This season of Jeopardy! has had several questionable calls — from “weird” clues to “tough” pronunciation rulings to unwise wagers and beyond — and Wednesday’s (October 16) episode was no exception. This time, it was the champion’s Final Jeopardy response that left some viewers scratching their heads over whether it should’ve been accepted or not.
Rishabh Wuppalapati, a student at the University of Pennsylvania, returned for his second game after winning the previous round, and had a close game on his hands against the incoming challengers: Rachel Cassidy, an associate professor from Rhode Island, and Jay Eversman, an environmental lawyer from Missouri.
Things were tight from start to finish. In the first round, Wuppalaptai got the Daily Double answer incorrect (losing $1,000) and found himself in the middle of the pack with $3,200 to Cassidy’s $2,400 and Eversman’s $3,800. The second round wasn’t much different, either. He and Cassidy were in a horse race all the way through, trading leads until the very last question. Coming into Double Jeopardy, Wuppalapati had a narrow lead with $10,400 to Cassidy’s $10,100, while Eversman trailed with $4,800.
Final Jeopardy, then, was quite determinative, and some fans weren’t convinced his answer deserved to be accepted by the producers.
The clue for the Final Jeopardy category of “College Towns” was, “2 schools in the Southeastern Conference are located in cities with this same name but in different states.” The correct answer was “Columbia,” since both the University of South Carolina and the University of Missouri are located in the city of that name in their respective states, and both schools are now members of the SEC (they even dub their annual matchups the “Mayor’s Cup” as a nod to their shared hometown name).
Both Cassidy and Wuppalapati were marked as correct in the Final Jeopardy round, with the latter’s bet taking him into victory with $20,201 (and a two-day total of $42,402), a $300 margin over Cassidy’s final score.
However, some fans on Reddit expressed dismay that his was accepted, as it was scribbled in a way that made the call questionable to them.
Jeopardy! Inc.
“Man I just do not know if that said ‘Columbia.’ I guess if it’s good enough for Ken [Jennings, host] though,” wrote one viewer, with another agreeing, “Yeah, kind of a crazy call…just my opinion!”
“My ruling was that his response was illegible,” wrote another. “Apparently my rulings have little influence.”
Others in the thread parsed out the potential reasoning for the decision, with one respondent agreeing that his answer was “messy” and looked more like “Cdumlag” than “Columbia,” but adding, “It’s not up to Ken. The judges see what each contestant is writing in real time, and they make the ruling.”
“I think it’s great that the J! Crew can see and rewatch contestants writing FJ! because, at the end of the day, the judges and Ken’s rulings are the only ones that matter,” another chimed in.
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Dallas Cowboys wide receiver CeeDee Lamb reminded teammates to keep their cool after the team had multiple skirmishes during the first two days of training camp. Rookie defensive end Donovan Ezeiruaku and tight end Brevyn Spann-Ford got involved in a brief scuffle on Tuesday. At the following practice on Wednesday, a fight broke out between safety Markquese Bell and TE Tyler Neville. New head coach Brian Schottenheimer then stopped practice and pulled the whole team together. He said the next player who threw a punch would be kicked out of practice (via Joseph Hoyt of The Dallas Morning News). "We've got to be professional," Lamb said of the incident after practice, per ESPN's Todd Archer. "I get it that we have a lot of animosity and tension between us and understanding that we want to proclaim our dominance and show like aggressiveness on both sides of the ball, but then again, to what extent?" Fighting in training camp isn't uncommon. It's an intense environment. Many are trying to prove themselves before teams trim their rosters to 53 players. However, too much brawling can threaten to tear a locker room apart. A lack of discipline was also one reason the Cowboys replaced Mike McCarthy with Schottenheimer this offseason. According to NFLPenalties.com, Dallas drew the league's sixth-most flags (128) last season. Per Archer, there were no more fights after Schottenheimer pulled the team aside. Still, the incidents raise questions about his ability to maintain control. The coach spent Wednesday morning's meeting discussing two plays where DE Sam Williams was too physical and sent to the sideline. His players must not have received the message. It's good for Dallas that Lamb seems to be echoing Schottenheimer's sentiments, but the rookie HC still must get through to his team. Rebounding from a 7-10 season could already prove challenging for the Cowboys. As of Wednesday, ESPN's Football Power Index gives Dallas a 34.5% chance to make the playoffs. Infighting will make that even more difficult.
