[Warning: The following contains MAJOR spoilers for the Wednesday, October 4, 2023 episode of Jeopardy!]
It’s not often that a Jeopardy! contestant wagers nothing in Final Jeopardy, but fans witnessed that rarity in the game that aired on Wednesday, October 4. The players were John Bussard, a Marine aviator from Ringoes, New Jersey; Kendra Blanchette, a registered dietician from Elk Grove, California; and Evan Roberts, a chemistry teacher from Louisville, Kentucky. Kendra was in first, John was in second, and Evan was in third for most of the game.
By the time of Final Jeopardy, that was still the case. Kendra went into the final round with $23,200, John with $14,200, and Evan with $6,000. The category was “American Immigrants,” and the clue read: “His 1904 will stipulated that “all the sums hereinbefore specified for prizes shall be used for prizes only.”
John was the only one of the three players to answer the prompt correctly with “Who was Pulitzer?” But he wagered $0. Kendra’s score dropped to $17,999 and Evan’s to $0, leaving John and his $14,200 in second place. Fans took to the Jeopardy! Reddit discussion board to discuss the decision.
One fan noted that wagering $0 can sometimes be a savvy strategic move, but didn’t apply here. “John apparently didn’t realize that a 0 wager from 2nd place only works if you have more than 2/3 of the leader’s score,” they wrote.
“John……….. come on man,” wrote another. “Congrats to Kendra though and I’m so glad she represents the T1Ds out there!”
“Wowzers. Interesting end to the match. I wonder what John was thinking with that FJ wager,” one fan chimed in.
Other viewers noted that John staged an impressive comeback while disagreeing with his final strategy. “If I were John,” one fan wrote, “I would’ve bet everything on that Daily Double.” John had added $6,000 to his score with a Daily Double in round two.
It was a bold move, but not the most logical ones for the circumstances, in fans’ eyes. What did you think of the wager? Let us know in the comments below.
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