Who won ‘Jeopardy!’ tonight? A new champion emerges after Caleb Groen bows out of his Super Champion run
Sam Ryan began his run on Tuesday's episode of 'Jeopardy!' The regulatory consultant enthralled the audience by gaining a runaway victory over Caleb Groen in the last episode, and entered this game with hopes of extending his legacy. He was facing off against two worthy opponents: Joey Sisk, an analytics engineer from Cape Carteret, North Carolina, and Grace Biermann, a writer and librarian from Valparaiso, Indiana. Grace dominated the first segment of the 'Jeopardy!' round by turning in eight correct responses. These responses also included the Daily Double (DD) she found on the 12th clue. By this point, Grace had earned $3,400, against Sam's $1,800 and Joey's $0.
The Daily Double belonged to the category, 'Assemble!' and the clue read, "Cardinals assemble! Specifically, to elect a new pope during one of these, from the Latin for 'with a key.'" She went in with a conservative wager of $1,400 and answered, "What is conclave?" The answer was correct, and she furthered her lead with $4,800 in her pocket. By the time the first commercial break arrived, Grace had added $2,000 to her account, while maintaining her lead. She was followed by Sam with $1,800 and Joey, who failed to open his account, with a correct and an incorrect answer apiece.
The interviews in this episode shed light on how much the show means to these contestants. Joey shared that 'Jeopardy!' has become a part of his daily life, and studying for the show is inspiring him to compose songs. Sam revealed that he cherishes the opportunity to be on the show, as it has come his way after two decades of trying. All three put their best foot forward after the break. Grace picked up three correct answers, while Sam turned in five correct responses. The standout was Joey, who turned in seven correct answers. At the end of the first round, Grace was at the top with $7,600. However, Sam and Joey were closer this time around, with $4,200 and $3,000, respectively.
'Double Jeopardy' began with Grace and Sam going head to head, turning in one correct response after another. Joey got the opportunity to turn it all around in his favor when he found the second DD of the game on the seventh clue. The DD belonged to the category 'Narrator of the Novel' and came Joey's way when he had $4,200 in his pocket compared to Sam's $7,000 and Grace's $11,200. He went in with a $2,000 wager for a clue that read, "The Remarque-able Paul Bäumer, a young German soldier who witnesses the horrors of war." He answered, "What is 'All Quiet on the Western Front?'" correctly, elevating his score to $6,200. If he had been bolder with his wager, the analytics engineer could have overtaken Sam to take the second position on the table, closer to Grace.
Grace detected the third DD on the 23rd clue. By this time, she had solidified her lead with $19,200, followed by Sam's $7,800 and Joey's $7,000. Though she had a comfortable lead, there was still a chance that Sam and Joey could recover so much in the remaining clues that she would not go into the final round with a runaway lead. To avoid that scenario, Grace wagered a massive $10,000 on this DD from the category, 'Beyond the Sea,' whose clue read, "The Fourth Amendment shields privacy by barring this pair of unreasonable actions." She answered, "What are search and seizure?" She answered correctly and gained an upper hand over the other two with $29,200.
The situation remained more or less the same in the remaining portion of the second round. Ultimately, Grace entered 'Final Jeopardy' (FJ) with $30,000, giving her a runaway lead against Sam's $8,600 and Joey's $7,400. The FJ belonged to the category 'The 20th Century,' and its clue read, "Turning points in this event were the U.S. Navy boarding the Marucla & a cargo ship called the Kislovodsk altering its course." All three were correct with their answer, "What is the Cuban Missile Crisis?" Ultimately, Sam and Joey walked out with $14,801 and $8,700, respectively. Grace was crowned new champion with $32,000. She will return to defend her title on Wednesday's episode of 'Jeopardy!'
