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A JEOPARDY! contestant has made a small-change Daily Double wager during a crucial moment on Tuesday’s episode.
Nathan Dennis’ $1356 bet from a close second place mystified internet users to no end.
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Diandra D’Alessio, a technical writer from Montreal, Quebec, Canada, was the one to beat with a two-day total of $15,700.
She faced Nathan, a C-17 loadmaster from Charlotte, North Carolina, and Ilhana Redzovic, an investment associate from Chicago, Illinois.
Nathan revealed he’s tried out three times for Jeopardy! and found the episode’s second Daily Double, looking thrilled to have done so.
A Daily Double allows a contestant to bet however much they want from their existing score.
Viewers who watched the recent Masters contestants go “all in” upon finding them again and again know how crucial the three hidden clues per game can be.
Nathan had $7400 while Ilhana had $8400 and Diandra $2800 at the time.
Host Mayim, 47, reminded Nathan: “You’re $1000 behind Ilhana in second place, how much would you like to wager?”
He replied: “$1356,” to which Mayim chuckled and with a slightly sarcastic-sounding: “Alright, here’s your clue.”
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Under “Cat Breeds” it read: “This place associated with a tiger subspecies is also the name of a beautiful cat breed.”
Nathan was correct with “Bengal,” but his wager didn’t really help him and he was left with $8756 when he could have lept to $14800.
Ilhana became a serious new contender instead and went into Final Jeopardy with a near-runaway at $21,000.
Nathan had $10,756 and Diandra had $7,200.
Final Jeopardy under “Literary Groups” read: “Windermere, Thirlmere & Grasmere are 3 of the sites that helped give a 19th century literary group this name.”
It was a triple-stumper as no one could guess “Lake Poets,” who represented the first generation of English romantic poets.
Ilhana dropped a mere $600, protecting what she’d racked up and becoming a 1-day champion with $20,400.
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‘I DON’T UNDERSTAND’
“Weird bet from Nathan,” one fan put it plainly on Reddit.
“That $1356 Daily Double wager ended up being a huge factor, as he finished just in touching distance of first place heading into Final Jeopardy.
“I wonder where he pulled that number from LOL,” wrote another.
“I feel like he was picking his bet sizing using numbers of personal importance instead of using numbers of strategic importance, chances of winning be damned,” accused a third.
“Very strange bet,” wrote a fourth.
“I don’t understand why someone in second place in what was then a close game wouldn’t wager at least enough to take the lead,” wrote a fifth.
A contestant earlier this season gave up a runaway- or ensured win- by betting $10,000 with a solid lead and just a few clues left on a Daily Double, she wound up losing.
Fans called it one of the “biggest blunders in Jeopardy! history.”
MIXED ON MAYIM
Mayim was chosen to split hosting duties with Ken Jennings, 48, after the tragic passing of Alex Trebek at age 80 in 2020.
Ken’s background as a super-champ shined during the thrilling Jeopardy! Masters special which ended last week and was won by his longtime foe James Holzhauer.
The actress is now finishing out the regular season hosting episodes airing until the summer.
Ken won’t be seen until the 2023 Tournament of Champions which will kick off Season 40 in September.
That is, barring the last week of Season 39 which he is subbing back in to host as Mayim is supporting the WGA writers’ strike.
Not all fans are sold on the two-host model or Mayim’s hosting chops upon her recent return to the syndicated series.
Aside from Ken living and breathing all things Jeopardy! as its winningest contestant, Mayim’s pause when deeming contestants correct or not has become an inflection point.
In the last episode, a contestant added additional information to two of his responses since Mayim took too long to rule on them.
One Reddit user put it: “I’m not posting this to open up any Mayim bashing, but do we know the reason why she pauses so long before confirming an answer is correct?
“Producers need to address this as it is not just annoying, it could affect the outcome of a game.”
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