‘Jeopardy!’ Champ Claims Shocking Advantage Helped Him Win
There is a new Jeopardy! champion. It was a shocking turn of events, as the departing champion was on a great run. Alex DeFrank was not only a strong champion, but he answered questions at a rate similar to the past grand champions. However, when talking about his upset win, Cameron Berry explained he had an advantage the show offered him.
Here is why Cameron said he beat Alex and how it was all thanks to an advantage set up by the game show.
Jeopardy! Has New Champion In Upset Win
Alex DeFrank was on an incredible win streak on Jeopardy! He had won four games in a row with runaway wins. His opponents had no chance, and he had won $102,400 in those four games. He proved more than impressive in his wins, and it seemed his run would continue for a long time. Then, in his fifth game, it ended.
In that fifth game, Alex took on Cameron Berry, a data analyst and college administrator from Massachusetts, and Hillary Hess, an export policy analyst from Virginia. Alex was off on his game for some reason. He was not buzzing in as much. This comes after he got 75% of his questions right in the last four games.
He spent the entire game in third place. By the time it ended, Alex was in second place, losing to Cameron, who finished with over $24,000. The Final Jeopardy! question was in the category of “U.S. Cities.” The clue was: “Named for a 1775 battle, this city contains the graves of John Breckinridge & Henry Clay.”
Heading into the question, Cameron had $28,600, Alex had $4,000, and Hilary had $7,500. Cameron had the game won before anyone answered a question. Alex guessed, “What is Lexington?” He wagered everything and was right, moving up to $8,000. Hilary didn’t know the answer and wagered everything, dropping to zero.
Cameron also didn’t know, guessing, “What is Charleston.” He only wagered $4,000 and dropped to $24,600 to win the game. “That’s not bad for a half hour of work,” Ken Jennings quipped.
Jeopardy! Scheduling Said To Be Behind Champion Change
According to one insider who attended this Jeopardy! taping, Cameron said his win was lucky, thanks to the production schedule. It turns out that while these shows air each day of the week, they are filmed throughout the day in batches.
It turns out that Alex won his first game in the morning. He then had to play in four more games throughout the day. The first four big wins were back-to-back-to-back-to-back games on the same day. He lost the final recorded game of the day (via The U.S. Sun).
Alex had to play five games in a row on the same day, which means his entire winning streak was only in one day of filming. By the time the day ended, he was out – despite winning four in a row.
Cameron, meanwhile, sat backstage the entire day watching the games and Alex’s winning streak. “All day, I was studying Alex’s buzzer pace,” Cameron said. Alex was clearly tired in that final fifth game of the day.
What are your thoughts on Alex DeFrank having to play five games in a row on the same day, with his first win coming that morning? Does it seem fair when this is the luck of the draw? Let us know in the comments below.
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