Jeopardy! Shocker: Contestants Stumped by ‘Cheers’ in Final

PASCO, Wash. – A surprising moment unfolded on Tuesday’s episode of Jeopardy! when a question about the beloved sitcom Cheers left all contestants stumped during Final Jeopardy. The returning champion, Alex DeFrank from Brooklyn, New York, faced off against newcomers Lily St. Laurent from Bakersfield, California, and David DeBacker from Ypsilanti, Michigan in a tense battle for supremacy.

DeFrank, who entered the game with $56,401 in winnings over two days, demonstrated impressive knowledge earlier in the competition. The first round featured an intense exchange of correct answers between DeFrank and DeBacker, an architectural designer. As they traded victories, St. Laurent, a student assistant, struggled initially, dropping to -$1,000 after a wrong buzz in.

“Being on this game show is huge for me because my grandmother is obsessed with Jeopardy!,” said DeBacker during the interview segment. “When she found out I was on, she told me she could ‘die happy now.’” Meanwhile, St. Laurent recalled her brief stint in a fourth-grade spelling bee, which ended after her first miss.

The contestants each found opportunities to boost their scores through Daily Doubles. St. Laurent managed to land the first Daily Double, wagering $1,000 despite starting the round in the negative. Answering a clue in the category ‘Disney Villain’ correctly, she gained $600, though she remained in third place with $600 against DeBacker’s lead of $6,200.

Moving into the second round, both DeFrank and DeBacker continued to showcase their trivia prowess, with DeFrank hitting a pivotal point after correctly answering a clue that added $6,000 to his score and pushed his total to $16,400. By the final minutes of the game, he had established a solid lead with $25,200, while DeBacker trailed with $15,600 and St. Laurent had $2,200.

The Final Jeopardy category was ‘Classic TV Shows,’ but audience members were taken aback when the clue revealed, “Posted over the door of this show’s setting was a notice reading, ‘Maximum Room Capacity 75 Persons.’” St. Laurent struggled, writing down, “What is a TV show I don’t know?” DeBacker’s guess of “What is MASH” failed to yield him any points either.

DeFrank, too, answered ‘MASH,’ and although he wagered $6,001 with hopes to secure the winnings, it proved fruitless as the correct answer was ‘What is Cheers?’ Despite three contestants failing to identify the iconic series, DeFrank still emerged victorious with a total of $19,199, claiming his status as a three-day champion with cumulative winnings of $75,600.

Viewers expressed their disbelief on social media, with one fan stating, “Flabbergasted that FJ was a triple stumper.” Another user emphasized the cultural significance of Cheers, saying, “It’s one of the longest-running and most popular shows of all time, and is famously set in the titular bar.” St. Laurent acknowledged her oversight, explaining, “I assumed I had it in the bag… my mind blanked when the clue appeared, and although I’ve watched several seasons of Cheers, I couldn’t come up with the answer.”

With this episode airing on March 18, DeFrank is set to return on Wednesday, March 19, to defend his title against new challengers.