ISAAC ON THE PRIZE
Jeopardy! newbie with vast game show resume causes Ken Jennings to go off-script over big 2nd win
Plus, how he's avenging his father by winning Jeopardy!
JEOPARDY! contestant Isaac Hirsch earned instant attention from fans and even host Ken Jennings after a fiery July Fourth victory.
The Burbank, California customer support worker, no stranger to the game show circuit, faced Josh Martin and Christine Roberts.
8
8
Jeopardy! fans have been waiting with bated breath for a multi-day winner this week after a string of one-day champions.
After a promising $19,185 debut (Bridalveil ruling aside), viewers who took a break from their BBQs saw Isaac turn up the heat on Thursday night.
During the Jeopardy! round, the champ, in a flashy camo button-up, hit a setback on the first Daily Double, losing his entire $3,200.
During the interviews, he got laughs by revealing he was "ironically" voted homecoming and prom king in high school, while Christine (who appeared to be sitting in a chair) spoke Basque.
Read more on Jeopardy!
After the break, Isaac, unfazed by the earlier miss, quickly recovered to second place with $3,400, while Christine had $2,000, and Josh led with $4,200.
In Double Jeopardy!, Isaac kicked into high gear, securing a $3,000 Daily Double with "Red Sea Scrolls."
'PRETTY GOOD!'
Just two clues later, Josh found the last Daily Double, and Ken, 50, warned, "Isaac's running away with this one."
Josh bet a gutsy $5,000 and correctly answered "Guam," making it a much tighter game.
Most read in Game shows
By Final Jeopardy!, Isaac led with $21,200, Josh had $14,400, and Christine had $6,400 - leaving the game open for the top two.
The TECH TALK clue was, "In 1992, Jean Polly told new web users to do this & later explained they 'need some skill … never know if there are going to be sharks.'"
Isaac and Josh correctly answered, "Surfing the web," and Isaac added $7,601 to win $28,801, bringing his two-day total to $47,986.
Ken noted this was a high total for a single game when Isaac's earnings were displayed.
"Wow, pretty good payday!" the host remarked, and Isaac smirked in pride.
'KEEP GOING!'
Viewers took to social media, impressed by the near-$30,000 win, especially after a big Daily Double miss.
"Yass! And he had another great anecdote. Keep going. Go for five!" one Redditor urged.
"I won't mind if Isaac sticks around for a while," wrote another. He's a very smart, fun guy. A strong showing by Isaac."
"Isaac knows his stuff!" wrote a third on Facebook.
"He will make his father proud," wrote a fourth.
"Finally a two-day champion this week!" rejoiced a fifth.
NO STRANGER TO COMPETITION
His two-day streak comes just shy of a week after 7-day champ and Survivor alum Drew Basile was outplayed.
Gameplay-wise, Isaac has gone 55 correct and eight incorrect on clues.
However, like Drew, he's also previously competed on other TV shows, though he hasn't revealed as much on stage just yet.
Isaac won $140,000 on the ABC game show The Chase in 2023, defeating Chaser and nine-day Jeopardy! champion Buzzy Cohen.
Fans were stunned that Isaac and his team outsmarted Buzzy on the sister trivia show.
"Wow. This was a really embarrassing loss by Buzzy. #TheChase," one X user wrote at the time.
Isaac was also a contestant on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? in 2017, winning $5,000 after incorrectly answering the $20,000 question.
8
8
8
8
MAKING HIS FATHER PROUD
Isaac shared a story about being a second-generation Jeopardy! contestant during his first win on Wednesday night.
Isaac's father, Steve Hirsch, was a contestant during Season 2 of the game show in 1985 - and lost.
"My dad was on Jeopardy! in the '80s - one of the first years Alex [Trebek] hosted, and he lost," Isaac recalled.
"Ooh," Ken replied. "And we used to tease him about it all the time as a kid," Isaac continued.
"I play him Weird Al's 'I Lost on Jeopardy!' [and say] 'it's about you, dad!'"
Ken burst out laughing as Isaac concluded, "So today, we get to find out how real karma is."
Isaac will go for win number three on Friday, inching closer to joining the next Tournament of Champions in 2025.
The other qualifiers for the next Tournament of Champions are Drew, Adriana Harmeyer (15 wins), Alison Betts (5 wins) and Dr. Amy Hummel (5 wins) and Celebrity Jeopardy!'s Lisa Ann Walter.
With four wins, Grant DeYoung and Amar Kakirde will likely join in as well.
Read More on The US Sun
Season 40 ends on July 27, 2024, before summer reruns take hold until September 7, 2024.
Jeopardy! airs at 7 p.m. ET - check your local listings.
8
!['I play him Weird Al's 'I Lost on Jeopardy!' [and say] 'it's about you, dad!' he told an amused Ken Jennings](https://cdn.statically.io/img/www.the-sun.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2024/07/newbie-vast-game-show-resume-914740762.jpg)
8