Jeopardy! execs break silence on contestant's game-costing 'wagering mistake' after flub causes upro
JEOPARDY! staff has admitted that they, like many viewers, were unsure what a contestant last week was thinking.
A player lost by betting $0 in Final Jeopardy, which fans wrote off as a "bonehead wager" at the time while others fumed: "Can he count?"
Going into Final Jeopardy! on October 4's episode, John Bussard had $14,200, trailing $9,000 behind the contestant in first place.
He was the only player to answer the clue correctly, but he failed to win the game because he decided not to bet any of his winnings.
Under the category "American Immigrants,” the clue read, "His 1904 will stipulated that ‘All the sums hereinbefore specified for prizes shall be used for prizes only.'"
Evan, who was in third place with $6,000, and Kendra, who was in the lead, incorrectly guessed "Nobel" - who never immigrated to America.
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John was the only one who answered correctly with “Pulitzer.”
Joseph Pulitzer, of the Pulitzer Prize, immigrated to the US in 1864.
Host Ken Jennings confirmed John was correct: “So you’re going to add to that?”
After seeing John didn't wager anything, he corrected himself, saying, “Oh, you won’t. You bet nothing. Interesting.”
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After Kendra’s answer was revealed to be wrong, her bet of $5,201 left her with $17,999 - enough to win despite being incorrect.
'ERROR ON JOHN'S PART...'
On Monday, Producer Sarah Foss and former champion Buzzy Cohen denounced the decision as a flat-out mistake and explained why it didn't add up.
Kendra, in first place, had more than 2/3 of John's score going in, and she missed it with a standard cover bet, but he still didn't win - so betting $0 had no strategic benefit.
Foss said on the official podcast Inside Jeopardy! while recapping last week's games: "John was the only one who was correct in Final but unfortunately mis-wagered from second place."
Buzzy replied: “I'm not totally sure what John was up to there.
"Because imagine a world where Kendra [in first place] was betting to cover, which she did and it goes wrong, he still doesn't have enough [earnings to win].”
“So I think that may have just been a tactical error on John’s part.
"I'm not sure where that $0 wager came from.
"Maybe he’s imagining Kendra overplaying her hand or something?”
Foss responded: “I think in that moment, there's so much going on on that stage in that time.
"With all these contestants know, they often say the math what they come to dread the most.
"It's not a category they may not know, it's having to do math in Final.
"John is a victim to exactly all the fears happening," she somberly noted.
"Has to feel great about a great game, but certainly, he will be thinking about that wager for many years.”
FANS LOSE THEIR MINDS OVER $0 WAGER
While Ken and, now, the insiders, have expressed surprise at John’s choice, fans were downright flabbergasted when it aired.
“A bonehead wager by John!” one person wrote on the Jeopardy! YouTube page.
Another posted, “It must hurt to lose, but it must really hurt to lose because you were timid.”
“John’s about to get lit up for making such a poor wager,” a third fan wrote, and another person joked, “I’ll start.”
A fourth fan wrote on X: "The zero wager made zero sense."
Another wrote: "Goodness gracious! Another MAJOR boo-boo by this #Jeopardy contestant. Can't he count?"
A sixth wrote: "Geez, what was up with that Final #Jeopardy wager?"
A seventh wrote: "Terrible wager by No. 2 contestant!" and an eigth: "John...come on man."
Since the Season 40 premiere last month, Jeopardy! has been pulling contestants from past seasons and using old clues and clues that were previously written but never aired.
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This was a way around the writer's strike, which concluded two weeks ago.
The game show is now airing a Champions Wildcard tournament for brief Season 37 and Season 38 winners, hosted by Ken until December 18.
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