Who is Ilena Di Toro? 'Jeopardy!' defending champ Bryan White concedes defeat to new contestant over bad bet
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: 'Jeopardy!' fans are reeling from the poor decision of a returning champion who saw his winning streak end because he bet a little too low. Bryan White, a two-day champion, failed to take advantage of a crucial Daily Double that would have mathematically eliminated his opponents. He didn't bet much and played it safe and conservative, which was ultimately his undoing.
Bryan was up against Courtney Johnston, a Denver attorney, and first-timer Ilena Di Toro, who won the game when Bryan bet only $1,100 in Double Jeopardy. Until then, Ilena was in second place, but Bryan's betting error made her the new 'Jeopardy!' champion.
Who is Ilena Di Toro?
Ilena Di Toro is a public relations specialist from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. She currently works as a PR Specialist at Debbie Goetz Media Connections, LLC in Jamison, Pennsylvania. She made her 'Jeopardy!' debut on Friday's (June 30) episode and emerged as the day's winner after reigning winner Bryan White blew his wager.
Before appearing on 'Jeopardy!' Ilena also announced her appearance on the renowned game show on LinkedIn. She captioned the post, "Now for something personal, I will be a contestant on #Jeopardy & here is my photo w/ host Mayim Bialik (I'm the right), as proof. The show I am in will air tomorrow, June 30. So I invite you to watch me on #Jeopardy. Consult local listings for broadcast time."
How did Ilena Di Toro win?
Two-day champion Bryan only wagered $1100 on the clue, "Lord Drinian is captain of this title vessel in a book by CS Lewis.” He answered correctly which gave him $9,300. The final clue, "In 'The Thousand and One Nights' this sailor man swears off travel after his seventh voyage,” was correctly answered by Ilena which brought her total to $5,400 - and suddenly made Final Jeopardy! a tad more interesting.
The Final Jeopardy! clue was, "The name of this country’s national anthem translates as 'His Majesty’s Reign' and its lyrics come from a 1,000-year-old poem." Ilena again answered correctly, adding her $4,100 wager to her already banked $5,400, taking her final total to $9,500. Bryan faltered and incorrectly guessed Norway. His $1,600 wager dropped him to $7,700, and Ilena was crowned the new champion. Bryan’s winning streak finally came to an end and the analyst from Santa Maria, California lost due to his conservatism.
