‘Jeopardy!’ Fans React After ‘Brutal’ & ‘Chaotic’ Game: ‘What the Heck Happened?’
This might have been one of the wildest Final Jeopardy questions in the history of Jeopardy!. The contestant won with only $600 in their bank after the reigning champion made an intrepid bid and a spelling mistake.
Jacob Hale, from Anchorage, Alaska, returned for his second game on Thursday, June 19, after a close game on Wednesday, where he had a one-day total of $4,800. He played against Bevin Blaber, from Schenectady, New York, and Vivek Upadhyay, from Princeton, New Jersey.
The first round opened with balanced gameplay. Upadhyay, a physician, took a quick lead, however, with eight correct responses.
Hale, a nonprofit finance director, tried to take the lead when he found the first Daily Double of the game. With $1,800 in his bank, he wagered $1,200. In “Let’s Go To Coney Island,” the clue read, “In the 1978 film The Wiz, Dorothy finds the Tin Man under this iconic (& aptly named) Coney Island roller coaster.” The correct response was “The Cyclone,” which Hale answered, improving him to $3,000. However, that still wasn’t enough to give him the lead by the end of the round.
He was in third by the end with $3,200. Upadhyay was in the lead with $4,400. Blaber, a writer, had $4,000. It was still anybody’s game going into Double Jeopardy.
In Double Jeopardy, Upadhyay dominated when he answered the majority of questions in “6-Syllable Medical Words.” In a tie for the lead with Blaber at $9,200, Hale found the first DD of the round.
He wagered $2,000 in “Worldwide Party Types.” The clue read, “Wiesn is another name for this celebration held during autumn; check the online barometer to see when it’s not so crazy to visit.” Hale answered, “What is Oktoberfest?” adding $2,000 to his total, giving him the lead with $11,200.
One clue later, clue 18, Hale found the last DD. He wagered $2,000 once again. Hale would either remain in the lead or go back to a tie with Blaber, depending on how he answered. In “Lesser-Known Black Americans,” the clue was ” Last name of Automotive Hall of Fame member Alma, who with her husband Victor put out a guide for Black travelers.” He correctly answered “What is Green?” putting him in the lead with $13,200.
However, Blaber gave him a run for his money because by the end of the round, they were tied again with $13,200. Upadhyay fell to third with $12,000. With a game that close, any of the three game show contestants could have taken home the win, but what happened next, no one suspected.
The Final Jeopardy clue in “U.S. National Parks” was not a Triple Stumper, but one spelling mistake caused the reigning champion to lose. “Much of this 73-square-mile national park is located beneath the Chihuahuan Desert” was the clue. “What is Carlsbad Caverns?” was the answer.
Upadhyay answered incorrectly with “What is Arches?” He wagered $11,998, leaving him with $2. Blaber wrote “What is Carlsbad?” which was only half of the answer. However, host Ken Jennings said it wasn’t the name of the national park, so she dropped down to $600 after wagering $13,000.
Hale seemed to be in a great position and almost had the right answer, but Jeopardy! didn’t accept it. He wrote, “What is Carlsbad Cavrans?”
“Because the ‘R’ is before the vowel, it changes the pronunciation,” Ken Jennings said. “We can’t accept that either. Caverns with an ‘ER’, we would have taken. It is Carlsbad Cavern.”
Hale wagered all of his money, dropping him down to $0. This made Blaber the night’s winner. The audience gasped, and Blaber covered her mouth in shock and pumped her fist. She turned to Hale and said, “I’m sorry!” before giving him a hug.
“Wow. What a finish,” Jennings said. Blaber will be back on Friday, June 20, for game two against two new opponents.
Fans called the Final Jeopardy round “chaotic” and “brutal.” “That was the most chaotic game of non-celebrity Jeopardy! I’ve ever seen,” wrote one Reddit user.
“Most painful Final I’ve seen all year,” said another.
“Really fun, close game, but man that final Jeopardy was an absolutely brutal way to lose. You’ve got to feel bad for Jacob,” commented a third.
“Oh my God. What a brutal ending,” said another.
“Um, holy s**t. That was maybe the most chaotic final jeopardy I’ve ever seen,” one fan commented.
“What the heck happened on that final? I feel like both of their responses should’ve been accepted,” another asked.
Others were upset that Hale’s answer wasn’t accepted, saying others have spelled words wrong and still got it right.
“I should’ve seen that coming, but at the same time, I didn’t expect it to actually happen,” one last fan said.
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Comments are closed on this story.
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C
I find Blaber to be irritating with her gyrations after a correct answer.
40 2
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B
You are so right.
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O
I believe it does sound the same, esp with it said by folks from various parts of the country.
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O
This is true. Merriam-Webster even lists this as an alternate pronunciation.
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C
On the contrary, i enjoyed her excited behavior. She was definitely animated and also attractive. I rooted for her in the next game but she was wiped out
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S
Just tell her to stand still or a lot of us will be turning off!
25 2
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O
That woman was so annoying with her twisting and wiggling and gyrating.
Can’t believe we have to put up with watching her again tonight.
23 3
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C
Then don't watch. Jeopardy is the perfect show for "audio only." I have it on while I'm finishing my dinner, and just listen. (Although I do usually pop in to see FJ, so I'll know how much money each person has.)
2 9
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R
Thanks for the warning! I hate annoying contestants..sorry not sorry
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O
How come spelling counts or doesnt count depending on the contestant? It was obvious his answer was carlsbad cavern
12 1
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C
I agree that it should of been accepted!
3 2
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B
Because this particular misspelling also changed the word to an incorrect (non-existent) one. If the misspelling doesn’t change the pronunciation, or doesn’t change the correct word into a different one, then they let it slide. The key is, the misspelling can’t change the word fundamentally. Personally, I wish the judges had accepted it, because it was clear what his intention was, but c’est la vie! I wouldn’t be surprised to see Jacob invited to next year’s “Second Chances” Tournament…
10 1
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R
If it's pronounced exactly the same they'll accept it I believe? Even it's spelled incorrectly..but Cavrans obviously does not sound like Cavern
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R
I think they (jeopardy) robbed him because of one letter out of place. Everyone knew what it said. He won in my min
8
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P
How does someone get on jeopardy if they can't spell caverns??? And I can't stand the girl... This isn't Jazzercise Jeopardy. Why is she dancing when she picks clues?
9 1
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O
😆 lol
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P
It’s Jeopardy, so 9/10 are likely on the spectrum!
8 2
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O
I think she’s gonna lose tonight. Fingers crossed.
5
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C
Third place made a horrible bet on final ... shouldn't have bet anything ... how can he be that smart and still not understand game theory?
7 2
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P
Shocked at how dumb that bet was.
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L
Kids, this is so why spelling IS to be taken seriously and not to rely completely on spellcheck/autocorrect! Another painful loss and life lesson.💔 But, I hope Jacob can get a Second Chance🤞
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O
Bogus rule - the contestant was cheated out of a win - I am starting to lose Interest in the show
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L
Sorry, but why do you ask the question?
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