JEOPARDY! fan favorite Hannah Wilson has left viewers wrecked on Tuesday after a bold move led to her downfall in the Tournament of Champions.

The eight-time winner and transgender trailblazer wagered $10,000 on the last Daily Double with a substantial lead, costing her the game.

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The iconic puzzle designer from Chicago, Illinois, faced Yungsheng Wang, a deputy public defender originally from Lafayette, Louisiana, and David Sibley, an Episcopal priest from Walla Walla, Washington.

Ken Jennings opened the match by acknowledging the prior day’s upset, a three-day champ soundly defeating 21-day champ and golden boy Cris Pannullo.

Hannah’s return mirrored the unexpected turn of events – going into Double Jeopardy!, four-day winner David had $7,600, Hannah $3,800, and Wildcard winner Yungsheng $2,400.

In Double Jeopardy!, Hannah found an early Daily Double, acing it as “Balderdash” for $7,000, giving her a huge lead of $16,000.

However, she found the remaining Daily Double on the very next clue and shockingly decided to wager $10,000.

Hannah was incorrect and sighed deeply as Ken told her: “No, that’s a very tough clue. The ‘Gombei’ stream.”

Scores going into Final Jeopardy saw David lead with $18,800 Hannah at $13,200 and Yungsheng $3,200.

Ken shaded: “David’s got a lead after Hannah’s ups and downs, but he can still be caught.”

The coffin nail came under “MILITARY HISTORY” reading: “A prototype of this craft was deployed in August 1955; it made headlines in May 1960.”

All players correctly answered “U2,” but Hannah’s $13,195 wager “after the Daily Double drama,” Ken noted, fell short of recovery.

David secured victory with $26,401, and is instead headed to the semifinals.

‘SHE WOULD HAVE WON’

Fans expressed shock at Hannah’s high-stakes bet, criticizing her decision not to play it safe with the lead on the last Daily Double.

One fan wrote on Reddit: “Why did Hannah bet $10,000 she should’ve been conservative.”

Another wrote: “Shame she felt the need to overwager on DD3. She definitely would have won if she had just bet more modestly.”

A third wrote: “I’m no hater, but: on DD3, she had $16000, David had $7600. The right thing to do with no more daily doubles is to ensure you keep the lead.”

A fourth agreed: “Hannah could bet big, but $10,000 was way too big.”

And a fifth: “I don’t know if that was what Hannah was thinking when she made that bet, but David is tougher than his four wins may indicate, so I do not blame her for trying to maintain a giant lead over him.”

A sixth wrote: “I agree. It’s likely she wanted to put the game away and maybe doubted her consistency on FJ?”

An additional fan wrote: “Aww bummer for Hannah! She was one of the players I was rooting for.”

One more defended: “I can’t fault Hannah for going big on those Daily Doubles in a tournament like this, but it hurts to see her go.”

WE STAN-NAH!

Hannah, 34, is a transgender woman and data scientist from Chicago, Illinois who first competed on Wednesday, May 3, 2023.

She received her bachelor’s degree in Geography with honors from the University of Chicago.

Her eight-day run was a fan-favorite last year and took shape as Jeopardy! Masters was airing in primetime.

If she won the ToC, it would have made Daily Double-history as two trans contestants would win in a row- 2022’s champ being Amy Schneider, of course.

Hannah revealed on stage she’s the 18th ranked crossword puzzle solver in the U.S. and second in the midwest behind a man named “Eric.”

She also scored attention from Amy as her impressive streak was airing.

Amy – the winner of the previous Tournament of Champions – took to X to gush about her chops.

“Huge congratulations to Hannah Wilson!!! Welcome to the Guild of Jeopardy Champion Trans Women, one of us will be in contact shortly to explain the secret handshake and so forth,” Schneider wrote.

Hannah then wrote on Reddit: “Yeah I’m trans! Amy was kind of acting as my press agent there, haha.”

Hannah told Jeopardy! after her streak about Amy: “She actually kind of inspired me to try out because I’m trans.

“She was like this amazing champion and she showed that, you know, she could just be out there. That was really important to me.”

Hannah wound up losing to 9-day and $252,600 winner Ben Chan in a rare scheduling move in which Ben exited mid-streak having contracted Covid-19.

When he returned, he was pitted against Hannah in a “co-returning champions” scenario that unfortunately led to Hannah’s losing.

Hannah however, admitted on Reddit: “I couldn’t ask for a better opponent to get utterly thrashed by!”

Fans had high hopes that Hannah would make it further into the ToC and have a rematch against Ben Chan.

UNDERDOG JEOPARDY! PRIEST

Meanwhile, David Sibley first competed earlier in Season 39 and lost to none other than Pannullo in the fall.

During his run, he explained that producers wanted him to “suit up” and wear his clerical collar.

David also wanted to make clear that he didn’t want to divide any viewers by being a man of God.

He wrote on X as his four-day run aired: “I’m sure the occupation of ‘Episcopal Priest’ [is] traumatizing or triggering for some #Jeopardy so I want to be unequivocally clear: this priest is affirming of the lives, loves, and vocations of LGBTQIA+ people.”

“So for anyone that needs to hear it from a priest: This priest loves you.”

David also wrote on Reddit as tonight’s game aired defending her wager and sharing a sweet photo of the dynamic trio.

“None of us knew Gombei and it would have been a land mine for whichever of us snagged it. Had I gotten it, I would have gone all in, and self-immolated. So I don’t question her game play one bit.”

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TOURNAMENT OF UPSETS

At long last, Jeopardy! fans are getting the strike-delayed 2024 Tournament of Champions, the game show’s most treasured tradition.

Previously known as the 2023 ToC, this year’s throwdown was postponed from the fall due to the WGA strike, and in the meantime, past-player Champions Wildcard and Second Chance contests have ensued.

Now it’s finally back with an unprecedented 27 contestants (the largest playing field ever).

But just three games in, and the top seeds are dropping left and right.

The formidable Pannullo is out, meaning the only superchampion left is the gentlemanly Canadian Ray Lalonde (13 wins).

Now that Hannah’s also lost, the biggest fan-favorites left are Chan (whose run ended due to a single letter being misspelled), and comeback queen Juveria Zaheer.

Ken, 49, will helm the ToC, as he is now Jeopardy!’s permanent and only host following Mayim Bialik’s firing in December 2023.

WHAT IS: THE FORMAT?

The ToC starts with nine quarterfinal games, where one player advances.

Then there will be nine semifinals (meaning the best player of three games advances), and a first-to-three-wins finale.

That means the final three contestants could duke it out over three games or up to seven.

The ToC will all conclude in late March, with the victor earning $250,000, a championship belt, an invite to the next Jeopardy! Masters in May, and serious bragging rights.

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