‘Jeopardy!’ Fans Bash Yogesh Raut’s Buzzer Technique & React to TOC Win
Yogesh Raut is the new Jeopardy! Tournament of Champions winner, but his victory was met with a mixed reaction, with some viewers criticizing his “obnoxious” buzzer technique.
The psychologist from Vancouver, Washington, beat out fan favorite Ben Chan and professional quizzer Troy Meyer on Tuesday, March 19, to secure the TOC crown along with the $250,000 prize pot and a guaranteed spot in the upcoming Jeopardy! Masters.
Following Raut’s victory, fans took to social media to share their thoughts, with some praising his trivia skills and others blasting his erratic buzzer handling.
“Am I the only one who found his frantic buzzer ringing obnoxious?” wrote one viewer on Instagram.
Others agreed, with one person responding, “My mom did too! She said he was a maniac with the buzzer and that he was gonna break it.”
Another added, “The way he held his buzzer was very disruptive to the other contestants. He did that the entire series. He had the least personality of the three contestants. So disappointed that he was the winner.”
“He holds the buzzer and just keeps clicking the whole time, which is so freaking irritating to watch. I can’t imagine sitting next to him but congrats to him,” said another.
“I wonder how winning the ToC will rank amongst his accomplishments. Last I checked, his original run on Jeopardy was barely a footnote to him and he thought Jeopardy was beneath him,” wrote another, referencing Raut’s Facebook rants about the show after his first appearance.
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Another said, “I was rooting for Ben. So disappointed that Yogesh won who I don’t really care for. He doesn’t seem like a very nice person and has no charisma whatsoever. My only consolation is James Holzhauer kicking his ass in Masters.”
“Yogesh gets to brag, but I’m still not a fan. At least in the Masters, Amy [Schneider] and James will kick his behind,” wrote another.
However, others defended Raut’s buzzer technique and complimented his impressive performance.
Ron Nurwisah, who was a contestant on Season 39, wrote, “As someone who’s been behind that podium, buzzer timing is just as hardest as the trivia knowledge. Yogesh figured out the buzzer technique that worked for him. Some people might find it obnoxious. You will not care less than 1% if it works.”
“What’s obnoxious is people who judge contestants not by their trivia skills (which is what Jeopardy’s about), but by, wait for it…. the way they press their buzzer,” added another.
“Well whatever he was doing to the buzzer obviously worked if he’s now 250,000 richer,” said one commenter.
“Yogesh, I hope you’re not taking these negative comments to heart,” wrote another. “These people are just fricking rude. I thought you played a great game and I enjoyed your buzzer buzzing and all that that they’re fussing about. Ignore them. Ignore the haters.”
Even Chan, who lost out to Raut and finished as TOC runner-up, had high praise for his opponent.
“Hooray for Yogesh! So well played — he gave like a billion right responses and 3 incorrect responses during the whole week,” Chan wrote on the Jeopardy! Reddit forum.
“When I missed my daily double — the DD that would have given me the tournament (!?!), I could see that Yogesh WAS SAD THAT I MISSED IT!” he continued. “Yogesh wants people to get it right — I love that — and has been a helpful and generous confidante since we met at the tourney. Will be ordering a Team Yogesh shirt for Masters.”
What did you think of Raut’s victory? Let us know in the comments below.
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