West Michigan Man Fumbles His Way to ‘Jeopardy’ Glory—And Still Wins

A criminal forensic scientist from West Michigan may have walked away with less than $1,000, but he still gets to call himself a Jeopardy! champion.

Tyler Griffith, who hails from Sturgis, stepped onto the iconic game show stage on a show aired on Tuesday, May 27, and somehow managed to bumble, gamble, and guess his way into a win that defied all odds.

Tyler started strong, quickly racking up $1,600 and finding the only Daily Double in the first round. He did what every high-stakes player dreams of: he bet it all. And it paid off, because he ended up doubling his earnings and briefly put himself in the lead.

But like most things in Jeopardy!, leads can vanish fast. A few missed clues later, Tyler’s cushion had deflated to a slim $200 by the end of the Jeopardy Round.

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The second round was even more chaotic. Competitor Jackie Yang sprinted ahead into the lead with a commanding Daily Double win. But just when Tyler looked out of the running, he hit the second Daily Double and again, doubled down and went all in. Somehow, it worked AGAIN. He leapfrogged into the lead by a nose heading into Final Jeopardy.

The category? American History. The clue? “In 1847, a decade before making national news, he was the plaintiff in a Missouri case against Irene Emerson.”

All three contestants guessed: “Who is Dred Scott?” And all three were dead wrong.

Everyone both bet big and lost big. Tyler, who also got it wrong, had the smallest wager, and by default, the biggest win. He finished with just $799 to his name, but it was enough to claim the title of Jeopardy! champion.

You can view the final round here:

Tyler now moves on to tonight’s game, where he’ll face off against Alice Welch from New York and Thomas Sweeney from Ohio. Will lightning strike twice? Or will this be the most short-lived reign in Jeopardy! history?

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Tune in to find out—and maybe, just maybe, bet low.