‘Jeopardy!’: Controversial Game Ends in Disaster for One Contestant

Jeopardy! ended in disaster for one contestant as they weren’t allowed to compete in Final Jeopardy. The other contestant had a bit of a controversy with how she answered her questions. The third contestant tried to go for his fifth win after an incredible streak.

Liam Starnes, from Barrington, Illinois, came in with a four-day total of $81,801. He went up against Harold Goldston III, from Knoxville, Tennesee, and Raguell Couch, from Durham, North Carolina, for his fifth game on Thursday, April 24.

“No one was more surprised than our champion, Liam Starnes, at the end of yesterday’s game. Although he couldn’t believe it, he pulled off his fourth victory and could lock up a spot in the next Tournament of Champions with a fifth win today,” host Ken Jennings said.

Starnes, an undergraduate student, and Couch, also an undergraduate student, went neck and neck in the first round. By the first commercial break, they were tied with $2,600. However, at one point Couch was ahead of Starnes and answered multiple questions in a row correctly. Goldston, a karaoke bar owner, had -$600.

In the second half of the round, Starnes, who wishes to travel to Machu Picchu and Angkor Wat with his earnings, found the first Daily Double. He made it a true DD and wagered all of his money. The clue read, “In 1820, this British medical worker was herself delivered in the Italian city that became her name.” “Who is Florence Nightingale?” he answered correctly, doubling up to $5,200.

By the end of the round, Starnes still had the lead with $5,600. Couch, who met Alex Trebek when she tried out for Kid’s Jeopardy! in 2017, had $2,600. Goldston, who is a father to two boys named Atlas and Dante, was still in the negatives with -$1,400.

In Double Jeopardy, Couch found the first DD of the round and had the chance to move into the lead. Out of her $4,600, she wagered $2,000. The clue read, “This term is said to date to a 1940s French article about ‘double indemnity,’ ‘Laura,’ and ‘Murder My Sweet.’” What is Noir?” she answered correctly, giving herself $6,600, and the lead. Starnes had $6,000.

Starnes found the last DD. With $7,600 in his bank, he wagered $4,000. “Converting light to electrical signals, rods, and cones are the 2 main types of these cells. Partly from Greek for ‘light’,” the clue read. “What are photoreceptors?” Starnes answered correctly. His total was now $11,600.

By the end of the round, Starnes was in the lead with $16,000. Couch had $10,600. Goldston was not eligible to participate in Final Jeopardy as his total was -$2,200. He answered two questions correctly and four incorrectly during the game. He had a nightmare game, but his score was way off from the lowest score ever. In 2021, a contestant had -$7,400 by the end of the game, which is the lowest reported Jeopardy! score.

The category for Final Jeopardy was “Historic Names.” The clue was, “He was riding back from the conquest of Granada when he was summoned to a royal meeting that would change history.” Couch wrote, “Who is Churchill?” That was incorrect so she dropped to $98 after wagering $10,502. Starnes wrote, “Who is Columbus?” which was correct. He wagered $5,201, ending with a total of $21,201. He won his fifth game, confirming his spot in the ToC.

His five-day total is $103,002. Starnes will face two new opponents on Friday, April 25.

Some Jeopardy! watchers thought that Couch didn’t answer in the form of a question for some clues.

“Raguell did not answer in the form of a question like two times and wasn’t penalized?” a Reddit user said.

“I heard correct phrasing in each and every one of her responses. In a couple of instances, it crossed over or preceded Ken calling on her. Also, in the first round, it’s only a warning, and not penalized as in Double Jeopardy!. Had Raguell not properly phrased, Ken would have given that warning,” a fan replied to them.

“I thought I heard her miss the phrasing a couple times too. I also thought she just said ‘noir’ instead of ‘film noir’ when the clue asked for a 2-word phrase?” replied another.

“I was surprised they didn’t deduct from Raguell when she said ‘crackerjack’ instead of ‘what is crackerjack?’” a fan wrote.

“She said what is’ while Ken was calling on her, it was just kind of hard to hear with the overlapping,” someone replied to them.

“Is it just me or did Raguell not say ‘what is’ several times? I noticed it in both rounds but she never got called on it,” another Reddit user asked.

Other fans felt bad for Goldston since his score was so low. “I felt really bad for the guy in the orange tie,” one user said.