This may need been one of many wildest Ultimate Jeopardy questions within the historical past of Jeopardy!. The contestant received with solely $600 of their financial institution after the reigning champion made an intrepid bid and a spelling mistake.
Jacob Hale, from Anchorage, Alaska, returned for his second sport on Thursday, June 19, after a detailed sport on Wednesday, the place he had a one-day complete of $4,800. He performed towards Bevin Blaber, from Schenectady, New York, and Vivek Upadhyay, from Princeton, New Jersey.
The primary spherical opened with balanced gameplay. Upadhyay, a doctor, took a fast lead, nevertheless, with eight right responses.
Hale, a nonprofit finance director, tried to take the lead when he discovered the primary Every day Double of the sport. With $1,800 in his financial institution, he wagered $1,200. In “Let’s Go To Coney Island,” the clue learn, “Within the 1978 movie The Wiz, Dorothy finds the Tin Man beneath this iconic (& aptly named) Coney Island curler coaster.” The right response was “The Cyclone,” which Hale answered, bettering him to $3,000. Nonetheless, that also wasn’t sufficient to offer him the lead by the top of the spherical.
He was in third by the top with $3,200. Upadhyay was within the lead with $4,400. Blaber, a author, had $4,000. It was nonetheless anyone’s sport going into Double Jeopardy.
In Double Jeopardy, Upadhyay dominated when he answered the vast majority of questions in “6-Syllable Medical Phrases.” In a tie for the lead with Blaber at $9,200, Hale discovered the primary DD of the spherical.
He wagered $2,000 in “Worldwide Celebration Sorts.” The clue learn, “Wiesn is one other title for this celebration held throughout autumn; test the web barometer to see when it’s not so loopy to go to.” Hale answered, “What’s Oktoberfest?” including $2,000 to his complete, giving him the lead with $11,200.
One clue later, clue 18, Hale discovered the final DD. He wagered $2,000 as soon as once more. Hale would both stay within the lead or return to a tie with Blaber, relying on how he answered. In “Lesser-Recognized Black Individuals,” the clue was ” Final title of Automotive Corridor of Fame member Alma, who along with her husband Victor put out a information for Black vacationers.” He accurately answered “What’s Inexperienced?” placing him within the lead with $13,200.
Nonetheless, Blaber gave him a run for his cash as a result of by the top of the spherical, they have been tied once more with $13,200. Upadhyay fell to 3rd with $12,000. With a sport that shut, any of the three sport present contestants might have taken house the win, however what occurred subsequent, nobody suspected.
The Ultimate Jeopardy clue in “U.S. Nationwide Parks” was not a Triple Stumper, however one spelling mistake induced the reigning champion to lose. “A lot of this 73-square-mile nationwide park is situated beneath the Chihuahuan Desert” was the clue. “What’s Carlsbad Caverns?” was the reply.
Upadhyay answered incorrectly with “What’s Arches?” He wagered $11,998, leaving him with $2. Blaber wrote “What’s Carlsbad?” which was solely half of the reply. Nonetheless, host Ken Jennings mentioned it wasn’t the title of the nationwide park, so she dropped right down to $600 after wagering $13,000.
Hale gave the impression to be in a terrific place and virtually had the appropriate reply, however Jeopardy! didn’t settle for it. He wrote, “What’s Carlsbad Cavrans?”
“As a result of the ‘R’ is earlier than the vowel, it modifications the pronunciation,” Ken Jennings mentioned. “We will’t settle for that both. Caverns with an ‘ER’, we’d have taken. It’s Carlsbad Cavern.”
Hale wagered all of his cash, dropping him right down to $0. This made Blaber the night time’s winner. The viewers gasped, and Blaber lined her mouth in shock and pumped her fist. She turned to Hale and mentioned, “I’m sorry!” earlier than giving him a hug.
“Wow. What a end,” Jennings mentioned. Blaber shall be again on Friday, June 20, for sport two towards two new opponents.
Followers known as the Ultimate Jeopardy spherical “chaotic” and “brutal.” “That was essentially the most chaotic sport of non-celebrity Jeopardy! I’ve ever seen,” wrote one Reddit consumer.
“Most painful Ultimate I’ve seen all 12 months,” mentioned one other.
“Actually enjoyable, shut sport, however man that remaining Jeopardy was a fully brutal technique to lose. You’ve received to really feel unhealthy for Jacob,” commented a 3rd.
“Oh my God. What a brutal ending,” mentioned one other.
“Um, holy s**t. That was perhaps essentially the most chaotic remaining jeopardy I’ve ever seen,” one fan commented.
“What the heck occurred on that remaining? I really feel like each of their responses ought to’ve been accepted,” one other requested.
Others have been upset that Hale’s reply wasn’t accepted, saying others have spelled phrases flawed and nonetheless received it proper.
“I ought to’ve seen that coming, however on the identical time, I didn’t anticipate it to really occur,” one final fan mentioned.
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