JEOPARDY! fans have shared a wild theory that Amy Schneider deliberately threw away her chance to win the Tournament of Champions on Friday.
Instead, Sam Buttrey, 75, scored his first win of the finale after Amy, 43, placed a low wager during Final Jeopardy!
4
With two finale wins already under her belt, Jeopardy! legend Amy was in pole position to be crowned the ToC winner on Friday.
Going into Final Jeopardy! she had $15.8k, Sam had had $11.2k, and Andrew He had $6.2k.
The clue under the category “English Cities” read: “William the Conqueror’s son built a fortress on a key Northern river in 1080, giving this city its name.”
Amy and Sam were both correct with: “Newcastle” and Sam revealed that he had bet the house – a huge $11.2k, and Ken Jennings was astounded.
The host exclaimed: “So you’re going to add to that- oh, in fact, you’re going to double it!”
“Everything depends on Amy Schneider,” Ken said, turning to the contestant who has the second-most wins on Jeopardy! ever.
The crowd gasped as she revealed her small bet: “Just $1800,” Ken said as Amy slumped behind her podium.
The crowd erupted as Ken announced Sam as the winner.
Most read in Entertainment
‘MADE NO SENSE’
But with the ToC now heading into its second week, fans have been left scratching their heads over Amy’s puny wager.
“Amy threw it,” shared one avid viewer on social media.
A second replied to agree: “I think they wanted Sam to get on the board.”
“Amy’s wager made no sense. It was almost like she wanted Sam to win,” wrote a third.
One fan even went as far as to suggest: “I think there was a silent pact to make it last seven games.”
Jeopardy!’s ToC may now go on until Tuesday if Sam wins again on Monday.
The winner of the tournament is the first contestant to win three games, with both Amy and Andrew neck-and-neck at two each.
NUMBER ONE SAM FAN
Since rising through the ranks from the Professors Tournament, Sam has become an unlikely fan favorite.
The California-based associate professor of operations research has endeared everyone with his knowledge and A+ personality.
He revealed during one mid-game chat that he is a SoundCloud beat maker.
Sam’s SoundCloud page was hilariously and immediately found by the internet as Reddit users exclaimed, “He’s pretty good!”
In another on-stage story, Sam acknowledged he knows he looks like Steve Martin, and his comedic delivery was a winner.
“Apparently a lot of people thought I looked like Steve Martin [when I won the Professor’s Tournament]. That’s an amusing comparison to me – I like it because not only is he hilarious…”
Sam added (turning straight to the camera): “But he’s also famous for being the most handsome man in the world.”
4
4