JEOPARDY! contestant Alicia Buffa has admitted to ‘panicking’ on the final round – which led to a ‘bonehead wager’ that cost her the game.
After losing by just $2, the translator from Montreal, Quebec opened up about her “biggest regret” in a devastating post-game reflection.
Alicia was up against one-day champ Joseph Carlstein, a graduate student from Chapel Hill, North Carolina as well as Greg Jolin, an accountant from Raymond, New Hampshire.
While she started off the game slow, being in third with just $800 by the first break, Alicia was able to make a comeback after finding the second Double Jeopardy!
She doubled her score all the way up to $4,400 and moved into second place however, Joseph regained his lead when he found the third Daily Double.
Heading into Final Jeopardy!, Greg was in the lead with $16,400 while Joseph and Alicia were tied for second with $12,000 each.
As host Ken Jennings revealed the last category to be “Animals,” the players made their wagers.
“The Aztecs called this animal ayotochtli, meaning a “turtle rabbit” for its rabbitlike ears & its turtle-like shell,” Ken read.
Both Greg and Alicia correctly wrote down “What is armadillo?” – leaving the outcome of the game up to what they each wagered.
Alicia boosted her score to $23,999 – but Greg had just outdone her when he finished on top with $24,001.
Following the game, Alicia went online to share her perspective in what she called her “boneheaded wager” on Final Jeopardy!
“Well, the tl;dr version can be summarized in two words: I panicked,” she wrote.
“Although I’m a pretty anxious person, I was completely fine most of the game, until it came time to calculate our FJ wagers.
“That’s when everything hit me all at once and my hands started shaking. I swear I studied wagering strategies the week before Tape Day, but all that got tossed out the window and my impostor syndrome kicked in.
“I lost all the confidence I’d had up until then and I chickened out on an all-in wager.
“While I hadn’t locked in my wager before having second thoughts, I also didn’t want to bother the crew to erase it.
“I figured if I was going to come in third place because I’m too shy and my own worst enemy, at least it would be on-brand for me.
“This is probably my biggest regret, even though in the end it wouldn’t have affected the outcome.”
Despite losing, Alicia still called the experience a “dream come true.”
Jeopardy! Set Secrets
Jeopardy! fans don’t see everything behind the scenes from watching on TV. These hidden set features make the show run smoothly:
- Each podium has a hidden riser so that all contestants appear to be the same height.
- After each clue is read, signal lights go off around the game board, indicating players can buzz in and respond.
- Buzz in too early, and you’re locked out for .25 seconds.
- The podiums have a small white light in the lower left corner, which tells Ken Jennings who goes next.
- Contrary to popular belief, the player with control doesn’t have a buzzer advantage on the next clue.
- To the game board’s left is a scoreboard so the players can see their opponents’ scores.
- All contestants must bring three outfits to the studio, but only the host and returning champion change for the next episode.
- There are wardrobe rules, including restrictions on busy patterns, solid white, purple (like the background), and logos.
- Five episodes are taped in a single day, and sometimes more.
- The categories, players (aside from the returning champion), and Final Jeopardy! for a tape day are all drawn randomly to ensure fairness.
- Female contestants are asked not to wear makeup, which is applied backstage, and don’t wear mascara because of sweat.
- Contestants fill out a questionnaire, and producers select five Q&A topics for the host.
- Host Ken isn’t allowed to interact with the contestants until after the game.
- Players can request to sit in a chair while competing without question.
“Being asked to come and compete on Jeopardy! was a dream come true, as it is for many contestants past and future.
“My first audition was back in 2013, and I had to go to Toronto, so this has been at least 11 years in the making, longer if you account for the years I’d taken the test before landing that first audition.
“Since this moment had been such a long time coming, I had two goals on Tape Day: a) Don’t make a complete fool of myself on syndicated television and b) Make it to FJ.
“The jury’s still out on the first one, but at least that second one worked out for me, more or less.”
A fan assured her that she made viewers proud, writing: “Oh my gosh—you did not make a fool of yourself at all!!
“You played an awesome game and I was cheering you on from the jump. Don’t let any armchair wagering experts take away from the exciting comeback you put on in Double Jeopardy. Congrats on a great showing!”
While another fan gave critical feedback on her strategy: “Alicia held back $1 on her FJ wager, which is not the optimal play in this situation of being tied for second and relatively close to the leader.
“The chances of winning with $1 are vanishingly small, so either bet it all, or wager $0 to force your opponents to be correct on FJ to beat you.”
