This 1984 Jeopardy poser turned all three contestants into losers. Would you have done any better?
Back in 1984, on Alex Trebek’s second day as the host of Jeopardy, a question (or should that be an answer?) caused a bit of a pile-up at the finish line, resulting in three disappointed contestants who accidentally entered the game show hall of fame.
Watch what happened, and see if you would have got it right.
Final Jeopardy time. No Googling… just instincts. What’s your answer? pic.twitter.com/qjpf00QdLj
— Restricted Daily (@RestrictedDaily) March 28, 2026
Of course, centuries run from 1 to 100, which is what all three unfortunate quizzers overlooked.
Twitter weighed in.
1.
Wow. I had not seen that happen before. https://t.co/GL7tq6i3v1
— Frank J. Fleming (@IMAO_) March 28, 2026
2.
How did they have three Jeopardy! contestants who didn’t know how to count?!
I mean, the $9,500 guy’s idiotic bet (he could’ve bet $501) is consistent with his inability to count.
P.S. “Instincts” aren’t necessary. Elementary school arithmetic is https://t.co/GOGBRHghZB
— Steven Walk (@realStevenWalk) March 28, 2026
3.
The Jeopardy players used to be much worse. https://t.co/mVLemJKbUX
— tedfrank (@tedfrank) March 28, 2026
4.
This is one of those things that you rarely encounter but you need to drill into your head, because if you get it wrong when it matters it’ll haunt you for the rest of your life. https://t.co/QKxLtTMcnE
— Thrice-Great Nusky (@Nuskylicious) March 29, 2026
5.
To be fair, I only knew BC we had the same discussion in 2000 and 2001
— Dan Behrman Esq (@DanForTexas) April 1, 2026
6.
I missed it too
— Papagunz (@gmmcusn) March 28, 2026
7.
Why is this correct? Because there is no year 0. The first century (100 years) was from 1 to 100. The second century was from 101 to 200. ETC.
— Dwazagul (@dwazagul) March 28, 2026
8.
Nah, they should’ve brought them all back for another episode. https://t.co/PMDDjSuBjS
— Skylar is a writer with a FAT ass & SKINNY pockets (@SkylarTheWriter) March 28, 2026
9.
This might come in handy one day.. pic.twitter.com/SGsgSOiUAV
— ᴍʀ..ᴡᴇᴤᴛᴍᴏᴏʀᴇ (@TheSulkyFireman) March 28, 2026
10.
This is the argument I have with people all the time. This decade started 2021 not 2020 because the first year was 1 not 0 this the first decade was 1-10 not 0-9. When talking about the 90s it is fine to call that 1990-1999 because that is a specific decade.
— IncreasedOdd (@IncreasedOdd) March 28, 2026
11.
This is wild how all three contestants got this wrong. I’d also assume that this was shot before the 21st century started because many people also misunderstood the first day of the 21st century as well. https://t.co/O8hf5gmVsJ
— Arshad Karim (@arshad_esq) March 29, 2026
12.
This is one of those things that sounds incredibly stupid until you figure out the rationale behind it. https://t.co/ngdEavvkls
— #jor (@oohweehuman) March 30, 2026
Not everyone was convinced.
13.
Except pretty much the entire world was celebrating the start of the new millennium (and therefore the new century also) at midnight on 31/12/1999, or rather 12.01am on 01/01/2000.
Assuming people 100 yrs previous celebrated (don't care if they didn't), the beginning of the 20th…
— Low Profile (@SeosQuinn) March 28, 2026
14.
I refuse to accept the idea that a decade/century/millennium begins on the 1 year and not the 0 year. The preceding digit changes over, signifying the new period. That is how Base 10 works.
If you say otherwise, you are stupid. This 01 bullshit isn’t mainstream for a reason.
— Attorney General Steeze Rogers (@steezerogers) March 28, 2026
15.
This is bullshit. Did your life start on your 1st birthday? No. The century started on 01/01/1900, just like your life started the day you were born.
— Owlier Than Thou (@OwliestOne) March 29, 2026
In fact, Seinfeld addressed this very question.
Seinfeld taught us all why the answer is 1/1/1901. pic.twitter.com/kFhXb60ySw
— EdgeCrusher (@EdgeCrusher14) March 28, 2026
And there you have it.
READ MORE
H/T @RestrictedDaily Image Screengrab