[The following post contains MAJOR spoilers for the Friday, May 2, episode of Jeopardy!]
Jeopardy! three-day champion Ben Ganger is attempting to qualify for an upcoming Event of Champions by successful his fourth recreation. And his destiny got here right down to a Triple Stumper on the ultimate query.
“Our champion Ben Ganger fuel three dominant wins to date,” host Ken Jennings stated at the start of the episode. “Once I requested him yesterday about his huge information, he credited one thing he as soon as heard Jeopardy! legend Mattea Roach say a few ‘sticky reminiscence.’ It’s figuring out for him to date.”
Ganger, from Goshen, Indiana, performed towards Sam Sabulis, from Atlanta, Georgia, and Shweta Balasubramanian, from Pomona, California, on Friday (Could 2). He got here in with a three-day complete of $76,415.
The spherical began off with simply Ganger answering questions. He solely acquired one mistaken, and there have been two triple stumpers. Six questions in, Ganger, a knowledge analyst, discovered the Each day Double. With $1,200 in his financial institution, he made it a real Each day Double. In “Radio,” the clue learn, “On October 31, 1938, the New York Occasions reported that ‘many flee properties to flee ‘fuel raid from Mars” after this well-known broadcast.” “What’s Struggle of the Worlds?” Ganger answered accurately, giving him $2,400.
After the Each day Double, Sabulis and Balasubramanian picked up the tempo and began to reply questions. Nonetheless, they had been within the gap for just a few of them. By the tip of the primary break, Ganger had a large lead with $4,000. Sabulis, an legal professional, had $1,200. Balasubramanian, a advertising supervisor, was nonetheless within the negatives with -$1,000.
In the course of the interview, Jennings requested the three-day champion how he acquired into Jeopardy!. “I actually acquired hooked on it throughout a sure Ken Jennings run in 2004,” he stated.
“You’re my fault,” Jennings chuckled.
“It grew to become appointment tv within the Ganger family to tune in and watch your subsequent spherical,” the sport present contestant stated. Nonetheless, Ganger revealed that his grandmother is a fan of Jennings’ rival, Brad Rutter as a result of they’re each from Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Rutter is the highest-winning Jeopardy! contestant of all time.
“He beat me so many instances. That’s a wise particular person to be a fan of,” Jennings replied. “Give her my finest, and inform her I’m a lot nicer than Brad. No, Brad’s nice.”
By the tip of the spherical, Ganger nonetheless led with $5,600. Sabulis was in second with $1,800, and Balasubramanian was nonetheless not on the board with -$200.
In Double Jeopardy, Ganger dominated the spherical as soon as once more. He answered almost each query to start with with Sabulis chiming in on one. Nonetheless, he acquired that mistaken.
Ganger then discovered the primary DD of the spherical. With a complete of $10,400, he wagered $3,500. In “Governors,” right here was the clue, “Her father Ajit Singh Randhawa was a professor on the HBCU Voorhees Faculty in South Carolina.” “Who’s Nikki Haley?” he answered, giving him a complete of $13,900.
Two questions later, he discovered the second. With the identical present complete, Ganger wagered $5,000. This might nonetheless give him the lead if he was mistaken. “This capital lies on the Anatolian Plateau, 3,000 above sea stage,” was the clue in “A is for Capital.” “What’s Ankara?” he answered accurately, giving him $18,900.
On the finish of the spherical, Ganger had $22,500. Sabulis gained a bit extra money with $7,000. Balasubramanian lastly acquired on the board with $1,000.
The class for Closing Jeopardy was “Boats & Ships.” The clue learn, “Practically a century after her 1851 sporting triumph, she was a rotting hulk lastly scrapped in 1945.” Balasubramanian wrote “What’s Titanic?” which was mistaken. She wagered $680, which made her remaining complete $320. Sabulis answered, “What’s SS Rotting Hulk?” That was additionally mistaken. He ended with $5,189, after wagering $2,611. Ganger’s reply was actually “What?” He wagered $2,500, ending with $20,000. The reply was America.
He had a four-day complete of $96,415. Ganger now qualifies for an upcoming Event of Champions. He will probably be again on Monday, Could 5 to face off towards two new champions.
“Ben has been very robust. Congrats to him :),” a Reddit person stated.
“Man, Ben is fairly good,” stated one other.
“Ben has been on fireplace,” added a 3rd.