HIRSCH HAIL MARY
Jeopardy!’s Isaac Hirsch survives serious scare in 8th win as fans wonder if he’ll be season’s biggest champ
Plus, learn all about the current big winner
JEOPARDY! contestant Issac Hirsch may have run out of '70s-style outfits approved by wardrobe, but he hasn't run out of steam.
On Friday's episode, the Burbank, California champ pulled off his closest win yet for eight victories and second-longest run all season.
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After an all-out runaway last episode, Isaac faced Ashley Weaver from Lakewood, Ohio, and Mike Ferguson from Edmond, Oklahoma.
After the Jeopardy! round, Isaac—his only miss was a $2,600 Daily Double—led with $6,600, Chemistry teacher Mike had $5,800, and Ashley had -$1,000.
Isaac's interview had Ken Jennings buckling over, recalling a "brutal" stand-up comedy gig on a baseball field where his mic didn't work.
But the competition was no joke, as Ken remarked, "Mike's giving the champ a run for his money!"
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'DODGED A BULLET!'
In Double Jeopardy!, Isaac gained $2,500 on the second Daily Double.
Then, Mike found the last Daily Double and doubled up with a gutsy $6,000 play.
This made Final Jeopardy a nail-biter between Isaac, with $21,500, and Mike, who had $17,000.
Ashley was removed with an unfortunate -$2,600, and the category was "Names in Medicine."
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Ken, 50, once again reminded the players, "We've got a tight game."
The clue was, "He got a special presidential citation in 1955, passed away in 1995 & was dubbed "the man who saved the children."
Tensions were palpable as Ken turned to Mike first; he was correct with "Salk" and seized a $1 lead.
A stoic Isaac revealed he was also correct, wagering $12,501 to win $34,001 for a towering eight-day total of $195,389.
Isaac pumped his fist and sighed deeply as Ken closed, "He dodged a bullet!"
'WILL HE CATCH ADRIANA?'
Fans flooded social media, blown away by Isaac's biggest payday yet and how he's only training Adriana Harmeyer in wins this season.
"Isaac ended the week very strong," one Redditor wrote. "He's going to be tough to beat in the TOC, though he seems to be settling into a more conservative DD wagering strategy."
"Ya think he will catch up to Adrianna's track record of 15 wins?" wondered another.
"Mike has an excellent shot at making Second Chance after his performance today," wrote a third.
"Isaac's incorrect response per game average rate could be his downfall at some point," speculated a fourth.
Other fans predicted that Isaac may now be the frontrunner for the next Tournament of Champions, given how well he's playing.
So far, the other qualifiers for the next Tournament of Champions are Survivor alum Drew Basile (7 wins), Adriana (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 also likely join in.
Isaac will go for his ninth win on Monday's episode as he inches closer to setting the record for the longest run all year.
Learn all about Isaac and what he's shared on and off camera below:
'PRETTY LOW CONFIDENCE'
Isaac arrived on last Wednesday's episode and has stayed winning since.
In a July 5 Instagram post, Isaac opened up about his run and shared that he was a local alternate.
Being an alternate means you only get to play if a scheduled player suddenly drops out and he was on the sidelines for over a day.
“I went into this with actually pretty low confidence — as a local alternate, I watched seven games get filmed before I taped, and found myself doing terribly in the green room and having trouble with the buzzer in rehearsal,” he shared on Instagram.
“But at this point, I have kind of figured the buzzer out and they’re asking about things I’ve heard of, which is very nice of them.”
In his most recent July 10 Instagram post, Isaac celebrated making the ToC and was candid about sudden TV fame's difficulties.
"I'm just trying to enjoy the whole experience of this while I can. I appreciate everyone’s kind words— just putting yourself out there to be perceived by the world can be a nerve-wracking thing, so I’m really glad folks have been very nice for the most part."
FINAL JOE-PARDY
Isaac's seventh win on Thursday marked his fourth runaway victory, though many viewers didn't get to watch the whole thing.
The broadcast was cut off before host Ken announced the Final Jeopardy! category.
Following his triumph, Isaac posted a hilarious statement about the interruption on X, formerly Twitter.
"I don’t want to get too political but I think it was pretty rude for President Biden to preempt Jeopardy for a press conference," he posted.
He added jokingly that Biden said, "'I must be stopped' as Jeopardy champion and that he would 'shave (my) mustache off' with his bare hands."
FINE WITH FASHION 'HATERS'
Isaac has also notably turned heads with his flashy wardrobe choices that give '70s menswear.
"That current champion looks like a 70s p*rn star," one Facebook user recently snarked.
"I’m guessing Isaac hit Studio 54 after that show’s taping," mocked another.
“The Internet is divided on my love of 70s menswear," Isaac wrote in his July 5 post. "Good news for the haters: I am almost out of vintage shirts approved by wardrobe, so if I keep winning, the fits are going to get a lot more subdued,” he joked.
One X user noticed that Isaac has indeed toned down his vintage outfits for his recent games.
"Isaac did you not pack enough fun shirts and now they’re sticking you with the show’s more restrained options?" they asked.
Isaac explained he's now out of "fun" shirts approved by wardrobe.
"All my other fun shirts didn’t pass Jeopardy’s camera test so now we’re on to my 'job interview' shirts," Isaac explained.
KING OF Q&A STORIES
Meanwhile, Isaac has won over fans with his hilarious on-stage stories during his run - no surprise since he's also a stand-up comic.
During his fourth win, he recalled a recent fitness journey that left his figure "exactly the same" after "bulking up and gaining 30 pounds."
During his third win, he shared that not himself but his car had a cameo on the TV show Brooklyn 99.
During win two, he drew laughs by recalling how he "ironically" was crowned high school homecoming king.
"Protect Isaac at all costs how is he so effortlessly funny," another Instagram user recently praised.
"I don't recall any contestant having such a run of funny and/or charming anecdotes."
That said, Isaac's gameplay speaks for itself. He's gone 226 correct, 35 incorrect on clues overall, 11/15 on Daily Doubles, and 6/8 on Final Jeopardy- all excellent stats.
AVENGING HIS FATHER
Isaac came in hot during his first win with a Q&A story revealing that his dad appeared on Jeopardy! - and lost - 30 years ago.
“My dad was on Jeopardy! in the ’80s and one of the first years Alex hosted, and he lost,” said Isaac.
“I used to tease him about it as a kid. Like Weird Al’s ‘I Lost On Jeopardy!,” being like, ‘It’s about you, Dad!'”
Ken burst out laughing as Isaac concluded, "So today, we get to find out how real karma is."
Jeopardy! shared an Instagram video of the story, and Isaac's dad, Steven, buzzed into the comments section, demanding a second chance.
“If Ken Jennings is going to keep mentioning that I lost on Jeopardy, I want another chance! Bring me back for another shot at winning!," Steve wrote.
HIS GAME SHOW HISTORY
Isaac is also no stranger to the game show circuit, aside from the stand-up comedy circuit.
In 2023, he won $140,000 on the ABC game show The Chase, defeating Chaser and nine-day Jeopardy! champion Buzzy Cohen.
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In 2017, Isaac also appeared on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?, winning $5,000 after botching the $20,000 question (which is his cover photo on X).
Jeopardy! airs at 7 pm ET - check your local listings.
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