‘Jeopardy!’ Player Speaks Out After Misreading Final Question

Jeopardy! once again came down to the final question as five-day champion Josh Weikert returned for his sixth game. His five-day cash winnings total $80,202. One of his opponents spoke out after getting the final question wrong, causing them to lose the game.

Weikert, from Collegeville, Pennsylvania, faced off against Revell Carr, from Lexington, Kentucky, and Mike Budzinski, from Chicago, Illinois, on Friday, March 28.

The game did not start off well as both Weikert, a politics professor, and Budzinski incorrectly answered an $800 question. Carr didn’t try to answer, remaining at $0. However, Weikert correctly answered a question about his city’s football team, the Philadelphia Eagles, and rose to -$400. He also correctly answered a question about the Phillies on Thursday’s show.

Weikert took the lead when he answered questions about geography and angels correctly. Carr, a professor, gave Weikert a run for his money when he found the first Daily Double of the game. With $2,200 in his bank, only $200 away from Weikert, he wagered $1,200. The clue read, “The 1960s Courreges boot, named for designer Andre, was often worn with this item, leaving lots of leg between it and the boot.” Carr didn’t know the answer and dropped down to $1,000. Host Ken Jennings told him the answer was a miniskirt.

It was then a battle between Weikert and Budzinski, a portfolio manager, as they traded leading back and forth after answering questions. By the end of the round, Budzinski was back on top with $4,000. Weikert wasn’t too far behind with $3,600. Carr was in third with $2,000.

In Double Jeopardy, Weikert found the first DD of the round. With $10,000 in his bank, he wagered $2,000. The clue read, “Henry Purcell’s opera, The Fairy Queen, isn’t based on Edmund Spenser’s poem but on this Shakespeare play.” Weikert answered correctly with “What is A Midsummer’s Night Dream?” raising his bank to $12,000.

He found the second DD of the round as well. Weikert wagered $2,000 once again. The clue read, “Financial advisors tell clients to do this, spread investments in order to reduce risk.” “What is diversify?” the Pennsylvania State Rep answered, raising his bank to $14,400.

By the end of the round, Weikert had a huge lead with $21,600. Budzinski was in second with $7,600, and Carr was in last with $1,200. Wagers can make or break someone’s game in Final Jeopardy. The category for the round was “Geographic Neighbors.”

The clue read, “The ‘Hermit Nation’ & ‘The Land of the Morning Calm’ are nicknames for these two neighbors. Carr wrote down “Tibert and Nepal,” but was wrong. He wagered $1,100, leaving him with $100. Budzinksi wrote “Scotland and England,” which was also wrong. He ended the game with $6,600 after wagering $1,000. Weikert answered “Nepal and Bhutan,” which also wasn’t correct. He wagered $1,600, dropping him to $20,000. The correct answer was North Korea and South Korea.

He was the night’s winner and swept the week. His six-day total is $100,202. Weikert will face two new opponents on Monday, March 31.

Budzinski explained his Final Jeopardy answer on Reddit, which caused him to lose the game. “Speaking of Final Jeopardy, I misread the clue. Instead of “Land of the Morning Calm” I heard ‘Land of the Setting Sun’, what I thought was a riff on land of the rising sun. So I looked way west to the other side of Europe/Asia. Plus, Scottish people are kind of hermits, right?” he wrote.

“My time on Jeopardy is done, but I just want to express my immense gratitude for the opportunity. It took me 10 years to get on the show, and I want to wish every Jeopardy hopeful that is reading this the best of luck. My goal is to stay engaged here and offer positivity and encouragement. THIS IS JEOPARDY!”