Jeopardy! contestant discusses Ken Jennings’ tough decision that led to his tough defeat

Jeopardy! player Mehal Shah is still moving forward from the bitter blow of losing out on a place in the Tournament of Champions semifinals.

Thursday’s quarterfinal episode saw the contestant go through a devastating loss all because of one single syllable. 

Shah had been playing against Tennessee political organizer Will Stewart and Ohio-based systems administrator Ryan Manton.

The software engineer from Washington could have advanced to the next round, but his mistake in spelling the phrase ‘Annus Horribilis’ caused host Ken Jennings to consider his answer wrong.

Following the airing of the episode, Shah made his way to the Jeopardy! Reddit forum to air his grievances about the painful moment.

Despite what some might have expected, he supported the show’s ruling and wrote: ‘The show was 100 percent right to rule the way they did. 

Jeopardy! player Mehal Shah is still moving forward from the bitter blow of losing out on a place in the Tournament of Champions semifinals

Thursday’s quarterfinal episode saw the contestant go through the devastating loss all because of one single syllable 

‘If anyone disagrees, they can tell me why “Mimi Dolphins” would be a valid answer to the Final Jeopardy clue “It’s Mehal’s least favorite football team.”‘

He revealed how Jennings spoke to him after filming ended and stated that ‘delivering rulings like that is the least favorite part of his job.’

Shah acknowledged that he trusted the host entirely and mentioned, ‘I felt really disappointed when he explained why he marked me wrong, and I’m not happy with how frustrated I seemed.

‘I wasn’t mad at the judges at all, even though my face may look frustrated.’

He continued: ‘In the post game chat, I remarked that I had a ruling go in my favor in [Champions Wildcard] Semis that was arguably the difference in the game there – Polyharmonic was worth a swing of $4,000.’

With his Jeopardy! journey at an end, the player had nothing but praise about his overall experience.

‘What a long, strange journey it’s been for me. I’m so glad to have met my fellow competitors and the excellent Jeopardy staff,’ he noted. 

Shah continued: ‘Even though I’m leaving in defeat, I feel like I accomplished most of my Jeopardy! related goals that I made before I went on the first time. 

The correct answer was annus horribilus, and Shah was the only contestant who knew the phrase

However, he put the wrong spelling and due to the fact the typo also removed a syllable from the answer, it was counted as wrong

He emphasized his peace about it all as he concluded: ‘So ends this wonderful side quest. 

‘As I rejoin my main plotline, I bring wonderful memories, new allies, a $60 Delcom Buzzer that I will loan to anyone in Seattle who gets the call, and a greater appreciation of the wider world. I wish you all a happy postseason – may all your Daily Doubles be true.’

When the trio of contestants had been heading into Final Jeopardy, Stewart and Mantion were in the lead while Shah trailed behind.

In the category ‘Latin Phrases,’ the Final Jeopardy clue was: ‘After Camillagate, a fire at Windsor Castle & marriage problems in her family, Queen Elizabeth II dubbed 1992 this.’

The correct answer was annus horribilus, and Shah was the only contestant who knew the phrase.

However, he put the wrong spelling and wrote: ‘What is an Annus Horriblis?’   

Due to the fact the typo also removed a syllable from the answer, it was counted as wrong.

Shah had wagered $7,001, which meant if he had remembered the other ‘i’, then he would have been the victor.

Following the airing of the episode, Shah made his way to the Jeopardy! Reddit forum to air his grievances about the painful moment

Despite what some might have expected, he supported the show’s ruling and wrote: ‘The show was 100 percent right to rule the way they did’

Fans on Reddit had mixed feelings though many shared their understanding about why the answer was ruled incorrect.

Referring to the official rule that an incorrect spelling doesn’t automatically mean an answer is incorrect, one fan explained that it must be ‘phonetically correct and not add or subtract any extraneous sounds or syllables.

‘Leaving out the middle “i” in “horribilis” drops a syllable. The show was correct to rule against Mehal’s response.’

Another  noted: ‘Ugh, one of those “tough but ultimately fair” rulings for the FJ response. I think the debate over this clue is more if it should have been in this ToC or Masters instead.’