I wonder if the contestant didn't realize he could be a co-champ, or just did the math wrong.
If the latter is the case, it's especially odd since the players can see each other's scores. It wasn't as if the scores were huge complicated numbers at that point, either -- it was the leader's $5,250 to his $2,750.
Someone who's not too hot with math, especially with a camera and lights in his face, might think that's a $3,500 difference.