'Jeopardy' Player's Daily Double Strategy Backfires

In a recent season 41 episode of Jeopardy!, a contestant seemed to develop a strategy when dealing with Daily Doubles. While this seemed to give the contestant an advantage, it failed to win the game in the end. However, the eventual winner would soon face a loss themselves.

The Game Proved To Be A Close One

During the past Wednesday episode, viewers saw the return of Ryan Manton on his third consecutive game. He competed against software developer Erin Ward and ER doctor Scott Tcheng. As the game went on, however, it seemed like the Daily Doubles would determine the winner of the day.

During the first such challenge, the Daily Double went to Manton, though we only wagered, and won, $1,000. By the end of the first round, the game was close with Manton and Tcheng tied at $5,800, with Ward at a close $3,600.

Ken Jennings on Jeopardy! – YouTube

However, Tcheng seemed to have the advantage when it came to Double Jeopardy. As Collider noted, Tcheng seemed to develop a strategy: sticking to the lower-value questions. This potentially helped him avoid the Daily Doubles, which are usually reserved for the higher ranking questions. In the end, it was Manton who received the final Daily Double.

However, the Final Jeopardy would determine who would win the game. The category was “Science” and the clue read: “Physicist John Wheeler said he coined this term as a faster way to say ‘completely collapsed objects.’” Manton and Tcheng both gave the correct response, which was a “black hole.” However, Manton’s wager won him the game.

What A Difference A Dollar Makes

That said, it was close, with $23,601 being merely a dollar more than Tcheng’s $23,600. For her part, Ward ended the game with $800. The game would mark Manton’s third consecutive win on the show.

Fans took to Reddit to discuss the game. Some suspected that Tcheng was trying to play it safe with the Daily Doubles. As one user wrote, “Scott had Ryan on the ropes, but I was utterly baffled by the fact that he seemed to be actively avoiding uncovering DD3, when all he had to do guarantee he’d have the lead going into FJ is keep that last DD away from Ryan– find it and wager $5 if you want! But instead, Scott kept picking from the top row, allowing Ryan to find the last DD and take back the lead, and ultimately win the game. Unbelievable.”

As previously reported, many fans were taking Manton’s winning streak as a sign we would win five games in a row and qualify for the Tournament of Champions. However, after a four-day winning streak, Manton would eventually lose his fifth game on the show.

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