Fans of Jeopardy! aren’t the kind to keep quiet when it comes to their opinions on the game show’s contestants, and one contestant in particular got them talking. First time contestant Nicole Wachell of Los Angeles took heat from fans online after several complained about her “loudness.” Some even went so far as to describe Wachell’s speaking voice as “shrieking.”
A Very Enthusiastic First Time Contestant
Ken Jennings was on hosting duty on March 25, taking over for his Jeopardy! co-host Mayim Bialik. On that day, he guided three female contestants through the game, including Nicole Wachell. While Wachell didn’t walk away a Jeopardy! champion that day, she certainly left an impact on fans watching at home. Never known to bite their tongue when it comes to the show’s contestants, many took to Twitter and they all had essentially the same thing to say.
Wachell, whose job when she isn’t nailing answers on Jeopardy!, is a schoolteacher, so obviously she would need a voice with some authority to keep control of unruly students. It didn’t necessarily endear her to everyone watching the show, however. Hopefully the posts were made as a joke, but it’s interesting that so many people had the exact same reaction.
Twitter Reactions Roll In
“I switched off my TV and can still hear Nicole,” one person tweeted. “Nicole’s voice is like nails on a chalkboard,” another wrote alongside a gif of a boy holding his hands over his ears yelling “make it stop!” Another Twitter user promised to buy earplugs if Wachell was declared the winner. Yet another person jokingly asked Wachell to talk “a little bit louder, I can barely hear you thanks” in what was clearly a sarcastic post.
Not All Negative Nellies
Not everyone was all that bothered by Wachell’s voice, however. Personally, we don’t see where people who said she was “shrieking” were coming from. Was she a little louder than her other contestants or the host? Yes, a little. But perhaps this was her first time using a microphone and she just wanted to make sure her answers were heard.
As one Twitter user also pointed out, and we noted previously, Wachell’s day job is as a teacher, so her slightly louder voice could be a reflection of her profession.
We have no idea if Wachell took notice of the attention her unique voice garnered, but it was clear that she had a good time during her time on the long running game show. “Huge thanks to @Jeopardy, its producers, its fans, and my fellow contestants for making last night happen,” Wachell tweeted, adding, “My life also runs on podcasts, so I would be remiss if I didn’t thank @missinfopod, @MissedinHistory and @presidential_wp.” Now, that’s good sportsmanship!