Who won ‘Jeopardy!’ tonight? New champion takes on another close game
Caleb Groen is back on 'Jeopardy!' after winning a closely contested game on Thursday. In the latest installment, he competes against Amber Born, an economic analyst and comedian from Queens, New York, and Derek Vance, a community foundation program officer originally from Poca, West Virginia. The trio had an enthralling game. In the first phase of the 'Jeopardy!' round, nobody gave an incorrect response and put their best foot forward. By the 11th clue, Groen found himself at the bottom of the table, but found a lifeline after detecting a Daily Double (DD). Groen had $2,200, and he put it all in a DD from the category 'Steinbeck.' The clue read, "This novella says certain gems 'were accidents, & the finding of one was luck, a little pat on the back by God.'" Groen doubled his winnings by correctly answering, "What is The Pearl?"
Groen went from the bottom to the top, closely followed by both Born and Vance, who were tied at $2,600. In the next four clues, Vance left Groen behind, and by the time the first commercial break arrived (after 15 clues), got the top spot back with $5,000. Groen had $4,800 while Born still carried $2,600. The second phase also remained equally competitive, with all three buzzing in across several categories. Ultimately, Vance held on to his top spot with $7,200 by the end of the first round. Groen's one wrong answer in the proceedings left him in second place with $5,800. Born was still in the third position, but had impressed everyone by turning in the most correct answers in the second phase. She ended the 'Jeopardy!' round with $5,000.
The 'Double Jeopardy' (DJ) round was eventful to say the least. Born stunned everyone by delivering 24 correct responses, putting her in a very comfortable position in the game. The champion altered the course of the game with the help of Daily Doubles. The second DD of the game came Groen's way on the 11th clue. This one belonged to 'A Category Bulging With Information,' and its clue read, "The German goal in the Battle of the Bulge was this Belgian port on the Scheldt River; they advanced 60 miles, less than halfway." Groen answered, "What is Antwerp?" which was deemed correct. Groen jumped from $10,200 to $14,200, overtaking Born, who was leading with $11,800.
The third DD also came Groen's way. It was from the category, 'Alliteration,' and its clue read, "FCC chair Brendan Carr is not a fan of this doctrine that internet cos. must treat & charge all content providers the same." Groen wrote, "What is net neutrality?" which was adjudged right. This expanded his lead, putting him at the top with $19,200. The other two tried to make up in the remaining questions, but the gap was too much to cover. By the end of DJ, Groen remained at the top with $24,000, Born was second with $13,800, and Vance found himself at the bottom with $7,600. Though this was a considerable lead, it was not a runaway lead. This meant that anything could have happened in the 'Final Jeopardy (FJ).'
The FJ belonged to the category, '19th Century Literature.' The clue read, "In this novel, a murderer tells the title character a story that he in turn tells a ship captain in the Arctic." Groen shocked everyone by wagering $6,000, giving Born an opening to win it all. However, he was able to avert the crisis as the FJ turned out to be a triple stumper. Groen walked out as the winner with $18,000. Vance bowed out of the game with $1,399, while Born paid the consequences of betting it all and walked away with $1. The correct answer was, "What is 'Frankenstein'?" Groen will be back to defend his title on Monday's episode.
