Who won 'Jeopardy!' tonight? Stephanie Perkins goes head-to-head with Madeline Kaplan to defend streak
'Jeopardy!' returned on Monday night with the one-day champ, Stephanie Perkins, ready to defend her title and extend her winning streak. A math teacher from St. Louis, Missouri, she ended her first day with $16,600. Her challengers on May 4 included editor Madeline Kaplan from Toledo, Ohio, and banker Matt Davis from Arlington, Virginia. Perkins was not off to a good start as her score ran in the negatives during the first 15 clues. She found the first Daily Double on clue 19, with $0 to her name, but managed to add $1,000 in 'Triple Meanings.' At the end of the first round, Davis took the lead with $6,400, Perkins stood second with $4,600, while Kaplan finished third with $3,200.
At the start of Double Jeopardy, Kaplan had a small lead over Perkins with $4,800, after finding the second Daily Double on clue 3. In the 'Name Your Daughter From the U.S. Map' category, the clue read, 'Greek heritage? How about this, the capital of a West Coast state.' Kaplan answered, 'What is Olympia?' She wagered all her money, doubled her earnings to $9,600, and landed in the first place. Another Daily Double on clue 4 helped Kaplan extend her winning margin. In 'Eponyms,' she wagered $7,000 for the clue, 'His name now means a prolific lover & seducer, but he kept his pants on when he talked about balloon technology with Ben Franklin.' Kaplan got it right again with the answer, 'Who is Casanova?' and took her total to $16,600. Perkins and Davis gave her a tough competition, but she held on to her lead. Before the final round, Kaplan's score was $18,200, while Davis trailed behind with $15,600, followed by Perkins at $12,600.
The category for Final Jeopardy was 'Famous Lists.' Host Ken Jennings read the final clue: 'A famous list of this many items is found on the 1972 comedy album 'Class Clown.' Davis wagered his entire $15,600 and lost the sum after answering incorrectly, 'What is nine?' He finished last in the competition with $0. Both Kaplan and Perkins wrote down the correct answer, 'What is 7?' Since Perkins had bet $6,000, her final total reached $18,600. She finished in second place, thus ending her game after just two days. Kaplan bet $13,500 and ended the game with a total of $31,700, making her the winner of Monday night's episode. Kaplan will return on Tuesday night for another thrilling game of Jeopardy! Fans can stream the latest episodes of the iconic game show on Hulu and Peacock.
