'Jeopardy!' contestant's shockingly low score disqualifies him from final 'Jeopardy!' round

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A contestant on Tuesday’s game of "Jeopardy!" had one of the most disappointing games in recent memory, scoring so low that he did not even qualify for the "Final Jeopardy!" round. 

Matt King, a lawyer from Lewisville, Tx. got off to a strong start but ultimately ended the game with a negative score of -$6,400, marking one of the lowest scores in the show’s history. Yahoo Entertainment notes that the player was strong on questions in the football category, an area that others have struggled with in the past. However, his sports knowledge wasn't enough to give him an overall total capable of beating out his competition. 

Because he was in the negative space going into "Final Jeopardy!," host Ken Jennings was forced to inform him that he was not eligible to continue in the game. 

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Ken Jennings is currently filling in as the host of ''Jeopardy!'' for the remainder of 2021. (Jeopardy Productions Inc.)

"Matt, I'm afraid you took your swings," said Jennings. "That's a strategy. It didn't always pay off. You were close so many times, but we're gonna have to say goodbye to you here. You'll finish in third place with $1,000."

The outlet reports that, by the time he was done, King had only answered eight out of 18 clues he buzzed in on correctly. While the score was certainly among the lowest seen in a game of "Jeopardy!" it was just shy of breaking the record for the worst score ever, which was set over the summer during guest host LeVar Burton’s run behind the podium. 

Mayim Bialik was one of the 2021 guest hosts of ‘'Jeopardy!’' (Carol Kaelson/Jeopardy! via AP)

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Patrick Pearce, product specialist from Fountain View, Calif. had a less-than-stellar performance and ended up raking in the lowest score in "Jeopardy!" history with -$7,400. According to Slate, the minus $7,400 finishing total breaks the record previously set in March of 2015 by contestant Stephanie Hull, whose poor performance on "Jeopardy!" earned her -$6,800.

Levar Burton presided over a game of '‘Jeopardy!'’ in July that saw a contestant break the lowest-recorded score ever. (Sony Entertainment)

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Meanwhile, the game ultimately went to Amy Schneider. She is now a 5-day "Jeopardy!" champion with a total of $170,400 in prize money since beginning her winning streak on Wednesday. Because she’s won five games, she is officially eligible for the show’s Tournament of Champions, where she will compete against similar winners from the last two seasons of the show, including the No. 2 player of all time, Matt Amodio.