‘Jeopardy!’ Contestant Karen Morris Explains Her ‘Cliff Clavin’ Wager Blunder
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Recent Jeopardy! contestant Karen Morris has opened up about the moment fans have called the biggest wager blunder since Cheers’ Cliff Clavin.
The veterinary student from Christiansburg, Virginia, blew a massive lead on Wednesday’s (March 22) episode when she made a risky wager on a late-game Daily Double, tumbling her total from $21,800 to $11,800 and ultimately costing her the win.
“Ok I’m gonna run down the episode step by step and then I will look up who “Cliff Clavin” is,” Morris wrote on Twitter late Wednesday night as she explained her thought process.
“In the beginning I was worried about buzzing because motor skills are not my jam, and I have two brothers who are pretty serious gamers (one PC, one console) whereas this freakin game has only one button, yet was so intimidating to me,” she continued.
In the beginning I was worried about buzzing because motor skills are not my jam, and I have two brothers who are pretty serious gamers (one PC, one console) whereas this freakin game has only one button, yet was so intimidating to me
— That Jeopardy Karen 🤷🏻♀️ (@JeopardyKaren) March 23, 2023
“So once I realized that I had the buzzer timing figured out I had to stop myself from buzzing in on clues that I just had no idea about. Take it easy, Karen.”
She went on to talk about some of her earlier answers but noted that “what you really want to know about is The Big Wager.”
“Making an appropriate wager requires considering the likelihood of knowing the correct response, which requires assessing your competency in the category, which requires awareness of what the category is, which, at that moment, I DID NOT HAVE,” Morris wrote.
Making an appropriate wager requires considering the likelihood of knowing the correct response, which requires assessing your competency in the category, which requires awareness of what the category is, which, at that moment, I DID NOT HAVE
— That Jeopardy Karen 🤷🏻♀️ (@JeopardyKaren) March 23, 2023
She admitted that the clue about artist Hans Holbein stumped her and that the only name she could come up with was “Justin Bieber,” but she doesn’t regret her crazy wager.
“I was kind of thinking “I can lose ten grand and still be in the lead, and I’m here to have fun and entertain the audience, and I always said I would wager big, and also I can’t think of any other numbers, so ten grand it is.””
“Ultimately, I did what I did,” she added, “and I had THE MOST FUN, and at the end of the day (I’m sorry Mom, I know you hate that phrase) it’s a game, and it’s a show, and it’s a game show.”
Fans responded positively to Morris’ thread, with one person writing, “Can’t lose what you don’t put in the middle, but you can’t win much either. I respect it.”
Several Jeopardy! alum stood by Morris’ decision, including 2022 Tournament of Champions contestant Margaret Shelton.
“Everybody who wants to talk s*** about a contestant’s wager on Jeopardy!, beat it,” Shelton tweeted. “It’s tough AF up there, and we all do our damnedest to win. As much as you may want us to win, WE WANT US TO WIN MORE. But you get up on that stage and show me how it’s done. Shout me out, k?”
Everybody who wants to talk shit about a contestant’s wager on Jeopardy!, beat it. It’s tough AF up there, and we all do our damnedest to win. As much as you may want us to win, WE WANT US TO WIN MORE. But you get up on that stage and show me how it’s done. Shout me out, k?
— Margaret Shelton (@MargOnJeopardy) March 23, 2023
Christopher Stucky, who appeared on Season 38, wrote, “F*** every kneebiter using the word dumb. It’s never a bad idea to bet on yourself when you’re in your element and on a roll. Sometimes you lose that bet, sure, but that doesn’t make it dumb. You went for it. That deserves respect, not derision.”
Fuck every kneebiter using the word dumb. It’s never a bad idea to bet on yourself when you’re in your element and on a roll. Sometimes you lose that bet, sure, but that doesn’t make it dumb. You went for it. That deserves respect, not derision.
— Christopher Stucky (@choppernewt) March 23, 2023
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