Returning champion Kevin Laskowski, an Episcopal priest from Falls Church, Virginia, continued his reign of trivia dominance on Tuesday’s Jeopardy!, adding another substantial victory to his growing total of $15,200. Facing off against Samantha Altschuler, an academic dean from Brooklyn, New York, and writer Ryan Smith, originally from South Pasadena, California, Laskowski demonstrated a command of the board, particularly in the Double Jeopardy! round.
While the first round, featuring categories like “Queen Victoria,” “In the Navy,” and “Pigeon Facts & Lore,” saw a relatively even distribution of correct responses, Double Jeopardy! was where Laskowski truly pulled ahead. Categories like “U.S. Cities,” “Poetry,” and “It’s Physics!” provided fertile ground for him to rack up dollars. Smith, unfortunately, stumbled upon both Daily Doubles in the round, costing him valuable ground. One wonders if a different Daily Double hunting strategy might have changed his fate. The first round, oddly, saw a strict top-down clue selection, even with the Daily Double lurking.
Going into Final Jeopardy!, Laskowski held a comfortable lead with $12,200, followed by Altschuler at $10,300 and Smith at $5,100. The final clue, focusing on Supreme Court justices, proved to be the deciding factor. Laskowski correctly identified “Who Was Louis Brandeis?”, adding $12,000 to his score and securing a runaway victory. Altschuler and Smith, unable to conjure the correct response, finished with $10,300 and $5,100, respectively.
Laskowski’s two-day total now stands at an impressive $39,400, raising the question of just how far his Jeopardy! journey will extend. I can’t help but wonder if his calm demeanor and strategic gameplay hint at a champion in the making. As for Tuesday’s triple stumper – the earlobe as a common piercing location – well, let’s just say some clues are more obvious in retrospect.
Jeopardy! airs weekdays on syndicated television. Check your local listings.
