Second-place finisher on Kids Jeopardy!: "I was cheated"

From the Today Show:

Last week 12-year-old Thomas Hurley III made headlines when he misspelled "Emancipation Proclamation" during the final question on "Kids Jeopardy!" and earned sympathy from others who might have made the same mistake.

In an interview with Danbury, Conn.'s News-Times, he said, "I was pretty upset that I was cheated out of the final 'Jeopardy!' question. It was just a spelling error."

The final "Jeopardy!" question, phrased in the form of an answer, was this: "Abraham Lincoln called this document, which took effect in 1863, 'a fit and necessary war measure.'"

Hurley's answer was correct, but included an extra "t" and was considered invalid because of the misspelling.

I'll mention here that winner Skyler Hornback bet big and got the answer right, so even with the right spelling Hurley wouldn't have walked away with the first prize

His family and friends are "proud of me," he said, but added, "It's just upsetting to have lost that way. I don't know why it would have counted as the wrong answer."

"Jeopardy!" producers told The Hollywood Reporter in an email: "If 'Jeopardy!' were to give credit for an incorrect response (however minor), the show would effectively penalize the other players. We love presenting young people as contestants on our show and make every effort to be fair and consistent in their treatment."