After 11 straight wins that earned him $297,200, ‘Jeopardy!’ champ Arthur Chu finally bowed out of the game. He has become possibly the game show’s most controversial contestant for his playing strategy, in which he jumped around the board instead of going through the categories straight down.
He ended his last game on Wednesday in third place with zero dollars, after betting all of that night’s $7,600 winnings on a question he failed to answer correctly. The Final Jeopardy question asked contestants to identify the last male monarch who had not been Prince of Wales. The answer was George VI, and only Diana Peloquin of Ann Arbor, Michigan got it right. She took the Jeopardy throne from Chu and went home with $15,700.
Jeopardy Champ Arthur Chu’s Final Hurrah
Chu’s renegade playing style both angered and awed the long-running game show’s fans, with some calling him a villain and others, a hero. Traditionalists commented he was unsportsmanlike, while others became inspired. During Wednesday’s game, Peloquin also used unconventional strategies to build up her lead, seemingly giving Chu a dose of his own medicine.
Chu explains that the strategy is rooted in game theory, and was not actually revolutionary in terms of the game show. Chuck Forrest, who was a ‘Jeopardy!’ contestant in 1985, did the same thing, and became known for it so much that the game plan was labeled “Forrest Bounce.” Chu said that by being unpredictable, opponents are put off-balance, allowing for an initial advantage. The strategy increases a contestant’s chance of winning, and Chu said he saw no reason not to apply it.
After his winning streak ended, Chu tweeted his thanks to his fans and announced that he would be doing an ‘Ask me Anything’ session on Reddit on Thursday. In an interview, Chu said he hopes his media exposure earns him greater opportunities as a voiceover artist.
Thanks for all the love guys. Hard to be hurt by a loss I’ve known was coming since Nov but seeing others react makes it real again
— Arthur Chu (@arthur_affect) March 13, 2014
Chu has the third-biggest cash winnings in the game show’s history, after Eddie Thomas who won five consecutive times in 1999, and all-time champ Ken Jennings who reigned for 74 times straight in 2004.
Arthur Chu Rocks Out On YouTube After Winning Nearly $300k
Image via YouTube