Who won ‘Jeopardy!’ tonight? Player secures victory despite missing final answer and losing over $3,000
‘Jeopardy!’ contestant Tristan Williams kept his winning streak alive on the May 8 episode, though this time the road to victory was not exactly a smooth cruise. The returning champion from Lincoln had already collected $38,400 across two games heading into Friday night’s match. Standing behind the podium beside him were Bill Bogan, a research administration specialist from Lafayette, and Natalie Oyler-Lusco, a marketing professional from Baltimore. Williams did not storm out of the gate right away. In fact, he spent part of the first round chasing Bogan on the scoreboard. Things changed when Williams uncovered the Daily Double on the 15th clue. At that point, he had $1,800 in his bank and decided to throw caution to the wind by wagering all his money.
The clue appeared under the ‘Geography’ category and asked contestants to identify a city whose Gaelic name translates to “green glen.” Williams answered, “What is Glasgow?” and nailed it. Just like that, his score doubled to $3,600. Bogan still held a slim lead at the time, but Williams slowly chipped away at it as the round continued. By the end of the opening segment, the data scientist had climbed into first with $8,000. Bogan was not far behind at $4,200, while Oyler-Lusco finished the round in third with $2,000. The second round started with Bogan showing some fight. Then Williams found another Daily Double, and that changed everything. This clue came from the ‘Famous Pairs’ category. Williams already had $9,200 and decided to make a bold wager of $6,000. The clue referenced Domenico and Stefano, the designers whose fashion label first appeared at Milan Fashion Week in 1985. Williams did not hesitate long before answering, “Who are Dolce & Gabbana?”
The response was correct, and his total exploded to $15,200. Meanwhile, Bogan sat at $5,800. Later in Double Jeopardy, he landed on yet another Daily Double. By then, he had already built a healthy score of $18,400. Instead of making a big gamble again, he played this one a little more carefully and risked $2,000. The clue appeared in the category ‘She Walks In Beauty…’ and referenced Dante Gabriel Rossetti writing about a witch loved by Adam before Eve. Williams responded with, “Who is Lilith?” That correct response pushed him to $20,400 while Bogan trailed at $7,000. From there, Williams continued stacking money through regular clues and closed out Double Jeopardy with an impressive $26,400. Bogan remained alive with $10,200, while Oyler-Lusco entered Final Jeopardy with $3,200.
The last category of the night was ‘Energy.’ The clue stated, “The first power plant using this type of energy was built in Italy, at a site thought to have inspired Dante.” Oyler-Lusco guessed, “What is coal?” That answer missed the mark, and after wagering nearly all her money, she dropped to just $1. Bogan came through with the right response, writing, “What is geothermal?” His wager of $3,600 boosted his final total to $13,800. Williams, meanwhile, guessed “What is volcanic?” which was incorrect. Still, he had built such a strong lead earlier in the game that the miss barely hurt him. His wager of $3,601 dropped him to $22,799, more than enough to secure another victory. That result brought Williams’ three-day winnings to $61,199. He now heads into his fourth game on Monday, May 11.
