Contestant's Final Jeopardy! Answer 'Insults Liberals,' Goes Viral

SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) -- Contestant Becky Sullivan said she didn't mean to insult liberals during Final Jeopardy! last Friday.

Apparently, she did, though, and her answer went viral.

The category was Flowers, and Sullivan, in second place, wagered her entire $6000.

The clue? "The flower pictured here is called this, also a disparaging term for people on the political left."

The answer (which her opponent got correct, by the way) was 'bleeding heart.'

Sullivan is a producer for National Public Radio. She confessed on NPR's blog she had never heard of such a flower and she had no idea Alex Trebek could see her answer beforehand. She was genuinely surprised when her turn came and Trebek said, "Becky, we're going to start with you. And I have a feeling you may have found a way to insult liberals in this country."

Sullivan's answer? Pansy. As in "wimp or coward."

She lost, but everyone had a good laugh.

The Final Jeopardy! answer has since gone viral on social media.

"I'm a pretty private person when it comes to the Internet, so it's impossible to be comfortable seeing my name and face all over, with thousands of strangers commenting on me and speculating about my intentions," said Sullivan. "I'll have to take a break from Twitter and Facebook for a while."

CBSSF.com writer, producer Jan Mabry is also executive producer and host of The Bronze Report. She lives in Northern California. Follow her on Twitter @janmabr.