[Warning: The below contains MAJOR spoilers for the Thursday, December 18 episode of Jeopardy!]
Jeopardy! followers welcomed a brand new champ for the primary time all week in Eric Weldon-Schilling, who defeated quick favourite Ashley Chan in a formidable runaway within the final episode. Weldon-Schilling proceeded to lose the next sport on Thursday evening, winding up with $0 and a really antagonistic response to the Ultimate spherical being about sports activities.
Weldon-Schilling, a bar supervisor & sommelier from Houston, Texas, entered a one-day champ with winnings of $21,000. He confronted Laura Faddah, a supervisor from Memphis, Tennessee, and Neal Bowling, a journeyman lineman from Mackinaw, Illinois.
Within the Jeopardy! spherical, Faddah received off to a scorching begin whereas fellow challenger Bowling dropped $1,000 on the “U.S. Historical past” Every day Double looking for “John Marshall.” Faddah wound up within the lead with $6,400, the returning champ in a stable second place with $3,400, and Bowling trailed with $400.
In Double Jeopardy, Bowling discovered the second Every day Double, this time getting it right and including $3,000, realizing the Shakespeare clue was “Service provider” to shut the second-place hole. Weldon-Schilling received the final Every day Double, a Greek/Roman God clue looking for “Hera and Juno.” With a savvy wager of $4,600, the sport turned a lot tighter as effectively.
The lead was up for grabs on the final clue of the spherical, making issues attention-grabbing. Bowling buzzed in first however missed, and Faddah picked it up for the lead going into Ultimate Jeopardy. She had $13,600, Weldon-Schilling had $10,000, and Bowling had $9,800. Host Ken Jennings remarked it was all of the sudden fairly the nail-biter, “Shut sport. You gained’t need to miss this!”
All of it hinged on the “Tremendous Bowl Historical past” clue, “It’s the one workforce to play within the Tremendous Bowl earlier than Neil Armstrong’s moon stroll that has not been again to the massive sport since.”
For what’s going to possible not be the final time, sports activities and Jeopardy! didn’t mesh. It was a triple-stumper as nobody accurately responded, “The New York Jets,” and the returning champ utterly bombed out, opting to wager all of it on what was not his ultimate class.
Bowling dropped $7,000 writing “Cleveland.” Weldon-Schilling wrote “The Giants,” and going all-in, he dropped to final place. Faddah wrote “Houston,” dropping simply $2,400 to win with $11,200 and a big grin.
Followers rushed the Reddit thread for the episode, reacting to the abrupt lack of Winston-Shilling after his large win in opposition to four-day-champ Chan, and to the sports activities triple-fumble.
“As soon as once more sports activities class proves to doom Jeopardy gamers. Anybody who is aware of something about soccer ought to simply get that,” one Redditor wrote.
“Both the particular person on the writing workforce who wrote up in the present day’s FJ is a large Jets fan releasing some pent-up frustration, or they’re taking unbelievable delight within the completely terrible season the Jets are having this yr. Both method, it’s an excellent & well timed clue,” wrote a different.
Winston-Shilling chimed into the thread to share that he misplaced his cool on the time, as sports activities was his “weakest class,” and when it was revealed, he “legitimately cursed,” having identified he wager all of it. He was very grateful this didn’t make the printed.
“Sports activities has at all times been my absolute weakest class,” he started. “When can introduced that the ultimate Jeopardy class was Tremendous Bowl historical past I legitimately cursed beneath my breath. I’m shocked the microphone didn’t choose me up saying ‘f**ok.’ However I knew I needed to make an enormous swing if I had any likelihood of profitable, and sadly it didn’t repay.”
“Finally although I’m proud of the way in which issues went,” he continued. Certain, I might’ve beloved to have damaged some data or gone on a loopy run like James Holtzauer Amy… or Ken. however I had no less than one actually good day made my lifelong dream come true and there’s at all times an opportunity I might come again for champions wild card. And actually, Laura was such a pleasant woman and so calm and picked up who ended up being a ferocious participant. I’m honored to have misplaced to her.”
What did you consider the nail-biter sport? Had been you stunned to see Eric Winston-Shilling lose so quickly? Do you suppose new champ Laura Faddah can stick with it? And the way about Neal Bowling’s mustache? Tell us your ideas within the feedback part beneath!