[The following post contains MAJOR spoilers for the Wednesday, July 3, episode of Jeopardy!]
A Jeopardy! contestant made a shocking wager that led them to win the game, but it could have gone horribly wrong. Jason Singer, from Portland, Maine, tried to break the one-day curse that tied the 2002 record on July 1.
With a one-day total of $22,401, Singer played his second game to try and up that amount. He competed against Stephanie Yang, from Queens, New York, and Jeff Foels, from Minneapolis, Minnesota, on Wednesday, July 2.
“Yesterday, Jason Singer became lucky number 13 for consecutive games with a new champion, tying a record set all the way back in 2002,” host Ken Jennings said. “Can Jason break the one-day curse today?”
The beginning of the game didn’t go so well for Singer, a real estate agent. He was in third for most of it. Yang, a children’s book designer, was only $200 away from the lead with $2,400 when she found the first Daily Double. She wagered $1,000 in “Isn’t It Iconic?” The clue read, “Britannica noted the image of this man who died in Bolivia in 1967 ‘became an icon of leftist radicalism and anti-imperialism.’” Yang shook her head and shrugged her shoulders as she answered, “Who was Che Guevara?” She was correct and moved up to first with $3,400.
By the end of the round, it was a tighter game. Both Singer and Yang had $4,800. Foels, a stay-at-home dad, led with $6,000.
Double Jeopardy was a tight round between all three contestants. At one point, they were all tied with $7,200. But when Foels found the first DD of the round, he was in second with $9,600. He wagered $4,000.
In “-Ology,” the clue read, “Dating from the early 20th century, this 2-word phrase refers to a suggestion intended to get someone to do the opposite.” Foels answered correctly with, “What is reverse psychology?” He moved to first place with $13,600.
Foels found the last DD on the next clue. He wagered $4,000 again in “Historical Shark Tank.” The clue was, “Mr. Wonderful will invest in Elizabeth Magie Phillips’ ‘Landlord’s Game’… if she’ll rename it this, nice to have in business.” Foels didn’t give an answer. The correct response was Monopoly. He dropped down to $9,600, putting him back in second place.
The rest of the round was a fight for first place between Singer and Foels. Singer kept forgetting “What is..?” towards the end of the round, allowing Foels to steal his answer. By the end, Singer and Foels were tied with $13,200. Yang had $4,800.
Final Jeopardy had never been more important. It all came down to wagers. The category for Final Jeopardy was “Men of Medicine.” “He told of a patient who ‘took hold of his wife’s head, tried to lift it off, to put it on’” was the clue.
Yang was wrong and put down, “Who is Dr. Do?” She wagered $0, ending with $4,800. Both Singer and Foels got it right with, “Who is Oliver Sacks?” Foels wagered $3,599, making his final total $16,799. Singer, who added “#BringBackSusan” to his response, shouting out his wife, who won in 2021, wagered his full amount of $13,200. That gave him $26,400, and a two-day total of $48,801.
Singer became the first two-champion in over a month. He broke the curse and will return for game three on Thursday, July 3.
“And for the first time in 14 games, we have a two-day champion,” Ken Jennings said.
Jeopardy!, Weeknights, check local listings