JEOPARDY! fans have spotted an easter egg that they think has been intentionally planted by the show’s producers.
Stans on Reddit realized that Thursday night’s Final Jeopardy! category only rears its head during some of the show’s biggest runs.
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On Thursday night, current champ Isaac Hirsch notched his seventh victory – his fourth runaway.
He went into Final Jeopardy! with $18,400, Robert Voyles had $5,800, and Liz McKenna $1,200.
Ken Jennings presented Final Jeopardy under the category “Countries of The World.”
It read, “Until 1991 this country, named for a river, had a capital whose name means “lakes” in Portuguese.
For those who missed it due to Joe Biden’s address, only Isaac was correct with “Nigeria,” capping off an impressive win with $20,000 and $161,388 total.
‘RUNNING JOKE?’
Fans flooded Reddit, where many noticed “Countries of The World” only appears when there’s a big champion in our midst.
“I know it’s completely random, but it now feels like a running joke to throw COUNTRIES OF THE WORLD in as an FJ! category whenever a super champion is playing,” wrote one fan.
“COUNTRIES OF THE WORLD’s last five FJ appearances were today, the ToC, Stephen Webb’s run, Ray Lalonde’s run, and Cris Pannullo’s run!,” wrote another.
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Others pointed out that the pattern runs deeper than that.
“Countries of the World” was the category in which Amy Schneider lost her 40-game streak.
And it decided the iconic clash between 38-day champ Matt Amodio, Jessica Stephens, and Jonathan Fischer when Matt lost.
Other Redditors quipped that coincidence aside, the category name is hilariously redundant.
“I’ve always wondered why the category is called COUNTRIES OF THE WORLD instead of just COUNTRIES. I think we can assume they’re part of the world without being told that,” wrote another.
One more joked the specificity was: “So you won’t expect a country not of this world.”
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FINAL JOE-PARDY
Isaac’s seventh win was a bit of a let-down, as many viewers didn’t get to watch the whole thing.
The broadcast was cut off before host Ken Jennings announced the Final Jeopardy! category.
It abruptly switched with three minutes to go to an ABC breaking news broadcast of Joe Biden’s press conference, upsetting fans.
Following his triumph, Isaac posted a hilarious statement about the interruption on X, formerly Twitter.
“I don’t want to get too political but I think it was pretty rude for President Biden to preempt Jeopardy for a press conference,” he posted.
He added jokingly that Biden said, “‘I must be stopped’ as Jeopardy champion and that he would ‘shave (my) mustache off’ with his bare hands.”
DRESSED FOR SUCCESS
Isaac arrived on last Wednesday’s episode and has notably turned heads with his flashy wardrobe choices that give ’70s menswear.
“That current champion looks like a 70s p*rn star,” one Facebook user recently snarked.
“I’m guessing Isaac hit Studio 54 after that show’s taping,” mocked another.
In his most previous Instagram post, Isaac shut down his fashion haters, writing, “The Internet is divided on my love of 70s menswear.
“Good news for the haters: I am almost out of vintage shirts approved by wardrobe. So if I keep winning, the fits are going to get a lot more subdued.”
One fan on X recently asked, “Isaac did you not pack enough fun shirts and now they’re sticking you with the show’s more restrained options?”
“All my other fun shirts didn’t pass Jeopardy’s camera test so now we’re on to my ‘job interview’ shirts,” Isaac quipped back.
KING OF Q&A STORIES
Meanwhile, Isaac has won over fans with his hilarious Q&A stories – no surprise since he’s also a stand-up comic.
During his fourth win, he recalled a recent fitness journey that left his figure “exactly the same” after “bulking up and gaining 30 pounds.”
During his third win, he shared that not himself but his car had a cameo on the TV show Brooklyn 99.
During win two, he drew laughs by recalling how he “ironically” was crowned high school homecoming king.
“Protect Isaac at all costs how is he so effortlessly funny,” another Instagram user recently praised.
“I don’t recall any contestant having such a run of funny and/or charming anecdotes.”
That said, Isaac’s gameplay is no joke. He’s gone 197 correct, 30 incorrect on clues overall, 11/13 on Daily Doubles, and 7/9 on Final Jeopardy- all excellent stats.
” I don’t see how he loses to an ‘average’ opponent,” one Redditor recently speculated.
AVENGING HIS FATHER
Isaac came in hot during his first win with a Q&A story revealing that his dad appeared on Jeopardy! – and lost – 30 years ago.
“My dad was on Jeopardy! in the ’80s and one of the first years Alex hosted, and he lost,” said Isaac.
“I used to tease him about it as a kid. Like Weird Al’s ‘I Lost On Jeopardy!,” being like, ‘It’s about you, Dad!’”
Ken burst out laughing as Isaac concluded, “So today, we get to find out how real karma is.”
Jeopardy! shared an Instagram video of the story, and Isaac’s dad, Steven, buzzed into the comments section, demanding a second chance.
“If Ken Jennings is going to keep mentioning that I lost on Jeopardy, I want another chance! Bring me back for another shot at winning!,” Steve wrote.
HIS GAME SHOW HISTORY
Isaac is also no stranger to the game show circuit, aside from the stand-up comedy circuit.
In 2023, he won $140,000 on the ABC game show The Chase, defeating Chaser and nine-day Jeopardy! champion Buzzy Cohen.
In 2017, Isaac also appeared on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?, winning $5,000 after botching the $20,000 question.
Fans speculate that Isaac may now be the frontrunner for the next Tournament of Champions given how well he’s playing.
So far, the other qualifiers are Survivor alum Drew (7 wins), Adriana (15 wins), Alison Betts (5 wins) and Dr. Amy Hummel (5 wins), and Celebrity Jeopardy!’s Lisa Ann Walter.
With four wins, Grant DeYoung and Amar Kakirde will also likely join in.
Isaac will go for his eighth win on Friday’s episode, which would give him the second-longest winning streak all season.
Jeopardy! airs at 7 pm ET – check your local listings.
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