Winnipeg Jeopardy! contestant tripped up by Americana category

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This article was published 20/07/2017 (2464 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

George Buri came about as close to winning Jeopardy! as you can, without actually winning Jeopardy!

The episode featuring the Winnipeg university instructor aired Friday.

Heading into Final Jeopardy, Buri was in the lead and well-positioned to take home not only US$28,000 in winnings, but also the title of Jeopardy! champion.

But then he saw the category and his heart sank. It was “Americana.”

“That’s not really my area of expertise as a Canadian,” Buri said with a laugh.

He wagered US$12,001 to guarantee him the win if all three contestants got the answer correct. He had $16,800 and had to place his bet before seeing the question. The other two contestants had $14,400 and $7,500. 

The final question was about a U.S. presidential song with a Scottish melody. He had no clue to the answer and was surpassed by another contestant. (For those wondering, it was Hail to the Chief.)

“I was feeling confident and like I could win. That was my high point. Then 30 seconds later, I see the question. That’s the low point. I went from really high to really low, really fast,” he said Friday in an interview with the Free Press.

Buri, who teaches at both the University of Manitoba and University of Winnipeg, went through a lengthy and gruelling application process, beating out tens of thousands of other applicants to secure his spot on the long-running TV quiz show.

In total, it took nearly two years before Buri ended up in Los Angeles for the filming of the episode.

Despite the heartbreaking ending, he said it was an experience he wouldn’t trade.

“I mean, I can’t really complain at all,” Buri said. “Even with the loss, it was an amazing experience and opportunity I got.”