It ended a nine-game winning streak.
This wasn't the robbery at Gadshill in Henry IV, Part 1. But for some viewers, it was the robbery on Jeopardy! on primetime television. Fans were gobsmacked after Tuesday night's episode, when Ben Chan's nine-game winning streak came to an abrupt end after he misspelled a William Shakespeare character's name by one single letter during "Final Jeopardy!"
Jeopardy! host Mayim Bialik read the category, "Shakespeare's Characters," and then revealed the clue: "Both of the names of these two lovers in a Shakespeare play come from Latin words for 'blessed.'"
The two contestants trying to dethrone Chan offered Romeo and Juliet, which was wrong. Chan, with his streak on the line, revealed his answer as "Beatrice & Benedict." But, much to everyone's surprise, Bialik said that was the wrong answer because it's actually "Beatrice and Benedick," ending in "K" instead of "T."
The wrong letter proved costly, as it ended Chan's reign as Jeopardy! champion.
Many fans were fuming, and immediately sided with Chan. One fan took to social media and tweeted, "Holy smokes was Ben Chan robbed on @Jeopardy tonight. Yikes." Another fan, perhaps rightfully, wondered, "Since when does being off by one letter count in final jep? There's no other character he could have meant."
It's interesting. Jeopardy!'s own website back in 2016 posted a "Behind the Scenes" story with the headline, "5 Jeopardy! Rules Every Contestant Should Know." Under rule No. 5, the website states, "Jeopardy! is not a spelling test -- unless, of course, the category requires it. Written response to the Final Jeopardy! clue do not have to be spelled correctly, but they must be phonetically correct and not add or subtract any extraneous sounds or syllables. (Incidentally, the same rule applies to all responses on both the written and online tests.)"
The explanation continued, "Not a spelling wizard? Breathe a sigh of relief. If you’re not sure how to spell something in Final Jeopardy!, sound it out slowly in your head and write it the way it sounds. If it’s misspelled, it will come down to a judgment call, but the closer you can get it, the better chance for a thumbs-up from the judges. For example, 'Jepurdee!' would probably be an acceptable spelling in a Final Jeopardy! response. But please learn that one ahead of time."
Noted.
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