Fresh off a narrow escape, six-day champ Scott Riccardi, the pride of Somerville, New Jersey, was thrust into yet another high-stakes battle. In the Friday, July 11, episode of Jeopardy, he found himself in one of the toughest games he had ever faced, up against two formidable challengers and in a position he had never been in before: third place.
Riccardi returned for his seventh game after a tense Thursday match where he had entered Final Jeopardy in second place for the first time. He managed to hold onto his title only because his competitor wagered more on an incorrect response. With that close call, he remained the reigning champ, with six-day winnings totaling $149,901.
For Friday’s game, medical student Andrew Wang of Winnetka, Illinois, and book critic Edaureen Muhamad Nor of Silver Spring, Maryland, stepped up to the podiums to challenge the six-day champ and compete for a shot at Jeopardy! glory.
The book critic picked up the first clue in the category “Book Excerpts” for $600, launching the game with: “‘We, the party, control all records, and we control all memories. Then we control the past, do we not?’” Nor quickly responded, “What is 1984?,” giving her control of the board. Then it was off to the races as the trio quickly divided up the board among themselves.
The first Daily Double was found by Wang in “Sorority Now” for $1,000. Having just taken the lead with $2,600, he played it safe, admitting, “I don’t really know sororities.” He wagered $1,500 on the clue: “Senator Blanche Lincoln and Nancy Walton Laurie, a daughter of Walmart’s co-founder, were Chi Omegas at this state school.” To his own surprise, Wang correctly responded, “What is the University of Arkansas?” “You do know your sororities!” exclaimed a delighted Ken Jennings. With that win, Wang raised his total to $4,100, putting him $3,300 ahead of Riccardi.
By the time the first break arrived, Wang was in the lead with $6,500, Riccardi followed with $4,200, and Nor trailed in third with $2,200.
After the break, Wang admitted to Jennings that he wasn’t exactly a music fan. “We have a music category called ‘Off the Record,’ but you haven’t listened to that many records in your life,” Jennings commented.
“No,” Wang replied.
“How many?” Jennings asked.
“Two.”
“You listened to two records?!” Jennings said, incredulous.
“Two full albums,” Wang confirmed.
Jennings pressed for more. “Did you listen to them over and over, or do you listen to each one once and were like, ‘Eh’?”
“Let’s just say that in 2007, our family had one iPod, and I had a younger sister, so I listened to all of Weird Al Yankovic’s Straight Outta Lynwood and the Miley Cyrus/Hannah Montana 2 album.”
“And you felt that gave you the full range of popular music? And you were like, ‘I’m good’?” Jennings joked.
“No!” laughed Wang. “Do I look like I’m getting these questions?”
After Riccardi shared a story about getting stuck on the roof of a Dollar Store, Wang regained control of the board and selected “Tough to Spell” for $600. The trio proved to be an evenly matched group of smart contenders, making quick work of the rest of the round and leaving little on the board unsolved.
In the “Finish the Drink” category, Nor picked up the $200 clue: “Martinis can have many garnishes, but to be called a Gibson, it must have one of these.” Her correct response, “What is an onion?,” bumped her into second place and, for the first time during his Jeopardy! run, pushed tech guru Riccardi into third place.
Riccardi’s time in third didn’t last long. The very next clue, from “Off the Record” for $200, was, “From this ’80s album, get down to ‘Darling Nikki’ or ‘Let’s Go Crazy.’” Riccardi correctly answered, “What is ‘Purple Rain?,” moving him back into second place.
As the trio entered Double Jeopardy, Wang held the lead with $8,100, followed by Riccardi with $5,400 and Nor with $4,800. With control of the board, Nor uncovered the first Daily Double under “Mythellaneous Females” for $1,200. She wagered $3,200 on the clue: “Stheno and Euryale are her equally monstrous sisters, though she is the only one who is mortal.” Nor correctly responded, “Who is Medusa?,” boosting her total to $8,000, moving into second place, and pushing champ Riccardi down to third.
Wang later found the second Daily Double in the category “Two-Word Palindromes” for $2,000. Unsure of his verbal dexterity, he cautiously wagered $5,000 from his $9,300 total. The clue: “I’ve done this, dug in the earth to find blue twill-woven fabric used to make jeans.” His correct response, “What is mined denim?,” raised his score to $14,300 and gave him an $8,900 lead over Riccardi.
Despite missing few clues throughout the game, the trio seemed to really stumble when it came to TV trivia. In the category “Oscar Winners on TV,” they missed two consecutive clues. The $1,600 clue was: “For three seasons, he played Rodrigo Borgia, who becomes Pope Alexander VI.” (Correct response: “Who is Jeremy Irons?”) The $2,000 clue followed: “In the ’80s, future two-time Oscar winner Denzel Washington played Dr. Phillip Chandler on this series.” (Answer: “What is St. Elsewhere?”)
Following the TV missteps, Riccardi got his groove back, climbing the board with a string of correct responses that moved him from third place to second. The round grew increasingly intense as both Wang and Nor proved to be formidable opponents, matching Riccardi’s momentum with quick reflexes and sharp recall. With each clue, the leaderboard remained in constant flux, setting the stage for a nail-biting finish.
In the category “Marriage” for $800, the clue was, “George Clooney spent 20 minutes in this traditional proposal position before Amal said yes.” Riccardi buzzed in with, “What is on one knee?,” which bumped him back into the top spot with $16,200.
By the time the trio entered Final Jeopardy, Riccardi had climbed from third back to first with $18,200. Wang followed with $16,300, and Nor held $12,000, an impressive haul from all three players. “Look at these scores,” remarked Jennings.
“This was a real shoot-out today,” remarked Jennings before he gave the Final Jeopardy clue in the category for “Historical Objects”: “Described as both a ‘Beautiful Violet’ and a ‘French Blue’ in the 1600s, the object went on tour in the 1900 before landing in the Smithsonian.”
With the response, “What is the Hope Diamond?” (and a cheeky “Hi, kids” message), Nor answered correctly and added $11,995 to her total, bringing her score to $23,995 and taking the lead. Wang also responded with “What is the Hope Diamond?” and, with a bold wager of $16,300, surged ahead with a total of $32,600, stealing the lead from Nor.
In a heart-pounding final moment, Riccardi revealed he also correctly answered, “What is the Hope Diamond?” (sans messages home). But had he wagered enough to reclaim the lead?
With a bet of $14,800, Riccardi’s final tally rose to $33,000, just enough to edge past Wang and hold onto his title as Jeopardy! champion as he exhaled in visible relief. His seven-day total now sits pretty at $189,901.
“What a game from all three of you!,” exclaimed Jennings.
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