[The following post contains MAJOR spoilers for the Monday, June 9, episode of Jeopardy!]
Jeopardy! crowned another winner, but not before they revealed they didn’t know the name of a very popular Marvel movie. Nikhil Joshi returned for his third game, but did he pull out a win?
Joshi, from Montville, New Jersey, played against Jackie Rogoff, from Santa Cruz, California, and Ted Nyman, from San Francisco, California, on Monday, June 9. The reigning champion had a two-day total of $20,199 and tried to increase that on his third game.
The beginning of the game was a pretty even playing field for all of the contestants. Rogoff, a sci-fi writer and library student, tried to take the lead when she found the first Daily Double on clue six. With $1,000 won so far, she wagered it all. In “The American Revolution,” the clue read, “When a mob of colonials pelted British soldiers with snowballs, they opened fire, killing 5 in an act dubbed this bloodletting.” “What is the Boston Massacre?” she answered correctly, doubling up to $2,000. She was $200 ahead of Joshi, a veterinarian, who had $1,800.
The rest of the round went well for Rogoff, especially when she got points for answering a clue correctly, even after Joshi said the right answer. He had run out of time on “The Artemesium was another name for this ancient wonder,” when he answered “The Temple of Artemis.” Roggof swooped in and got the $800.
During the interviews, Joshi revealed that he used to be an emergency veterinarian and worked nights. He said that he would ask to turn on Jeopardy! and watch it when there were no patients around.
By the end of the round, Rogoff led with $7,000. Joshi had $4,800. Nyman, a start-up founder, was in third with $2,200.
In Double Jeopardy, Rogoff knew plenty of clues pertaining to celebrities and pop culture, so it was a bit of a shock when she didn’t know the final clue. She found the first DD on clue eight. With $10,200, she wagered only $2,000. Even if she got the clue in “The Renaissance,” wrong, she would still be in the lead. “Francis Bacon wrote, ‘We are much beholden to’ this Italian ‘and others, that write what men do, and not what they ought to do,’” was the clue. “Who is Da Vinci?” Rogoff answered incorrectly. She dropped down to $8,200 but still kept the lead as Joshi had $6,800. The correct answer was Machiavelli.
Rogoff also found the last DD of the game on clue 18. Out of her $15,400, the game show contestant wagered $5,000. In “Scientific Rhyme Time,” the clue read, “A naked runner carrying a wide-mouthed lab vessel.” “What is a streaker beaker?” she answered correctly, giving her a total of $20,400.
She answered the last five clues of the round correctly, giving her $23,600. Nyman was in second with $11,000. Joshi had $10,400.
The category for Final Jeopardy was “Movie Titles.” “This title of a Hollywood blockbuster is a national symbol of Gabon,” was the clue.
Only one contestant got the answer right, which was The Black Panther. Nyman gave the correct response and ended with $21,500 after wagering $10,500. Joshi, the reigning champion answered with “What is TCBW <3 KBHD?” He wagered $601, giving him a final total of $9,799. It all came down to Rogoff’s wager. She answered incorrectly with “What is ? Hi Mom.” She wagered $1,599, giving her a final total of $22,001, making her the night’s winner.
Roggof will return on Tuesday to face off against two new opponents for her second game. Jeopardy! fans thought she played a great game, despite her not knowing a very popular movie.
“Jackie played a very amazing game!!! Congrats to her, I hope she can go on a long run. She seems very knowledgeable,” a Reddit user wrote.
“3 strong players today, but Jackie played GREAT to earn the win–far too often, we see players in that situation on DD3 under-bet and then get caught in FJ,” said another.
“Terrific game from Jackie, Nikhil, and Ted!” wrote a third.
“Agreed – that was a great game! Which makes Jackie’s win all the more wonderful for her,” replied a fan.