‘Jeopardy!’ Contestant’s Shocking Gaffe Leads to Rarely Seen Event

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Jeopardy! had one of its most dramatic endings in years as returning champion Greg Monson tried to win his fourth game. The game finished on a rarely seen event after a shocking gaffe. It was one for the history books!

Monson, from Portland, Oregon, entered the October 13 game with a three-day total of $60,300. The videographer played against Ron Clarke, from Chickaloon, Alaska, and Evelyn Lamb, from Houston, Texas. Warning: Spoilers for the Tuesday, October 13, episode of Jeopardy! ahead!

By the end of the first round, Monson had the lead with $7,600. Lamb, a math and science writer, was in second place with $4,200. Clarke, a retired wildlife biologist, had $1,800.

In Double Jeopardy, Monson correctly answered the first DD and wagered $5,000. At that point, he looked to have a runaway. However, Clarke went on a buzzer spree and made the game tighter going into Final Jeopardy.

Lamb found one of the Daily Doubles in the round and correctly knew that the children’s literature the clue was referring to was Diary of a Wimpy Kid.

At the end of the round, Monson had $18,200. Clark had exactly half of his score, with $9,100. Lamb was in third place with $5,000.

The Final Jeopardy clue was in the category “’80s Music.” The clue was: “A posted sign told the artists to ‘check your egos at the door’ before the recording of this 1985 single.” 

All three game show contestants had the correct response of “What is ‘We Are the World?'” It was the wagers that made this game shocking. Both Lamb and Monson wagered $0, leaving them with the scores above. Clarke wagered all of his money, giving him $18,200. That meant that he and Monson were tied.

It called for a tiebreaker question. The clue, read by host Ken Jennings, was in the category “American Women.” It read, “As part of the George W. Bush administration, she served as National Security Advisor & later as Secretary of State.”

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The first contestant to buzz in with the right answer won the game. Clarke buzzed in and answered, “Who is Condoleezza Rice?” which was correct.

Monson’s reign came to an end. Clarke became the new champion, despite his wagering gaffe. According to Fandom, there have only been six tiebreakers in regular season play.

“Moral lesson for this game: Always bet for the win!” a Reddit user said.

“I suspect Greg thought he had a runaway,” another commented.

“That was such an awesome session. I’ve never seen such a comeback,” a third added.

Jeopardy!, weekdays, check local listings, stream next day on Hulu and Peacock