It was the FinalJeopardy!, moment that stopped fans cold — abrutal twist of fatethat turned a winning answer into a losing one with a single keystroke. When Mehal Shah faced the most pivotal clue of the Tournament of Champions,no one expected a typo would cost him everything— and spark one of the most talked-about heartbreaks inJeopardy!history.
Mehal Shah’s Misspelling Led to a Devastating Loss on ‘Jeopardy!’
Early in 2025,Jeopardy!held its Tournament of Champions featuring heavy hitters likeAdriana Harmeyer,Isaac Hirsch, formerSurvivorcontestantDrew Basile,fan favoriteDrew Goins, and eventual winnerNeilesh Vinjamuri. Although Mehal Shah played just three regular-season games, he left enough of an impression to be invited to the Wildcard tournament, which he would win and earn a spot in the quarterfinal match of the TOC. Facing off againstWill StewartandRyan Manton, Shah fell behind to third place but looked to be in prime position once the Final Jeopardy clue was read. After all,he was the only contestant to know the Latin phrase needed to answer this clue:“After Camillagate, a fire at Windsor Castle & marriage problems in her family,Queen Elizabeth IIdubbed 1992 this.”
Writing legibly and boldly, Shah appeared confident that his response, “annus horriblis,” was correct, and at a glance, it looked correct — even close enough to fool some viewers.“I’m afraid we cannot accept that, Mehal,” Ken Jennings told a stunned Shah.Stewart and Manton wereon the right track, but their answers weren’t nearly as close as Shah’s, who was literally one syllable away from a correct response and a win in the quarterfinal round.The acceptable answer would’ve been “horribilis.” Shah wrote, “horriblis"forgetting to add an “i” after the “b.” Shah looked beside himself, mouthing “Oh my God…” at the realization that this simple typo would prevent him from winning. Despite his visible disgust, Shah lateradmitted in a Reddit commentthat he understood the logic behind the ruling and accepted his loss.
This ruling caused an uproar in theJeopardy!community, with many viewing this as a recent run of overly scrupulous judging. Since misspellings are usually allowed if spelled correctly phonetically, not permitting “horriblis” as a valid response seemed to be pulling hairs. Fans commenting on the YouTube upload of the Final Jeopardy response were livid,calling it a “brutal” ruling and an ill-suited category for contestants to transcribe answers in a foreign language.
Final Jeopardy Is the Ultimate Challenge on ‘Jeopardy!’
Everyone knows the theme music, but few can step up to the challenge and correctly answer questions during Final Jeopardy.Factoring in the additional caveat that answers must be spelled accurately and legible for judges to read, the last round ofJeopardy!lives up to its intense stakes.If that wasn’t enough, before a clue is even presented, players must calculate the ideal wager amount. If you’re in the lead, this could prove to be the most consequential based on how risky or conservative you are with your gamble. As Cliff Clavin (John Ratzenberger) ofCheerslearned in a fictional episode, you can’t be foolish and wager everything just to impress the national audience.
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“…it started to feel like I was part of the game, not just someone playing it.”
Although nothing in real life will ever live up to Cliff’s response of “Who are three people who have never been in my kitchen?” Final Jeopardy has produced a plethora of blunders throughout the years. In recent times, whenjudges have been extremely pedantic,we’ve seen more heartbreak than ever due to harsh rulings.Final Jeopardy! responses are often correct in spirit, but even small misinterpretations can be costly. Contestant Sophie Weng’s loss came from answering “Hollywood” when the clue was actually looking for the letter “L” — a mistake that sparked debate over the clue’s clarity. These final-round questions often go viral for their confusing phrasing or seemingly unfair difficulty.
Jeopardy!is unforgiving, and it’s frustrating for those playing along at home and rooting for certain contestants like Mehal Shah. In a competition that features the brightest minds around, it only makes sense that Ken Jennings and his judges need to examine every word thoroughly down to each syllable.
Jeopardy!airs weekdays on ABC.
