[Warning: The following contains MAJOR spoilers for the Thursday, January 15, episode of Jeopardy!]
The first part of the two-part Jeopardy! Champions Wildcard kicked off on January 15. Fans couldn’t believe how much of a nail-biter the game was as it all came down to the final moments.
The final is based on a points system. Thursday’s final score will get added to Friday’s final score to determine who the winner is. From there, the winner advances to the Tournament of Champions, which kicks off on January 19.
Software engineer Stella Trout, from Houston, Texas, was one of the finalists. She went up against Jonathan Hugendubler, an adjunct professor and trivia host from Baltimore, Maryland. Data analyst and college administrator Cameron Berry was the third finalist competing for a spot in the ToC.
Berry took the lead in only two clues with $1,400. He found the Daily Double on clue three and made it a true Daily Double.
In “American History,” the clue read, “This latest (1992) Constit. Amendment is partly due to a college sophomore who noticed it had sat unratified for 2 centuries.”
“What is the 23rd Amendment?” Berry answered. “Sorry, no. We’re up to the 27th Amendment,” host Ken Jennings said. Berry dropped down to $0. The 27th Amendment prevents Congress from giving itself a pay raise until after the next election for the House of Representatives.
By the first commercial break, Trout had taken the lead, but not by much. Berry was only $400 behind her. Hugendubler was in the negatives.
During the interviews, Hugendubler told Jennings that he and Scott Riccardi are very good friends, despite Hugendubler defeating him at 16 games. He also shared that he is good friends with Ian Morrison, who beat him in a game, as well as Ryan Sharpe and Paolo Pasco. “The best thing about Jeopardy! is the friends you’ve made along the way,” Hugendubler said.
“That’s very true,” Jennings said. “It’s like some kind of crucible that makes friendships, even though you should be enemies.”
By the end of the round, Berry took back the lead with $5,600. Trout had $2,400. Hugendubler was in third place with $600.
In Double Jeopardy, Trout and Berry battled it out for first place. The first DD wasn’t found until clue 21. Trout wagered $6,000 out of $10,400.
In “Census Working Overtime,” the clue read, “Officially ‘The Description of England’, this survey began in 1086 & is actually 2 volumes-one little & one great.” “What is Domesday Book?” she answered correctly, giving her $16,400.
The next DD was found on clue 25 by Hugendubler. He had $1,800 and wagered the allotted $2,000 in “Celeb Hyphenates.” The clue was, “‘I Am Moana’ is one of the many songs written by this versatile guy for a 2016 film.” He did not give an answer and dropped down to -$200. The correct response was Lin-Manuel Miranda.
In the last few clues, Hugendubler got out of the hole, and Trout took the lead. She ended with $16,800. Berry had $16,400. Hugendubler was in third place with $600.
The category for Final Jeopardy was “U.S. Geography.” The clue read, “The 2 states that border the most others, they border each other along a roughly 60-mile stretch between Kentucky & Arkansas.” Only one of the game show contestants got it right with, “What are Missouri and Tennessee?”
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Hugendubler had the correct response and wagered $600, giving him $1,200. Berry answered, “What are Ohio and Tennessee?” He wagered $6,400, ending with $10,000. Trout’s response was, “What are Tennessee and Nebraska?” She wagered $4,000, giving her a final total of $12,800.
But this win doesn’t guarantee Trout as the winner. Anything can happen in game two. Find out who takes it all on Friday.
Fans reacted to the game as it came down to its final moments. “This is a nail-biter,” one Reddit user said.
“Can’t wait until tomorrow. Today was so good! Jonathan is in third place now, but a couple of successful DDs could change everything,” another commented.
“Well, that’s day 1 of a 2-day competition in the books. I wonder what went so wrong for Jonathan during the half an hour of taping leading up to FJ? Nerves, maybe?” a third added.
Jeopardy!, weekdays, check local listings, stream next day on Hulu and Peacock
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