‘Jeopardy!’ Contestant Makes Disastrous Final Wager (VIDEO)

Martin Holmes
13 Comments
April Marquet Jeopardy!
Jeopardy!/YouTube

Jeopardy! is back and already delivering buzzworthy moments, as a contestant on Tuesday’s (September 13) episode made a final wager blunder so shocking that it lost her the entire game.

The show’s 39th season kicked off on Monday with now permanent co-host Ken Jennings at the helm and reigning champion Luigi de Guzman, who won the last game of Season 38, returning to defend his crown. Guzman continued his winning ways on Monday with an impressive 34 correct responses and a $42.4K total, the biggest single-game showing since Mattea Roach.

However, Guzman had some stiff competition on Tuesday’s episode, as digital production artist April Marquet went into Final Jeopardy with a slight lead, with her $16,600 to Guzman’s $15,700. All she had to do was correctly answer the last question: “Prince Philip’s titles included Baron Greenwich & Duke of Edinburgh, but not Prince Consort, last used by this royal.”

Marquet knew the answer, as did Guzman, with both competitors writing down “Prince Albert.” That should have been game over for Guzman. Instead, the attorney from Arlington, Virginia, wagered a massive $15,699, doubling his earnings, while Marquet only wagered a meager $1801. Even Jennings seemed surprised when he saw the result. “Just $1801,” he said before adding, “Good for second place.”

“Luigi de Guzman survives a scare; you are a three-day Jeopardy! champion,” Jennings continued as Marquet shook her head in disappointment, realizing she had just made a fatal error.

“Poor April. You could tell she was very nervous and realized her mistake in not wagering enough. I bet she was thinking I’ll never live this down,” tweeted one viewer. “I won’t criticize because I have never been in her shoes. I would be nervous AF.”

” I can’t believe April waged so little. Big mistake,” added another commenter. Others shared similar sentiments, with one fan writing, “Wow. April made a horrible bet and will rue that one for a while.

'Jeopardy!' Fans React to Ken Jennings' First Show as Permanent Host (VIDEO)
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As for Marquet, she fully admitted her blunder. “My wager was a huge mistake,” she wrote on the Jeopardy! Reddit forum. “I was confident in the final category, too! I intended to cover Luigi’s potential final total by a dollar, but I lost perspective while I scribbled on scratch paper. Soon after I submitted my wager, I realized I’d messed up.”

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Conversation13 Comments

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  1. O

    OrangeWeights

    Publishing this article for clickbait purposes is disgraceful and unconscionable. I sat in the audience for this episode in the morning taping of August 2. After a magnificent comeback in the second round, April realized her wagering mistake after they were locked. When they filmed the brief camera sweep of the contestants during the time allotted for the commercial break, she was visibly uncomfortable and the producers gave her all the time she needed to compose herself before resuming filming. After all, with the correct wager, she would have dethroned Luigi. During the portion in which the credits were filmed, Ken was a consummate professional in handling the situation, not trying to aggravate the situation by engaging her with conversation about Final Jeopardy.

    After April walked down from the stage before the lunch break, still in tears, she was greeted with a round of applause from the producers and the audience. Hopefully she is in consideration for the second edition of the Second Chance Tournament. How dare TVInsider exploit her unfortunate situation for clicks!

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    1. B

      BlueCactus

      Disappointing but not surprising from this website. After all, TVInsider was one of the rags that pushed pro-Mayim propaganda, most likely working with her PR team to promote her ludicrous and undeserved campaign for host.

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      1. P

        PurpleBlowdryer

        Thu article is about the contestant that messed up not bashing Mayim. If you hate her so much STOP WATCHING JEOPARDY. I AM SICK AND TIRED OF PEOPLE BASHING HER DESPITE HER WORING HER TAIL OFF TO BE A GOOD HOST.

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        1. C

          CyanCherries

          This is not preschool. We don’t give out stars (or millions of dollars) for trying really hard. She should stop working her tail off. She doesn’t have the talent or even an understanding of what the job requires. It is painful to watch her while she destroys a once-beautiful show. Jeopardy should hire someone competent. Their decision to hire her is mystifying. No one who cares about this iconic, long-beloved show is going to watch it die a slow, painful, unnecessary death under her watch. You should expect the protests to continue until Jeopardy is canceled for lack of viewership or MB is fired.

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            OrangeBus

            A story about an error made by a Jeopardy! contestant in Final Jeopardy and, of course, we get a comment from one of the hordes of anti-Mayim people complaining about the show's choice of a co-host. I swear, this crowd has nothing better to do than wage an all-out campaign against a game show host. Really a sad commentary on the complainers and not the subject of their ridicule.

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    2. C

      CyanCherries

      Thank you for taking the time to provide this glimpse behind the scenes. I feel a little better knowing that everyone there rallied around April and supported her.

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    3. O

      OrangeDog

      I actually appreciated the article, because it helped clarify for me why her wager was so low. It's sad that she lost because of a mistake, but now I know she didn't just underwager. I too hope she gets to participate in the Second Chance Tournament, and I'm glad people were supportive of her at the time, but I have to say that I don't perceive this article as "exploitative" at all. I honestly don't see how posting a follow-up story on a TV website about a TV game show is "clickbait."

      3 1

    4. O

      OliveSword

      Clickbait? It actually clarifies what happened for viewers who couldn't understand her wager.

      2 3

    5. R

      RedBowtie

      Just remember "Thing happens, we don't have control over our hidden destiny." So was April controlled by her destiny to make her feel sad for the rest of her life.

  2. W

    Whitney Clark

    I looked on j-archive, and apparently the correct wager is $14,801. She forgot the 4.

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  3. A

    Antonio Montealegre

    Yeah, I felt for April when she gave that look after realizing how low her bet was for Final Jeopardy...

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  4. P

    PurpleTrumpet

    Mac, while I very much appreciated your on-scene observations of the taping, I think your characterization of TV Insider was harsh. My husband and I both gasped when April's bid was revealed as we watched the show. It seemed such an odd bid. And we felt sad for her. Two contestants go home after every match, but this one seemed rather exceptionally heartbreaking. And, this is a TV-centric site.

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    BlueBullhorn

    I think she made a mistake,she lost. Sad for her but she did make the mistake..

    1 1