‘Jeopardy!’ Fans Are Convinced Scott Riccardi Lost on Purpose

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Was Scott Riccardi done with Jeopardy!? Fans seem to think he threw the last game of the season when he got the final question wrong. Many of them said it was easy and were shocked that he missed it.

On Friday, July 25, Scott Riccardi, from Somerville, New Jersey, played in his 16th game. He went against Jonathan Hugendubler, from Baltimore, Maryland, and Charlotte Cooper, from San Francisco, California. Riccardi tried to move up the Leaderboard of Legends with $455,000 in regular gameplay. He made it into the top 10 for all-time winnings in regular play, landing in spot number eight, and even tied for 10th place for consecutive games won.

Scott Riccardi, an engineer, was in the lead for the whole game, but Final Jeopardy cost him his 17th win. He had $23,600 by the end of Double Jeopardy. Hugendubler had $14,000. Cooper was in third with $7,800.

The category for Final Jeopardy was “20th Century Names.” The clue read, “According to one obituary, in 1935 he owned 13 magazines, 8 radio stations, 2 movie companies, and $56 million in real estate.” The answer was “Who is William Randolph Hearst?” Riccardi’s answer was Howard Hughes.

Cooper wagered $7,800, bringing her total to $15,600. Hugendubler also answered correctly. “Oh, this just got interesting. He is correct as well,” host Ken Jennings said. He wagered $9,601, putting him $1 over Riccardi, but the champion didn’t reveal his answer yet. Even if he got it right and wagered $0, he would have lost. When Riccardi’s answer was revealed, the crowd groaned. He wagered $5,000, making his final total $18,600. Hugendubler won and stood in shock.

After his loss, fans thought he threw the game because they considered the final clue to be easy. On TV Insider’s recap, one Jeopardy! fan said, “I have a hard time believing that Riccardi didn’t know Final Jeopardy. Even I knew it, for heaven’s sake. Maybe he just didn’t want to come back for the next season.”

“Exactly. I said he wasn’t going to get the final answer correct on purpose,” another replied.

“I thought the same thing…that after a two month wait if he had won, he decided to lose instead,” replied a fan.

“I think that he did it deliberately. Howard Hughes was alive long after the date in the question. It was a respectable answer that didn’t seem that obvious to most people. My thought is that he was happy with what he had accomplished, and there was no need to wait through for another season. He had established his reputation, ability, and eligibility, and now someone else will have a chance,” a TV Insider reader wrote.

“Super disappointed he lost. Not getting both or 1 of the daily doubles did him in!” commented a fan.

“He lost on purpose. There is no way you can convince me otherwise,” said another.

“I suspect the same thing. He will be back, thank goodness & will probably be featured on the Masters as well,” replied one fan.

“Scott conveniently lost on the last show of Season 41…after 16 games. We won’t see him again until January 2026…6 months from now,” one fan pointed out. Riccardi qualified for the Tournament of Champions, which should air in Winter 2026.

“Very easy final jeopardy question. Most everybody knows HH died in the 70’s . We all remember the movie starring Leonardo DiCaprio. Open up an investigation. The game is fixed,” a Jeopardy! fan said.

Do you think Scott Riccardi threw the game? Let us know in the comments.

Jeopardy!, fall 2025, check local listings