ZERO SENSE
Jeopardy! producers question contestant’s ‘thought process’ after losing to champ Amar Kakirde in baffling way
Viewers called it the worst wager in Jeopardy! history
JEOPARDY! higher-ups have addressed a widely-talked-about game in which a contestant lost solely because of a Final Jeopardy wager that seemed to lack any strategy.
Liz Capouch faced Brendan Gilfillan and Amar Kakirde, who wound up amassing four wins and $55,899 total.
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On Thursday, May 23, an episode of Jeopardy! featured Amar notching his second win in a way that fans called "lucky."
He went into Final Jeopardy! with $9,200, while Liz had $3,000 and Brendan had $5,200.
The "Artwork" clue read, "Rembrandt's only seascape is set here, where the main figure once said, "Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith?'"
Only Liz was correct with "Sea of Galilee?" but she elicited gasps when she revealed she wagered $0.
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Since she was the only player correct, her $0 wager was the only reason she didn't win.
She would have been the new champion if she had just done what was expected: bet more than Amar's standard cover bet.
Not only that, but she would not have won with a $0 bet in any instance in this scenario.
Fans were stunned by the inexplicable wager and even producers chimed in to say they were clueless as well.
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'THAT FINAL JEOPARDY! WAGER'
On the latest episode of Inside Jeopardy!, producer Sarah Foss and former champion Buzzy Cohen discussed the game.
Foss mentioned how a “zero-dollar wager from Liz handed Amar his second win."
Buzzy chimed in to say, “This a tight game and there’s a lot of interesting things happening with that Final Jeopardy wager from Liz. I’d love to talk about it with you guys."
“She knows that Umar has to bet to cover her," he continued.
"What I'm wondering is why she didn't at least bet to beat his loss, the negative one. Why didn't she bet at least $3,000?
“This is one of those things I will never begin to judge because I'm sitting in my nice, comfortable position far from this," Foss added.
"But so many times I see the wagers come in and I just think, 'Hmm I wonder what the thought process was there?'
"I'm sure Liz is thinking the same thing."
Buzzy defended that fans have become more critical of wagering strategy —or, in this case, the lack thereof — since his own run in 2016.
"One thing I've gotten smarter about is the wagering technique since I've been on the show.
"The first time I was on the show was a lot of vibes, I was just betting on vibes!" he said.
'WORST WAGER IN HISTORY?'
When the episode aired, fans were not shy in sharing their thoughts on the inexplicable $0 wager in this instance.
"Smart people making bad wagers episode 312," one social media user quipped.
"Huge betting mistake," wrote another.
"Maybe the worst wager in Jeopardy history. I can't even begin to imagine what she was thinking," wrote a third.
A fourth wrote, "Wowzers, this episode once again points out the importance of wagering strategy.
"I can't begin to figure out what Liz was thinking with that wager as it didn't even cover a double up bet from Brendan, let alone get her to a point of being able to win against the bet Amar would (and did) make to cover her double up."
A fifth wrote, "Remarkably bad wager. That must sting knowing that you lost not because you got it wrong, but because you wagered incorrectly."
WHAT IS: IRONY?
Amar faced defeat on May 28's episode, and fans pointed out that it came from a wonky wager on his behalf.
In Final Jeopardy! challenger Steve Miller was in first place with $15,400, Amar in second with $14,200, and challenger Abby Mann in third with $8,200.
While no one got the "Darwin" clue correct, Amar bet almost all of his earnings except $1.
With the safest bet of the three, Abby became the new champion with $5,200.
Fans quickly pointed out the irony of Amar losing by over-wagering after what happened to Liz in his second game.
"Hard to believe a four-time champ would make such a glaring wagering error in FJ. If Amar had bet the standard cover of $1,201 he'd be a five-game winner and a ToC lock," one fan wrote on Reddit.
"Kinda fitting considering he won his second game because of the second place player making a big under-bet. It's like poetry, it rhymes," joked another.
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Amar came away with one of the lowest four-day totals in Jeopardy! history, though his $55,899 total is not the all-time record low.
That dubious record goes to Ben Goldstein who racked up just $49,298 in five wins in 2023.
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