Forced into silence after a controversial Final Jeopardy ended in drama, a contestant is now speaking out, claiming a stunning error unfairly robbed them of victory and exposed a massive oversight.
‘Jeopardy’ Contestant Speaks Out After Final Question Drama
Spoiler Alert
Jeopardy.com
[The following post contains MAJOR spoilers for the Monday, March 31, episode of Jeopardy!]
All eyes were on Josh Weikert as he tried to win his seventh game of Jeopardy!. However, it all came down to the final question and wager to determine who won. Weikert spoke out on Reddit about the game.
Weikert, a politics professor from Collegeville, Pennsylvania, faced off against Bryce Wargin, from Kansas City, Missouri, and Allison Willard, from Weddington, North Carolina, on Monday, March 31.
All three game show contestants played well early, with Josh taking the lead on the last clue before the interviews. At the break, the scores were Weikert with $3,200, Willard with $2,600, and Wargin with $1,400.
Wargin, a post-market surveillance coordinator, still trailed even though he found the first Daily Double of the game. The clue read, “Big in a little place, the 109-foot Gainer Memorial Dam in this state is made of earth & overflows into the Pawtuxet River.” Weddington answered with, “What is Rhode Island?” and doubled to $3,200. However, he then got two questions incorrect, resulting in his total dropping.
In Double Jeopardy, Willard, a paralegal, found the first DD of the round. The clue read, “The spiritual leader of the Eastern Orthodox Church bears this title, from Greek for ‘father.’” “What is a patriarch?” she answered correctly, adding $2,000 to her bank. At that point, she was only $400 behind Weikert, who was at $9,400.
The second DD was found by Wargin. The clue read, “August 9, 1965: Singapore separates from this country across the Strait of Johore & becomes independent.” “What is Malaysia?” he answered, doubling to $8,400.
He took the lead shortly after his DD, but Weikert wrestled himself back into first place. By the end of the round, Weikert led with $15,000. Wargin was in second with $12,400, and Willard was not far behind with $11,800. However, an incorrect Final Jeopardy answer changed the fate of the game.
The category for Final Jeopardy was “Communication.” The clue read, “Invented by a student in 1824, this system has a total of 64 combinations.” Willard didn’t answer with anything, writing, “What is ? I love.” She wagered $8,700 and dropped down to $3,100. Wargin answered, “What is Braille? I love you Jennifer,” which was correct. He wagered $3,000, giving him a final total of $15,400. It all came down to Weikert. He answered, “What is Morse Code?” after crossing out “Semafore.” Since that was wrong, he dropped to $5,199 after wagering $9,801.
Weikert’s streak ended after seven games with a total of $105,401. Wargin will face two new game show contestants on Tuesday, April 1.
After his loss, Weikert talked about his time on Jeopardy! and shared some tips. “Now that my run is over, I’d love to share some thoughts,” he wrote on Reddit. “Being on Jeopardy! has been better than I could ever have imagined. Spending even five minutes on that stage in rehearsals was a blast, and getting to play seven games was just unreal. I don’t think it all even hit me until I was on the plane back to Philadelphia – just one long, 36-hour out-of-body experience.” He also said that he had had a few lucky breaks and was positive that every person he was on stage with could have won several games.
As for advice, Weikert said to show up with a plan and the expectation that you might have to play up to five games in a day. “I hadn’t given much thought to the best ways to play/win multiple games and was winging it most of the time. Happy to say I’ve learned a lot of lessons by watching my run and can’t wait to implement them at the TOC!” the beer connoisseur said. Since he won five games in a row, Weikert earned himself a spot in the upcoming Tournament of Champions.
The Jeopardy! champion said not to worry about how you do in rehearsals or not having enough knowledge. Weikert said that he was so lucky to have played with “amazing people,” including his opponents, host Ken Jennings, and the crew.
“I’ve loved Jeopardy! for a long time, and it was the thrill of a lifetime to walk onto the Alex Trebek Stage. I didn’t play perfectly, but wow, did I have fun – thanks again to you all, and best of luck to Bryce and everyone waiting back in the Green Room to take him on,” he concluded.
Jeopardy!, Weekdays, check local listings
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