A Jeopardy! contestant’s reaction to a tough loss on a recent episode of the hit trivia game show has been subjected to a wave of cruel online comments. Ryan Bilger managed to get the final answer correct but didn’t succeed in securing a coveted spot in the show’s Tournament of Champions final. His lackluster response to Veronica Vichit-Vadakan’s triumphant win might have sparked criticism, but others soon came to his defense.
Ryan Bilger’s Tough Loss On ‘Jeopardy!’ Sparks Fan Outrage
Ryan Bilger and Veronica Vichit-Vadakan were two of three finalists in the semi-finals of the Jeopardy! Tournament of Champions, but it was ultimately Vichit-Vandakan who walked away the victor. The final question, “Falsely accused of murder, a character in his 1948 novel becomes “tyrant over the whole county’s White conscience,” was correctly answered by both Vichit-Vadakan and Bilger, but the former wagered a much higher amount.
That left the top two contestants with a tally of $31,400 and $16,002 respectively. Though Bilger clapped for Vichit-Vandakan’s win, he was visibly downcast at the prospect of coming so close to victory to lose at the final minute. Some viewers picked up on Bilger’s obvious disappointment and criticized him for not being more gracious in defeat.
Fans Had A Dismal Reaction To Bilger’s Obvious Disappointment
One commenter wrote, “Congrats Veronica. You were GREAT. But Ryan? Obviously no one taught him anything about being a gracious loser. He couldn’t even fake happiness for Veronica. Glad he lost.” Other comments largely followed that same vein.
When yet another person wrote another takedown of Bilger on Twitter, his supporters sprung into action. “I’m so happy Ryan didn’t win #Jeopardy tonight,” a fan wrote, adding, “what a sore loser and an overall jerk. He didn’t even look at the winner and just hung his head the whole time. Who’s going to tell him that the world doesn’t revolve around him?” Some people who claimed to know Bilger personally, and even some who had no connection to him other than seeing his performances on Jeopardy!, took the critical trolls to task for their cruel judgments.
For his part, Bigler hasn’t publicly acknowledged the backlash against him. He did heartily congratulate Vichit-Vadakan for her win on Twitter and lavished the librarian with praise for her performance on the show as well as for her as a person.
The heated rhetoric aimed at Bilger seems wholly uncalled for. It was an incredibly tough loss and with the way the segment played out, Bilger no doubt had high hopes that he’d be able to overtake Vichit-Vadakan substantial lead. It was obviously a letdown for him to lose, but emotions were riding high for everyone. Vichit-Vadakan could even be seen tearing up after she’d been announced the winner. Bilger more than made up for his downcast face by congratulating his fellow contestant after the fact and encouraging fans to tune in for her appearance in the finals. Sometimes people are far too quick to rush to judgment against others for the pettiest reasons.
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