In a shocking turn of events, a "Jeopardy!" contestant faced heavy criticism from fans after losing out on a potential win in Wednesday night's episode. The contestant, John, found himself in second place with $14,200 as the Final Jeopardy round approached, trailing behind the first-place contestant by $9,000. However, despite being the only player to answer the clue correctly, John's decision not to wager any of his winnings ultimately cost him the game.

The Final Jeopardy category, "American Immigrants," presented the clue, "His 1904 will stipulated that 'All the sums hereinbefore specified for prizes shall be used for prizes only.'" Both Evan, in third place with $6,000, and Kendra, the leader, guessed “Nobel” as their responses. This was a reference to Alfred Nobel, who died in 1896 and had worked in America but never actually immigrated. In a stroke of brilliance, John correctly answered "Pulitzer," referring to Joseph Pulitzer, a notable figure with a prestigious prize named after him, who wrote a will in 1904 after immigrating to the U.S. in 1864 to fight in the Civil War.

Host Ken Jennings confirmed the correctness of John's response, then asked if he planned to add to his winnings. However, after realizing that John had chosen not to wager anything at all, Jennings remarked, "Oh, you won't. You bet nothing. Interesting." This surprising move left viewers stunned, as it seemed to betray John's opportunity to secure the victory.

To further compound the shock, Kendra's answer was revealed to be incorrect. Nevertheless, she had bet $5,201, which, despite her incorrect response, left her with a final amount of $17,999-just enough to secure the win. While Jennings appeared surprised by John's wager, fans were quick to express their disbelief and frustration. Comments poured in on the "Jeopardy!" YouTube page, with one person exclaiming, "A bonehead wager by John! This victory was snatched from him." Another viewer noted, "It must hurt to lose, but it must really hurt to lose because you were timid."

The criticism continued to pour in, with fans expressing their bewilderment at John's poor decision. One fan wrote, "John's about to get lit up for making such a poor wager," while another joked, "I'll start." A particularly dramatic comment read, "O most direful hap betide the unhappy wretch whose wager gives him no chance of winning! You have to figure out that Kendra needs to wager $5201, and a miss would drop her to $17,999. So, you have to wager enough to get to $18,000. Why show up for the game at all if you're going to make a wager that gives you zero chance of winning?"

Adding to the controversy, "Jeopardy!" has been sourcing contestants from previous seasons and utilizing old clues and previously written but unused clues in an attempt to navigate the writers' strike, which concluded last week. Interestingly, John had previously appeared on the show in 2020, winning one episode before eventually losing his second.

In a final twist, the Final Jeopardy clue for Wednesday night's game revolved around the Pulitzer Prize. This unexpected turn of events has left fans questioning John's decision and lamenting the missed opportunity for a well-deserved victory.