Rough day for 'Jeopardy!' contestant leads to one of the lowest scores of all time

Jeopardy! contestant Matt King gained notoriety after appearing on Tuesday’s show, but probably not for the reason he would like. The lawyer from Lewisville, Texas, started the game strong, but ultimately finished with -$6,400.

While contestants in the past have struggled mightily with categories pertaining to football, that category was where King excelled. He quickly accrued $2,400, but finished the night with only eight correct responses and ten wrong answers. Unfortunately his deficit score made him ineligible for Final Jeopardy!.

“Matt, I'm afraid you took your swings,” said host Ken Jennings prior to Final Jeopardy!. “That's a strategy. It didn't always pay off. You were close so many times, but we're gonna have to say goodbye to you here. You'll finish in third place with $1,000.”

Fans could relate to King’s struggles. Many took to Twitter to offer their support and respect to the contestant. Several fans also wondered if his low score was a record of some sort.

The lowest recorded score on the show occurred just this past summer, during guest host Lavar Burton’s debut. Contestant Patrick Pearce finished the game with -$7,400, breaking contestant Stephanie Hull's previous record of -$6,800 from 2015. King’s score, however, was low enough to tie him for third place alongside 2012 Christy Gibson.

Jeopardy! is a syndicated program; visit Jeopardy.com or check your local listings for the TV schedule.

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