‘Jeopardy!’ Serves Up Wild Game After Harrison’s Whitaker’s Shocking Loss

[Warning: The following post contains MAJOR spoilers for the Tuesday, December 2, episode of Jeopardy!]

It had been almost three weeks since Jeopardy! had seen a new champion. Libby Jones defeated Harrison Whitaker on December 1 after he won 14 games. Jones’ second game was wild after the champion’s loss. Did the giant-killer win again, or was she a one-time champion? Read on to find out.

Jones, from Davenport, Florida, played against Anne Martyn, from Los Gatos, California, and Eli Selzer, from Los Angeles, California, on December 2. Jones had a one-day total of $24,801.

Jones is not the first in her family to compete and win on the game show. Libby’s brother, Evan Jones, was a contestant on Jeopardy! one year ago. He was a one-game champion with $17,199.

Selzer, a post-production manager, had the lead by the first commercial break with nine correct responses. He had a $5,000 lead over Jones, a recruiter, after 15 clues.

Selzer found the Daily Double on clue 17. He wagered $6,000 out of his $7,200. In “____ Of ____,” the clue read, “3-word phrase for the legal responsibility for demonstrating guilt.” He answered correctly with “What is the burden of proof?” and moved up to $13,200.

The rest of the round favored Selzer as he had 15 clues correct and $14,600. Martyn, a high school English teacher, was in second place with $6,000. Jones had $3,000.

In Double Jeopardy, Jones answered two clues correctly before finding the Daily Double on clue five. She made it a true Daily Double with $5,400 in “African-American Firsts.” The clue read, “In 1955, she became the first Black soloist to sing at the Metropolitan Opera, receiving an ovation before singing a note.” She gave the correct response of “Who is Marian Anderson?” and doubled up to $10,400, leaving not as large a gap between her and Selzer.

She found the next DD on clue 12. By that point, she had taken the lead over Selzer after Triple Stumpers and a wrong response from him set him back. Unsure of the category, Jones played it safe and only wagered $2,000 for the DD. The category was “It’s Astronomical.” The clue read, “The Huygens gap, the Encke gap & the Keeler gap lie between these.” She answered correctly (The Rings of Saturn), giving her $18,000. Selzer had $11,800.

The rest of the round was a battle for first place between Jones and Selzer. They both had 25 correct responses, with Jones having one incorrect response to Selzer’s two.

Jones came out slightly on top with $25,200. Selzer was in second place with $23,000. Martyn had $2,200.

The category for Final Jeopardy was “Celebrities.” The clue read, “An Ivy League grad, actress & author, she was Vogue’s youngest cover girl at 14 & was called the face of the 1980s.” The correct response was “Who is Brooke Shields?” which all three contestants answered.

Martyn wagered $0, so she ended with $2,200. To try and surpass Jones, Selzer wagered $2,201, giving him $25,201. But Jones had the correct response and made a risky wager of $20,801. This gave her win number two, which was more than her brother won, with $46,001. Her two-day total was $70,802. Jones returns for game three on Wednesday.