Jeopardy! host Ken Jennings was “hyped” at the end of Double Jeopardy in a game that was a thriller for the ages, the best of the young season so far.
Vickie Talvola, from Jersey City, New Jersey, played against Yasmine Mitchell, from Sunnyvale, California, and Prasad Patil, from Burlington, Massachusetts, on Friday, September 26. Talvola had a one-day total of $26,407 after beating four-day champion Steven Olson the day prior.
The beginning of the first round was a pretty even playing field for all of the contestants. Talvola, a quantitative trader, found the Daily Double with the lead at $3,600. She made it a true Daily Double for “Which -Verse Are We In?” The clue read, “Unable to serve in the military due to poor eyesight, he glorified American warriors in the Ryanverse.”
She hesitated until Ken Jennings prompted her to answer. “Who is Clancy?” Talvola said. She was correct and doubled up to $7,200. Talvola had $7,800 by the first commercial break, with a lead of $5,000.
Talvola kept the lead by the end of the round with $9,800. Patil, an assistant professor of biostatistics, was in second place with $4,000. Mitchell, a software engineer, wasn’t far behind with $3,200.
In Double Jeopardy, Patil took the lead in the beginning, but Talvola quickly caught up. With her lead of $15,000, compared to Patil’s $12,000, she found the first DD. Talvola wagered $6,000 in “Lonely Island.” The clue was “Now lightly populated, Delos in the Cyclades was once a hub of activity and also the supposed birthplace of this god.” Talvola hesitated before answering, “Who is Apollo?” She was correct and moved up to $21,000.
Patil found the last DD towards the end of the round. He was in second place with $14,800 and wagered $10,000. In “Cover Me,” the clue read, “Built in the 1st C., it had a big retractable awning called a velarium, that shielded its audience of 50,000 from the sun.” “What is the Colosseum?” Patil answered, which was correct. He took the lead with $24,800, only $600 above Talvola.
However, only three clues later, Talvola took back the lead. On the last clue, Talvola and Patil fought for first place. When Talvola rang in, Ken Jennings yelled her name. The clue in “I’m on a Boat,” read, “What?! A possible warrant for bank robbery coming for a passenger– Phileas Fogg? That’s life on the Steamer Mognolia in this book for ya.”
“What is Around the World in 80 Days?” she answered. “Is correct!” Jennings yelled. Talvola took the lead with $25,800, which was only $200 above Patil at $25,600. Mitchell had $7,600.
“What a finish! This thing could not be closer, so it all depends on the category,” Jennings said.
The category for Final Jeopardy was “Scientists.” The clue read, “Joseph Lister said there was not ‘an individual to whom medical science owes more to’ than this man, feted at the Sorbonne in 1892.”
All three contestants answered correctly with “Who is Louis Pasteur?” so it all came down to wagers for Patil and Talvola. Mitchell wagered $5,000, giving her $12,600. Patil wagered $10,000, making his final total $35,600. Talvola only wagered $150, giving her a final total of $25,950. Patil became the new champion and will return for game two on Monday.
Fans reacted to the game and Jennings’ reaction. “Ken was HYPED at the end of DJ, what a game,” a Reddit user said.
“What a wild episode! I hope to see Vickie back as a fan favorite,” another wrote.
“But, why only $150?” a third asked, to which another replied, “I was shocked.”
“I was so disappointed. It felt like she didn’t back herself at the end,” replied another.