A JEOPARDY! champion has called out the show over a “really stupid” Daily Double clue that cost another player dearly in the now-airing Invitational Tournament.

Arthur Chu, an 11-game champ, faced 19-game champ David Madden and eight-time champ MacKenzie Jones on Tuesday’s JIT episode.

5

Arthur wagered $10,000 on the below Daily Double and was unable to guess ‘Unstrung’Credit: Jeopardy!

5

The clue read, ‘It describes someone weakened by nerves, and also the instrument here’Credit: Jeopardy!

5

A fellow JIT player said, ‘The general consensus at the hotel was it was a really stupid question and a massive reach’Credit: Jeopardy!
Arthur, who was once coined Jeopardy!’s “first villain,” led after the first round with $6,400, David at $4,200 and MacKenzie at $2,200.

In Double Jeopardy!, Arthur was $800 away from the lead when he found the last Daily Double, choosing to wager a massive $10,000.

However, many fans took to social media calling the make-or-break clue “unfair,” and apparently most JIT contestants agreed.

The video clue showed a stringless violin, as Ken Jennings read, “It describes someone weakened by nerves, and also the instrument here.”

Athur let out a deep sigh and couldn’t think of a response, so Ken revealed the correct answer: “You had to notice the violin was Unstrung,” adding, “That’s tough.”

Heading into Final Jeopardy, David had a commanding lead with $18,400, making him uncatchable. Although both he and Arthur nailed the final clue, David clinched the win, securing his spot in the JIT semifinals.

The JIT prize is $100,000 and a spot in the Jeopardy! Masters Season 2, which airs on ABC in primetime in May.

‘MASSIVE REACH’

Jennifer Quail, competing on Wednesday’s episode, vented her frustration in a Jeopardy! Reddit thread, echoing the sentiments of many tournament participants:

“We could see it on the green room TV but could NOT figure out what they were going for,” she wrote.

“And the general consensus at the hotel that night was it was a really stupid question and ‘unstrung’ in that context was a massive reach.”

One fan replied to her, “That is really interesting to hear that from you. I thought it was an awful clue but then second guessed myself. It was tough to see such a poor clue influence the game, especially at this level.”

‘MOST UNFAIR CLUE I CAN REMEMBER’

Fans also criticized the clue across social media, especially since Arthur would have won the game if he hadn’t missed it.

“That DD that Arthur missed was one of the most unfair clues I can remember,” one fan wrote on Reddit. “A contestant is naturally going to try to identify a cello-like or violin-like instrument that is also a word for weakened by nerves.”

“Really really bad. They could have at least said the “condition of the instrument shown here” or something. But it still would have been weird and bad,” another fan penned.

“Agreed. Dumb clue. Excusable if it wasn’t a DD, but this was a DD that cost someone a spot in the semis,” wrote a third.

“I think the clue fits, but there’s no way I could tell at home that the instrument was missing its strings, and certainly not the contestants either, given how it’s famously stated how small the monitor for video clues is,” wrote a fourth.

Another added, “Even if it’s technically accurate it was a bad clue. I don’t think ‘unstrung’ is an obvious enough term for either definition to do this kind of visual clue, and I also think something about the violin made it hard to even notice it wasn’t strong.”

“That asinine Daily Double clue about the ‘unstrung’ violin was so unfair to the guy who lost $10000..it was a real game until then!” another fan wrote on Facebook.

“Sooo irritating i thought that was a bad clue as well,” replied another.

“Yeah…. That was so unfair,” wrote a seventh. “Had Arthur gotten it right he’d undoubtedly be the one advancing had all else remained the same.”

WHAT IS: THE JIT?

The JIT is a brand-new tournament airing from March 20 until early April.

Unlike other tournaments this season, JIT opens the floodgates to iconic older champions who fans haven’t seen in decades.

The three-week JIT sees past greats – some recent ones, and even contestants-turned-Chasers – back at the buzzer.

There will be nine quarterfinal games, three semifinals, and a best-of-four final.

This means the legendary player who notches two final games wins the title.

The now-annual throwdown will decide one of the six spots in Masters, with the first three going to last season’s finalists – Matt Amodio, winner James, and Mattea Roach.

The other Master’s slots go to Yogesh Raut for winning the 2024 Tournament of Champions and a still-unannounced Producer’s Pick.

After JIT, regular episodes resume for the first time this season either between April 8 and April 10.

JIT LINEUP

A murderer’s row of 27 trivia titans are returning- minus a few no-shows

Sam Buttrey – finalist in the 2022 Tournament of Champions and sixth place in Masters Season 1
Amy Schneider- winner of the 2022 Tournament of Champions and fifth place in Masters Season 1
Andrew He – runnerup in the 2022 Tournament of Champions and fourth place in Masters Season 1
Brandon Blackwell – Chaser on The Chase and Teen Tournament semifinalist
Colby Burnett – winner of the 2013 Tournament of Champions and third-place in the team-based 2019 All-Star Games
Lily Chin – winner of the 2017 College Championship and 2017 ToC semifinalist
Leonard Cooper- winner of the 2013 Teen Tournament and All-Stars Games player
Celeste DiNucci – 2007 Tournament of Champions winner
Chuck Forrest – Season 2 five-day champ from 1985 and 1986 Tournament of Champions winner
Dhruv Gaur – 2019 Tournament of Champions semifinalist
Ben Ingram – eight-day champion and winner of the 2014 Tournament of Champions
Alex Jacob – 2015 Tournament of Champions winner
Mackenzie Jones – eight-day champion and 2015 ToC quarterfinalist
Sam Kavanaugh – winner of the 2021 Tournament of Champions
Larissa Kelly – six-day champion and 2019 All-Star Games winner
Alan Lin – six-day champion and 2009 ToC runner-up
David Madden – 19-day champion in 2005, the second-longest streak holder next to Ken for decades, and All-Star Games winner
Pam Mueller – 2001 ToC semifinalist and third place in 2019 All-Star Games
Austin Rogers – 13-game champion and 2017 ToC runner-up
Monica Theiu – 2012 College Championship winner
Jason Zuffranieri – 19-day champion
Arthur Chu – 11-day winner and 2014 Tournament of Champions runner-up
Victoria Groce – Chaser on The Chase
Matt Jackson – 13-day champion and 2015 ToC runner-up
Terry O’Shea – 2014 College Championship winner and 2014 Tournament of Champions semifinalist
Dan Pawson – nine-day champion and 2009 Tournament of Champions winner
Jennifer Quail – eight-day champion and 2021 Tournament of Champions runner-up

WHO IS: WINNING SO FAR?

Here are the contestants who have won their first matches and are now semifinalists:

Andrew He won the premiere after getting knocked out of Masters Season 1.

Larissa Kelly, who won last Friday’s match and previously won the 2019 All-Star Games and was the 2009 ToC runner-up.

Matt Jackson, who returned for a big win after winning 13 games in 2015.

Amy Schneider who had a big runaway win on Monday night after also getting knocked out of Masters Season 1.

David Madden after winning instead of Arthur.

Jeopardy! airs at 7 p.m. ET on ABC, where fans can catch all the JIT action.

5

Fans also agreed, ‘That was so unfair. Had Arthur gotten it right he’d undoubtedly be the one advancing’Credit: Jeopardy!

5

Host Ken Jennings even admitted ‘that’s tough’ after the game-swaying miss