Jeopardy Dilemma: Is a Coney Dog a Chili Dog, or Just a Hot Dog?

Fans of Jeopardy may have been left puzzled recently, especially in Michigan and the Detroit area, after a very strange question about the legendary Coney Dog. We all know it originated in Detroit, not in New York as most would think. But this question made many think about the dog's alter ego.

Is the Coney Dog its own entity, or is it ALSO a form of Chili Dog?

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During the June 5th episode of Jeopardy, Ken Jennings gave a fairly nonchalant answer for the contestants to "answer in the form of a question."

That answer:

"Order a Coney Island at Detroit's Finer Eateries & You'll Get This."

One of the contestants, Adriana, who is on a seven-day winning streak, buzzed in and said "What is a Hot Dog." Seems perfectly fine as an answer, except... Ken Jennings wanted her to be "more specific."

Her response is what shook the culinary world and Michiganders to their core...

"A Chili Dog."

That was ruled the correct answer, and within minutes, Michiganders took to Reddit in an uproar.

Coney
byu/OkBodybuilder418 inJeopardy

It's an interesting conversation, because on the one hand, Actual Employees, who have made these legendary dogs in Detroit are claiming it's NOT Chili. But on the other hand, Chili purists will disagree, because "real chili does not have beans," which several redditors argue is what sets this "meat sauce" apart from normal chili on a chili dog.

I'd argue that, very rarely, have I had a straight up "Chili Dog" that had chili with beans on it.

What is a Coney Island Hot Dog?

Well, by definition, and we're talking direct from the source.. a Coney Island Hot Dog is a...

"Hot dog, or a beef or beef and pork European-Style Vienna Sausage with lamb or sheep casing, topped with a meat sauce made of seasoned ground beef or beef heart, topped with yellow mustard, white onion, and sometimes cheese."

So arguably, in a couple says, according to the definition, Jeopardy was *GASP* WRONG about something. In fact, it's right there, that the Coney Dog is in fact a Coney Island "HOT DOG" and the very first ingredient is "Hot Dog" with a "meat sauce made of seasoned ground beef or beef heart."

In fact, the Coney Island Hot Dog is loosely based off of Greek Food and culture, which did NOT include... chilis.

So there you have it, Is a Coney Island Hot Dog actually just a fancy Chili Dog? No. In fact, it's not even a Chili Dog... it is... a variation on a Hot Dog. So Adriana, your first answer, in the form of a question, was correct.

In the modified words of Darrell Hammond playing Sean Connery on SNL's version of Jeopardy...