‘Jeopardy! Masters’: Isaac Hirsch Speaks Out After 4th Place Finish

‘Jeopardy! Masters’: Isaac Hirsch Speaks Out After 4th-Place Finish

ABC

Isaac Hirsch may not have won Season 3 of Jeopardy! Masters, but he got a lot farther than he thought he would. The game show contestant spoke out after finishing in fourth place.

Hirsch played both semi-final games and came in fourth after ending with a total of $4,215, and zero match points. The Jeopardy! player took home $100,000 as a consolation prize.

“That’s a wrap on Jeopardy Masters!” he wrote on Instagram on Thursday, June 5. “This Jeopardy! Masters season had something for everyone. People who like me got to watch me improbably go on a run to get 4th place in the whole thing, taking home $100,000. People who don’t like me got to watch me get my butt kicked a whole bunch by people who are much, much better at Jeopardy! (and trivia!) than I am. Obviously, losing a bunch of games in not-particularly competitive fashion isn’t exactly the most fun you can have on the Alex Trebek stage, but I still had a few good moments over the course of the tournament.”

“I had told people going in that the absolute best-case scenario for me would be something like fifth place, so we exceeded the absolute best-case scenario! I’m incredibly grateful to the folks over there for letting me play some more Jeopardy!. It’s a rare privilege to have played as many games as I have at this point, so I would not begrudge them if they didn’t bring me back for a long, long while,” he continued.

“It was a lot of fun to see the contestants I already knew again and meet the ones I hadn’t. Everyone was extremely nice and welcoming, and I’m thrilled for all three finalists, who are incredibly deserving and smart.”

Hirsch then thanked his support system, which included his family, friends, teachers, and coaches. “But of course, the biggest supporter I have is my wonderful girlfriend Victoria, who has sat through so much in-studio Jeopardy! over the past year that she could probably help them make the show at this point,” he wrote.

The game show contestant shared that his first Final Jeopardy wager was his girlfriend’s birthday, so it was only fitting to make his last the same. Hirsch said this might be his last appearance on Jeopardy! “for a while.”

“I couldn’t have done any of this without her, and I hope I have repaid her in some small part by talking about how much I love her in public. (Gross!) Until next time, whenever that may be!” Hirsch ended.

“I love you with all of my heart and I’m so proud of you,” Gould commented on his post. “Gross!”

Hirsch shared on an earlier episode that he would use his earnings to buy an engagement ring for his girlfriend, Victoria Gould, whom he has been dating for six years.

He had a 10-game run on Jeopardy! in 2024, taking home a total of $218,390. Hirsch then competed in the 2024 Tournament of Champions, where he placed third and took home $75,000. His total Jeopardy! earnings are now $393,390 after Masters.

Fans reacted to his statement and his run in the comments. “You were really fun to watch!” one follower said.

“I loved watching you, Isaac. You are terrific and you did really well. Hope you’ll be back. Your wardrobe is smashing!” another wrote.

“You’re my favorite contestant! Congratulations! I hope they ask you back again… 👏🏻 👏🏻 👏🏻,” a third added.

“You did an excellent job out there! It was fun to watch you play in Jeopardy! Masters. Congratulations!” one last fan said.

Jeopardy! Masters, Season 3, now streaming on Hulu