Jeopardy! just had a record-breaking game after a contestant made a big mistake during Final Jeopardy. Did six-day champion Peter McFerrin win another game, or was he part of the mistake?

McFerrin, from Corona, California, entered his seventh game with a total of $147,399. On June 9, the energy industry professional played against Dan Laine, from Jersey City, New Jersey, and Wilson Li, from Woodside, New York. Warning: Spoilers for the June 9 episode of Jeopardy! ahead!

By the first 15 clues, McFerrin was in second place with $1,600 after a rough beginning of the round. Li, a VP of regulatory reporting, had the lead with $2,800.

When McFerrin found the Daily Double on clue 22, he was still in second place with $3,400. He wagered $1,600 in “Magazine By Recurring Feature.”

The clue read, “The Talk of the Town; Shouts & Murmurs.” McFerrin answered, “What is The Hollywood Reporter?” The correct response was The New Yorker, so he dropped to $1,800.

The champion couldn’t quite get to first place by the end of the round. He had $2,400. Li was in first place with $5,200. Laine, a software engineer, ended the round with $600.

McFerrin found the first DD in Double Jeopardy on clue two. He had $4,400 and once again wagered $1,600. In “George-ography,” the clue read, “This 700-square-mile wetland in southeast Georgia is the largest blackwater swamp in North America.”

“What is the Okefenokee?” he answered correctly. McFerrin moved into the lead with $6,000. Li had $5,200.

Although McFerrin and Li went back and forth throughout the round, McFerrin was in the lead when he found the last DD on clue 18. He had $13,200 and wagered $5,400.

In “Saints Be Praised,” the clue read, “Not surprisingly, this apostle is the patron saint of bookkeepers, accountants & tax collectors.” “Who is Paul?” McFerrin answered confidently incorrectly.

The correct response was Matthew. He dropped down to $7,800, only $200 above Li.

It was a close game by the end of the round. McFerrin had $11,400 while Li had $10,400. Laine ended with $2,200.

“Alternative Medicine” was the category for Final Jeopardy. The clue read, “Honoring the brother of the Greek god Thanatos, this alternative medical practice got its name in the 19th century.” None of the game show contestants correctly answered with “What is hypnosis?”

Laine’s response was “What is homeopathy?” He wagered $7, making his final total $2,193. Li’s answer was “What is euthanasia?” He wagered $8,599, giving him $1,801.

McFerrin did not give a response. He wagered $9,401, making his final total $1,999. This meant that McFerrin’s reign was over, but he will return for the Tournament of Champions. Including the $3,000 second-place prize, McFerrin took home a total of $150,399.

Laine will be back on Wednesday for his second game. Reportedly, he had the lowest-winning score in regular play this season, according to The Jeopardy! Fan. This was the lowest since June 19, 2025, when Bevin Blaber won $600.

However, some fans think Li made a big mistake by making a big Final Jeopardy wager. “While the trivia is still overwhelmingly the most important part of Jeopardy!, I do think most contestants don’t put enough weight on wagering. While I do think wagering is not ‘easy as pie’ to study for, I do think it is still easier to study for than the trivia,” a Reddit user said.

“Missed Daily Doubles led to a close final. So the answer in FJ matters. But more importantly, wagers really will matter as it wound up to be a Triple stumper. Peter and Dan made correct wagers. But sadly, Wilson, who had the big chance of winning here, made a fatal mistake in his wager; he made a classic wagering mistake,” another said. “Wilson made a fatal mistake in his wager. As he is in the fourth-fifth game scenario and he is way ahead of Dan even if Dan doubles up, a very big wager is an absolute no-no.”

“Suspect Wilson will be kicking himself over the final wager, but it’s an exciting finish when a triple stumper leads to the distant third-place underdog contestant winning because they wagered savvily in a situation where they had more than the amount between a close first and second,” a third added.