During the Current World Leaders category, host Mayim Bialik provided clues that led to the name of the country with a president “in office from 2022” who had been on a slew of foreign trips. One of the clues was a play on Marcos Jr.’s name, “Ferdinand Magellan Jr.” Stanford University contestant Avi Gupta correctly responded with “What are the Philippines?” Bialik then noted that Marcos Jr. was also known as Bongbong.


This episode of Jeopardy! caught the attention of Richard Heydarian, an academic and columnist, who tweeted that the show owed him credit for the “Magellan Jr.” moniker. In his Jan. 14 tweet, Heydarian noted that Marcos Jr. had already taken eight foreign trips within seven months of taking office. Heydarian expanded on the nickname in his Jan. 17 column, “Marcos Jr.: A world traveler?”, stating that “some netizens have begun to describe the President as Ferdinand ‘Magellan’ Jr.”


Marcos Jr.’s foreign travels have been to Indonesia, Singapore, the United States (twice), Cambodia, Thailand, Belgium, China, Switzerland, and Japan. His unannounced return to Singapore last October to watch the Formula 1 Grand Prix garnered mixed reactions. Malacañang, however, stated that the president’s foreign trips have helped establish ties with world leaders, resulting in 116 investment projects worth P3.4 trillion.


Jeopardy! is a popular American game show where contestants are given clues about a person, place, thing, or event and must respond with questions. In this recent episode, the show featured President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. as someone who has taken numerous foreign trips. During the Current World Leaders category, host Mayim Bialik provided clues that led to the name of the country with a president “in office from 2022” who had been on a slew of foreign trips. One of the clues was a play on Marcos Jr.’s name, “Ferdinand Magellan Jr.”


Richard Heydarian, an academic and columnist, took notice of the episode and tweeted that Jeopardy! owed him credit for the “Magellan Jr.” moniker. Heydarian had already coined the nickname in his Jan. 17 column, “Marcos Jr.: A world traveler?,” where he noted that “some netizens have begun to describe the President as Ferdinand ‘Magellan’ Jr.” Heydarian also mentioned that Marcos Jr. had already taken eight foreign trips within seven months of taking office.


Marcos Jr.’s foreign travels have been to Indonesia, Singapore, the United States (twice), Cambodia, Thailand, Belgium, China, Switzerland, and Japan. His unannounced return to Singapore last October to watch the Formula 1 Grand Prix garnered mixed reactions. Malacañang, however, stated that the president’s foreign trips have helped establish ties with world leaders, resulting in 116 investment projects worth P3.4 trillion.


It is interesting to note that Jeopardy! is a popular game show that has been running for over three decades. The show has a wide audience, including academics and columnists like Richard Heydarian, who was quick to spot the “Magellan Jr.” moniker in the recent episode featuring President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. Heydarian had already coined the nickname in his Jan. 17 column, where he noted that “some netizens have begun to describe the President as Ferdinand ‘Magellan’ Jr.”



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