JEOPARDY! fans have been left stunned after champ Elliott Kim’s brutal performance including head-turning mistakes.
Elliot, a television editor and the one-day champion entering Tuesday’s competition, began the game with total earned winnings of $24,400.
ABCJeopardy! fans were left shocked after champ Elliott Kim got destroyed[/caption]
ABCKate Campolieta took a commanding lead to start the game causing Elliott to bet big in an attempt to retake the lead[/caption]
Elliot’s competitors for this outing of Jeopardy! included Chuck Beem, an HRIS analyst, and Kate Campolieta, a corporate communications specialist.
Kate took a commanding lead to start the game with a total of $5,200 heading toward the first break.
Elliot wasn’t too far behind with $2,200 when picked the category “Where’s My Food” for $800 and was given the opportunity to answer the Daily Double question.
Host Ken Jennings, 49, reminded Elliot that he had a “$3000 deficit to deal with.”
The current champ wagered $1,500 and was presented with the answer: “This dessert of sponge cake, ice cream & meringue that’s finished in the oven was created to honor an 1867 land purchase.”
Elliot incorrectly guessed: “What is a Baked Alaskan?”
Ken responded: “Oh, I’m sorry Elliot you were so close but you added the ‘N’ there. It’s a Baked Alaska.”
The champ was then deducted $1,500, leaving him with $700.
On a Jeopardy! dedicated Reddit board, Elliot explained: “Ken first ruled it correct but immediately caught himself and threw it to the judges.
“There was a ten-minute stoppage where we had to face away from the stage while the judges furiously researched. Unfortunately for me, they couldn’t find ‘Baked Alaskan’ as an accepted variation in any of their sources.”
Later, after Elliot was starting to regain some momentum, he had the rug pulled out from underneath him when he incorrectly responded to the clue worth $1,600.
The champ replied to the prompt: “George Plimpton takes out an insurance policy against death & dismemberment in this 1966 book.”
Elliot answered: “What is Paper Lions?”
His response was deemed incorrect and his total went from $1500 to a negative $100.
Kate then quickly buzzed in and answered: “What is Paper Lion,” without the “S” and was awarded the $1,600.
Elliot ended the game with $294 while Kate became the new Jeopardy! champ with total winnings of $11,513.
On the Reddit board, Elliot wrote to his fellow competitor: “Hey Chuck, great playing against you and Kate! I wish I had stuck around to say a proper goodbye to the group.”
KEN’S RETURN
Elliot became Jeopardy! champ just a day earlier when host Ken returned on Monday to replace Mayim Bialik at the podium.
Heading into the week, champ Ilena Del Toro was back to defend her surprise victory.
But Elliott, from Los Angeles, California, gave her a literal run for her money.
Maybe being so far behind for so much of the game got to Ilena, as when she made a simple mathematical mistake, Ken, 49, took the chance to sarcastically snap at her.
Under the category No Cap in Double Jeopardy!, the top line, $400 clue was: “There’s no upper age limit for U.S. President; Some want one set at this age that Joe Biden blew past in 2012.”
The year 2012, more than a decade ago, was the key to the question. President Biden right now is 80 years old, so the correct response, when considering 2012, would be 70.
However Ilena guessed: “What is 80.”
“No I’m sorry,” Ken snarkily shot back with a smirk. “The president’s not in his early 90’s yet.”
Ken then gave the correct response: “What is 70.”
STAR TREBEK
In a Reddit chat room, fans felt sympathy for the incorrect response.
“I think Ilena momentarily forgot the ‘in 2012’ part of the clue,
one person commented at the time. “But Ken’s snarky response made me chuckle.”
Another defended: “Being in the top box, anyone’s first response when they see ‘age limit’ + Biden will be 80. I had to rewind to see the writers had snuck that ‘2012’ in there.”
“I loved that. Felt very Trebekish, in a genuine way. Chiding contestants for making mistakes without being cruel is a tough balance to strike, and Ken’s finding it,” one said referring to late host Alex Trebek.
In the end, it didn’t matter, as Elliot entered Final Jeopardy! with an insurmountable lead of $27,200.
Second place Sarah Daily had $4,000 while champ Ilena was doomed with just $3,200.
No one had the correct answer for Final Jeopardy!, and Elliot ended up taking the crown with a total of $24,000.
ABCElliot revealed that host Ken Jennings first ruled on of his seemingly wrong ‘answers correct but immediately caught himself and threw it to the judges’[/caption]
ABCElliot was starting to regain some momentum until he incorrectly responded to the clue worth $1,600[/caption]
ABC‘Hey Chuck, great playing against you and Kate! I wish I had stuck around to say a proper goodbye to the group’ the losing player shared on Reddit[/caption]
