JEOPARDY!'s latest season is coming to a close, and while there weren't as many big winning streaks as past seasons, there were no shortage of big losers. A 21-day champ suffered a Tournament of Champions faceplant, James Holzhauer lost Masters and a 13-day champ lost to an actor. Jeopardy!'s hallmark 40th season premiered last summer and ends in late July 2024.
The Writers Guild of America strike truncated the season, but when postponed tournaments finally did air, the ensuing events were shocking. The 2024 Tournament of Champions was even branded by host Ken Jennings as "the most dramatic in history" at one point. And Masters Season 2 in May saw the previous title-holder, James, lose - in a runaway.
Punctuated by the abrupt departure of co-host Mayim Bialik , here are the most stunning upsets of Season 40. Cris Pannullo won 21 games and $749,000 in Season 39, making him the fifth-winningest Jeopardy! contestant ever. He was also considered the frontrunner in the 2024 Tournament of Champions.
He entered the quarterfinals with his head held high, sharing on stage how he was previously the alternate for Masters Season 1. So it came as quite a shock when he proceeded to not just lose, but get obliterated by a three-day champ. Cris was crushed by three-day winner Jared Watson and finished with $0, knocking him out of the $250,000 annual tournament on arrival.
Jared found all three Daily Doubles, got Final Jeopardy correct, and won in a runaway. Earlier this week in a Jeopardy! R.
