Jeopardy! fans were thrown when contestants ended the show in an odd way. After all, the fight for the crown isn’t as easy as it might seem

Jeopardy! fans were left baffled by a strange ending to the show(Image: Disney)

Real Jeopardy! fans know there is more to the game than just quizzing.

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During the May 27 episode of the famed game show, fans were stunned over a “bizarre ending,” which left the contestants to duke it out in their wagers. Jackie Yang, a resident physician from New York, N.Y., Tyler Griffith, a criminal forensic scientist originally from Sturgis, M.I., and Judith Friedman, a software engineer from Los Angeles, C.A. competed for the Jeopardy! champion title on the Alex Trebek stage.

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The match was difficult, which fans noticed. After all, in the end, no one was able to guess the Final Jeopardy! correctly, leaving the winner to come down to some strategic betting. “I don’t think it’s at all ‘amazing’ that nobody got the FJ response. It was tough,” a fan on Reddit commentated.

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The Final Jeopardy! category was American History and the quiz whizzes were given the hint, “In 1847, a decade before making national news, he was the plaintiff in a Missouri case against Irene Emerson.”

Tyler explained his thought process in the wager(Image: Jeopardy)

Going into the final round Tyler had $11,200, Jackie had $10,800, and Judith $6,400. A fan called what happened next some “creative” wagering as Tyler risked $10,401, Jackie put up $10,500, and Judith gave it a classic all-in bid. However, all of them lost their bargain as no one could get the answer correct.

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Judith guessed Gary Powers, Jackie guessed John Brown, and Tyler guessed Ferguson. The correct answer was Dred Scott. Not only did Tyler go into the round at top, but he managed to stay there thanks to his careful gamble.

Judith was previously the reigning champ(Image: Jeopardy)

Taking to Reddit, Tyler reflected a bit on the game and what led him to make his decision. “I contemplated betting $0 since I wasn’t confident in that subject, but I still wrote down the cover wager to beat Jackie. With how well Judith and Jackie played, I knew I needed to bet to cover them and get FJ right to earn my win. I felt like it was over once the clue came out and I wrote down a famous defendant instead of a plaintiff that was also 50 years too late. And honestly, if y’all know me in real life, this was exactly the kind of win I expected for myself. I do not regret in the slightest wagering that much and finishing with that little, because I am a Jeopardy champion. AH!!!!” he said.

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Fans weighed in on the strategies. “Fun game with a bizarre ending. Judith had a couple of inexplicable / hilariously wacky guesses: the Grateful Dead for a 1985 first solo album, and Gary Powers (who flew the U2 spy plane that was shot down in 1960) for an FJ asking about 1847? I get that nerves and frustration when you’re trailing can lead to incorrect responses, but I can’t even imagine the thought process in either case that would lead to those responses specifically,” said one.

Another added, “A win is a win. Sadly, Judith was not (or should not have been) in a Roadrunner scenario. Jackie’s ideal bet would have been to just cover Judith, and if she missed that, her lead over Judith would’ve stayed intact; in other words, second was crushing third. Tyler hand was forced, but he definitely got lucky both opponents anticipated an easy clue. (And for those who say it was an easy clue, I remind you that things tend to be a heck of a lot easier when there aren’t 200 people watching you and 1.21 gigawatts or whatever of lighting shining directly into your head.)”

Tyler gave some thoughts beyond just the game play, calling Judith and Jackie “amazing competitors and so sweet.” He added, “You two made me have to earn the win and I hope to see y’all again on the screen on the Alex Trebek Stage!”

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The champion also wrote, “I don’t know how many times this has been said, but it must be repeated–playing one of these games is such a blur, I barely remember anything as I was playing. I remember two funny moments and FJ. One was missing Dmitry Medvedev by mispronunciation and then Ken couldn’t say it and had several pick-ups, all the while breaking down more and laughing.

“Then during the aftershow chat, I mentioned how I knew Cabrini Green was in Chicago because of ‘Candyman’ and Ken and I went back and forth with trying to safely say Candyman three times without summoning him. I want to thank the Kill Count recap on the Dead Meat YouTube channel for mentioning Cabrini Green in their analysis and that stuck in my head enough for me to remember it. Thank you!”