Jeopardy! just started out 2018 on a brutal note. On last night’s episode, contestants were given clues asking them to combine two related titles into one, which led to the following prompt: “A song by Coolio from Dangerous Minds goes back in time to become a 1667 John Milton Classic.” Contestant Nick smartly replied, “Gangster’s Paradise Lost,” which seemed like the correct answer. Alas, Alex Trebek’s cadre of merciless judges enforce the law by its letter, not by its spirit, which led to the following disqualification: Nick would be docked $3200 because Coolio’s song is called “Gangsta’s Paradise” with an “-a,” not an “-er.” As Wale reminded us a decade ago, such a difference can be extremely significant, but still: Jeopardy! judges, thou doth protest too much. Behold Nick’s rise and fall below.

Let Nick’s mistake be a lesson to us all. In 2018, you gotta keep it gangsta at all times. Never Gangster #Jeopardy pic.twitter.com/NMO7QsAfyI

— Roy Wood Jr- Ex Jedi (@roywoodjr) January 2, 2018

UPDATE: Coolio has spoken! The rapper responsible for “Gangsta’s Paradise” tells TMZ that he thinks the judges should have been a little more lenient with poor Nick. “I probably would have gave it to him, but let me explain something to you,” he adds. “This is for white people. The “E-R” will always get you in trouble…If you don’t have to use the “E-R,” don’t use it.”