Is Isaac Hirsch the New Favorite to Win ‘Jeopardy!’ Tournament of Champions?

Jeopardy! Season 40 has been full of five-time-or-more champions of late, but is Isaac Hirsch the one to beat when it comes to the Tournament of Champions pool? Some fans are starting to think so.

On Wednesday’s (July 10) episode of Jeopardy!, Hirsch was matched with entrepreneur Larry P. Wellington and fundraiser Alex Pribil for his sixth consecutive game, and his performance has left some fans drawing major comparisons to some all-time-great Jeopardy! champs.

Things started out on an auspicious note for Hirsch right out of the gate, as he trounced the competition in correct answers, netting $8,000 on 15 answers to Pribil’s $3,200 and Wellington’s $1,800. (It didn’t hurt that he got the Daily Double right, knowing that St. Petersburg is where the Decembrist Revolt took place.)

The competition tightened a bit in Double Jeopardy, though, as Wellington picked up speed and Pribil nabbed both Daily Doubles. (For the first, he bet it all and lost $4,400 after not knowing the Nile River is where the Elephantine Island was located; for the second, he had a more humble bet of just $2,000 but knew that “enough” was Macbeth’s final word in Shakepeare’s story.)

Going into Final Jeopardy, Hirsch led the pack but did not have a runaway, boasting $16,800 to Wellington’s $10,600 and Pribil’s $5,600.

Unfortunately for the challengers, the clue was one that they all knew the right answer to: In the category “Famous Americans,” the clue was, “In his 1999 memoir he wrote, ‘I had been shot down a short walk’s distance from the French-built prison Hoa Lo.'” All three contestants knew it was former Senator John McCain who wrote those words, bringing the final scores to $21,201 for Hirsch, $16,801 for Wellington, and $9,600 for Pribil.

Hirsch’s six-day winnings now total $141,388, and fans reacted to the episode with praise. On Reddit, for example, one fan compared him to Brad Rutter “because of his voice,” while another wrote, “he’s one of my favorites since Alex [Trebek’s] death.”

Still another fan predicted Hirsch’s skills will take him very far in the game, writing, “Isaac, at least entering this game, had the two things you look for in a legend of Jeopardy — 90% accuracy and .450 or better batting average… It will be interesting to see how he handles ToC competition or adversity.”

Added one commenter, “The longer one’s run goes on for, the more things can change, especially if the games get closer and more competitive. If Isaac wins tomorrow, he’ll match Drew [Basile] in that department, but he certainly has the potential to get his win tally to double digits.”

For now, Hirsch’s winning streak continues, and he’s been added to the list of those who qualify for the Tournament of Champions, so be prepared to see a lot more of him on the show!

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