Jeopardy! five-day champ ends winning streak after worries over multiple ‘unanswered’ clues sets him back to last place

TJ Fisher was finally dethroned after failing to answer more than a few clues

JEOPARDY! champion TJ Fisher has ended his five-game winning streak after getting stumped on numerous trivia clues.

The game show contestant returned to the podium on Thursday to defend his winning title.

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Five-day Jeopardy! champ TJ Fisher has lost his winning streakCredit: ABC

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He lost to a new opponent during Thursday night’s gameCredit: ABC
He battled against Grace Batiste, a marketing manager originally from Chicago, Illinois, and Spencer James, a program manager whose native is Longmeadow, Massachusetts.

During TJ’s appearance the day before, he secured his spot in Jeopardy!‘s Tournament of Champions, in which contestants need at least five wins to participate.

However, TJ’s impressive run fell apart after that, and he ended up in third place by the end of Thursday’s game.

The marketing specialist from San Francisco, California, struggled throughout much of the game to surpass his opponents.

Grace and Spencer appeared to peter back and forth between who held first and second place, entering Double Jeopardy! way ahead of TJ, who had only earned $800.

Spencer was in first place with $4,200, while Grace was in second with $2,600.

TJ took a significant leap forward when he answered the Daily Double 2 correctly, adding $2,000 to his total.

He later inched closer to Spencer’s lead, earning $14,400 compared to Spencer’s $17,000 going into Final Jeopardy!

Grace had only $5,200, but she considerably improved her score after nailing Final Jeopardy! question.

She doubled her score to end with $10,200 and ended up getting second place after TJ’s cringing miss and hefty wager, putting himself at $5,201.

The day’s champion, Spencer, also answered the Final Jeopardy! question correctly, and wagered big, bringing his final winnings to $29,000.

While it was a riveting competition, fans noticed there was quite a bit of dead silence and confused looks on the contestants’ faces.

There were more than a few trivia clues that host Ken Jennings presented that none of the three contestants could answer, although TJ attempted to at times with his quick buzzer hand.

After a few awkward silences, fans started to wonder if it was the last night for TJ after winning five straight games.

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.

“A little worried about TJ when he’s missing something like ‘stole my thunder,’” one person wrote on X, referencing a specific clue.

“So many stumpers before the first break!” pointed out another.

“No one’s doing particularly well today,” said a third.

“Pick a new category if you don’t know it!” a fourth complained.

Going into tonight’s episode, TJ had $100,723 in winnings from his last five victories.

Now, Spencer will try to beat TJ’s record and continue his run on Friday.

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First time contestant Spencer James took the first-place title, ending the game with $29,000Credit: ABC

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TJ and James played against Grace Batiste, who finished in second placeCredit: ABC

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Despite TJ’s loss, he already secured himself a spot in Jeopardy!’s Tournament of ChampionsCredit: ABC