'Jeopardy' Triggers 'Offensive' Debate Over This Country Music Song

Jeopardy has ignited a serious debate among country fans.

During a new episode, an entertainment category was featured, titled "Songs in the Key of Life." The artist credited in the clue is not the original artist who sang the song, which angered legions of country music fans.

Host Ken Jennings read the controversial clue, which was "In the title of a Rascal Flatts' song, 'Life Is' this type of road."

Contestant Adriana Harmeyer won by answering "Highway," referencing the iconic song, "Life Is a Highway." TV Insider reports that the answer won her $400 towards her Jeopardy team total. However, not everyone thought she deserved the prize.

Die-hard fans were quick to point out that the song was not originally sung by Rascal Flatts. Instead, Canadian rockstar Tom Cochrane performed the original rendition of the single. The track was originally featured on his 1991 album, Mad Mad World.

Following Cochrane's original version, Chris LeDoux covered it for his 1998 LP, One Road Man. Rascal Flatts' cover was then featured in the 2006 Disney Pixar movie Cars.

In Jeopardy's defense, Rascal Flatts' version of the hit has nearly 700 million streams on Spotify, by far their most popular song on the platform. Cochrane's original version has 161.1 million streams, with LeDoux's version having 4.2 million streams. However, when it comes to charts, the Cochrane song surpassed the Rascal Flatts version by one spot on the Billboard Hot 100.

Although the cover heard in the Cars movie seems to be the most popular version with today's generation, that still was not even to calm down fans of the earlier track.

"Very offensive to Tom Cochrane to call Life is a Highway a Rascal Flatts song," one user on X, formerly Twitter, shared.

"RASCAL FLATTS DID NOT WRITE LIFE IS A HIGHWAY @Jeopardy," a passionate fan called out. "YOU WILL PAY FOR THIS DISRESPECT."

Another social media user felt that Rascal Flatts' version was weaker than the original, asking: "Why has #Jeopardy decided Life is a Highway is a Rascal Flatts song when they just produced an inferior cover?"

Another presumably frequent Jeopardy viewer took their anger out on Jennings as the host, who took over for former host Alex Trebek upon his death.

"Alex would have credited his fellow Canadian Tom Cochrane too, as the writer of "Life is a Highway" wouldn't he," the viewer asked, with some skeptical-looking emojis placed with it.

While many might only be familiar with the song through Cars, other fans who have discovered the original version seem to like it even better.

A newly-converted fan wrote on X, "life is a highway Tom Cochrane (original) version is soo much hype than the Rascal Flatts one!"

Tags

Rascal Flatts, Disney