‘Jeopardy!’ fans react to ‘absolutely tragic’ contestant fail: ‘I died’

What is, so close?

A “Jeopardy!” contestant seemingly suffered an unfortunate misunderstanding during Final Jeopardy! on Tuesday night in a moment fans are calling “absolutely tragic.”

Contestant Sophia was in second place with $14,600 behind contestant Michael with $28,800, and Sharon in third with $5,800.

The Final Jeopardy! clue was from the “Landmarks” category, and read, “During Pope John Paul II’s 1987 visit to Los Angeles, pranksters covered up this letter in a local landmark.”

Sophia seemed confident with her answer as she was the first player to put her pen down and wait for the iconic “Jeopardy!” music to fade out.

Unfortunately, she seemingly misread the clue, answering, “The Hollywood Sign,” which knocked her down to only $399 with her massive wager. Had she answered it correctly, she would have won the game.

“You got the right landmark but didn’t tell us the letter, I’m afraid,” host Ken Jennings said sharing the heartbreaking news.

Sharon, however, correctly answered “L,” and while Michael incorrectly answered “O,” he still won the game and advanced to the finals with $28,300.

Fans on X, the platform previously known as Twitter, were sad for Sophia and reacted to her loss online.

“Sophia got absolutely robbed on @Jeopardy! tn. The category was landmarks not letters!!!” one enraged fan wrote.

“Oh boy. That’s awful for Sophia, who had Michael beat but misread the Final clue,” another chimed in.

“I died inside watching Sophia Weng misunderstand the final question on jeopardy. She woulda won if she read it right,” another said.

Others added on the show’s YouTube Channel, “Oh no Sophia…. Bonus points in our hearts.”

“I felt bad for Sophia but gotta read the question fully,” another said.

Someone else declared, “Absolutely tragic FJ. Was really rooting for Sophia, what a bizarre pair of mistakes on what felt like a relatively straightforward FJ clue.”

“Jeopardy!” will look a little different in 2024 as former host Mayim Bialik announced she had been let go in mid-December, making Jennings the sole host of syndicated “Jeopardy!”

“As the holiday break begins in Hollywood, I have some Jeopardy! news,” the “Big Bang Theory” actress wrote on Instagram. “Sony has informed me that I will no longer be hosting the syndicated version of Jeopardy!”

“I am incredibly honored to have been nominated for a primetime Emmy for hosting this year,” she continued, “and I am deeply grateful for the opportunity to have been a part of the ‘Jeopardy!’ family.”

“For all of you who have supported me through this incredible journey and to the fans, contestants, writers, staff and crew of America’s Favorite Quiz Show,” she concluded, “thank you.”

However, the show claimed in its own statement, “we hope to continue to work with her on primetime specials.”