Jeopardy! contestant loses in ‘brutal' and ‘painful' way as fans ‘would've walked off set!' over unfair show rule

The Sun

20-06-2025

A JEOPARDY! contestant lost in the most 'brutal' and 'painful' way, as fans 'would've walked off set' over an unfair show rule.
Jeopardy! challenges contestants to showcase their general knowledge, always phrasing their responses in the form of a question.
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The three contestants wrote their answers to 'U.S National Parks. Much of this 73-square-mile National Park is located beneath the Chihuahuan Desert.'
But it was a finish that left fans wanting to 'walk off the set' as they revealed their answers.
As host Ken Jennings asked them for their responses, one of the contestants wrote down: 'What is Arches?'
It was the wrong answer, leading his $12,000 dollars to plummet to just $2.
Next up, the contestant in the middle went for the answer of: 'What is Carlsbad?'
Again, it was a wrong answer and so her $13,600 went down to $600.
Finally, the last player revealed his answer, which was: 'What is Carlsbad Cavrans?'
But he made a small mistake, in what fans have called an unfair show rule.
The 'r' was before the vowel, which changed the pronunciation of the word, meaning he lost.
Jeopardy! fans demand major rule change to shake up format as show has 'gone downhill' with 'carousel' of one-day champs
Ken said caverns with an 'er' they would've taken, because the answer was Carlsbad Caverns.
As a result, his money went from $13,600 to $0.
As he lost everything, the female contestant who had $600 ended up being the Jeopardy! champion.
She looked delighted, if not a little in disbelief, and fans were gobsmacked by the result.
Jeopardy! Set Secrets
Jeopardy! fans don't see everything behind the scenes from watching on TV. These hidden set features make the show run smoothly:
Each podium has a hidden riser so that all contestants appear to be the same height.
After each clue is read, signal lights go off around the game board, indicating players can buzz in and respond.
Buzz in too early, and you're locked out for .25 seconds.
The podiums have a small white light in the lower left corner, which tells Ken Jennings who goes next.
Contrary to popular belief, the player with control doesn't have a buzzer advantage on the next clue.
To the game board's left is a scoreboard so the players can see their opponents' scores.
All contestants must bring three outfits to the studio, but only the host and returning champion change for the next episode.
There are wardrobe rules, including restrictions on busy patterns, solid white, purple (like the background), and logos.
Five episodes are taped in a single day, and sometimes more.
The categories, players (aside from the returning champion), and Final Jeopardy! for a tape day are all drawn randomly to ensure fairness.
Female contestants are asked not to wear makeup, which is applied backstage, and don't wear mascara because of sweat.
Contestants fill out a questionnaire, and producers select five Q&A topics for the host.
Host Ken isn't allowed to interact with the contestants until after the game.
Players can request to sit in a chair while competing without question.
One person wrote on X: 'I simply would have to walk off the stage.'
Others called it the 'most painful final' they'd ever seen on the show, and someone else wrote: 'Really fun, close game, but man that final Jeopardy was an absolutely brutal way to lose. You've got to feel bad for Jacob.'
Someone else commented: 'Oh my god. What a brutal ending,' and another penned: 'Oh my god. What a brutal ending.'
The brutal ending comes after a Jeopardy! contestant in the UK made history after scooping one of the daytime show's biggest ever wins.
In May, viewers watched as hotel receptionist Ben Jones continued the game, competing against Jonathan and Rosemary.
From Caerphilly, Ben was already a nine-day reigning champion before his major win.
In the final round, host Stephen asked a question based on the category Classic 80s Films.
He said: "Matthew Broderick starred in the title role of the 1980s comedy film 'Ferris Bueller's Day Off', directed by this man."
Ben, 23, correctly answered: "Who is John Hughes?"
His impressive knowledge saw him walk away with a jackpot prize of £64,530 - the largest win for all Jeopardy! series and one of the biggest wins on daytime TV.
Stephen congratulated Ben as he brought the curtain down on the last episode of the series.
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