Jeopardy! Contestant Misses Semifinals by One Syllable in Tense Tournament of Champions

LOS ANGELES, Calif. — A single misspelled syllable cost software engineer Mehal Shah a spot in the semifinals of the Jeopardy! Tournament of Champions on Thursday, January 30, 2025. The nail-biting episode featured Shah competing against Tennessee political organizer Will Stewart and Ohio-based systems administrator Ryan Manton in a high-stakes quarterfinal match.

Shah, a Seattle-based software engineer, had a chance to win the game despite trailing with $7,400 to Stewart’s $14,900 and Manton’s $14,400. The pivotal moment came during Final Jeopardy, where the category was “Latin Phrases.” The clue read: “After Camillagate, a fire at Windsor Castle & marriage problems in her family, Queen Elizabeth II dubbed 1992 this.” The correct answer was “annus horribilis,” which Shah knew but misspelled as “Annus Horriblis,” omitting a crucial syllable.

Shah wagered $7,001, which would have secured him the win had his answer been correct. However, the misspelling invalidated his response, leaving him in third place. Manton, who incorrectly guessed “annum no grata,” wagered conservatively and lost only $501, finishing with $13,899 and advancing to the semifinals. Stewart, who answered “anno terribilis,” lost $14,900, ending with a mere $900.

After the episode, Stewart took to Reddit to express his disappointment, writing, “My high school Latin teacher liked my Facebook post about my appearance on this episode. I’ve already mentally composed a heartfelt apology for letting him down.” Fans on the platform debated the ruling, with many acknowledging the fairness of the decision. One user noted, “Leaving out the middle ‘i’ in ‘horribilis’ drops a syllable. The show was correct to rule against Mehal’s response.”

The episode highlighted the intense competition and razor-thin margins in the Tournament of Champions. Shah’s near-comeback and the dramatic Final Jeopardy ruling left fans buzzing, with many praising the high level of play from all three contestants. The tournament continues next week, with Manton advancing to the semifinals and Stewart and Shah eliminated.