Contemporary off a slender escape, six-day champ Scott Riccardi, the delight of Somerville, New Jersey, was thrust into one more high-stakes battle. Within the Friday, July 11, episode of Jeopardy, he discovered himself in one of many hardest video games he had ever confronted, up towards two formidable challengers and ready he had by no means been in earlier than: third place.
Riccardi returned for his seventh sport after a tense Thursday match the place he had entered Last Jeopardy in second place for the primary time. He managed to carry onto his title solely as a result of his competitor wagered extra on an incorrect response. With that shut name, he remained the reigning champ, with six-day winnings totaling $149,901.
For Friday’s sport, medical pupil Andrew Wang of Winnetka, Illinois, and ebook critic Edaureen Muhamad Nor of Silver Spring, Maryland, stepped as much as the podiums to problem the six-day champ and compete for a shot at Jeopardy! glory.
The ebook critic picked up the primary clue within the class “Ebook Excerpts” for $600, launching the sport with: “‘We, the social gathering, management all information, and we management all recollections. Then we management the previous, will we not?’” Nor shortly responded, “What’s 1984?,” giving her management of the board. Then it was off to the races because the trio shortly divided up the board amongst themselves.
The primary Every day Double was discovered by Wang in “Sorority Now” for $1,000. Having simply taken the lead with $2,600, he performed it secure, admitting, “I don’t actually know sororities.” He wagered $1,500 on the clue: “Senator Blanche Lincoln and Nancy Walton Laurie, a daughter of Walmart’s co-founder, have been Chi Omegas at this state faculty.” To his personal shock, Wang accurately responded, “What’s the College of Arkansas?” “You do know your sororities!” exclaimed a delighted Ken Jennings. With that win, Wang raised his complete to $4,100, placing him $3,300 forward of Riccardi.
By the point the primary break arrived, Wang was within the lead with $6,500, Riccardi adopted with $4,200, and Nor trailed in third with $2,200.
After the break, Wang admitted to Jennings that he wasn’t precisely a music fan. “We’ve got a music class referred to as ‘Off the Document,’ however you haven’t listened to that many information in your life,” Jennings commented.
“No,” Wang replied.
“What number of?” Jennings requested.
“Two.”
“You listened to 2 information?!” Jennings stated, incredulous.
“Two full albums,” Wang confirmed.
Jennings pressed for extra. “Did you hearken to them time and again, or do you pay attention to every one as soon as and have been like, ‘Eh’?”
“Let’s simply say that in 2007, our household had one iPod, and I had a youthful sister, so I listened to all of Bizarre Al Yankovic’s Straight Outta Lynwood and the Miley Cyrus/Hannah Montana 2 album.”
“And also you felt that gave you the complete vary of well-liked music? And also you have been like, ‘I’m good’?” Jennings joked.
“No!” laughed Wang. “Do I appear like I’m getting these questions?”
After Riccardi shared a narrative about getting caught on the roof of a Greenback Retailer, Wang regained management of the board and chosen “Robust to Spell” for $600. The trio proved to be an evenly matched group of sensible contenders, making fast work of the remainder of the spherical and leaving little on the board unsolved.
Within the “End the Drink” class, Nor picked up the $200 clue: “Martinis can have many garnishes, however to be referred to as a Gibson, it should have certainly one of these.” Her appropriate response, “What’s an onion?,” bumped her into second place and, for the primary time throughout his Jeopardy! run, pushed tech guru Riccardi into third place.
Riccardi’s time in third didn’t final lengthy. The very subsequent clue, from “Off the Document” for $200, was, “From this ’80s album, get right down to ‘Darling Nikki’ or ‘Let’s Go Loopy.’” Riccardi accurately answered, “What’s ‘Purple Rain?,” shifting him again into second place.
Because the trio entered Double Jeopardy, Wang held the lead with $8,100, adopted by Riccardi with $5,400 and Nor with $4,800. With management of the board, Nor uncovered the primary Every day Double beneath “Mythellaneous Females” for $1,200. She wagered $3,200 on the clue: “Stheno and Euryale are her equally monstrous sisters, although she is the one one who’s mortal.” Nor accurately responded, “Who’s Medusa?,” boosting her complete to $8,000, shifting into second place, and pushing champ Riccardi down to 3rd.
Wang later discovered the second Every day Double within the class “Two-Phrase Palindromes” for $2,000. Uncertain of his verbal dexterity, he cautiously wagered $5,000 from his $9,300 complete. The clue: “I’ve finished this, dug within the earth to search out blue twill-woven cloth used to make denims.” His appropriate response, “What’s mined denim?,” raised his rating to $14,300 and gave him an $8,900 lead over Riccardi.
Regardless of lacking few clues all through the sport, the trio appeared to actually stumble when it got here to TV trivia. Within the class “Oscar Winners on TV,” they missed two consecutive clues. The $1,600 clue was: “For 3 seasons, he performed Rodrigo Borgia, who turns into Pope Alexander VI.” (Right response: “Who’s Jeremy Irons?”) The $2,000 clue adopted: “Within the ’80s, future two-time Oscar winner Denzel Washington performed Dr. Phillip Chandler on this collection.” (Reply: “What’s St. Elsewhere?”)
Following the TV missteps, Riccardi received his groove again, climbing the board with a string of appropriate responses that moved him from third place to second. The spherical grew more and more intense as each Wang and Nor proved to be formidable opponents, matching Riccardi’s momentum with fast reflexes and sharp recall. With every clue, the leaderboard remained in fixed flux, setting the stage for a nail-biting end.
Within the class “Marriage” for $800, the clue was, “George Clooney spent 20 minutes on this conventional proposal place earlier than Amal stated sure.” Riccardi buzzed in with, “What’s on one knee?,” which bumped him again into the highest spot with $16,200.
By the point the trio entered Last Jeopardy, Riccardi had climbed from third again to first with $18,200. Wang adopted with $16,300, and Nor held $12,000, a powerful haul from all three gamers. “Have a look at these scores,” remarked Jennings.
“This was an actual shoot-out immediately,” remarked Jennings earlier than he gave the Last Jeopardy clue within the class for “Historic Objects”: “Described as each a ‘Stunning Violet’ and a ‘French Blue’ within the 1600s, the article went on tour within the 1900 earlier than touchdown within the Smithsonian.”
With the response, “What’s the Hope Diamond?” (and a cheeky “Hello, youngsters” message), Nor answered accurately and added $11,995 to her complete, bringing her rating to $23,995 and taking the lead. Wang additionally responded with “What’s the Hope Diamond?” and, with a daring wager of $16,300, surged forward with a complete of $32,600, stealing the lead from Nor.
In a heart-pounding last second, Riccardi revealed he additionally accurately answered, “What’s the Hope Diamond?” (sans messages house). However had he wagered sufficient to reclaim the lead?
With a wager of $14,800, Riccardi’s last tally rose to $33,000, simply sufficient to edge previous Wang and maintain onto his title as Jeopardy! champion as he exhaled in seen aid. His seven-day complete now sits fairly at $189,901.
“What a sport from all three of you!,” exclaimed Jennings.
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