Why was this Jeopardy contestant the last one standing?
"Kristin, we're going to start with you. You are in third place...and in the lead."
That is what Jeopardy host Alex Trebek said to contestant Kristin Sausville as she entered the game show's final round, as the only remaining contestant.
What is a walkover, Mr. Trebek?
It's what happened on Wednesday as Ms. Sausville's other two opponents went broke. With a negative score, you have nothing to wager in the final round, meaning you don't get to advance.
Trebek summed up the the show, saying, "it was not one of our greatest days."
Sausville brought $8,400 into the final round. The subject was US Government. The clue: "On Aug. 15, 1994, 59 years & 1 day after FDR signed the original act, Bill Clinton made this an independent agency."
Unfortunately for Sausville, she got it wrong, writing, "What is the FDIC?" (Click here for the correct answer).
“On the one hand, it was nice not to have to worry about what anyone else was wagering,” Sausville told People. "But at the same time, it meant that all of the contestant coordinators, compliance people, and stage crew were standing around me.”
She also expressed sympathy for her defeated opponents, tweeting:
According to the viral news site Uproxx, the last Jeopardy game to end in a default victory occurred on March 16, 2011, when Tom Kunzen won over $25,000 in cash prizes, according to the online Jeopardy archive. Perhaps slightly more awkwardly, back in 2005, Los Angeles-based attorney Jeff Richmond was the sole contestant remaining in final round of Jeopardy's "Tournament of Champions."
Potential contestants vie for a slot on the gameshow by answering at least 35 out of 50 questions correctly in the audition process, according to CNBC.
