Government Professor Tom Nichols, who won $45,690 last winter on the Jeopardy, will be given one more chance on the game show because of a mistake made during the game in which he lost.
Nichols' 4-day winning streak ended February 4 when he lost by $110. During the game he was told he had given the incorrect question in response to the answer "The full name of this German city calls it a free and Hanseatic port."
But Jeopardy later determined he had given the correct question, Nichols said. The answer turned out to have many possible questions and all the contestants had actually gotten it right.
"You could have given about any answer and it would have been right," Nichols said.
Jeopardy therefore invited Nichols to compete on another show, which will air on Oct. 10. If he wins, he will be declared a 5-day champion and advance to the Tournament of Champions, where he will compete against the top performers from the year.
He said at first he did not realize he had given the right answer.
"I was shocked. I didn't realize I had the correct answer," he said. "Jeopardy got letters within days telling them that they had gotten it wrong."
If Nichols moves onto the Tournament of Champions, it will air in November.
