Who won ‘Jeopardy!’ tonight? Caleb takes on Armando and Marisa to become a Super Champion
Caleb Groen entered Thursday's game with a lot on his mind. He was not only playing for himself but also for the legacy of his season as a whole. For those unaware, 'Jeopardy!' Season 42 is just one super champion less than 'Jeopardy!' Season 38 in the race for most super champions in a single season. Caleb, set to play his tenth game, could crown this season by becoming the fifth Super Champion. In this monumental game, he faced off against Armando Marin, from Queens, New York, and Marisa Rizzuti, from Centerport, New York. The returning champion started the proceedings with a bang, taking an early lead in the 'Jeopardy!' round. Caleb was on point with seven correct answers out of the first eight clues in the first round. It gave him $3,400, compared with Marisa's -$800 and Armando's $600.
Caleb, the law and policy student, found his first Daily Double (DD) on the ninth clue, and wagered $1,000. The DD belonged to the category of 'Barber Shop,' and its clue read, "This London street that was the epicenter of British journalism is also the site of some barber-ous murders in a classic musical." Caleb answered, "What is Fleet Street?" which was deemed correct. After this DD win, Marisa and Armando tried to catch up to him, with the former buzzing in with four correct answers (and two wrong ones) and the latter with two answers. By the time the first commercial break arrived, Caleb had $6,200, Armando had $1,600, and Marisa was at dead last with -$400.
Armando bridged some gap by picking up five correct answers after the break. Caleb, though, kept the ship steady with six correct responses. At the end of the round, he still had the lead with $8,600, followed by Armando with $4,400 and Marisa with -$800. Marisa found herself in such a situation after giving two correct answers, and then turned in two incorrect ones. Caleb was unstoppable in the 'Double Jeopardy' (DJ) round. He correctly answered the very first clue and added $1,200 to his account. After this, he found back-to-back DDs, further strengthening his grasp.
On the first one, Caleb decided to go big and wager $4,000. This DD belonged to the category 'Notorious,' and its clue read, "Robert Stroud, who became a self-taught ornithologist during his years in solitary confinement, is best known by this nickname." He answered, "What is Birdman of Alcatraz?" which again turned out to be correct. The third and last DD came his way on the third clue, and it belonged to the category 'Poems.' The clue read, "Milton's poem, 'Agonistes,' meaning enduring struggle, describes him as 'eyeless in Gaza at the mill with slaves.'" Caleb answered, "What is Samson?" This time around, he wagered $5,000 and won again, as he was deemed correct.
Caleb gave four correct answers in 'Doctors' and 'Poems,' and turned in three correct responses each in 'British Songstresses,' 'Notorious,' and 'U.S. mountains.' By the end of DJ, he had a runaway lead with an account of $38,000. He was followed by Armando, who boasted $4,400, and Marisa, with $3,200. This episode's 'Final Jeopardy' (FJ) was from the category '20th Century History,' and its clue read, "The U.N. Conference of April 25, 1945 opened with a speech that said this man 'gave his life while trying to perpetuate these high ideals.'" Caleb and Armando answered, "Who was Franklin D. Roosevelt?" which was deemed correct. They came out with $60,067 and $6,401, respectively. Marisa gave the wrong answer and bowed out with $1,999. This win made Caleb the 23rd Super Champion in the show's history. He also became the fifth player in the show's history to surpass the daily earnings of $60,000 twice. Caleb will return to defend his title on Friday's episode of Jeopardy!'
