JEOPARDY! champ Paolo Pasco has scored such an impressive lead over his opponents that he threw a major trivia question with a joke answer.
The puzzle master competed on Tuesday’s episode, hoping to secure a five-game winning streak after dominating the last four games.
Jeopardy! champ Paolo Pasco threw a major trivia question after securing a significant lead[/caption]
The moment happened during Tuesday night’s Final Jeopardy! round on the game show[/caption]
Paolo and his two opponents all failed to guess the correct answer to Final Jeopardy![/caption]
Paolo did just that, as his competitors, Susan Harris, a professor from Chicago, Illinois, and Alex Rossell Hayes, a political scientist originally from Baltimore, Maryland, failed to defeat the San Diego, California native.
It became apparent early on that Paolo had a significant chance at securing another victory after leading the game with $8,400 by the first commercial break.
At the time, Alex earned $1,200, and Susan earned $2,600.
Paolo later scored all three Double Jeopardy!‘s to bring his total up to $28,200 versus Alex’s $9,600 and Susan’s $3,399, going into Final Jeopardy!
The quiz show champion apparently felt very comfortable with his position at this point, so he didn’t sweat it when he didn’t know the answer to the Final Jeopardy! question.
Wagering just $1,026, Paolo failed even to try to guess the Final Jeopardy! question, while his opponents both got it wrong.
The clue, read by host Ken Jennings, was: “Upon this man’s re-election, Karl Marx called him ‘the single-minded son of the working class.’”
The correct answer was Abraham Lincoln, but a dumbfounded Paolo decided to make a wisecrack, writing, “Who wants to recreate that OK Go music video with me?”
Alex also added humor to his response, writing, “Who has two thumbs and is happy to come in second?” before pointing at himself and smiling.
However, Paolo’s silly response didn’t hurt his chances of winning, as he still won by a considerable amount.
He ended the competition with $27,174, compared to Alex’s $9,599 and Susan’s $1.
His total earnings as of Day 5 are $134,516.
This marked Paolo’s fifth straight win on the game show since defeating the former Jeopardy! champ, Ian Morrison, who had two games under his belt.
At the start of Season 42, which premiered last Monday, Jonathan Hugendubler was the one to beat after winning last season’s finale and the season premiere.
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.
But no one has been able to take Paolo down since his winning streak began.
Despite his impressive run, Paolo has proven he can be stumped as he’s gotten numerous questions wrong that surprised fans at home.
On Monday, Paolo and his fellow competitors, Ryan Sharpe and Kelsi Tyler, were mocked online after not being able to identify legendary actor James Earl Jones from an old photograph.
The pic showed the late star from early in his career during a stint on Sesame Street.
All three contestants couldn’t place his name, which prompted a slew of surprised reactions on social media.
Many joked that James’ most notable work was seemingly “before their time,” pointing out the players’ young ages.
Paolo will move on to play on Wednesday against two fresh competitors, attempting his sixth win.
Paolo competed against Alex Rossell Hayes and Susan Harris[/caption]
Paolo dominated the game and won his fifth straight game[/caption]
