Isaac Hirsch Loses ‘Jeopardy!’ Crown, Explains Massive Mistake
Spoiler Alert
Nothing can last forever, including Isaac Hirsch‘s Jeopardy! streak as the new fan-favorite player fumbled big time in the Final Jeopardy! round of the July 16th game.
Over a nine-day winning streak, Isaac had accumulated $215,390 in winnings as he entered his tenth game, but it was a massive wager in the last round that finally cost him the crown. Heading into Final Jeopardy!, Isaac had a solid $15,300 against fellow player Jay Fisher’s $16,200 and Erika Stromerson’s $600.
The clue in the category “1960s People,” read, “He said that California prison psych tests he took were ones he had designed, so he made himself look docile & unlikely to escape; then he did.” The correct response was “Who was Timothy Leary?” None of the players found the correct response, but Isaac’s wager of $14,000 put him in second place with a final score of $1,300 against Jay’s $1,799.
Jeopardy!, Inc.
Needless to say, Isaac has been knocked off his pedestal, but the player didn’t go out without a little explanation. Isaac, going by the Redditor screenname, nogoodcarideas75, offered some insight into his mistake that cost him the game.
“Okay, so why did I wager $14,000? The short answer is I did the math wrong,” Isaac explained in the comment section under Jeopardy!‘s July 16th recap. “(Although I guess it’s kind of obvious based on how I spent the first minute after the game looking at my scratch paper in horror.) I was trying to subtract 14,401 from 16,200, and somehow came up with 1300 instead of 1800 as the number I needed to arrive at if I got it wrong, hence the 14,000 wager.”
To make matters worse, Isaac added, “I spent the weeks after the taping seeing the bad math in my sleep. I remembered basically nothing about most of the games last week, but EVERYTHING about this game. All credit to Jay, who absolutely murdered me on the buzzer, especially in the first round.”
Isaac acknowledges that every player’s time in the game eventually ends, as he continued, “This was bound to happen — I barely survived yesterday and I was just really, really tired. It’s been a fun experience watching these air back and I appreciate how nice people have mostly been to me. I’ll have a lot to prove in ToC; not least that I can do basic arithmetic.”
As mentioned above, Isaac will appear in the Tournament of Champions for a second shot at glory, but for now, it’s time to see if Jay, the latest champion can make a similar impact as the games continue. Let us know what you thought of Isaac’s loss in the comments section, below, and don’t miss what’s to come as Jeopardy! continues.
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R
I’m sorry he lost. Isaac was one of my favorites and I wished for a loooong run for him. He was so down to earth and deserving of winning, and he was very knowledgeable about a lot of subjects. See you in ToC!
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R
Totally agree about Isaac being down to earth. One of the most likeable contestants this season.
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R
Too bad Isaac did not win this 10th game as that would have made him a Superchamp. But I guess he was too tired and did his math wrong. I did like him as his character was great...down to earth.
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R
I feel sorry for Isaac but these things happen for a reason. Get rest, enjoy your winnings and be happy.
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R
I think he had a great run...
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D
I didn't get to see Jeopardy in California, on 7/16. It was pre-empted out here, so I missed Isaac's last game. He was a great player. As for the Emmy story; I cannot for the life of me, understand the appeal of the show, The Bear!!! I liked Jeremy Allen White on Shameless, so I had planned to watch it, when it came out. But, after trying 3 times just to get through the first episode; I said screw this!!! I couldn't get more than halfway through it! All it was was people yelling over each other!! All that did was make me anxious and stressed out. It was like being in someone's home, when everyone's fighting, and you just want to get out of there!!! I just don't get it!!!! I will never try to watch it again!
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R
Why would you search and then read if you didn't want to know what happened???
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R
I agree Jena! (Finally!) 😜
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A
So do I with you, ~ZZZ~! (Also finally!)😀
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R
😜
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R
So true! I've come here multiple times not wanting to know the conclusion to a particular reality show from the night before and the first thing I see is a headline at the top of a page (one that had nothing to do with that show) that blares out the result. I've even literally covered with my hand the headlines at the top of the page, then was surprised with something out of nowhere at the bottom of the page (often one that highlights comments on other pages that includes the spoiler-spilling headline) that does the same thing. Sure, if I don't want to know something I could just not visit the page (granted, my fault), but you'd think they'd want everyone to visit the page not avoid it (it's not that difficult -- just reference the show/person in the headline, and not what happened).
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J
🙃
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R
I didn’t want him to lose that way! He is too good of a player, that said I do like and wish the next player the best!!
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R
Should've bet $1151. Guarantees a win if Jay gets it wrong. Jay had to bet close to the maximum and would've won no matter what had he answered correctly. Shocking to see such a terrible mistake made by a 9 time Jeopardy champ.
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R
I was wondering about that last wager of Isaac's... so thanks for the explanation!
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R
I don't see how the math mistake caused him to bet $14,000. If he was planning on betting the difference plus one, the math mistake would have led to a $1300 bet, not $14,000?
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R
He was awesome 👌.. i liked him right away. He kinda grew on ya. 😆 Never missed a episode. And now I know what that "piece of paper" was that he was fumbling around with at the very end.
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R
I love him anyway and look forward to seeing him again many times as a Jeopardy champion!
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R
Sorry he lost really enjoyed watching him. Seems a little quirky.
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R
I was really rooting for Isaac. Very surprised at his huge wager.
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R
All Isaac had to do was bet nothing, he had no chance to double and win, so that wager was doubly moronic
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R
Did you really need to spoil it for those of us who haven't watched yet?
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J
Yes. Yes, they really did. They regularly publish Jeopardy-related articles well before the episodes air on the west coast.
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P
I’m on the west coast. PDT. I just avoid looking at anything that comes on my phone Jeopardy related until I have watched it. Yesterday I got a push notice and saw Isaac’s name — swiped it off before I read anymore. It’s not that hard.
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J
You're right, it's not that hard. But the point is, hard or not, we shouldn't have to do it. Period, end of story. Spoilers should NOT appear in headlines until all parts of the country have seen the show (whatever show it is, not just Jeopardy). Even then, spoilers should probably not be in headlines at all. That way, people who want to will click on the article to see what it says, rather than having the 'big news' revealed so easily.
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R
I understand your point. I don't like spoilers when I inadvertently see them either. They could/should headline the article: SPOILER ALERT and not say what it is. Yep... that's not so hard for the writers to do. Sorry Jeopardy got spoiled for you. I've had to watch the show on YouTube this week due to the Republican Convention which delays the program until 10:30 p.m. Too late for me to watch and don't want to wait until the next day. Fortunately YouTube has a recording right after it airs east-coast time. But that's irritated me because the video quality isn't nearly as good.
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J
Actually the irony is, since I don't follow all the Jeopardy winners the way others do, I usually do NOT care who wins the game. I watch for the questions, to see how much I know, or can deduce in order to answer. Honestly, I couldn't name any champions of this season, or how many games they've won. But I do know that others follow certain contestants, so I don't want anything to be spoiled for those viewers. 😉
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