There isn't a specific date for wide receiver Christian Watson to return to the field. He won't practice throughout training camp, and will possibly start the regular season on the physically unable to perform list, missing the first four games of the year. But the Green Bay Packers are pleased with his recovery process. Before the first day of training camp practice on Wednesday, general manager Brian Gutekunst talked about Watson and how he's looking less than seven months after tearing his ACL against the Chicago Bears in January. "[Christian Watson looks] Great. Yeah, he's kind of a freak, you know," Gutekunst mentioned. "He did a run test the other day and looked great. Again, it's an ACL, and it's his second one, so we're going to take our time with it. I'm sure there's going to be a time where he's really pressing to get out there, but he's doing great." PUP rules At this moment, Christian Watson is on the active/PUP list, which means he can be activated at any point before the regular season. If he's to miss the first month of the season anyway, the Packers can move him to the reserve/PUP list on cutdown day, so he wouldn't count against the initial 53-man roster—and would miss at least the first four games, against the Detroit Lions, Washington Commanders, Cleveland Browns, and Dallas Cowboys. The Packers could open his 21-day practice window following that, and after three weeks the team had to make a final call about activating him or moving him to the injured reserve. However, the team is not forced to open the practice window after three weeks, and Watson could spend more time on the PUP. Usually, the Packers tend to wait ten months for players with ACL injuries to return, putting the wide receiver in position to play in early November. There is a curious extra element that applies to Watson, even though it's an unlikely one. Because he is in the final year of his deal, if Watson spends the entire season on PUP and is never activated, his contract will toll to 2026. That means he would be under contract for next year, with the same $1.965 million base salary. Players who weren't on the field on Wednesday: LB Quay Walker (ankle) WR Christian Watson (knee) CB Micah Robinson (knee) EDGE/LB Collin Oliver (hamstring) RB Amar Johnson (hamstring) G John Williams (back) C Elgton Jenkins (back)
The New York Giants officially opened training camp on Wednesday, and the good news for Jaxson Dart was that the rookie had nowhere to go but up after his first play of practice. Dart’s very first pass of 11-on-11 drills was intercepted by third-year cornerback Nic Jones. Dart stared his receiver down the entire way, and Jones showed the former Ole Miss star why doing so in the NFL is never a good idea. The whistle blew after the interception, but Jones would have taken it the other way for a touchdown had the play been live. Like any rookie quarterback, Dart is going to make plenty more mistakes in training camp. Brian Daboll and the Giants’ coaching staff will be more interested in how Dart bounces back from them. The Giants traded up to select Dart in the first round and are very high on his ability. They plan to bring him along slowly, which Daboll seemed to reiterate again on Wednesday. Dart led the SEC with 4,279 passing yards last season. He threw 29 touchdown passes and is known for having a strong arm, but throwing windows get significantly tighter in the NFL. Dart will learn that as he gains more experience.
The Pittsburgh Steelers are headed to training camp. The players arrived at Saint Vincent College, set to begin their final journey before the 2025 regular season. There's going to be plenty of moves between now and the end of the preseason, but only a few that are significant enough to change their 53-man squad. Heading into Day 1 of camp, here's how the Pittsburgh roster is likely to shake out at the end of cuts. Quarterback - Aaron Rodgers, Will Howard, Mason Rudolph The Steelers easiest position to guess is quarterback. Mason Rudolph will be the backup, with Will Howard being the third, and maybe the team decides to keep Skylar Thompson on the practice squad. But chances are, unless something drastic happens, it's an easy three to predict. Running Back - Jaylen Warren, Kaleb Johnson, Kenneth Gainwell The Steelers have five running backs heading into training camp but they aren't going to keep all of them. Cordarrelle Patterson is the biggest question mark right now, with the team having big plans for him a year ago, but them not working out. Now, they have Kenneth Gainwell to return kicks and be the team's RB3. Really, there's no room for Patterson or Trey Sermon. Tight End - Pat Freiermuth, Jonnu Smith, Darnell Washington, Connor Heyward The Steelers will utilize