Danger! Contestant involved in sexist reference addresses 'strange' moment

A Danger! The contestant addresses the sexist reference made in a recent episode.

Heather Ryan, who participated in the Oct. 28 episode of the trivia competition show, spoke to Binghamton University's student-run newspaper Pipe dream on November 6 to address a sexist comment that drew attention to the show.

After reading the clue “Men rarely happen…”, to which the response was “Girls who wear glasses,” host Ken Jennings realized Ryan was wearing glasses and apologized.

“It’s definitely a strange choice,” Ryan told the newspaper. “I think it made everyone in the audience and on stage, including Ken Jennings, a little uncomfortable. I thought, 'Oh, that was unexpected.'”

Ryan's suggestion? “Maybe in 2024 we’ll choose better rhyming phrases,” she said.

“Unfortunately there are still girls who do that [in] They go into middle school, they don’t want to wear glasses anymore and they miss out on their education,” she continued. “So I think being able to see is much better than anything else.”

As for the rest of her participation on the show, Ryan, who according to the diligent J! Archive said: “It was a lot of fun” to be involved.

“I had a great time,” she said. “Everyone there was very welcoming. It’s such a part of American culture that when I got the call for it, I really wanted to pursue it.”

“It’s just really special to play a small role in this big role,” she added. “It’s been around for 40 years and I’ve been able to do my part.”

In the episode, Jennings admitted that the line was “a little problematic” and immediately said after reading it, “I'm sorry, Heather.” Candidate Will Wallace, who gave the answer, stressed that this was “very” problematic.

Jennings held the position of official host for just under a year after serving as guest host when Alex Trebek died in late 2020. Trebek appeared on the show for 37 seasons before dying of pancreatic cancer. Jennings was well known to fans through his 74 consecutive appearances Danger! victories in 2004.

Trebek even hosted the game shows Greatest of all time tournament in January 2020, where Jennings competed against others Danger! Greats James Holzhauer and Brad Rutter. Jennings ended up winning $1 million, while Holzhauer and Rutter each received $250,000.

“It took Ken Jennings 15 years to finally answer the question, 'Is he as good as he seemed to be during that great run?' Danger?'” Trebek said after Jennings’ win.

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Danger! airs weekdays on ABC (see local listings).