Is Ryan Bilger the Sorest ‘Jeopardy!’ Loser Ever? (POLL)

TV Insider Staff
22 Comments
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Jeoaprdy!, Inc.

Jeopardy!‘s Tournament of Champions continues to play out on TV with former winner Buzzy Cohen hosting, but it isn’t his presence or even the tournament that’s making headlines. Instead, it’s competitor Ryan Bilger.

During night 2 of the semi-finals, viewers couldn’t help but notice Bilger’s sore loser attitude following Final Jeopardy. In the category about “Nobel-Winning Authors,” Bilger answered correctly and wagered enough to surpass his biggest rival of the round, Veronica Vichit-Vadakan’s $16,000 by two dollars.

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Unbeknownst to Bilger though, Vichit-Vadakan wagered $15,400 in Final Jeopardy and also answered correctly, pushing her final total far above Bilger’s. His disappointment was apparent as he looked down and offered a weak round of applause to Vichit-Vadakan,..and no other sign of congratulations.

His actions didn’t go unnoticed by fans who took to social media to acknowledge Bilger’s lack of enthusiasm. Since the episode aired, Bilger, a graduate student from Macungie, Pennsylvania, tweeted out the video of Final Jeopardy with the caption, “Veronica played a brilliant game and is an amazing human to boot! Big congratulations to her on the win, and make sure to tune in Thursday and Friday to watch her again in the finals!”

Below, see how fans are responding to his reaction on-air, and let us know what you think of Ryan’s Jeopardy! run in the Tournament of Champions in our reader’s poll.

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Conversation22 Comments

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  1. B

    BlueProcessor

    I have a son on the autism spectrum, and I believe that's what's going on here. A little understanding goes a long way.

    121 12

    1. O

      OrangeGuitar

      I honestly think, until they remove this post and apologize I'm going to take a break from TvInsider. This really crossed a line and that it's still up days later is telling.

      10 1

  2. O

    OliveBeer

    I think that we were watching a real life “Sheldon”. He is extremely intelligent, but nearly inept in social skills. He was so focused on his self-loathing, he couldn’t react to anything else. His follow up comments on social media appear to be after someone has explained how his response should have been. None of us are perfect. How about trying to understand.

    116 15

  3. C

    CyanMagnet

    I wasn't a fan when he made the "go for the kill" comment in the quarterfinals, but ultimately I think he just let his emotions in the moment get the best of him, both high and low.

    47 3

  4. R

    RedCarrot

    we have a former president with millions of followers who makes Ryan look like the most gracious person on earth, cut the kid some slack.

    60 25

    1. P

      PurpleBlowdryer

      Pretty pathetic to bring Trump into something completely unrelated.

      Get a life!

      5 2

  5. O

    OlivePaw

    Couldn't have happened to a nicer jerk. Even my 4 year old daughter commented "why is that man having a poopy face'?

    43 9

  6. C

    CyanPopcorn

    Agree with both Paul Barkowitz and bwomopar - be understanding that someone else's emotional responses may not be the same as yours, and consider that he was likely focused on his mistakes.

    35 3

  7. C

    CyanFish

    It's a wonder of the modern era.

    Something of note happens and a great throng of people then dictate how one should behave. The truth is that (in my very scientific poll of one person, myself) one cannot know how one will react in the glare of the TV camera.

    By a show of hands, how many people here have been on national television, how many have been even mildly famous and, most importantly, how many of you have been Ryan Bilger?

    Until any of the above are true, enjoy Jeopardy!, be awed by the amount of intelligence that is shown during the Tournament of Champions, impart some knowledge, or better yet, wisdom to a younger mind.

    Be nice to one another.

    37 7

  8. C

    CyanAirBalloon

    He's mad at himself for betting $5000 on the daily double and not getting it right, had he not wagered that much he would of had the lead going into Final, sour grapes!

    18 5

  9. G

    GreenBulb

    It's a TV gameshow. WHO CARES

    10 2

  10. G

    GoldMustache

    He does seem a bit spectrum-y. Still, he's smart enough to memorize facts and figures, he's smart enough to memorize a little more sportsmanlike behavior.

    7 2

  11. O

    OrangeGuitar

    Seriously? the TVInsider team is having a poll to shame people? Disgusting.

    6 1

  12. R

    RedElephant

    He said ealier that he is shy and awkward. Give him a break. He was probably dealing with personal disappointment. Smart guy but marches to a different drummer.

    3

  13. C

    CyanCherries

    Don't judge until you have stood where he stood and lost the game and his chance at notoriety. No one is perfect.

    3

  14. O

    OliveClover

    His behavior was cringeworthy and will follow him

    16 13

  15. B

    BlueChefHat

    I actually watched this like last night. Yeah he had a little attitude. But Samir somebody was on the same episode and I kept wanting to strangle or bash him when he answered questions moving his head all over the place like wow is this the stupid answer looking for. I mean really people are people. Leave them alone. Hate them in your hearts but leave them alone.

    2

  16. R

    RedPretzel

    I think you should proof read your articles before posting. the correct spelling is Vadakan.

    1

  17. O

    OrangeTag

    Be nice to one another. He might be on the "spectrum" and he is just a kid anyway.

  18. O

    OrangeGuitar

    I am sure there are people who acted worst than Ryan Bilger was acting. Yes he should had congratulated Veronica. At the same time he is not the only person who is displayed the worst sportsmanship. There are a lot of contestants who behave worst than he did. He was just bummed because he should had wager more to win. I understand he was disappointed.

  19. C

    CyanPopcorn

    She cried happy tears about winning. I wondered if he was crying about losing. Some men would not want to be seen crying. The competitiveness of men. But he should have congratulated her. Acknowledge her victory in some way

    1 1

  20. C

    CyanCherries

    I am so glad Alex was not here to witness his AWFUL CHILDLIKE behavior. He really embarrassed himself. Both of his appearances on the highly inteligent game show were disrespectful and rude....so glad he is Gone. Thank you.

    26 32