‘Jeopardy!’ Fans React After Another Shocking Tournament of Champions Exit

Martin Holmes February 28, 2024, 7:45 am

Jeopardy!‘s 2024 Tournament of Champions continued to deliver surprises on Tuesday night (February 27) as Season 39 super-champ and fan favorite Hannah Wilson was knocked out of the competition.

Wilson’s elimination marked two back-to-back shockers, as 21-game winner and front-runner Cris Pannullo was defeated on Monday (February 26), bringing a premature end to his TOC journey.

Tuesday’s game saw Wilson, a puzzle designer from Chicago, Illinois, up against David Sibley, an Episcopal priest from Walla Walla, Washington, and Yungsheng Wang, a deputy public defender originally from Lafayette, Louisiana.

Sibley got out to an early lead, proving to be fast on the buzzer and answering 11 clues correctly in the first round. He also found and answered the game’s first Daily Double, even dropping a Salt n Peppa reference for good measure (“Let’s push it,” he told host Ken Jennings).

Wilson fought back in Double Jeopardy and briefly took the lead after landing on a Daily Double and boosting her score. However, things took a turn when she immediately found the other Daily Double and wagered a huge $10,000. Wilson answered incorrectly, dropping her back below Sibley.

After Wilson’s stumble, Sibley took control of the board once again, almost gaining a runaway lead. But Wilson remained undeterred and continued pushing to make sure she still had a chance going into Final Jeopardy.

Heading into Final Jeopardy, the scores stood at Sibley with $18,800, Wilson with $13,200, and Wang trailing with $3,200.

All three answered the final clue (“A prototype of this craft was deployed in August 1955; it made headlines in May 1960”) correctly with “What is the U-2?”

In the end, only six dollars separated the top two, as Wilson wagered $13,195, giving her a total of $26,395, while Sibley bet $7,601, giving him a winning total of $26,401.

Fans took to social media to share their reaction to Wilson’s elimination, as well as Sibley’s impressive showing.

“Love you Hannah! We were so excited to see you play again and sad to see you go,” wrote one viewer on the Jeopardy! Reddit forum.

“The right thing to do with no more daily doubles is ensure you keep the lead. Hannah could bet big, but 10,000 was way too big,” commented another user. “6000-8000 would’ve been better. Always prep for the worst, especially in the ToC.”

“I thought Hannah was going to win. She took over in the second round,” said another.

“Aww bummer for Hannah! She was one of the players I was rooting for. This seems to be a very common way top seeds lose. They overbet on DD3 and then lose the lead going into FJ,” added one fan.

The contestants also commented on the Reddit thread, with Wang complimenting his fellow players.

“I was definitely out buzzed and outclassed by Hannah and David, who just happen to be two amazing people that I can now call friends,” Wang wrote. “David was training for a year and half Rocky-style. I was still amazed to be playing again. Hannah is way faster at word puzzles than anyone I know.”

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Sibley added, “I remember that right as they called Hannah, Yungsheng and me to go on stage, I felt a palpable sense of relief – not because I thought I had any edge at all, but because it meant I got to play on stage with two people who had quickly become my friends the day before. That let me be loose, happy, a bit goofy, and just enjoy – no matter who won, I knew we would have a blast – and that in turn, helped me play well.”

He also said he thought the game was over when Wilson found two Daily Doubles in a row. “But the variance of the game kicked in – none of us knew Gombei and it would have been a land mine for whichever of us snagged it,” he explained. “Had I gotten it, I would have gone all in, and self-immolated. So I don’t question her game play one bit.”

Sibley also shared a photo of the three of them backstage in the green room before the taping.