JEOPARDY! champion Isaac Hirsch lost his nine-game winning streak in a completely tragic last-minute twist on Tuesday night.
The show’s latest big winner made a math error on the Jeopardy finale and was left holding his scratch paper in disbelief as the credits rolled.
Isaac, who had amassed $215,390 as the reigning champion since July 3, was considered a sure-fire contender to win his 10th game.
The Burbank, California-based team leader, seeking super champion status, faced Erika Stromerson of Woodinville, Washington, and short-term Sen. Jay Fisher of Lisle, Illinois.
The first sign of trouble came in the Jeopardy! round, where Isaac stumbled and finished in last place after missing out on a $3,000 Daily Double.
Jay, meanwhile, led with $7,000, Erika had $600 and the champion had $400.
“You’re in third place, I think, for the first time in your career,” Ken Jennings said as Isaac winced.
In Double Jeopardy!, Isaac’s off-the-charts performance continued as he found consecutive Daily Doubles.
He missed the second Daily Double for $5,000 and won the third, but placed a cautious bet for less than the allotted amount.
He and Jay battled tooth and nail, with Isaac finishing a close second in Final Jeopardy with $15,300, Jay an impressive $16,200, and Erika with $600.
ISAAC’S LAST SMOKE BALL
Tensions rose when the clue “People from the 60s” was revealed.
He said the psychological tests he had taken in the California prison were ones he had designed to make him appear docile and unlikely to escape – and then he did.
No one had come up with the name “Timothy Leary” correctly, and as soon as the results were revealed, Isaac realized what had gone wrong.
He accidentally overbet $14,000, which reduced his score to $1,300.
Jay wagered $14,001, making him the new champion with a one-day total of just $1,799.
As the credits rolled, Isaac did a 180-degree turn on his podium and held up his pink betting slip toward the camera.
He seemed shocked when he realized the amount was too large to win if he got it wrong while the credits were rolling.
‘UNLUCKY!’
Fans were also shocked and flooded social media with outrage over the loss of Isaac and the huge drama that it all generated.
“What a crazy ending! #jeopardy,” wrote one X user.
“Isaac Hive, we will rise again! #Jeopardy,” wrote another.
“Jay is killing it on Jeopardy!” wrote a third.
“Man I’m disappointed Isaac lost but at least he’s back to OCD,” another fan wrote on Reddit.
“It was a rough day for Isaac, but the final blow came when he made a fatal mistake on the final Jeopardy bet,” wrote a fifth contestant. “If Isaac had bet anything less than $13,500, he would have won.”
Betting was blocked during the final commercial break, which may have explained Isaac’s instantly regretful expression on Final Jeopardy.
‘SEEING BAD MATH WHILE I SLEEP’
Isaac took to the game’s Reddit thread, where he discussed his unfortunate bet that neither he nor his viewers will soon forget.
He wrote: “Okay, so why did I bet $14,000? The short answer is that I miscalculated (although I guess that’s pretty obvious considering I spent the first minute after the game staring at my scrap paper in horror).”
“I was trying to subtract 14,401 from 16,200, and somehow I got 1,300 instead of 1,800 as the number I was supposed to get if I was wrong, hence the 14,000 bet.”
Isaac said the mistake was so brutal that it was the only thing he thought about – and dreamed about – for weeks after the recording.
“I spent the weeks after the taping watching the incorrect calculations while I slept. I remembered virtually nothing about most of the games from last week, but I remembered EVERYTHING about this game.
“All credit goes to Jay, who absolutely killed me at the buzzer, especially in the first round. This was something that had to happen. I barely survived yesterday and I was very, very tired.
“It’s been a fun experience watching these streams and I appreciate how kind people have been to me overall. I’ll have a lot to prove at ToC.
“And last but not least, I can do basic arithmetic,” he concluded.
Fans supported Isaac in the thread and told him to keep his head up.
“You had a great race and it was great watching you, Isaac!” one replied.
“That’s brutal. I imagine you’ve guaranteed yourself a recurring nightmare for the rest of your life,” wrote another.
“Hey, no regrets, you’re still #2 in the rankings. Hope to see you at TOC,” wrote a third.
Jay also wrote in the game thread that he was “in shock” that he won.
“I haven’t had a chance to watch the episode yet, but I was shocked when I won. I wonder if it shows.
“Isaac is a great competitor and he wasn’t feeling his best. On any other day, the results would have been different. I’ll be cheering him on at the ToC. Congratulations on a great race and good luck at the ToC.”
Isaac will return for the 2025 Tournament of Champions, while Jay will try to score a second victory on Wednesday’s episode.
HIRSCH’S GOOD STREAK
Isaac may be done with his time on Jeopardy! for now, but he has a lot to be proud of.
The Maryland native ended the second-longest winning streak of the 40-day season, behind only 15-day champion Adriana Harmeyer.
He won over fans with his hilarious Q&A stories, which is no surprise considering he’s a comedian.
During one of her wins, she recalled imitating Jeff Goldblum for a ballet performance in a pool, failing to capture the actor’s “strange, raw sexual energy.”
During another win, he recalled a “brutal” performance in which his microphone wouldn’t spin while performing on a minor league baseball field.
She also shared a recent fitness experience that left her figure “exactly the same” after “bulking up and gaining 30 pounds.”
“Protect Isaac at all costs, why is he so effortlessly funny?” one Instagram user recently praised.
“I don’t recall any contestant having such a funny and/or charming series of anecdotes,” wrote another.
That said, Isaac’s gameplay was no joke. He got 272 clues right, 47 clues wrong overall, 14/20 on Daily Doubles (three mistakes in tonight’s game), and 7/10 on Final Jeopardy.
DRESS FOR SUCCESS
Isaac also attracted attention with his appearance: a distinctive moustache and a wardrobe that gave a fashionable twist to 1970s men’s fashion.
“That current champion looks like a porn star from the 70s,” one Facebook user recently joked.
“I guess Isaac came to Studio 54 after that show was taped,” another mocked.
In an Instagram post, Isaac shut down his fashion detractors, writing: “The internet is divided over my love of 70s menswear.
“Good news for the haters: I’m almost out of vintage-approved shirts in my wardrobe. So if I keep winning, the cuts will be much more discreet.”
He also shared: “I went into this with very little confidence – as a local substitute, I watched seven filmed games before recording them.”
AVENGE HIS FATHER
Isaac came on strong during his first win with a trivia story that revealed his father appeared on Jeopardy! — and lost — 30 years ago.
“My dad was on Jeopardy! in the 80s and one of the first years Alex hosted it was when he lost,” Isaac said.
“I used to make fun of him for that when I was little. Like when Weird Al said ‘I Lost On Jeopardy!’ and I’d say, ‘It’s all about you, Dad!’”
HIS HISTORY ON GAME SHOWS
Isaac is also no stranger to the game show circuit, aside from the stand-up comedy circuit.
In 2023, he won $140,000 on the ABC game show The Chase, defeating Chaser and nine-day Jeopardy! champion Buzzy Cohen.
In 2017, Isaac also appeared on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?, winning $5,000 after messing up the $20,000 question.
So far, the other qualifiers for the upcoming Tournament of Champions are Survivor alum Drew Basile (7 wins), Adriana Harmeyer (15 wins), Alison Betts (5 wins) and Dr. Amy Hummel (5 wins), and Celebrity Jeopardy!’s Lisa Ann Walter.
With four wins, Grant DeYoung and Amar Kakirde will likely join as well.
Jeopardy! airs at 7 p.m. ET; check your local listings.
