A JEOPARDY! contestant has revealed how a ‘lucky’ schedule with production helped him end champion Alex DeFrank’s winning streak.
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Alex DeFrank’s Jeopardy! run comes to an end on Thursday’s gameCredit: NBC
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Cameron Berry won his first Jeopardy! game with over $24kCredit: NBC
The crushing loss came as a big surprise to a lot of viewers after Alex had four consecutive runaway games that led to a staggering $102,400 prize total.
Going into his fifth competition, fans assumed Alex would continue with his dominating performance however, there was a noticeable difference in how he played his more successful games.
The inventory specialist from Brooklyn, New York went up against Cameron Berry, a data analyst and college administrator from Brighton, Massachusetts and Hillary Hess, an export policy analyst from Arlington, Virginia on Thursday.
Alex was not buzzing in often, a noticeable change from getting over 75% of the questions right in previous games.
This led to him remaining in third all of the game – and resulted in Alex ultimately coming in second place to Cameron – who dominated the categories and won with over $24,000.
According to an insider present at the taping, Cameron opened up about the “lucky” production schedule most likely helping him snag his first win.
The game that Alex lost was the fifth consecutive one he played in a single day – as Jeopardy! always tapes five episodes per day.
Due to the way it rolled out, Alex played the first game of the day in the early morning – and his winning streak did not end until the final one much later in the evening.
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Alex had to play five different games consecutively on the same dayCredit: NBC
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The returning champ lost on his fifth gameCredit: Jeopardy!
Meanwhile, Cameron got to hang out backstage all day as he didn’t play his first game until the fifth and final one taped that day.
In addition to getting to rest and fuel up, Cameron was also able to study how Alex played – something he admitted came to his advantage.
Speaking after the game, Cameron admitted that the filming schedule was a big reason for why he beat Alex.
“All day, I was studying Alex’s buzzer pace,” he told host Ken Jennings.
Jeopardy! fans fume over Kanye West clue after latest rant as champ Alex DeFrank’s winning streak comes to shocking end.mp4
Alex, who was quick to the buzzer in his previous games, was noticeably frustrated with himself – often seen shaking his head in disappointment and clenching his fist when Cameron beat him to it.
Going into Thursday’s Final Jeopardy!, Cameron had accumulated $28,600 to keep his lead.
Hillary was in second place with $7,500 and Alex had to play from behind with $4,000.
“Named for a 1775 battle, this city contains the graves of John Breckenridge and Henry Clay,” the host read when the show cut back from a commercial break.
Only Alex was correct, writing: “What is Lexington, Kentucky?” – doubling his score to $8,000.
Unfortunately for the returning champ, the sum was not enough to overtake the lead.
Jeopardy! Host Timeline
Jeopardy! has had a tumultuous history regarding hosts after the death of the iconic Alex Trebek in 2020. Here are all of the hosts since the game show’s inception in 1964.
Art Fleming – 1964 to 1975, he was the original host of the daytime version of Jeopardy! on NBC.
Alex Trebek – 1984 to 2020, the late, great Alex hosted Jeopardy!’s modern iteration for 36 years until his death from pancreatic cancer.
Guest hosts – 2020 to 2021, Jeopardy! tested out a series of guest hosts for week or two-week stints, including Anderson Cooper, LaVar Burton, and Aaron Rodgers.
Mike Richards – 2021, he was named host for one week before resigning amid controversy. He was the show’s executive producer at the time.
Mayim Bialik – 2021 to 2023, when Mike was announced as the show’s new host, Mayim was chosen to host tournaments and primetime specials.
Mayim and Ken Jennings – 2022 to 2023, 74-time champion Ken (the longest-winning contestant ever) joined Mayim as a guest host and they split hosting duties.
Ken Jennings – 2023 to present. Last December, Mayim announced on Instagram that she would “no longer” host Jeopardy! after a lengthy hiatus, having stood with the writer’s strike, and Ken was named sole host.
Ken now helms all editions of Jeopardy! including Celebrity Jeopardy!, the nightly show, and other primetime specials like Masters.
Cameron ended the game on top with $24,600 while Hillary wagered it all and dropped to zero after missing the last clue.
Fans also pointed out how all four of Alex’s prior games were filmed on the same day – with some saying the show’s taping schedule impacted how he performed.
“Fatigue strikes again,” a fan insisted while someone else added: “That was all one filming day for Alex. Stamina definitely plays a role.”
“Wow you can see the energy leave Alex’s body the more into the game. 5 games a day must be tough,” another wrote.
“Alex would’ve played a lot better if he wasn’t on his 5th in a row,” someone else predicted.
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From L-R: Alex DeFrank, Hillary Hess and Cameron BerryCredit: NBC
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