Jeopardy! champion Geoff Barnes made one mistake that left fans white as a ghost

Jeopardy! fans thought they had their new favorite champion locked in.

But one brilliant contestant had other plans.

And Jeopardy! champion Geoff Barnes made one mistake that left fans white as a ghost.

Geoff Barnes looked like he was headed for Tournament of Champions glory

Three-day champion Geoff Barnes from Washington D.C. had been riding high with fans swooning over his impressive run.

The analyst had racked up $44,801 over his three victories and seemed destined for bigger things.

Barnes needed just one more win to secure his spot in the prestigious Tournament of Champions.

On Tuesday’s episode, he faced off against two challengers – Peter Vorissis from Los Angeles and Stella Trout from Houston.

Barnes got off to a promising start in the Jeopardy round when he located the first Daily Double early on.

Sitting at $2,000, he decided to risk it all since his opponents were trailing significantly.

The category was "A Double Shot Of Whiskey," and Barnes nailed the answer about single-malt scotch, bringing his total to $4,000.

During the contestant interviews, Barnes revealed his lifelong love for the show dating back to his toddler years.

"Somewhere on my parents’ camcorder, there is footage of me celebrating every night when Alex Trebek came on. I really loved when he came on the screen. But, I couldn’t say his name, so I would say, ‘Alex Quebec, Alex Quebec!’ and get really hyped up about it," Barnes revealed. "It was the highlight of my weekdays."

At the end of the first round, Barnes held the lead with $7,400.

Stella Trout, a software engineer, was in second place with $2,800.

Stella Trout delivered a performance for the ages

But Double Jeopardy would tell a completely different story.

Trout discovered the first Daily Double of the round on the third clue.

With $4,000 to her name, she chose to wager everything on the risky play.

In "20th Century Poetry," the clue read, "Ezra Pound was partial to these poetic works defined as divisions of a long poem; he wrote 117 of them."

"What are the cantos?" Trout answered without hesitation.

She doubled up to $8,000 and suddenly had the lead over Barnes.

But Trout wasn’t done dominating the round.

She continued building momentum across the categories, growing her score before landing the second Daily Double.

Now sitting pretty with $20,000, Trout played it safer and wagered only $3,000.

In "Life is a 5-Letter Word," the clue read, "Out West, Theodore Roosevelt had a ‘half-melancholy feeling as I gazed upon these’ beasts of a ‘nearly vanished race.’"

"What are bison?" she correctly answered, adding another $3,000 to reach $23,000.

Meanwhile, Barnes had trouble gaining traction during this round.

He went without answering any questions until late in Double Jeopardy, when he managed to string together some correct responses.

The episode concluded with Trout holding a substantial lead of $25,800 going into the final round.

Barnes trailed with $10,600, while Vorissis remained in third place at $3,600.

Final Jeopardy sealed Barnes’ fate

The Final Jeopardy category was "Famous Structures."

The clue read: "In April 2018 an MLB game was postponed after ice falling from this structure punctured the roof of Rogers Centre."

Both Barnes and Trout knew the correct answer was the CN Tower.

Barnes wagered everything, adding $10,599 to reach $21,199.

But Trout only needed to wager $3,000 to secure victory.

Her final total of $28,800 made her the night’s champion.

Vorissis, who didn’t know the answer and gave a shoutout to the River Rats instead, finished with just $1.

Jeopardy! fans had mixed reactions to the upset

Barnes’ loss meant he failed to qualify for the Tournament of Champions, since contestants need at least four wins.

Jeopardy! fans on Reddit reportedly had plenty to say about the stunning result.

"Geoff’s all done but his run was the perfect length. Not everything has to be an Amodio Rodeo," one fan wrote, referencing Matt Amodio’s lengthy winning streak.

"Agreed. After a 2 or 3-day streak, I’m ready for someone new to win," another replied.

But others felt Barnes deserved better.

"That might be from (some) audience members’ perspective, but it’s bad that he’s unlikely to make it to the ToC. He’s a very strong competitor and would have been no different in the tournament," one user commented.

Meanwhile, Trout earned plenty of praise for her dominant performance.

"Stella put on a scintillating performance!! That double Jeopardy! round was 🔥," a Reddit user wrote.

"Stella is my favorite Jeopardy!! player in a very long time. So nonchalant while being wicked smart. She has that je ne sais quoi and it works very well for her," another fan gushed.

Trout’s victory serves as a reminder that in Jeopardy!, anything can happen on any given day.

Barnes may have had the momentum and fan support, but Trout had the knowledge and strategy when it mattered most.

She returned Wednesday to face two new challengers as she began her own quest for Tournament of Champions qualification.