Peter McFerrin defeated Chris D’Angelo on Jeopardy! after D’Angelo’s 8-game winning streak ended with an unanswered Final Jeopardy clue. The category was IDIOMS & EXPRESSIONS, and the correct response—“riverboat gamblers”—left all three contestants scrambling.
For eight straight days, Chris D’Angelo walked into Jeopardy! and walked out with momentum. Then Final Jeopardy arrived, the screen shifted, and the run ended the way they always hope it won’t: with the clue beating everyone in the room.
On June 1. 2026. Peter McFerrin defeated D’Angelo after a Final Jeopardy in the category “IDIOMS & EXPRESSIONS.” The clue read: “In the 1830s cities on the Mississippi banned cardsharps. creating more of these. now meaning one who takes big risks.” The correct answer was “What are riverboat gamblers?”.
Not a single contestant got it right.
D’Angelo’s 8-game winning streak was stopped by that miss. He finished the run with 8 wins and $194,201 in total earnings, securing a spot in the 2026 Tournament of Champions. But the final board told the rest of the story: D’Angelo came into Final Jeopardy with $11,200 and wagered everything. His total game score hit $0, ending the streak.
Camryn Bell also wagered everything. She entered Final Jeopardy with $10,200 and, like D’Angelo, ended the game with a final score of $0.
McFerrin survived—barely, and smartly. He had amassed $20,700 going into Final Jeopardy, then wagered $1,701, the exact amount needed to cover the correct response from D’Angelo. With the clue remaining unsolved, that precise wager was what kept McFerrin in the game and gave him the win.
McFerrin’s journey in the episode began with his daily total of $18,999 in his first game. He’s now set to return on Tuesday, June 2, for another chance at victory.
Jeopardy! will come back on Tuesday, June 2, and new episodes are available on both Hulu and Peacock. Subscribers can watch new episodes the next day and also access a vault of classic episodes.
Jeopardy! Peter McFerrin Chris D'Angelo Camryn Bell Final Jeopardy riverboat gamblers IDIOMS & EXPRESSIONS Tournament of Champions Hulu Peacock
Jeopardy really said “riverboat gamblers” like that’s common knowledge lol
Wait so they all missed the final clue and the guy just lucked out? Sounds like the category was cursed. Also how did he wager the exact amount??
I don’t get it, like if they walked into the final with like $11k and wagered everything… isn’t that basically guaranteed to lose unless they know the answer. So I blame whoever chose the clue, IDIOMS & EXPRESSIONS is always weird.
Camryn Bell and D’Angelo both ended at $0?? That’s honestly embarrassing but also I feel like that clue was written for a specific type of brain. I thought it was gonna be something like “cardsharps” or “Mississippi rules” or whatever. And June 1 2026 like… that seems way too far out, are we sure the recap isn’t mixing days?