‘Jeopardy!’ Contestant Makes Bidding Mistake That Costs the Game

Spoiler Alert

Jeopardy! champion Dan Hopkins, from Hanover, New Hampshire, made a crucial bidding mistake that made him lose the game. The final question was a triple stumper once again, so it all came down to bidding.

Hopkins, a teacher, won Tuesday’s game with a total of $10,799, and defeated two-day champion Sarah Cox. On Wednesday, June 18, he faced off against Jacob Hale, from Anchorage, Alaska, and Sunny Hwang, from Brooklyn, New York.

The beginning of the round went well for Hale, a nonprofit finance director, as he got four out of the five clues correct in the “Rev Up for Nascar” category.

Hopkins missed the first Daily Double, causing him to drop to second place. He wagered $1,500 in “Action Phrases.” The clue read, “In a cliché, these 3 words are yelled to remake a newspaper; a 2014 N.Y. Times article not at least 6 such events in 14 years.” The correct answer was, “What is stop the presses?” But Hopkins answered, “What is rewrite the headline?” so he lost $1,500.

During the interviews, Hopkins revealed that he was deported from the United Kingdom for volunteering without a work visa.

Although he didn’t take the lead, Hopkins made a great come back by the end of the round with $4,700. Hale was in the lead with $5,400. Hwang, a textbook editor, had $2,600.

In Double Jeopardy, he found the first DD of the round. Hopkins had $10,700 and wagered $3,000. In “Tigers By the Tale,” the clue read, “This villain’s name in an 1894 book suggests he is chief among tigers.” He once again answered wrong with, “Who is the cougar?” The correct response was Shere Khan from The Jungle Book. He dropped down to $7,700.

Five clues later, Hopkins found the last DD of the game. He was in the lead with $12,100 and once again wagered $3,000. In “It was the 1970s,” the clue was, “A 6-day bank takeover in a European capital led to this term for an unexpected psychological phenomenon.” Hopkins’ response of “mass hysteria” was not correct. His score lowered to $9,100. The correct response was Stockholm Syndrome.

Hopkins still managed to maintain the lead as Hale only had $6,200. However, Hale quickly caught up to the reigning champion. By the end of the round, Hale had $9,000, Hopkins had $9,900, and Hwang was in last place with $6,200.

Hopkins had the lead, but a triple stumper and a wild wager from him changed the game.

The category for Final Jeopardy was “Famous American Homes.” The clue read, “The name of this residence completed in 1895 combines part of the owner’s Dutch name with an English word for an open expanse.” The correct response was Biltmore.

Hwang didn’t respond with anything. She wagered $4,000 and ended with $2,200. Hopkins answered, “What is Praire _______?” He wagered $8,101, ending with $1,799. Hale’s answer was Broadmoor. He wagered $4,200, giving him a final total of $4,800.

With only $900 separating them, Hopkins could have wagered a lot less and might have won the game, but Hale is the night’s champion and will be back on Thursday, June 19, for game two.