A Connecticut eighth-grader who misspelled the correct answer to a Jeopardy! question and lost money for it claims he was cheated.
It was Kids Week on Jeopardy! and the Final Jeopardy question was what document did Abraham Lincoln feel was “a fit and necessary war measure.” Thomas Hurley III, a student from Newtown Middle School, gave the right answer, which was the Emancipation Proclamation, but misspelled it. The 12-year-old wrote “emanciptation” instead and host Alex Trebek did not accept the answer.
He had bet $3,000 and lost, bringing his total of $9,600 down to $6,600. He finished in second place and was significantly behind the first-place champion, who had a winning total of $66,600. He received $2,000 for being the runner-up.
Hurley told The News-Times of Danbury, “I was pretty upset that I was cheated out of the final Jeopardy! question. It was just a spelling error.”
The Jeopardy! producers defended Trebek’s decision, saying, “”If Jeopardy! were to give credit for an incorrect response (however minor), the show would effectively penalize the other players. We love presenting young people as contestants on our show and make every effort to be fair and consistent in their treatment.”
Hurley’s mother, Suzanne, was “a little stunned” when her son lost and said, “He felt embarrassed.”
Watch the video below to see Hurley answer the Final Jeopardy question:
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