The brand new Jeopardy! champion on Thursday’s (Could 8) episode revealed that he as soon as shared the stage with an actor from The Workplace.
The contestants additionally didn’t know the Last Jeopardy query making it one other recreation with a remaining Triple Stumper. This one would have been simple although in the event that they knew something about popular culture.
Dan Moren, from Sommerville, Massachusetts, returned for his second recreation after profitable a one-day whole of $17,200. The author and podcaster performed towards Christen Aragoni, from Washington D.C., and Michael Mungin, from Kirkland, Washington, on Thursday, Could 8.
“Yesterday’s recreation was a thriller, and all of it got here all the way down to Last Jeopardy, the place Dan Moren didn’t love the class, ‘The Grammys‘ and determined to not wager a penny and received,” host Ken Jennings stated at first of the episode.
Other than writing books, Moren can be recognized for sharing the stage with John Krasinski. He was in an elementary faculty manufacturing of Annie with him. Krasinski was Daddy Warbucks within the sixth grade, and Moren was Daddy Warbucks’ servant when he was in fifth grade. Krasinksi isn’t the one one to be on TV as Moren now has two appearances on the sport present.
Moren picked up seven appropriate questions within the first half of the sport, giving him a large lead with $5,800. He additionally discovered the primary Each day Double of the sport on the nineteenth clue. He wagered $3,000 with $6,400 in his financial institution. The clue in “Unofficial State Nicknames,” learn, “‘The Rainbow State.’” Moren answered “What’s Hawaii?” growing his result in $9,400.
By the top of the spherical, he nonetheless led with $10,800 and fourteen appropriate responses out of 30. Moren didn’t reply one query unsuitable. Aragoni, a author and editor, who has synesthesia, which is seeing phrases as colours in a single’s thoughts, was far behind with $3,800. Mungin, a librarian, solely had $1,600 after answering 4 questions accurately and one unsuitable. That was the one query of the spherical answered unsuitable apart from the 5 Triple Stumpers.
Nonetheless, Moren didn’t have as a lot luck in Double Jeopardy. Though he answered nearly half of the questions within the spherical proper, he discovered each of the Each day Doubles and received them each unsuitable. Moren additionally flew via the class “Writers” answering all however one of many questions proper.
The primary DD wasn’t discovered till clue 18. In “Could Days! Could Days!” it learn, “A union & an organization, they fought the ‘Battle of the Overpass’ on Could 26, 1937.” Moren hesitates earlier than saying, “What’s EZ?” He was unsuitable as the reply was United Auto Employees. He misplaced $2,000, giving him $18,000.
He then discovered the second six questions later. Moren additionally wagered $2,000 for this one out of $18,400. The clue in “Eye on Asia,” was “The one Asian nation with Portuguese as an official language, it gained full independence from Indonesia in 2002.” Moren sighed earlier than answering “What’s Papua New Guinea?” Nonetheless, he was unsuitable once more with the right reply being East Timor. His whole dropped once more, however not a lot that he didn’t have a runaway win.
Moren ended the spherical with $18,800. Mungin, who fell in love with Jeopardy! when he received the Nintendo recreation as an eighth birthday current, wasn’t even midway to Moren’s whole with $7,400. Aragoni was in third with $800. Except Moren made a loopy wager in Last Jeopardy, he was nearly assured a win.
The class for Last Jeopardy was “Film Administrators.” The clue learn, “As of 2025, this director has made simply 4 function movies; three have been nominated for Greatest Image.” The sport got here down to a different Triple Stumper. Aragoni didn’t put down a solution. She wagered $0, ending with $800. Mungin answered, “Who’s Damien Chazelle?” He was unsuitable and dropped to $4,800 after wagering $2,600. Moren’s reply was “Who’s Chloe Zhao?” That was additionally unsuitable so Moren dropped all the way down to $2,500, giving him a remaining whole of $16,300.
The proper reply was Greta Gerwig. The three movies that have been nominated for Greatest Image have been Woman Chook, Little Ladies, and Barbie. She co-directed Nights and Weekends with Joe Swanberg.
This made Moren a two-day winner with a complete of $33,500. He will likely be again on Friday, Could 9, to try to win his third recreation towards two new opponents.
“I’m… actually not a fan of the phrasing of that Last Jeopardy clue. Greta Gerwig has apparently directed 4 function movies (she co-directed the indie Nights and Weekends with Joe Swanberg again in 2008, which, from what I can inform, ran for one week in a single theatre), however the clue doesn’t say that she’s ‘directed’ 4 function movies–it says she’s ‘made’ 4, however together with her performing profession, she has made so, so many greater than that. I considered her however discounted her on that foundation. I actually don’t get how such sketchy wording makes it via the enhancing course of, when it’s really easy to be express and simply say ‘This individual has directed or co-directed 4 function movies …’ It’s technically appropriate should you interpret it the way in which they intend, and I wasn’t capable of finding some other appropriate responses, however nonetheless, I actually don’t get how such ambiguous wording makes it via the enhancing course of, when it’d be really easy to rephrase it to be clear for the contestants, a Reddit consumer stated.