'What is Nashville?' Watch the Jeopardy! question that stumped contestants Thursday

Diana Leyva, Nashville Tennessean
·1 min read
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A Nashville related question left all three participants stumped during Thursday night's final Jeopardy! round.

When Jeopardy! host, Ken Jennings, asked the question,"The 42-foot-high statue of Athena in this state capital is the tallest indoor statue in the United States," all three participants answered incorrectly.

Justin Brandt said Juneau, Tyler Jarvis seemingly said Little Rock and returning champion, Amy Hummel said Springfield. Once the correct answer of "Nashville" was revealed, the contestants let out out simultaneous sighs and groans. "Athens of the South" anyone?

Here is what to know about the iconic Athena statue located within Nashville's Parthenon.

Watch Jeopardy! contestant fumble this Nashville question

What is the history behind the Athena statue in Nashville?

The 42-foot statue of Athena wasn't always the crowning jewel of the Parthenon. According to nashvilleparthenon.com, when the construction of the permanent building was completed, Athena was missing. Donations for the statue accumulated over the years and in 1982 the Park Board commissioned Nashville sculptor, Alan LeQuire, to recreate the statue for the Parthenon's interior.

Why Athena statue calls Nashville home: Nashville's Athena statue was unveiled more than 30 years ago and we haven't stopped oohing and aahing

The construction of the statue took almost eight years. The statue of Athena was unveiled on May 20, 1990. The grand new addition to the museum reignited the excitement and interest in the Parthenon as an icon of the city, said nashvilleparthenon.com. Money continued to be raised in the years following and in 2002, the statue was completed with gilding and painting to more closely resemble the original Athena Parthenos in Greece.

Diana Leyva covers trending news and service journalism for The Tennessean. Contact her at Dleyva@gannett.com or follow her on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, at @_leyvadiana

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Nashville's Athena statue was a clue on Jeopardy!, see if they got it