Liam Starnes returned to Jeopardy! for his sixth sport, however there was some drama connected to the sport as his fellow rivals made errors that price them the win.
The reigning champion from Barrington, Illinois, confronted off in opposition to Simon Liebling, from Philadelphia and Jenn Gardner, from Houston on Friday, April 25. Starnes, an undergraduate pupil, had a five-day whole of $103,002 and hoped to extend that in his sixth sport.
At the start of the sport, Starnes received a query proper a few bartender, regardless of being solely 20 years previous. He has answered questions on alcohol all week, which shocked host Ken Jennings.
Starnes led early within the sport and received much more of a lead when he discovered the primary Day by day Double of the sport. He had $3,000 and made it a real Day by day Double. The clue learn, “A real energy behind the throne, this church official helped make France the strongest nation in Europe on behalf of Louis XIII.” Starnes answered, “Who was Cardinal Richelieu?” which was appropriate. He doubled to $6,000.
By the primary business break, Starnes had $9,000. Liebling, a resident doctor, had $1,600. Gardner, a nonprofit arts administrator, had $0, after being within the negatives for a lot of the spherical.
Through the interviews, Jennings introduced up Starnes’ Jeopardy!-themed party as soon as once more. It ended with a sport of Wii Jeopardy!, the place he scored $259,000. Nonetheless, he noticed the questions earlier than he performed. Starnes doesn’t assume he might get that quantity throughout one sport of precise Jeopardy!.
Starnes led the spherical with $11,000. Liebling had $3,200. Gardner lastly received on the board with $800.
In Double Jeopardy, a pronunciation mistake price Gardner the correct reply. “You may say that the rationale clownfish wish to make properties in these flowery cnidarians is a no brainer,” the clue learn. “What’s a sea a-ne-no-me?” she answered, mispronouncing the proper reply. Starnes then buzzed in and stated, “What’s a sea anemone?” which was the correct option to say it. This introduced him to $13,000, and Gardner to $800.
Starnes answered the primary DD of the spherical. With $12,600 in his financial institution, he wagered $6,000. Even when he received it incorrect, he nonetheless would have been within the lead by rather a lot. The clue was “Topeka, Illinois, lies about 100 miles north of this metro space with a inhabitants of two.8 million.” “What’s St. Louis?” he answered accurately, giving him a complete of $18,600.
Two questions later, Liebling discovered the second DD. He had $3,600 however solely wagered $1,000. “This jelly-like creature named for its resemblance to a combating ship is made up of many brainless polyps,” was the clue. “What’s (Portuguese) man o’ battle?” he answered accurately. He ought to have gone all in on the wager to not give Starnes such a large lead going into Last Jeopardy. Liebling’s rating raised to $4,600 as a substitute of $7,200. There have been nonetheless lots of clues left within the spherical.
Gardner answered many questions in a row accurately and surpassed Liebling. Liebling would have been in second place by just a few thousand {dollars} if he made a unique wager on the DD. He ended the spherical with $7,800. Gardner had $8,800. Starnes had a large lead with $20,600.
“Liam’s whole will stay out of attain in Last Jeopardy,” Jennings stated. The class for the ultimate query was “Nineties Bestsellers.” The clue was “On this 1995 e-book, Pilgrim is taken to Tom, whose job it’s to utter secrets and techniques ‘softly into pricked and troubled ears.’”
Liebling wrote “What’s The Poisonwood Bible?” which was incorrect. He wagered $1,001 to finish with $6,799. Gardner was additionally incorrect when she wrote, “What’s The Da Vinci Code?” After wagering $6,900, Gardner left with $1,900. Starnes was additionally incorrect with “What’s A Clockwork Orange?” The proper reply was The Horse Whisperer. Starnes wagered $18, so his closing whole was $20,582.
Starnes’ six-day whole is $123,584. He might be again on Monday, April 28, and face two new opponents for his seventh sport.
Reddit customers commented on Liebling and Gardner’s dangerous errors that price them the sport. “Simon ought to have risked all of it in that DD and they need to have been going for these 2000 clues earlier figuring out the sport was getting out of attain. I can’t wait to see how Liam stacks up in opposition to some veteran gamers,” one fan stated.
“Yeah, my ideas precisely. It wouldn’t have modified the end result figuring out their FJ responses, however that was positively the heads-up play,” a Reddit consumer replied.
“That Day by day Double wager was dangerous,” stated one other.