In the Wednesday October 23, 2024, episode of Jeopardy!, three contestants competed: Brett Kelly, an actor from Surrey, British Columbia; Sophia Maymudes, a software engineer from Seattle, Washington; and Will Wallace, a game design director from Austin, Texas. Will entered the game as a one-day champion with winnings of $18,799.
The categories for the Jeopardy! round included “Some Cliffs, Sands or Buttes,” “A Quarter for Your Thoughts,” “Hello & Goodbye,” “3 Words & Comma or 2,” “Literary Titles en Español,” and “Be Witched.” Sophia found the first Daily Double in “Some Cliffs, Sands or Buttes,” wagering $2,000.
The clue asked about buttes named for a man in 1949, 100 years after his name became famous. She incorrectly answered and remained in the lead, though with a reduced total. By the end of the round, Will held $4,400, Sophia had $6,200, and Brett was in the red with -$1,200.
In Double Jeopardy!, categories included “Quoth the President,” “Broadway Leading Ladies,” “Eponymously Yours,” “The Trojan War,” “Our 4-Legged Friends,” and “An ‘Ode’ to a Category.” Sophia uncovered all three Daily Doubles but missed each of them.
The second Daily Double came in “Our 4-Legged Friends” and referenced an artist/soldier who created the first French Army camouflage unit, asking for the animal used as its insignia. Sophia’s incorrect response dropped her total further.
The final Daily Double, in “The Trojan War,” involved a Shakespearean title featuring a son of King Priam and a daughter of Calchas. Unfortunately for Sophia, she answered incorrectly again.
Will managed to secure a runaway lead heading into Final Jeopardy! with $10,800. The Final Jeopardy! clue asked about the day sometimes described as the “birthday” of the Roman Catholic Church, referencing the Holy Spirit and the Apostles. Neither Will nor Sophia gave the correct answer which is “What is Pentecost?” However, Will’s conservative wager left him with $10,000 and a two-day total of $28,799. Sophia finished in second place with $2,594, and Brett, unable to recover from the negative, finished with $0.
