‘Jeopardy!’ History Was Made With A Sudden-Death ‘Final Jeopardy’ Tiebreaker

In 2016, Jeopardy! made it official that if a game ends in a tie, the contestants will no longer be considered “co-champions,” but instead face off in a sudden-death, winner-takes-all tiebreaker. “If there are two or three players tied for first place after each contestant unveils their Final Jeopardy! response,” the official rules read, host Alex Trebek “will present one more category and read the clue. The first contestant to buzz in and respond correctly is declared the winner.”

The tiebreaker was first introduced in tournaments. The judges felt that a tiebreaker yielding one winner kept the gameplay brisk and competitive. In the years following the lift of the five-game maximum (the rule that contestants could only win up to five regular games), the judges concluded that it was fitting to bring that same level of competition to the regular games. (Via)

This has long been the case in tournament play, where someone eventually has to win, but it never factored into a “normal” game. Until last night’s episode.

Laura and Sarah both finished Final Jeopardy! with $6,799 (this situation, like most situations, could have been avoided with better math). Forever unfazed, Trebek jumped right into the category, “Way Back in 2017,” and clue: “Her April decision to call a snap parliamentary election proved less than brilliant on June 8.” Laura was quicker to the buzzer and got the answer right (“Theresa May”).

Meanwhile, Scott, with his five bucks, was very confused.

JEOPARDY

It’s a good thing the clue had nothing to do with Kendrick Lamar. Otherwise, they might still be playing the game.

(Via Jeopardy!)

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