'Jeopardy!' Contestant Recalls 'Nightmare Scenario' at Champions Tournament
Jeopardy!
The latest episode of Jeopardy!'s Tournament of Champions didn't exactly go as expected, not even for the game's winner, Jared Watson.
During the Monday, Feb. 26 episode of the beloved game show, Watson competed for a spot in the semifinals against five-time winner Ben Goldstein and 21-time winner Cris Pannullo, the latter of whom he was particularly nervous to go up against.
Despite coming out on top at the end of Monday's game, Watson took to Reddit after the episode aired to share that matching up against Pannullo, a front-runner in the tournament, had been his "nightmare scenario."
"To all of those that are shocked that this happened, NONE of you are more shocked than me!" Watson wrote online in a Jeopardy! subreddit on Monday night.
"Playing Cris was my nightmare scenario going in, as I'm sure it was for many of the other contestants in this absolutely loaded field," he explained. "So, when they announced the matchup right before I went on stage, it really felt like any aspirations I had for making the next round died right then and there."
But after taking advice from other Jeopardy! winners, Watson was able to eventually put his mind at ease and realized "the pressure was off" since "nobody expected" him to win—but ultimately, he did.
Dang! Big shocker in the #Jeopardy #TournamentOfChampions as Woody Harrelson's doppelganger, Jared Watson, a 3-game winner, defeated 21-game winner Cris Pannullo and 5-game bagger Ben Goldstein, aided by Jared getting all 3 Daily Doubles. pic.twitter.com/jhFCrweJmK
— The Sport Dogtor, M.D. (@MartySande34622) February 27, 2024
Watson went on to say that Pannullo was "nothing but gracious and supportive of me going forward," while calling Monday night's game "one I would absolutely treasure forever."
"Thank you all for your kind words and sharing this astonishing, unreal moment with me," he wrote, before joking, "P.S. Sorry about all your brackets."
But fans in the comments appeared to be overjoyed by Watson's victory, even if it meant knocking out Pannullo.
"You deserve it! No apology necessary," one supporter replied on Reddit, while another added, "You rose to the occasion, bro!"
"Congratulations on the upset of the century!" someone else applauded.
Next: 'Jeopardy!' Fans Lose It Over Contestant's Baffling Mix-Up: 'Best Jeopardy Moment Ever'
