‘Jeopardy!’ Followers Reward Excessive-Scoring Recreation as ‘Better of Season’

[The following post contains MAJOR spoilers for the Wednesday, May 21, episode of Jeopardy!]

Jeopardy! followers suppose the Wednesday, Could 21, episode was “among the best” of Season 41. They chalked it as much as the quantity of Triple Stumpers and the gamers’ scores going into Remaining Jeopardy.

Brendon Liaw, from Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, returned for his second sport after a tremendous comeback win the day prior with $13,599. He performed towards Romy Negrin, from New York, and Sam Macken, from Boulder, Colorado.

Riffing on Liaw’s job as a “stay-at-home son,” host Ken Jennings joked at the start of the episode, “We bought him outdoors to play yet another sport.” On Tuesday’s sport, Liaw defined that he lately graduated school and is searching for a job, however is afraid he might be known as a loiterer quickly.

The sport didn’t begin off so sizzling for Macken, a bassoon participant in an orchestra, who answered two questions mistaken and one proper to place him within the crimson. However, then he discovered the Every day Double on the sixth query to try to redeem himself. With -$1,200 in his financial institution, he wagered $1,000, the allotted quantity when a Jeopardy! contestant has a detrimental rating. In “The Highest Inhabitants within the State,” the clue learn, “A metropolis with this title has the best inhabitants in 2 coastal states.” “What’s Jacksonville?” he answered incorrectly, dropping him right down to -$2,200. The proper reply was Portland.

Negrin, a graduate scholar, lastly bought on the board with $800 after answering clue 13 appropriately.

In the course of the interviews, Macken boasted that he performed the bassoon in entrance of Glenn Shut, who was doing a collaboration together with his orchestra, in Montana. He performed the a part of the grandfather within the symphonic story for kids, “Peter and the Wolf.” Negrin as soon as held a birthday celebration for the fictional character Frederic from Pirates of Penzance, which falls on the Leap Yr. Liaw shared that he began watching Jeopardy! after he began rainy-day encyclopedia studying at his grandparents’ home.

By the tip of the spherical, there have been solely 4 Triple Stumpers, which was low in comparison with latest video games. Liaw had an enormous lead with $8,600. Negrin was in second with $1,600. Macken was nonetheless within the crimson with -$600.

In Double Jeopardy, there have been no Triple Stumpers, which was uncommon for the sport present. Liaw discovered the primary DD of the spherical on the eighth clue. With $14,400 in his financial institution, he wagered $4,400. In “Peoples of the World,” the clue learn, “This individuals of Montana known as themselves by a phrase for ‘individuals of the large-beaked hen’; whites knew them as simply this hen.” He answered with The Crow, which was appropriate, giving him $18,800 and a large lead.

Macken discovered the second DD on the fifteenth clue after getting out of the detrimental and answering a number of questions appropriately. He had $5,800 and wagered $2,000. In “Geologic Time Divisions as Pals Episode Titles,” the clue learn, “The Carnian Pluvial episode: ‘The One The place It’ did this ‘for two Million Years.’” He appropriately answered, “What’s rain?” transferring him to second place with $7,800.

There was just one query answered incorrectly on this spherical, and it got here from Liaw 4 questions after the DD. In “Peoples of the World,” the clue was “Within the Nineteen Twenties what grew to become Yugoslavia had the unwieldy title ‘Kingdom of’ them, ‘Croats & Slovenes.’” Liaw mentioned, “What’s Bosnians and,” then hesitantly added, “Herzegovinians?”

“No, however I allow you to end,” Ken Jennings mentioned. The proper reply was Serbs, which Romy bought proper. Nonetheless, that mistake didn’t price Liaw the sport. His complete earlier than Remaining Jeopardy was $25,200. Negrin was in second with $12,600. Macken was lastly on the board with $10,600.

The class for Remaining Jeopardy was “World Information 2024.” The clue was: “Headlines learn of the autumn of Hama on December 5, Homs on December 7 & this metropolis on December 8.” The query was a Triple Stumper, with the reply being “What’s Damascus?”

Macken answered with “What’s Ramallah?” He wagered $10,599, leaving him with $1. Negrin’s reply was “What’s Aleppo?” She wagered $12,600, ending with $0. Liaw’s reply was “What’s Kharkiv?” He wagered solely $1, leaving him with $25,199. He was the evening’s winner and had two wins underneath his belt with $35,798. Liaw might be again on Thursday, Could 22, for his third sport towards two new opponents.

Reddit customers chimed in on the sport and the way it was among the best this season. “In all probability among the best video games of the season, solely 4 triple stumpers and a mixed coryat above 45000. Brendan was on 🔥 in the present day,” one fan wrote. A coryat rating is the entire greenback worth of the clues a contestant bought proper, minus the entire greenback worth of the clues they bought mistaken. Every day Doubles depend as simply the worth of their clue field. Remaining Jeopardy doesn’t apply.

“It WAS a well-played sport, no query, however it additionally confirmed that yesterday was not a fluke/fortunate boards and that Brendan is the actual deal,” replied one other fan.

Liaw chimed in and mentioned, “Once more, I didn’t notice how effectively we have been performing as a bunch – actually shocked that there have been solely 4 triple stumpers and mixed coryat of 45k.”

“That was a very good sport general,” mentioned one other fan.

Nonetheless, one other identified that Liaw is zero for 2 on his Remaining Jeopardy solutions. Possibly he’ll lastly get that proper on his third sport. Liaw replied, “Haha Ken ribbed me off digicam for having missed two FJs, he later softened his feedback by including that they have been triple stumpers.”