JEOPARDY! champ Mike Dawson’s winning streak has sadly ended, but he revealed even more bad news when speaking to fans after Wednesday night’s game.
The technology manager from Portland, Oregon, 43, ended the game in third place with a mere $2 to his name.
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New contestant Andrew Hayes from Tupelo, Mississippi came out on top over Mike and Courtney Martin from Cedarburg, Wisconsin, with a whopping $25,200 after completely dominating the April 9 game.
So after a three-game winning streak and $57,000, Mike’s reign came to an end.
Jeopardy! fans were disappointed by the charismatic 6′ 7″ star’s loss, but were even more sad to hear his current news.
“I had been working in tech-focused roles for international nonprofits in the aid and development sector for more than a decade, when just a few weeks before taping, my job and the jobs of thousands of my then-current and former colleagues all disappeared overnight with the elimination of USAID,” Mike said on Reddit.
“I’ll forgo getting into the politics of it all, despite the sudden loss of my career being inherently political, but I’m incredibly grateful to have my Jeopardy winnings to help carry me through this transitionary period.”
SUPPORT FOR MIKE
Viewers immediately commented with support for their new favorite player.
“I enjoyed your run on Jeopardy and I am distressed at your current position in life. I wish you all the best,” one said.
“I’m heartbroken for you Mike. You were incredible and so fascinating to watch,” another responded.
“My deepest condolences, and congrats on your spectacular play despite the circumstances,” chimed in a third. “At least you’ll have something great to put on your resume!”
Other fans commended Mike for his “calm” demeanor under the intense pressure of the game.
“I guess I managed to dial in the optimal ratio of Xanax to caffeine that morning,” Mike quipped.
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.
JEOPARDY! ON TOP
As The U.S. Sun exclusively reported, Jeopardy! has been winning the ratings game with longtime rival Wheel of Fortune.
For the week of March 3, Jeopardy! had 8,902,000 viewers watching the show, according to Nielsen.
Wheel of Fortune was in the number two spot with 8,477,000 viewers.
In September, Wheel of Fortune with brand-new host Ryan Seacrest was in the lead, with one million more viewers than Jeopardy!.
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Content shared from www.the-sun.com.