‘Jeopardy!’ Champion Accused Of ‘Poor Strategy’ In Loss

Jeopardy | YouTube

When fans find a Jeopardy! champion they like, they want them around for a long time. That happened with Stephanie Asalone, a former 401(k) processor from St. Marys, Pennsylvania. She won and fans immediately gravitated to her and wanted to see her continue on.

However, Stephanie’s run ended quickly, and fans felt that she played with a poor strategy in the game she lost. Here is what fans said about her gameplay when she went home.

What Caused Stephanie Asalone To Lose On Jeopardy!?

Stephanie Asalone didn’t win big when she became a Jeopardy! champion. She had a one-day total of $14,100 and wanted to build on it in her second game. She played against Kristen Moreland, a school administrator from Brooklyn, New York, and Paul Clauson, a tax analyst from Madison Heights, Michigan.

Jeopardy! | YouTube
Jeopardy! | YouTube

Stephanie was playing well early on; she had $3,200 at the first break and was in first place. However, Stephanie then began to choose the top-row clues with smaller monetary value and easier clues. She got them right but wasn’t building up much winnings.

It also meant she missed out on the Daily Doubles. When Paul got his chance, he chose higher-value clues and began to move past her quickly. When it was time to play Final Jeopardy!, Paul had $15,600, and Stephanie only had $7,600. Kristen was behind her with $6,400.

The Final Jeopardy! clue was “20th CENTURY TRANSPORTATION.” The clue was, “A 1947 article read, its ‘wings were not clipped by the Senate fishermen & ghost hunters after all.’”

Stephanie Lost While Final Jeopardy! Ended In A Triple Stumper

None of the players got the answer correct in Final Jeopardy! and it was a triple stumper. The answer was, “What is Spruce Goose?” Paul only bid $399 and finished with $15,201. Stephanie bid almost everything and finished with only $11. Stephanie went from last to second and finished with $2,000.

Fans couldn’t believe how Stephanie was playing in her defense of the crown. They took to social media to question her picks from the board and her overall gameplay that caused her to lose so horribly (via The U.S. Sun):

  • “Stephanie’s fatal flaw, as she today chose almost exclusively top row clues, seemed to be clearly avoiding DDs, but also avoided the high value bottom row clues completely.”
  • “That was a rough final Jeopardy, the total definition of a you know if or you don’t clue, there was no way to suss that out otherwise”
  • “It goes to show that even if you know most of the answers, you can lose on poor strategy alone. “

Are you surprised at Stephanie Asalone’s strategy in the game where she finally lost? Were you a fan of her during her Jeopardy! run? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

Shawn Lealos
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