JEOPARDY! viewers were left wanting answers for Friday’s “brutal” Final Jeopardy question in the midst of the Champions Wildcard competition.
Jesse Matheny, Patrick Curran, and Emma Hill Kepron’s shot at the Tournament of Champions came down to a literary head-scratcher.
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The clue in the category “Novel Characters” was: “It’s this character who’s spoken of in the line ‘Reader, I forgave him at the moment & on the spot.'”
The correct response was: “Mr. Rochester,” referring not to the last but one of the last lines of the novel Jane Eyre and the character she ends up marrying.
Emma was the only one correct writing, “Who is: Jane Eyre Rochester?” finishing with $13,593, a sharp-dressed Jesse wagered smart, finishing with $13,700, and Patrick dropped a massive $13,401 to have $8,799.
While Jesse’s come-from-behind win thrilled Jeopardy! fans, social media erupted with criticism over the seemingly challenging question.
‘EXPLAIN…’
One Reddit user wrote: “Can someone explain to me how one can come up with the solution to the Final Jeopardy question today? Assuming you have not read Jane Eyre…”
Jesse replied: “It’s been half my life ago (16 years) since I read it, and even then, I didn’t commit it to memory. I also just couldn’t get Vonnegut characters out of my head going into the clue reveal, even though I knew it was way off and didn’t fit. Just couldn’t get anywhere else in the 30 seconds.”
A third fan wrote: “I think I would have walked off the stage. I had no idea.”
A fourth fan wrote: “Even if I was able to identify where it was from, coming up with the name would have been brutal. This was a very hard FJ for sure.”
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Emma also buzzed in to write: “‘Reader, I married him’ isn’t the last line of the book, but it is a famous one. It was the address to the reader that tipped me off, because I certainly did not remember the line quoted in the clue.
“I’m glad I re-read the question and got that they were asking for the character referred to and not the one speaking!”
THURSDAY’S ‘TRICK QUESTION’
Just one episode ago, competitors Alex Gordon, Ed Petersen, and Suzanne Goldlust were stumped by Final Jeopardy, all by leaving off a single letter.
The clue in the category “Country Music” read, “‘It was kind of a prodding to myself to play it straight,’ said Johnny Cash of this 1956 hit.”
The correct response was, “‘I Walk the Line.’” and everyone answered, “Walk the Line,” losing their wagers for a final tally of $19,000, $593, and $12,300, respectively.
Looks of shock and disappointment abounded as Alex was declared the winner.
One social media user wrote: “Man this was brutal to watch. It’s lucky that it didn’t change the results, or else it would have really been painful.”
Another wrote: “The movie title threw everyone off.”
A third wrote: “I feel like the producers decided from the beginning that they wouldn’t accept an answer without ‘I.’ Like they knew it was a trick question.”
Another responded, “Tonight we learned there is no I in Jeopardy.”
The Champions Wildcard competition has reset for its second (and to the relief of some fans) last round this week with a fresh crop of quarterfinalists.
The overall victor joins Juveria Zaheer in claiming $100,000 and a coveted ticket to the Tournament of Champions, which premieres February 23.
Regular non-tournament episodes of Jeopardy! return in April, a major break from the norm, which has divided fans.
Speaking of shakeups, former champ Ken Jennings is now the sole host after Mayim Bialik was fired from the syndicated series in December.
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