Viewers were disappointed the beloved player’s own strategy ended up being her downfall

A JEOPARDY! contestant has made a ‘fatal flaw’ that ended her winning streak as fans ‘can’t believe’ the returning champ’s ‘poor strategy.’

The season 44 trend of the winner’s losing after just one or two games continued on Friday when a new victor was crowned in the shaky episode.

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Paul Clauson made his Jeopardy! debutCredit: Jeopardy!

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Jeopardy! returning champ Stephanie Asalone played her second gameCredit: Jeopardy!
Stephanie Asalone, a former 401(k) processor from St. Marys, Pennsylvania, was looking to extend her one-day steak and winnings of $14,100.

She went up against Kristen Moreland, a school administrator from Brooklyn, New York and Paul Clauson, a tax analyst from Madison Heights, Michigan.

Returning champ Stephanie was off to an impressive start and heading into the first Jeopardy! break, secured $3,200 for the lead.

However, throughout the game, Stephanie decided to choose the top row clues that have much lower monetary value than those at the bottom of the board.

Despite getting many answers correct, Stephanie’s total wasn’t as high due to the clues she chose – which also avoided Daily Doubles.

As she continued to call out $200 and $400 clues, Paul flew by her for the lead – with an extra bonus after doubling his score on the first Daily Double.

Heading into Final Jeopardy!, Paul all but had the game in the bag with $15,600.

Stephanie was in second with $7,600 while Kristen was right behind with $6,400.

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From left to right: Stephanie, Paul and KristenCredit: Jeopardy!
Host Ken Jennings, 50, revealed the final category to be “20th CENTURY TRANSPORTATION.”

After giving the contestants time to place their wagers, the trio of trivia buffs had 30 seconds to write down their answer to: “A 1947 article read, its ‘wings were not clipped by the Senate fishermen & ghost hunters after all.’”

In another triple stumper for the week, all three players did not write down “What is Spruce Goose?”

Paul dropped just $399 to end the game with $15,201.

Stephanie nearly bet it all to finish with just $11 while Kristen came in second with $2,000.

Viewers were quick to note how, despite Stephanie’s quick buzzer play and vast knowledge of clues, her strategy ended up being her downfall.

“Stephanie’s fatal flaw, as she today chose almost exclusively top row clues, seemed to be clearly avoiding DDs, but also avoided the high value bottom row clues completely.

“Paul, by contrast, searched for the DDs and chose bottom row clues. He still had to know enough of the answers to pull off his runaway, but it goes to show that even if you know most of the answers, you can lose on poor strategy alone.

“It would be fun if Paul would emulate Holzhauer’s ‘all in’ gesture next time he goes for a true DD,” a fan critiqued.

Stephanie won Thursday’s game against two-day champ Evan Dorey.

Jeopardy! Universe

Jeopardy! first aired in 1964 until 1975. Then the nighttime version began in 1974. Since then, spinoffs of the game show have emerged. Here are all of those

Jeopardy! – (primetime) 1974 to present, weekdays on ABC at 7pm

Tournament of Champions – 1984 to present, features the top champions who have appeared on the show since the last tournament

Celebrity Jeopardy! – 1992 to present, has celebrities comepete against each other to raise money for chairty

Jeopardy! Masters – 2023 to present, features six notable recent Jeopardy! champions competing against each other

Jeopardy! National College Championship – 2022 to present, undergraduates from 36 colleges and universities across America compete to win $100,000

Other versions of Jeopardy! have fizzled out throughout the years

Despite an impressive run from Evan, Stephanie was the only one to get the Final Jeopardy! correct – giving her the win.

On the last round, she had a come-from-behind victory with $14,100.

Returning champ Evan finished the game in second with $8,800.

After the phrasing of the Final Jeopardy! left fans confused, they took online to express their frustration.

“That was a rough final Jeopardy, the total definition of a you know if or you don’t clue, there was no way to suss that out otherwise,” one viewer commented.

“I figured out FJ, but I still cannot remotely understand the wording of the clue,” another complained.

“Most predictable ending ever. Stephanie seems like she would dominate if she had a bit more confidence,” a third said.

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Ken Jennings host today’s Jeopardy!Credit: Jeopardy!

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The Jeopardy! newcomer won his first game