DANGER! champion Isaac Hirsch lost after nine wins in an utterly tragic last-minute turnaround on Tuesday night.
The show’s last big winner made a math error on Final Jeopardy and was left holding his scratch paper in disbelief as the credits rolled.
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Isaac – who has accumulated $215,390 as champion since July 3, was considered a sure-shot to win his tenth game.
The leader of the team from Burbank, California – seeking to achieve super champion status – faced Erika Stromerson of Woodinville, Washington and brief Senator Jay Fisher of Lisle, Illinois.
The first sign of trouble came on Jeopardy! round, where Isaac stumbled to last place after fumbling with a $3,000 Daily Double fish.
Meanwhile, Jay came out ahead with $7,000, Erika with $600 and the champion with $400.
“You’re in third place, I believe, for the first time in your race,” said Ken Jennings as Isaac shivered.
In Double Jeopardy!, Isaac’s non-game performance continued when he encountered the other consecutive Daily Doubles.
He lost the second Daily Double for $5,000 and was right on the third, but made a cautious bet smaller than the allotted amount.
He and Jay fought tooth and nail, and Isaac finished second in Final Jeopardy with $15,300, Jay with an impressive $16,200, and Erika with $600.
ISAAC’S FINAL FUMBLE
Tensions rose when the “People of the 1960s” clue was revealed.
It was: “He said that the California prison psychological tests he took were those he had planned, so he made himself appear docile and unlikely to escape; so he did it.”
No one invented “Timothy Leary” correctly, and once the results were revealed, Isaac realized what had gone wrong.
He accidentally bet $14,000, which reduced his score to $1,300.
Jay bet $14,001, which made him the new champion with a one-day total of just $1,799.
As the credits rolled, Isaac did a 180° turn on his podium and held up his pink betting slip to the camera.
He seemed surprised to realize that the amount was too large to win if he was incorrect during the credits.
‘Unhappy!’
Fans were also stunned, flooding social media with the loss of Isaac and the drama of it all.
“Wow crazy to end there #jeopardy,” wrote one X user.
“Isaac Hive, we will be resurrected! #Jeopardy,” wrote another.
“Jay killing it on Jeopardy!” wrote a third.
“Aw man I’m disappointed that Isaac lost, but at least he’ll be back on OCD,” another fan wrote on Reddit.
“A tough day for Isaac, but the fatal blow came when he made a fatal Final Jeopardy betting mistake,” wrote a fifth. “If Isaac had bet any amount less than $13,500. He would have won.”
Betting was blocked during the last commercial break, which may have explained Isaac’s instant expression of regret in Final Jeopardy.
‘SEEING BAD MATH IN MY SLEEP’
Isaac chimed in on the game’s Reddit thread, where he talked about his regrettable gamble 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 did the math wrong. (Although I think it’s kind of obvious based on how I spent the first minute after the game looking at my scratch paper in horror.) )
“I was trying to subtract 14,401 from 16,200 and somehow discovered 1,300 instead of 1,800 as the number I needed to get to if I got it wrong, hence the 14,000 bet.”
Isaac said the mistake was so brutal that it was all he thought about – and dreamed about – for weeks after recording it.
“I spent the weeks after recording watching bad math in my sleep. I remembered basically nothing about most of the games from last week, but EVERYTHING about this game.
“All credit to Jay, who absolutely murdered me at the bell, especially in the first round. This was bound to happen – I barely survived yesterday and was very, very tired.
“It’s been a fun experience watching these episodes and I appreciate how nice people have been to me. I will have a lot to prove in the ToC.
“Not least, I can do basic arithmetic,” he concluded.
Fans rallied behind Isaac in the thread, telling him to keep his head up.
“You had a great race and it was a joy to watch, Isaac!” replied one.
“This is brutal. I imagine you are guaranteed a recurring nightmare for the rest of your life,” wrote another.
“Hey, don’t blame yourself, you’re still number 2 in the rankings. I look forward to seeing you on TOC,” wrote a third.
Jay also wrote in the game’s thread that he was “in shock” about winning.
“I haven’t had the chance to watch the episode yet, but I was shocked when I won.
“Isaac is a great competitor and he wasn’t feeling well. On any other day the results would have been different. I’ll be rooting for him at ToC. Congratulations on a great race and good luck in the ToC. “
Isaac will return for the 2025 Contest of Champions, while Jay will try for his second victory in Wednesday’s episode.
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HIRSCH’S HOT STREEK
Isaac could end up on Jeopardy! stage for now, but he has a lot to be proud of.
The Maryland native finished with the second-longest winning streak of the 40 season, behind only 15-day champion Adriana Harmeyer.
He’s won over fans with his hilarious Q&A stories – no surprise since he’s a stand-up comedian.
During a victory, he recalled impersonating Jeff Goldblum in a pool ballet show, unable to capture the actor’s “strange, raw sexual energy.”
During another victory, he recalled a “brutal” stand-up set in which his microphone wouldn’t rotate while he performed on a minor league baseball field.
He also shared a recent fitness journey that left his figure “exactly the same” after “bulking up and gaining 30 pounds.”
“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.
That being said, Isaac’s gameplay was no joke. He got 272, 47 incorrect on clues overall, 14/20 on Daily Doubles (three errors in tonight’s game), and 7/10 on Final Jeopardy.
DRESS FOR SUCCESS
Isaac also turned heads with his look – a unique stache and wardrobe that set 70s menswear apart.
“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.”
He also shared, “I went into this with little confidence – as a local sub, I watched seven games being filmed before recording.”
REVENGE YOUR FATHER
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!’”
YOUR GAME SHOW HISTORY
Isaac is also no stranger to the game show circuit, in addition to 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 getting the $20,000 question wrong.
So far, the other qualifiers for the upcoming Contest 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! It’s Lisa Ann Walter.
With four wins, Grant DeYoung and Amar Kakirde are also likely to participate.
Danger! airs at 7pm ET – check your local listings.
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This story originally appeared on The-sun.com read the full story
