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Who won 'Jeopardy!' tonight? New champion reigns supreme despite faltering in Final Jeopardy

Shannon Crisenbury returned to face off against Tristan Williams and Lauren Black

'Jeopardy!' returned with Shannon Crisenbury, from St. Clair, Michigan, attempting to defend her title after an epic win yesterday. "This time, in Shannon Crisenbury, who entered Double Jeopardy yesterday in a distant third, before finding both Daily Doubles, betting big, and taking a narrow lead heading into the final, where her correct response of ‘Who is Celine Dion?’ guaranteed that her heart, and her Jeopardy! journey, would go on,” host Ken Jennings said as he introduced Crisenbury. In the latest episode, she faced off against Tristan Williams, from Lincoln, Nebraska, and Lauren Black, from San Jose, California. 

After 10 clues, Williams was in first place with $5,200 to his name. On the eleventh clue, the data scientist spotted a Daily Double. He wagered  $4,000 for a clue in the 'Big Business' category, which read, “Though this company has made billions of Galaxies, its name is Korean for just ‘3 stars.'” The correct answer was, "What is Samsung?" However, Williams responded with “What is Mitsubishi?” The incorrect response dropped Williams' winnings to $1,200. Despite the setback, he remained in the lead with Crisenbury following closely behind with $600, while Black found herself in the negatives after a poor showing. 

Crisenbury put up a good fight despite Williams' dominant run. After 15 clues, Crisenbury managed to narrow the gap between their winnings by $200. At that point, Williams was standing at $2,000, while Crisenbury had $1,600 in her kitty. By clue 18, Crisenbury had even managed to match Williams' total. After heaps of back-and-forth, Williams emerged as the winner of the first round. The data scientist had gathered $3,400, and Crisenbury was trailing with $2,600. Black was in third place with -$800. 

Yesterday's 'Double Jeopardy' luck evaded Crisenbury today. This time, Williams was the one to find the first Double Jeopardy Daily Double on clue 5. The data scientist wagered $4,000 and received a clue from the '1840s America' category. The clue read, “In Nov. 1842 Father Edward Sorin & friends took possession of 500 acres of snow in Indiana, the start of this school.” Williams answered correctly with “What is Notre Dame?” elevating his tally to $9,000. He spotted another Double Jeopardy Daily Double in the very next clue. This time, he was more confident and increased his wager to $5,000. The clue came from 'It’s Simple Physics,' and it read, “This type of attraction isn’t limited to iron, from which its name is derived; it also applies to nickel & cobalt.” Williams responded with “What is magnetic attraction?” which was incorrect. The 'Daily Double' mayhem put a dent in Williams' winnings, but a strong overall performance saved his standing.

At the end of the Double Jeopardy round, the data scientist had managed to collect $20,400 thanks to his 30 correct responses. Crisenbury also put up a decent showing, gathering $7,400. Black had to bow out ahead of the Final Jeopardy round as her winnings were worth -$800. The Final Jeopardy category for this episode was 'Geographic History.' The clue read, “About 10,000 sq. miles, this region was the subject of a 19th c. war, declared independence in 1917, reorganized in 1921 & is under dispute to this day.” Crisenbury answered correctly, “What is Crimea?” while all Williams had was “What is ?” His incorrect response did not change the standings, as Williams had a runaway lead. After a conservative wager of $400, Williams finished with $20,000 at the top of the table, while Crisenbury went all in and finished with $14,800. Just like that, a new champion was crowned for the fifth time in a row. Williams will return to defend his title on May 7.