[Warning: The following post contains MAJOR spoilers for the Monday, October 6, episode of Jeopardy!]
Jeopardy! faced backlash over a Final Jeopardy triple stumper related to the drama The Pitt, with fans saying the final questions have been unusually difficult lately.
TJ Fisher, from San Francisco, California, returned for his third game on Monday, October 3. He played against Brian Dixon, from Atlanta, Georgia, and Kate Kostelnik, from Orlando, Florida. Fisher, a marketing specialist, has a two-day total of $38,889 after a rare Final Jeopardy wager in game two.
The beginning of the game did not start well for the contestants, as it was filled with Triple Stumpers and a few wrong answers. But by the first commercial break, Kostelnik, a personal trainer, had $2,000. Fisher had $200, and Dixon, a server, had $600, despite him only answering one clue.
When the game show returned, Fisher answered the first clue before finding the Daily Double on clue 17. He wagered the allotted $1,000 in “Possessive Phrases.” The clue read, “Pay TV programming wizard Jerry Harvey pioneered this version of films in a 1974 Wild Bunch screening honoring the Peckinpah vision.” He answered correctly with “What is the director’s cut?” giving him $1,200, and a move to second place.
The rest of the round seemed to be an even playing field between Fisher and Kostelnik, with Dixon picking up one correct answer. However, Kostelnik led the round with $4,800. Fisher had $2,400, and Dixon was trailing with -$600.
Despite Dixon not doing too well, he revealed to host Ken Jennings during the interviews that his mom played on the show 20 years ago. Fisher hopes to use his winnings to help reopen a local theater in his town. Kostelnik started a mobile fitness business with her husband.
In Double Jeopardy, Fisher picked up four correct responses before finding the first DD on clue eight. He wagered $3,200 in “Awards & Honors” with $5,200. The clue read, “The highest prize in British art is named for this multi-initialed man famed as ‘The Painter of Light’ for his land-& seascapes.” “Oooh, I sure hope it’s who is Turner?” he responded. Fisher was correct and moved up to $8,400.
Fisher answered more clues correctly before Kostelnik found the second DD on clue 17. She had $4,800 and wagered $3,000. In “Pre-21st Century Fantasy Literature,” the clue read, “The main character of this ancient epic poem is described as ‘the man of twists & turns driven time & again off course.’”
“Who is Odysseus?” she answered.
“I’m sorry, we needed the ancient epic poem, which is called The Odyssey, of course,” Jennings responded. She dropped down to $1,800.
Although there were a lot of Triple Stumpers the rest of the round, Fisher came out victorious with $21,200. Kostelnik and Dixon were both tied with $3,000.
The category for Final Jeopardy was “TV 2025.” The clue read, “The star of this new streaming drama said, ‘nobody could gain a pound, lose a pound… we had to look exactly the same for 7 months.’” The correct response was The Pitt, but none of the contestants got it right.
Kostelnik answered, “What is The Biggest Loser?” She wagered $0 and stayed at $3,000. Dixon lost all of his money when he answered, “What is Severance?” Fisher’s answer of “What is a very sad diet?” was wrong. He wagered $165, so he ended with $21,035.
Although he won three games, Ken Jennings said that he would be back for his third win tomorrow, when it is actually his fourth. Fisher had a three-day total of $59,924.
Fans were shocked that none of the contestants knew The Pitt, but many fans discussed its place as a Final Jeopardy clue. The Emmy-winning show is available only to those who have HBO Max, and many believe that clue would have been better suited for Pop Culture Jeopardy!.
“Judging the writers: They should realize that normal people outside of the entertainment industry have not memorized the story details of every streaming show. If the clue had simply stated the drama’s events take place over a certain number of hours instead of hinting at it, that would not have been a dead giveaway,” a Reddit user wrote.
“I’m shocked no one knew The Pitt,” said another.
“I think several of them this season have been poorly written. There should be something in the clue that you can use to lead you to the correct answer, but many times it seems like they just want people to take a guess, and that’s not indicative of good clue-writing to me,” another Reddit user said about the Final clue.
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