‘Jeopardy!’ TOC Nailbiter Makes Fans Question Judges
Jeopardy! Tournament of Champions has been a challenging and exciting event. But the finalists have a nail-biting match, leaving fans questioning the judges’ ruling.
Tensions Rise
Jeopardy! 2025 Tournament of Champions finals have been a nail-biting affair. Watching Neilesh Vinjamuri, Adriana Harmeyer, and Isaac Hirsch battle for the top win has been exciting. While Adriana had a tough night earlier in the week, Neilesh has been taking charge. But at the beginning of Game Four, Neilesh started the match with two wins over his opponents. At that point, Adriana had one under her belt, but Isaac hadn’t grabbed a win yet. When the close Game #4 unfolded, fans disputed the outcome.
Ken Jennings | YouTube
Jeopardy! Tournament Of Champions Keeps The Players On Their Toes
On February 12, Jeopardy! TOC kept the competitors on their toes. For the majority of the game, Isaac Hirsch was on a mission to win. He had a fairly significant lead over his opponents. At the end of the first round, Isaac had $7000. Compared to Adriana Harmeyer’s $2800 and Neilesh Vinjamuri’s $4200, he was set up nicely. In this game, Adriana stayed close to the $3000 mark for the rest of the game. However, Isaac and Neilesh were duking it out for the victory. When they got to the end of Double Jeopardy!, Isaac took off, having nearly $10,000 more than Neilesh. However, Final Jeopardy! can always shake things up.
Isaac Hirsch – Jeopardy!
Final Jeopardy!
During Final Jeopardy! the competitors stared each other down as they faced the category “European Artwork.” Ken Jennings guided Adriana Harmeyer, Neilesh Vinjamuri, and Isaac Hirsch to choose carefully with their wagers. After returning from the commercial break, the clue was given. It read, “A rope around their leader’s neck, the man depicted in this late 19th c. piece seem resigned to death, but in the end, they survived.” Unfortunately, Adriana had the wrong answer. She guessed, “What is the raft of the Medusa?” She bet it all in hopes of a Hail Mary attempt. Since she wagered $2,800, she ended with $0.
Adriana Harmeyer, Isaac Hirsch, and Neilesh Vinjamuri. – Jeopardy!
Neilesh captured the correct answer, “What is Burghers of Calais?” With his wager of $8,401, he shot up from $13,800 to $22,201. That brought him to just $1 above Isaac. Then, Isaac’s answer was revealed, but it left judges debating. While they ruled to accept his answer, Isaac’s handwriting had made the thrilling game a heartskipping affair. Instead of Isaac’s screen clearly showing “Burghers,” his “B” and “H” were questionable. His penmanship nearly cost him the game, with the answer appearing as, “What is Durgters of Calais?” However, after holding his breath, Ken Jenning replied with a tone of surprise, affirming, “We are taking that.” After wagering $5,401, Isaac nabbed his first victory with a total of $27,601.
Isaac Hirsch’s handwriting nearly costs him the game. – Jeopardy!
Nailbiter Makes Fans Question Judges
On Reddit, several Jeopardy! fans weighed in on the judgment call over Isaac Hirsch’s answer. While some viewers suggest that the show add a keyboard feature to avoid the need for rulings, other people discussed how the letters appeared.
A viewer says, “Congrats to Isaac today, but the correct FJ did not look like what was written.”
One person made a similar observation about the “B” in Isaac’s answer. They say, “The ‘Burgers’ looked like ‘Durgters’ for Isaacs FJ response.”
“I’m going to guess that deciding if to accept handwriting that doesn’t really look like the correct letters, while it’s obvious that the player knew the correct response, is probably the least favorite task of the judges.”
Someone else believes it was a good call. They explain, “Since he wrote in all caps, it’s clear that the line on the G belonged to the H. The first letter is a bit more questionable, but there’s a slight bump, so I agree with Ken (and I guess the judges) that it’s a B.”
Another Jeopardy! fan adds, “I mean, it looked like the correct letters to me if you look at it in terms of ‘what strokes did the pen make’ and not ‘the end result.’”
At the end of Jeopardy! 2025 Tournament of Champions Finals Game 4, this win put Isaac on the board. Isaac had one win, Adriana had one win, and Neilesh had two wins. The overall tournament winner needs three wins to claim the title.
What did you think about the Jeopardy! judges’ ruling? Do you think Isaac Hirsch should have claimed the win? Did it seem like he knew the answer? Did you enjoy watching the competition? Drop your comments below.
