JEOPARDY! fans are ripping the show for being “inconsistent” after uncovering “proof” of more lax rules in the past.
The drama comes after champion Megan Wachspress’ fourth victory was called a fluke and fans claimed she “robbed” competitor Sadie.
During final Jeopardy, Megan emerged victorious over Sadie after host Mayim Bialik determined that while she’d been in the process of writing the correct answer, she didn’t finish.
The win was controversial, with fans sounding off so much online that Megan finally made a statement of her own on Twitter.
The controversy continued online days after the fact, with fans noting various examples of similar situations in the past.
On Reddit, a user shared a screengrab of a past Jeopardy answer that was partially written and accepted.
More on Jeopardy!
On Reddit, a Jeopardy! fan shared a screen grab of a contestant who appeared to answer a question with: “Who is John Denve,” leaving the “r” off John Denver.
The post drew many comments from fans who were already up in arms about the situation.
One responded: “I commented on another thread, there is SOMETHING after the ‘V’ here, and the producers have a live view of what is being written. It’s possible they saw her write the ‘e’ and ‘r’ of Denver, but the pen made it overlap. That’s the only evaluation I can offer that would make this acceptable in my view under the usual rule that you have to have the complete answer there.”
Another fan replied: “I can see Denver here,” and then referenced another mishap.
Amid the drama, Megan shocked fans by surfacing online to share her perspective.
WINNER WEIGHS IN
Over the weekend, Megan tweeted: “It’s probably inappropriate for me to say anything about the judges’ call in FJ yesterday (you can see my immediate reaction on the tape).
“But will say I’d love to see Sadie compete again (if she wants to!).
“She is a formidable and gracious player with impressive knowledge.”
The winner added: “Plus it’d be cool to hear more about her fascinating family history. #bringbackSadie”
One fan responded: “That was peculiar the way the game ended!”
Another said: “Appreciate your weighing in, @MegOnJeopardy. This takes guts and courage – appropriateness be darned.”
A third wrote: “It’s difficult for both of you. Tough win/loss.”
Jeopardy! producers haven’t addressed the issue, however.
FINAL ANSWER?
Final Jeopardy! clue: “Congratulating her on the 1869 release of her biography, Frederick Douglass wrote, ‘I have wrought in the day- you in the night.”
After a short time, contestant Molly Fleming correctly answered, “Who is Harriet Tubman,” adding $3,200 to her winnings for a total of $6,500.
Champ Megan answered correctly as well to increase her final game total to $17,199.
Contestant Sadie also appeared to have the same answer in mind, however, it seemed she didn’t write it out in full.
Mayim- who is currently sharing hosting duties with Ken Jennings– said: “It looks like you were going for ‘Harriet Tubman’ but you did not finish, so unfortunately that is not going to be acceptable.”
Sadie nodded in agreement but seemed to look disappointed in the results.
She ended up wagering $7,500, which would have given her a grand total of 17,300 if her answer was accepted, which would have made her the new champ over Megan.
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Megan has won four days in a row after first beating out six-day champ Eric Ahasic by just two dollars.
Eric, a meteorologist, had been dominating the competition for more than a week before being taken down by Megan.
