‘Jeopardy!’ Admits Mistake, Allows Contestant to Return for Another Chance

Jeopardy! contestant Stella Trout will have another chance at victory after an error regarding her Daily Double answer was acknowledged by the show’s higher-ups.

Trout will return to compete in the 2027 Tournament of Champions, executive producers Sarah Whitcomb-Foss and Michael Davies revealed on Monday’s episode of Inside Jeopardy! podcast, after the player from Houston, Tex., suffered a devastating loss to Cameron Berry in the second game of the Champions Wildcard finals.

Trout was ahead with $11,200 when she bet the lot on the second Daily Double of Double Jeopardy in the “Making Conservation” category, which featured the clue, “Within the Department of the Interior, this is the country’s oldest conservation agency.”

Trout responded, “What is the National Park Service?” which was declared incorrect, with the correct response intended to be the Fish and Wildlife Service. Trout then dropped down to a total of $0, causing her to lose the game.

Davies revealed on Inside Jeopardy! that during the Jeopardy! Honors, he had a “very interesting” conversation with Trout that took her “completely by surprise” when she was told “that we are always looking at our material in the research room.”

“She gave us a response during that last Daily Double that made us think. We went back and looked at it, and we have decided that we ruled incorrectly,” he continued. “So, Stella, who was the alternate for this year’s Tournament of Champions, is going to be the first competitor in Tournament of Champions 2027.”

Trout’s answer was determined to be correct because while the National Park Service was established in 1916, much after the Fish and Wildlife Service was established in 1882, the Fish and Wildlife Service has changed its name several times throughout the years, making the National Park Service the oldest agency with the same name.

“The contestant gave a response that is closer in accuracy than the one on the script,” Davies admitted. “So, we look at these things all the time and most of the time we are right, but to be a strong television program, to be a place where we can all agree about facts, we have to hold ourselves to a high standard.”

Trout will compete not in the 2026 Tournament of Champions, which kicked off Monday, but in the 2027 tournament, which will also feature contestant Harrison Whitaker.