Ken Jennings asked to ‘scrub’ Jeopardy! player error with harsh comments before Isaac Hirsch achieved 9th victory

DANGER! champion Isaac Hirsch scored a surprising ninth victory on Monday night as Ken Jennings openly criticized a challenger’s Daily Double bet.

The game show’s latest serious Streaker faced Brenna Sniatecki of Rochester, New York, and James Hayakawa of Davis, California.

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After his biggest payday in the last episode, the Burbank, California champion returned for a new week (or tape day).

At the end of Jeopardy! round, Isaac (after a hilarious story from Jeff Goldblum and Daily Double get) led with $6,600, James $2,800, and Brenna $3,000.

In Double Jeopardy!, Isaac missed the second Daily Double, losing $3,000 of his large lead, giving his opponents an opening.

However, neither fully accepted it – as James repeatedly returned to the category with the uncovered Daily Double.

But it was a retrospective mistake by Brenna that Ken, 50, bluntly pointed out to viewers.

‘PERHAPS…’

Brenna found the last Daily Double and had $6,200 to the champion’s $11,000 at the time, while Ken commented, “You have a decision to make!”

Brenna bet just $3,000 instead of going all in (which would have given her the lead), and was right as “Scout.”

Ken considered it correct, saying: “Perhaps You could have bet more.”

“But you have $9,200 – four clues left,” he added.

Isaac maintained a small lead in Final Jeopardy! with $11,200, while Brenna had $10,000 and James had $4,000.

The NEWEST WORDS clue was: “Philosophers use it for the language that accompanies an action, such as “I call you a knight”; it also means done to show or signal.”

Isaac and James correctly answered “performative”, with Isaac adding $8,801 to earn $20,001, for a total of $215,390 in nine days.

‘Make sure you scrub’

Fans took to social media, where some said Ken’s comment to Brenna about her missed opportunity was a bit over the top.

“The host made a point of commenting after Brenna’s bet on DD3 and the correct answer left her out of the lead, saying, ‘Maybe you could have bet more,’” wrote one Redditor.

Ken’s comment aside, others agreed that Brenna’s gamble was a failure, but it didn’t affect the results, as she lost Final Jeopardy.

“Fortunately for Brenna, this wouldn’t have mattered to the outcome as Isaac hit FJ and she missed. But yeah, that bet was a classic ‘I’m more afraid of losing than I’m determined to win’ move,” another wrote.

“Isaac quickly joined my list of favorite Jeopardy contestants,” a third rejoiced. “It has the best of both worlds: strong, smart gameplay and some of the funniest joke sections ever! Go, Isaac!”

Isaac will look for his tenth win on Tuesday night’s episode, becoming a super champion.

ISAAC AT THE AWARD

Isaac arrived on Wednesday, July 3, and has been the defending champion ever since.

Isaac now boasts the longest winning streak of the past year, behind only 15-day champion Adriana Harmeyer.

He got 247, 40 incorrect in clues overall, 13/17 in Daily Doubles, and 7/9 in Final Jeopardy – all excellent stats.

“Well… I think Isaac might be here for a while,” one Redditor said recently and clearly.

Other fans have speculated that Isaac may be the favorite for the upcoming Tournament of Champions.

So far, the other qualifiers are Survivor alum Drew Basile (7 wins), Adriana (15 wins), Alison Betts (5 wins), Dr. Amy Hummel (5 wins), and Celebrity Jeopardy’s Lisa Ann Walter !

With four wins, Grant DeYoung and Amar Kakirde are also likely to participate – the annual $250,000 tournament will be in early 2025.

STAND-UP GUY

Isaac has also won over fans with his hilarious Q&A stories – no surprise given his performance as a stand-up comedian.

During tonight’s win, he recalled once impersonating Jeff Goldblum professionally but being unable to capture the actor’s “strange sexual energy.”

During his eighth win, he finally revealed he was a comedian, recalling a “brutal” gig that involved performing with a malfunctioning microphone on a minor league baseball field.

During his fourth win, he recalled a recent fitness journey that left his figure “exactly the same” after “bulking up and gaining 30 pounds.”

During his third win, he shared that not himself, but his car had a cameo on the TV show Brooklyn 99.

During his second victory, he drew laughs when he recalled how “ironically” he was crowned high school homecoming king.

“Protect Isaac at all costs as he is so effortlessly funny,” one Instagram user recently praised.

“I don’t remember any contestant having so many funny and/or charming jokes,” wrote another.

DRESS FOR SUCCESS

The champion also turned heads with his eye-catching wardrobe choices that deliver 70s menswear.

“That current champion looks like a 70s porn star,” one Facebook user recently scoffed.

“I think Isaac arrived at Studio 54 after recording that show,” scoffed another.

In an Instagram post, Isaac dismissed his fashion haters, writing: “The Internet is divided on my love for 70s menswear.

“Good news for the haters: I’m almost out of wardrobe-approved vintage shirts. So if I keep winning, the attacks will get a lot more subdued.”

In fact, since then, Isaac has run out of wardrobe-approved ’70s outfits, but he hasn’t lost his steam.

‘FATHER WAS IN DANGER! – AND LOST’

Isaac appeared during his first victory with a Q&A story revealing that 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, and he lost,” Isaac said.

“I used to tease him about it as a kid. Like ‘I Lost On Jeopardy!’ from Weird Al, being like, ‘It’s about you, dad!’”

Ken started laughing as Isaac concluded, “So today we’re going to find out how real karma is.”

Danger! shared a video of the story on Instagram, and Isaac’s father, Steven, chimed in in the comments section, demanding a second chance.

“If Ken Jennings keeps mentioning that I lost on Jeopardy, I want another chance! Bring me back for another chance to win!” Steve wrote.

Isaac was also previously on The Chase and Millionaire – all clearly paying off on Jeopardy! internship.

Danger! airs at 7pm ET – check your local listings.

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