JEOPARDY! contestant Kelly Gates failed to increase her winning streak after fans say she went ‘too small’ with a crucial wager.
The move came as an extra shock to viewers given it was under the “Nonfiction” category – which many would have guessed the librarian would feel confident going big on.
On Monday’s game, returning champ Kelly went up against Tristan Brown, a re-entry employment advocate from Richmond, Virginia and Marcus Ghiringhelli, a record store clerk from Portland, Oregon.
Marcus came out swinging and tried to snag an early lead, when he doubled his total to $2,400 with the first Daily Double.
He also found the second DD clue however, he got it wrong – dropping $2,500 from his score to place him in third.
The third Daily Double clue is where fans predict the game could have taken a turn.
After swapping leads throughout the game, Kelly and Tristan were fighting to take home the win.
Kelly found the third Daily Double clue under the category “Nonfiction”, which should have played well into her literary background.
“The sedge is wither’d from the lake, and no birds sing,” host Ken Jennings read.
She correctly wrote down “What is Silent Spring?” which added $2,500 to her score, making her total $10,100.
Although the move gave her the slight lead over Tristan, who had $9,400 at the time, fans said that Kelly should’ve gone even bigger with her bet given the familiar category.
Going into Final Jeopardy!, Tristan got the lead back with $14,600 with Kelly in second place with $11,300.
Marcus remained in third much of the game and had $5,700 going into the last round.
Ken read the final clue under the category “Italian Words & Phrases.”
“This theme tackled in art by Bellini & Michelangelo isn’t explicitly mentioned in the Bible, but is part of the ‘Seven Sorrows of Mary,’” the host said.
Only Tristan was correct, when he wrote down “What is the Pieta?”
He added $8,100 to his score, to win his first game of $22,700.
Kelly ended the game with $10,800 while Marcus was in third with $3,300.
Fans were quick to point out their surprise at Kelly’s wager on her Daily Double – although it may not have made a different to the ultimate outcome of the game.
Jeopardy! Set Secrets
Jeopardy! fans don’t see everything behind the scenes from watching on TV. These hidden set features make the show run smoothly:
- Each podium has a hidden riser so that all contestants appear to be the same height.
- After each clue is read, signal lights go off around the game board, indicating players can buzz in and respond.
- Buzz in too early, and you’re locked out for .25 seconds.
- The podiums have a small white light in the lower left corner, which tells Ken Jennings who goes next.
- Contrary to popular belief, the player with control doesn’t have a buzzer advantage on the next clue.
- To the game board’s left is a scoreboard so the players can see their opponents’ scores.
- All contestants must bring three outfits to the studio, but only the host and returning champion change for the next episode.
- There are wardrobe rules, including restrictions on busy patterns, solid white, purple (like the background), and logos.
- Five episodes are taped in a single day, and sometimes more.
- The categories, players (aside from the returning champion), and Final Jeopardy! for a tape day are all drawn randomly to ensure fairness.
- Female contestants are asked not to wear makeup, which is applied backstage, and don’t wear mascara because of sweat.
- Contestants fill out a questionnaire, and producers select five Q&A topics for the host.
- Host Ken isn’t allowed to interact with the contestants until after the game.
- Players can request to sit in a chair while competing without question.
“If Kelly was more aggressive with her wagers, especially on that Nonfiction Daily Double I think there’s a chance the outcome could have ended differently,” one viewer wrote.
“Don’t know that it would have changed anything, but was very surprised that Kelly, a librarian, put such a small wager on DD3 in a “non-fiction” category,” another person said.
“Not that it would have changed the outcome (since only Tristan got FJ right), but I really think Kelly should have wagered bigger on DD3–the category was non-fiction books, and she’s a librarian!
“She had an opportunity to cement the lead going into FJ in a category that plays directly to her biggest competitive advantage,” a third mentioned.
While a few more noted that the trio had an “exciting game.”
On last Friday’s game, Kelly won her first game, beating out fan-favorite Rishabh Wuppalapati by a single dollar.
Fans have praised Rishabh, 20, as the “best” player so far in season 41 after he “fought tooth and nail” to secure three wins against his cutthroat opponents.
