‘Jeopardy!’ Player Reacts to Ken Jennings’ Frustrating Ruling That Cost Him Game

Martin Holmes January 31, 2025, 8:30 am

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Mehal Shah on Jeopardy TOC — Jeopardy, Inc!

Jeopardy! contestant Mehal Shah is still trying to get over the sting of that devastating loss on Thurdsay’s (January 30) Tournament of Champions, where a controversial syllable ruling cost him a spot in the semifinals.

In the episode, which saw Shah take on Tennessee political organizer Will Stewart and Ohio-based systems administrator Ryan Manton, the software engineer from Seattle, Washington had a chance to win the episode despite trailing with $7,400 to Stewart’s $14,900 and Manton’s $14,400.

That’s because he was the only one who knew the answer to the Final Jeopardy clue, which read, “After Camillagate, a fire at Windsor Castle & marriage problems in her family, Queen Elizabeth II dubbed 1992 this.”

The correct answer was “annus horribilis,” and with Shah wagering $7,001, it would have won him the episode, as both Manton (who wagered $501) and Stewart (who wagered his whole $14,900) answered incorrectly. However, Shah misspelled his answer, writing, “What is an Annus Horriblis?

Because of the missing ‘i’ removing a syllable from the answer, host Ken Jennings ruled the response as incorrect, therefore ending Shah’s dreams and sending Manton through to the semifinals.

Following the episode, Shah took to the Jeopardy! Reddit forum, where he opened up about the heartbreaking loss. While the ruling was obviously devastating, Shah said he didn’t disagree with the show’s decision.

“The show was 100% right to rule the way they did. Anyone who think otherwise can explain to me why the “Mimi Dolphins” would be an acceptable FJ response to the clue ‘It’s Mehal’s least favorite football team,'” he wrote.

Shah added that Jennings came up to him after the episode finished filming and told him “delivering rulings like that is the least favorite part of his job,” adding, “I believe him.”

“My heart broke pretty hard when he explained why I was ruled incorrect though, and I’m not proud that I appeared frustrated,” he continued. “I wasn’t mad at the judges at all, even though my face may look frustrated.”

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He added, “In the post game chat, I remarked that I had a ruling go in my favor in [Champions Wildcard] Semis that was arguably the difference in the game there – Polyharmonic was worth a swing of $4000.”

Shah shared that he “felt pretty bad going back into the Green Room, but having my fellow competitors there, particularly my fellow Wildcards Drew and Will really made a difference.”

Even though Shah’s Jeopardy! journey has come to an end, he spoke highly of his experience, telling fans, “What a long, strange journey it’s been for me. I’m so glad to have met my fellow competitors and the excellent Jeopardy staff. Even though I’m leaving in defeat, I feel like I accomplished most of my Jeopardy related goals that I made before I went on the first time.”

“So ends this wonderful side quest,” he concluded. “As I rejoin my main plotline, I bring wonderful memories, new allies, a $60 Delcom Buzzer that I will loan to anyone in Seattle who gets the call, and a greater appreciation of the wider world. I wish you all a happy postseason – may all your Daily Doubles be true.”

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