JEOPARDY! contestant Bryan White was left with "tragedy" instead of the win by being the only player to falter on Friday’s final clue.
Following the intensely close game, Bryan shared his thoughts on the regrettable misstep online.
4
4
The California regulatory compliance agent faced Washington D.C.'s Rachel Clark and Illinois English teacher Erin Portman.
The Season 39 Champions Wildcard quarterfinal game started lightheartedly, with Erin recanting an amusing bathroom encounter with Jane Goodall and Bryan's Waldorf Astoria dinner-turned-payment plan.
Then, Erin took the lead with a True Daily Double on "Colonial Williamsburg," marching into Double Jeopardy! with $8600, Rachel at $5,400, and Bryan at $1,800.
Double Jeopardy! saw winning moments for everyone, but the tension peaked with the last Daily Double.
Read more on Jeopardy!
Erin, hot off identifying a "Throuple," wagered $5000 under "Famous Forgeries" but stumbled on Howard Hughes.
Ken Jennings noted the "close game!" as they entered Final Jeopardy!, with Bryan at $12,200, Erin at $11,200, and Rachel at $10,000.
The final challenge, under "AMERICAN ARTISTS," proved decisive. Bryan looked visibly unsure as the Think Music played.
While his rivals got "Calder," he missed the mark, and Erin's correct response earned her $9,000, securing her win at $20,200.
Most read in Entertainment
Despite fans applauding the excellent game, some noted that Final Jeopardy! seemed "straightforward."
'IT WAS IN MY PHONE'
Bryan, who would have won if correct, revealed his frustration on Reddit, sharing he even had Calder in his phone notes "to review."
He wrote: "I hesitate to call it a tragedy, but I had identified Calder as someone I should know.
"I had his name and that he invented mobiles in the note on my phone to which I kept adding items to review before the show."
He continued: "In my original run, I got a Daily Double that was asking what the capital of Sudan was, and that was something else I had specifically reviewed before the show but knew I had a hard time with and wasn’t going to pull.
"In both cases, I felt a drop in my stomach of the feeling that 'you knew you needed to know that.' Ah well.
"Khartoum and Calder, a couple things I won’t forget again!"
One fan told Bryan to hold his head up high: "Congrats on the close, competitive game!"
Another wrote: "No idea how far Erin's gonna go, but she feels like a sleeper contestant.
A third wrote: "This was the closest CWC match yet, so congrats to everyone for a well-played game!"
TOURNAMENT OF CHAMPIONS APPROACHES
Jeopardy!'s Season 40 is now in its three-tiered annual post-season, intended to kick off the milestone season before Hollywood strikes scrambled plans.
First, there was Season 39 Second Chance, and now Season 39 Wildcard, featuring 54 players - one and two-day winners from last season and the four Second Chance winners.
So far, the semifinalists include Martha Bath (who initially competed under OG host Art Fleming in 1972) and sudden sensation Juveria Zaheer.
There will be two winners, each nabbing $100,000 and a Tournament of Champions ticket.
Then, act three, the 2024 Tournament of Champions will finally premiere on February 23.
There, the big guns like 21-day champ Cris Pannullo, 13-day champ Ray Lalonde, and fan favorites Ben Chan and Wilson await.
With regular episodes of new players not returning in April 2024. some fans are vowing to boycott: "It's gotten out of hand."
But others are getting excited as the 2024 ToC is shaping up to be one for the books.
In a major twist, all three-time champions from Season 39 are also competing, including the infamous Yogesh Raut and the "annoying" Jake DeArruda (the tournament is usually for four-day-plus winners).
Twenty-seven slots will make the 2024 ToC the largest contestant field ever.
The winner nabs $250,000 and joins a short list that includes Amy Schneider and James Holzhauer.
They also get invited to the next Jeopardy Masters, so fortune and perhaps even TV fame are on the board.
Read More on The US Sun
Meanwhile, former champ Ken is now the sole host of Jeopardy! after Mayim Bialik was fired in December.
But Ken got help from Buzzy Cohen, who hosted audio-only play-in games to whittle down the field for Wildcard in a surprising update.
4
4
