JEOPARDY! fans have ripped contestants after several were stumped by an “easy” question in the final round.
During Thursday’s episode returning champ Dan Wohl competed against Mira Hayward and Scott Perry.
5
The competition was stiff throughout much of the show, with history teacher Dan and Seattle native Mira jockeying for the top spot through much of the night.
All three competitors racked up earnings, but by Final Jeopardy, it was clear that either Dan or Mira would walk away victorious.
In the final round, the contestants were asked: “In 1904, wearing a harness, actress Nina Boucicault became the first to play this character onstage.”
Fans at home seemed to think the question was a gimme, while the contestants struggled.
Scott wagered a massive bet as he guessed: “Who is Mother Courage?”
The wrong answer cost him almost all of his earnings for the night, leaving him with just $2.
Mira, who went into Final Jeopardy in second place, guessed: “Who is Peter Pan?”
She wagered $4,000, bringing her total for the night to a whopping $14,600.
Most read in Entertainment
Dan, meanwhile, wrote in: “Who is Pygmalion?”
He bet $9,101, leaving him with just $2,999 and dethroning him as a returning Jeopardy! champ.
Fans flocked to social media to weigh in on the show’s ending, with many surprised.
One wrote: “This [final jeopardy] was so easy! I’m surprised only one got it right.”
Another mocked: “What? That last question was a no brainer.”
Someone else chimed in: “Super easy final jeopardy.”
SUBTLE BOOST
This isn’t the first time fans have had something to say about the questions on Jeopardy!
Recently, host Ken Jennings was accused of making a comment to previous reigning champ Matthew Marcus that helped him secure another win.
Before Matthew could respond to a clue about a character by Oscar Wilde, Ken said: “He’s your favorite writer!”
The returning champ faced Greg Snyder, a call center manager from Las Vegas, Nevada, and Carolyn Shivers, an associate professor from Grand Island, New York.
Matthew, a software developer living in Portland, Oregon has had Jeopardy! fans buzzing as he keeps winning and he now has enough wins to qualify for the 2023 Tournament of Champions.
However, before his fourth victory on February 7th, crossing the $100K mark with $114.2K total, Ken, 48, made a comment to him mid-clue that fans did not take lightly.
The last remaining clue of the episode for $400 was under “Literary Title Characters” and selected by Carolyn.
Ken read: “Lord Henry tells him ‘to get back to my youth I’d do anything’…except take exercise get up early, or be respectable; Wilde!”
Matthew – who earlier in his run revealed he’s a big fan of Oscar Wilde – was then the one to buzz in to guess the literary character.
But before he responded, Ken teased: “Matthew – he’s your favorite writer!”
Matthew was then incorrect with “Who is: Ernest” – contestant Carolyn got it as “Dorian Grey.”
Matthew and Ken both laughed and the champ ducked behind his podium in mock embarrassment.
The host added: “You had the wrong work, you’ll have to take that up with Oscar yourself.”
HILARIOUSLY BAD
It’s also not the first time fans have mocked Jeopardy! players for their wrong answers.
During a previous episode of the show, competitor Kristina Zimmerman herself even had a laugh after thinking that Bernie Sanders was once a Saturday Night Live cast member.
Kristina buzzed in on a clue under the category: “The SNL Alumnus Who…”
The clue turned out to be a crucial “Daily Double” and she wagered $3,000.
Ken read: “In recent years traveled the country on ‘The only former U.S. Senator currently on tour’ tour.”
After staring for a while with time ticking, Kristina guessed her answer – she had no choice since on those special clues no one else can buzz in.
“Who is: Bernie Sanders?” she guessed, with a good-sport smile.
“No, I’m sorry, it’s Al Franken,” Ken explained, as the political figure was famously (or apparently not) a cast member on SNL in the 1970s and in the 1990s.
Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders was never a cast member on SNL.
Game show fans held an unofficial roast for the unfortunate but go-for-broke response on social media.
One Twitter user wrote: “There was a Jeopardy! question today about an SNL alum turned senator, and this contestant guessed Bernie Sanders.”
“This lady on Jeopardy answered ‘Bernie Sanders’ for a category titled ‘SNL alumni'” posted another fan with a cry-laugh emoji.
“Bernie would have killed as an SNL cast member, for the record,” defended a third.
“To be frank, his comedic timing is pretty great!” a fourth joked.
“Not knowing that was a surprise!” replied a fifth.
Over on Facebook, one viewer posted: “I was yelling ‘AL FRANKEN! AL FRANKEN!’ at the TV.”
5
5
5
