The Final Jeopardy round is the climax of America’s favorite game show. It’s arguably the most exciting and suspenseful moment of the show, and that’s because the stakes are so high. Monday’s Final Jeopardy question was a rare triple problem, meaning no contestant answered it correctly in time. However, one contestant arguably suffered a worse fate than his competitors, writing the correct answer a few seconds too late.
On Monday, Vermont native Jake DeArruda returned for his second game, playing attorney Sam Meehan and Ph.D. candidate Sara Howard. DeArruda had a generous lead over the others, however everything was momentarily thrown into question once Ken Jennings announced the Final Jeopardy clue.
“Originally related to a story of suffering, this word now more commonly refers to strong emotion of any kind,” Jennings read.
Sometimes the clues in Final Jeopardy refer to something so specific that if you don’t know it, know that you don’t know. However, this was one of those clues that was so vague that it seemed almost applicable to multiple different answers.
For example, Meehan seemed confident in his guess and gambled away all of his winnings. However, while it seems that “drama” almost fit, it was not the correct answer. DeArruda seemed less confident in his answer, betting only $800 on the word “deadly.” That wasn’t the right answer either.
Similarly, Howard initially guessed “intense,” another word that seems semi-appropriate. However, that was not Howard’s final answer. A few seconds before time ran out, Howard crossed out “intense” and wrote “approved.” He told Jennings that he was trying to spell “passion” but only managed to spell the first four letters. He bet $1,999, which brought his score down to just $1.
As Jennings revealed, if Howard had had a bit more time, he would have guessed correctly. The answer was certainly “passion”, referring to that of Jesus Christ. Of course, today “passion” does not necessarily mean suffering, but refers to any strong emotion.
It must be devastating to know that you had the right answer but were only seconds away from being able to share it. If it’s any consolation, he wouldn’t have been able to beat DeArruda anyway since her final score was $25,197 and he only had $2,000 to bet. The delivery dispatcher won three games and appeared to be making the Tournament of Champions roster before an upset loss to Patti Palmer.
However, it was not a complete loss for Howard. When it was all said and done, he still pocketed $1 while Meehan had $0, meaning he still took home second place and his $2,000 prize. Fortunately, fluke didn’t affect his ranking, but we’re sure he still hurts. Here’s hoping she gets invited back by 2023 Danger! Second Chance Tournament!
Categories: Biography
Source: vcmp.edu.vn