On Final Jeopardy, she bid the wrong amount. There is a method to figuring how much you should wager.
First place had $21,000. Gitta was in 2nd place with 11,400. She wagered 1,500.
Now, if the guy in the lead gets it right, she will likely lose. His best bid was 1,801. If he was right, he’d have $22,801. That means that even if Gitta had bet everything and got it right, she’d still miss him by a dollar. If he was wrong, he’d have $19,199 left. But let’s say he doesn’t know the category at all, so he wagers nothing. Her best wager was $9,601 so that she’d win no matter what if he got it wrong. She put herself in a position where she couldn’t win.
Also, she wasn’t risking any money. 2nd place wins $2,000 no matter how much you have. The 3rd place person had $3,200. If everything was wagered, and answered correctly, that would be $6,400. So Gitta could have wagered up to $4,999 and still finished 2nd no matter what.
Her bid really gave her no chance to win.