Jeopardy! champ Jonathan Hugendubler’s mistake ends $84k winning streak as competitor makes shock comeback

JEOPARDY! champion Jonathan Hugendubler has ended his journey on the show after a major upset ruined his winning streak.

The adjunct professor had won the last two consecutive games, and viewers pinned him as the contestant to beat this season.

5

Jeopardy! champ Jonathan Hugendubler lost after a two-game winning streakCredit: ABC

5

Contestant Ian Morrison won Tuesday’s show after an major comebackCredit: ABC

5

Fans initially thought Jonathan would mirror host Ken Jennings successful run when he was a contestant on the game showCredit: ABC
However, after only two episodes into Season 42, which premiered on Monday, Jonathan ended his run, despite starting with a considerable lead against his opponents.

Jonathan battled Ian Morrison, an airline ramp agent initially from Aurora, Colorado, and Stacy Shelly, an attorney from Rockford, Illinois.

It seemed like the Baltimore, Maryland, native had the game in the bag as he entered Double Jeopardy! with $4,000, compared to Stacy’s $2,800 and Ian’s $3,200.

He further upped his earnings in the Daily Double rounds with massive leads ahead of the others, with a whopping $21,200 versus Ian’s $14,600 and Stacy’s $10,800.

THE END OF THE LINE

But Jonathan made a monumental mistake during Final Jeopardy! that cost him the first-place slot.

The trio was tasked with writing down their answer to the question under the category, Classic Rock & Classic Films.

The question read: “In 1976, Groucho Marx sent this band a telegram congratulating them on their “sage choice” in album titles.”

Ian was the only one with the correct answer, which was “Who is Queen?” and bumped himself up from second place to first.

He added $7,409 to his earnings, bringing his total to $22,009 by the end of the game.

This was impossible to match for two-time champ Jonathan, whose final score was $13,199, and Stacy, who secured $8,399.

Jeopardy! Season 42: New Set Pieces and Controversial Changes Revealed
Viewers were shocked by what transpired, considering Jonathan came out on top in his last two Jeopardy! appearances.

His first occurred before the summer break in July, when he earned $23,601, followed by Monday’s show, where he dominated again, gaining an additional $29,800.

Devoted fans rooted for the trivia master online, and many thought Jonathan could join the ranks of other long-running Jeopardy champs, like host Ken Jennings himself, who had a historic 74-game winning streak in 2004.

Meanwhile, other social media sleuths took issue with the show’s schedule changes, since the premiere episode aired during Monday Night Football.

Jeopardy! Set Secrets

Jeopardy! fans don’t see everything behind the scenes from watching on TV. These hidden set features make the show run smoothly:

Each podium has a hidden riser so that all contestants appear to be the same height.
After each clue is read, signal lights go off around the game board, indicating players can buzz in and respond.
Buzz in too early, and you’re locked out for .25 seconds.
The podiums have a small white light in the lower left corner, which tells Ken Jennings who goes next.
Contrary to popular belief, the player with control doesn’t have a buzzer advantage on the next clue.
To the game board’s left is a scoreboard so the players can see their opponents’ scores.
All contestants must bring three outfits to the studio, but only the host and returning champion change for the next episode.
There are wardrobe rules, including restrictions on busy patterns, solid white, purple (like the background), and logos.
Five episodes are taped in a single day, and sometimes more.
The categories, players (aside from the returning champion), and Final Jeopardy! for a tape day are all drawn randomly to ensure fairness.
Female contestants are asked not to wear makeup, which is applied backstage, and don’t wear mascara because of sweat.
Contestants fill out a questionnaire, and producers select five Q&A topics for the host.
Host Ken isn’t allowed to interact with the contestants until after the game.
Players can request to sit in a chair while competing without question.

They complained about the switch-up in numerous online threads, as the West Coasters were forced to watch it later than usual due to the football games earlier.

However, it was a relief for some that they could now watch Jeopardy! episodes the next day on Peacock and Hulu, which the streamer recently announced would be available starting September 9.

Jeopardy! airs new episodes weekdays at 7:00 p.m. EST on CBS.

5

Jonathan and Ian competed against their third opponent, Stacey ShellyCredit: ABC

5

Jonathan was winning the game until he made a major flub during Final Jeopardy!Credit: ABC