Danger! Fans split over ‘confusing’ final question as champ Alec Chao stumbles and admits he was ‘under pressure’
DANGER! Fans were divided after a head scratcher from a final question left champion Alec Chao stumped and cost him a win.
Viewers were interested in the returning competitor, a management and program analyst from Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
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During Friday’s episode of Jeopardy! Players Michael Murphy, Tamara Ghattas and Alec faced a difficult round of Final Jeopardy.
In the final phase of the episode, Tamara was the leader with $11,800.
Not far behind was Michael with $7,200 and then Alec with just $7,000.
Host Ken Jennings introduced the topic of Final Jeopardy: Symbols.
Then he revealed the question: “In math, it’s an upside down V; in society, it’s a feeling of some marginalized or underrepresented people.”
Each contestant had 30 seconds to submit their best guess, with Ken, TK, asking Michael for an answer first.
He guessed, “What is subdivision?” and lost $6,601 because he was wrong.
Alec, who moved up to second place with $7,800, guessed, “What is inequality?”
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He bet and lost $4,801, reducing his winnings for the day to $2,999.
Tamara guessed: “What is less than?” which appeared to be the correct answer.
She added $1,801 to her total earnings and walked away with $15,601.
As she celebrated her win, fans flocked to an online forum to discuss the issue.
Many seemed to think the Final Jeopardy question was a bit “tough,” noting that there were arguments that Alec’s answer was correct.
FANS REACT
One commenter wrote: “Wow I’m a little surprised Tamara was the only one who made it [Final Jeopardy]. And while “inequality” could be argued to be correct, it wouldn’t have changed anything as he would still have lost and got [second].”
Another Jeopardy superfan replied, “Personally, I don’t see how anyone could argue that it’s wrong.”
A third fan commented: “Yup Alec’s bet was too small. Wasn’t big enough. But at the same time I understand why ‘inequality’ is not accepted. Because the mathematical symbol of inequality didn’t fit the brief due to the specificity required for the hint (I mean it doesn’t resemble a rotated ‘v’ for one).”
Jeopardy contestant Michael even popped up on the Reddit thread to explain his own wrong answer, saying, “Michael here. I read more into the FJ reference than there was and it was my downfall.
“I knew right away that < is 'less than', but I tried to think of a single word that doesn't come up very often. When my brain got stuck looking for a single word instead of 'less than,' I was screwed and couldn't get out of this hole."
Alec also appeared in the thread and explained his misstep by saying, “Math has never been my forte, especially under pressure. I’m sure some of my former teachers will be screaming in front of the TV tonight!”
CROWN SOMEONE NEW
Alec’s tenure as Jeopardy Champion was short.
He picked up his first win on Thursday’s episode of the show, dethroning returning three-day champion Melissa Klapper.
While fans were happy for Alec, many were a little disappointed as Melissa was just one win away from becoming the first and technically only female candidate to qualify for the 2023 Tournament of Champions.
During the show, the returning Jeopardy competitor met Daisy Donohue, an actress and artist from St. Paul, Minnesota, and Alec.
Melissa is a professor, four-time book author and former ballerina from Merion Station, Pennsylvania.
During her time at Jeopardy, she grossed $59,100.
Considered by many to be a front runner, she looked set to win Double Jeopardy! but she missed both daily doubles and wagered $4,000 each.
Ken called it an “unfortunate” site and briefly felt sorry for the contestant.
After her second miss, Melissa hung her head and the depressed mood in the audience was palpable.
With their confusion, Alec had a runway to victory as he went into the Final Jeopardy with $15,200 compared to Melissa’s meager $6,800 and Daisy’s $4,600.
The Final Jeopardy question under “Movie Theme Songs” read: “Monty Norman, the composer of this character’s theme, said the staccato riff conveyed sexiness, mystery, and ruthlessness.”
Only Alec guessed “James Bond” correctly, adding up a safe $305 and becoming the new winner with $15,505.
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https://www.the-sun.com/entertainment/7714568/jeopardy-confusing-final-question-champ-alec-chao/ Danger! Fans split over ‘confusing’ final question as champ Alec Chao stumbles and admits he was ‘under pressure’