‘Jeopardy’ contestant who earned second lowest score in game show history speaks out: ‘A day to forget’

“Jeopardy” contestant Erin Buker made a game show record after earning the second-lowest score in the competition’s history. 

At the end of Monday’s episode, the stay-at-home mom walked away with -$7,200. The low score followed former contestant Patrick Pearce’s -$7,400 in July 2021. 

Despite the negative score, Buker said she had a “great experience,” but it was definitely “a day to forget.”

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“It was a day to forget for Erin indeed! Unfortunately, they taped what little I was able to forget about it,” Buker wrote on the show’s Reddit page, “When it came to the buzzer, I was my own worst enemy, frequently buzzing in midway through the clue as if my thumb had a mind of its own.”

“There’s something uniquely frustrating about knowing answers, but not having the wherewithal to ring in at the appropriate time to answer them — that was my deficit and I own it entirely,” she added.

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“It was still a great experience,” she continued. “As the alternate for the week before, I got to know all of the contestants who aired last week really well, and they were truly salt of the earth. I especially found an appreciation for the denizens of the capital to our north, from which two contestants (Kelsey and Jonquil) hailed. It was no surprise then that my fellow contestant, Graham, was another shining example of exceptional wit and character from Ottawa.”

“Jeopardy!” host Ken Jennings handled Buker’s performance with grace.  (Sony Pictures Television Jeopardy Productions)

“Thanks to my experiences with these three beautiful souls,” Buker concluded, “Ottawa is now officially on my list of places to travel.”

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Buker competed against graduate student and “Survivor” alum Drew Basile and lighting designer Graham Hicks.

Due to her low score, Buker was not qualified to compete in Final Jeopardy. Basile ended up taking the win. 

Fans of the show were quick to share their thoughts on social media. 

Jennings set the record for longest consecutive winning streak in “Jeopardy!” history in 2004. (Eric McCandless/ABC via Getty Images)

“Someone want to tell Erin the object of the game is to answer correctly,” one fan wrote on X (formerly Twitter). 

“Poor Erin. She’s so far in the hole,” another wrote.

Host Kat Jennigs, who previously set the record for longest consecutive winning streak in “Jeopardy!” history in 2004, offered Buker reassurance throughout the episode and handled the situation with grace. 

“I really love how Ken reassured Erin and told her that at least she tried to take risks and get out of the hole, that was really sweet of him,” a fan of the show wrote on social media. 

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Jennings made his “Jeopardy!” debut in June 2004, going on to appear in 74 episodes and setting a record for the longest consecutive winning streak in the show’s history. The record has yet to be broken by another contestant.