all four of their tight ends this year. The group is one of their strongest and is going to be a focal point to the offense. Expect Jonnu Smith to play all over the place and Pat Freiermuth to get plenty of looks this season. The four above are nearly locks to make the team. Wide Receiver - DK Metcalf, Calvin Austin, Roman Wilson, Ben Skowronek, Robert Woods, Other This is where things start to get interesting. General manager Omar Khan sure sounds like he enjoys the group of wide receivers the team has now, but only time will tell if that works out. With plenty of options out there via trade and free agency, it's hard to see the Steelers avoiding an addition all summer. It might not be immediate, but if Calvin Austin and Roman Wilson are stars from the jump, expect Pittsburgh to start looking at options. Offensive Line (Interior) - Zach Frazier, Isaac Seumalo, Mason McCormick, Spencer Anderson, Ryan McCollum, Max Scharping The Steelers choose to keep an extra interior option instead of another swing tackle. A move that may not look great on paper, but one they've done in the past. This year, Spencer Anderson and Ryan McCollum are the backups at guard and center, with Max Scharping making his way into the fold as the 53rd guy. Offensive Tackle - Broderick Jones, Troy Fautanu, Calvin Anderson Calvin Anderson signed a two-year contract this offseason, indicating that the team believes he's their swing tackle this season. Dylan Cook will get a chance to beat him out, but until anyone steps on the field, all signs point to Anderson being the backup to Broderick Jones and Troy Fautanu. Defensive Tackle - Cam Heyward, Keeanu Benton, Derrick Harmon, Yahya Black, Isaiahh Loudermilk, Daniel Ekuale The Steelers toughest competition this offseason will be at defensive tackle. They have their starters in Cam Heyward, Keeanu Benton and Derrick Harmon. But everyone behind them is going to compete, and there are some names worth watching on that list. Yahya Black, Isaiahh Loudermilk, Daniel Ekuale, DeMarvin Leal, Logan Lee and Dean Lowry are all going to fight for the final three spots on the team. For Leal, it wouldn't be surprising if he's traded before the start of the season. Logan Lee will likely end up on the practice squad, and Lowry's time with the team may be over after Ekuale's arrival. Edge Rusher - T.J. Watt, Alex Highsmith, Nick Herbig, Jack Sawyer The Steelers edge rusher group is crowded as well, but it's impossible for the team to move on from rookie Jack Sawyer or third-year stud Nick Herbig. So, Jeremiah Moon gets the short end of the stick, leaving Pittsburgh with four options, and maybe a special teams guy on the practice squad. Inside Linebacker - Patrick Queen, Payton Wilson, Cole Holcomb, Malik Harrison, Carson Bruener Pittsburgh's inside linebacker competition will also be fun to watch. Malik Harrison has a lot of AFC North experience and special teams ability. Plus, his inside, outside versatility is going to give him an upper-hand in the competition. Carson Bruener versus Mark Robinson will be the real battle, but Bruener will hold the edge. Unless the seventh-round pick isn't capable of playing in the NFL, he's younger and has family ties to the organization. Robinson is on the last year of his rookie deal, making him an easy name to move on from. Cornerback - Jalen Ramsey, Joey Porter Jr., Darius Slay, Cory Trice, Brandin Echols, Beanie Bishop While the Steelers cornerback room looks pretty loaded with plenty of competition, there really isn't much. Beanie Bishop versus Donte Kent will be the two to watch, and even though Bishop makes it here, it's not a guarantee by any means. James Pierre is the other odd man out as the team looks to keep Brandin Echols and Cory Trice as backups to Jalen Ramsey, Joey Porter Jr. and Darius Slay. Safety - DeShon Elliott, Juan Thornhill, Miles Killebrew, Other Pittsburgh needs another safety. Right now, Juan Thornhill is set to start, which is fine. If the Steelers believe he's capable of being their free safety to replace Minkah Fitzpatrick, that's not a terrible decision. But they have NO ONE behind him. If the Steelers were to make just one more move this offseason, safety is the bet. They have options in free agency like Justin Simmons and Jordan Whitehead. Maybe they make another blockbuster trade. But don't expect this group to be the same heading into the regular season. The Steelers will add someone to their room. Specialists - Chris Bowswell (K), Cameron Johnston (P), Christian Kuntz (LS) Corliss Waitman is a great piece to keep on the practice squad if the Steelers don't lose him to another team. But Ben Sauls isn't beating out Chris Boswell and Christian Kuntz didn't sign a two-year deal this offseason for nothing.