JEOPARDY!’S Isaac Hirsch reveals why he didn’t wager anything after his math error.

Isaac’s mathematical mistake caused his nine-day winning streak to end.

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Jeopardy!’s Isaac Hirsch lost his nine-day winning streak Tuesday nightCredit: ABC/Jeopardy

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The nine-day champ revealed why he didn’t ‘wager nothing’ after his math errorCredit: ABC/Jeopardy
On Tuesday night, Jeopardy! fans saw Isaac lose against Jay Fisher and Erika Stromerson.

During the competition, Isaac was close to winning his 10th game before it crumbled.

When the ‘1960s People’ clue was revealed, Isaac over-wagered with $14,000, losing him his winning spot, and Jay made his way to first place.

Following his loss, Isaac made a comical remark on his defeat via X.

“Don’t cry because it’s over… smile, because you’re better at math than I am,” Isaac wrote on X.

Former Jeopardy! champ Ben Goldstein asked, “Quick question: Did you ever consider betting $0 or $901? Or is that sort of thing too cowardly for your tastes?”

Isaac responded, “I think I would be more likely to if it was a category I thought would be hard (World Geography) but I thought 1960s People seemed in both Jay and my wheelhouse and I wanted to bet the absolute max I could where I’d win by $1 if we were both wrong… and I just did subtraction bad.”

This isn’t the first time Isaac has addressed his defeat.

The nine-day champ took to Reddit to share what actually led to his loss.

Jeopardy! champ Isaac Hirsch jokes he’s the ‘awkward kid’ in rowdy old stand-up clip as fans gush, ‘love him!’
“Okay, so why did I wager $14,000?” he began. “The short answer is I did the math wrong.

He revealed that he lost sleep thinking about his mistake following the show’s taping.

“I spent the weeks after the taping seeing the bad math in my sleep. I remembered basically nothing about most of the games last week, but EVERYTHING about this game.

“This was bound to happen— I barely survived yesterday and I was just really, really tired.”

He concluded his post by saying that the experience was enjoyable nonetheless, and he’s grateful for the support he’s received.

GAME SHOW BUFF

Though Isaac may have lost his streak on the hit game show Jeopardy! fans will see him take the podium once more during the 2025 Tournament of Champions.

Jeopardy! Universe

Jeopardy! first aired in 1964 until 1975. Then the nighttime version began in 1974. Since then, spinoffs of the game show have emerged. Here are all of those

Jeopardy! – (primetime) 1974 to present, weekdays on ABC at 7pm

Tournament of Champions – 1984 to present, features the top champions who have appeared on the show since the last tournament

Celebrity Jeopardy! – 1992 to present, has celebrities comepete against each other to raise money for chairty

Jeopardy! Masters – 2023 to present, features six notable recent Jeopardy! champions competing against each other

Jeopardy! National College Championship – 2022 to present, undergraduates from 36 colleges and universities across America compete to win $100,000

Other versions of Jeopardy! have fizzled out throughout the years

In fact, Isaac is no stranger to game shows.

He began his trivia journey in 2017 when he appeared on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? taking home $5,000.

In 2023, Isaac was also on ABC’s The Chase where he won a whopping $140,000.

His love for game shows began with his father, as he also was a contestant on Jeopardy! three decades ago.

“My dad was on Jeopardy! in the ’80s and one of the first years Alex hosted, and he lost,” Isaac shared.

While he also lost on Jeopardy!, Isaac has a chance to redeem himself during the Tournament of Champions.

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Jeopardy!’s Isaac Hirsch will hit the podium again during the 2025 Tournament of ChampionsCredit: ABC/Jeopardy

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In 2023, Isaac won $140,000 on ABC’s The ChaseCredit: ABC/Jeopardy