On Tuesday, December 3, 2024, Jeopardy! welcomed a new champion in a game marked by dramatic swings, a nail-biting finish, and a Final Jeopardy! clue that proved too tough for all three contestants. Returning champion Evan Jones, a software designer (with winnings of $17,199), faced off against Stevie Ruiz, an assistant front office manager, and Luca Gerace, a chef.
The Jeopardy! round offered a mixed bag of categories, from “A Walt Whitman Sampler” to “’N,’ The City.” Evan, initially trailing Luca, found his footing with a successful Daily Double in “Sects,” correctly identifying Sikhism. By the first break, Luca held a slim lead.
Double Jeopardy! saw Evan and Stevie battling for the top spot. The categories, including “Admissible Edifice” and “A Mix of Science,” seemed tailor-made for Evan’s analytical mind, but Stevie remained a formidable competitor. Evan hit two Daily Doubles in this round, one on “Italian Explorers” (identifying Polo) that boosted his score, and a costly miss on “Cameras & Photography” that allowed Stevie to regain the lead.
Going into Final Jeopardy!, Stevie held a seemingly comfortable lead with $18,400, followed by Evan at $15,100 and Luca at $2,000. The clue, focusing on 19th-century European literature, asked for the novel originally serialized as “The Year 1805.” The answer, “What is War and Peace?,” eluded all three contestants.
Stevie Ruiz ended the day as the new Jeopardy! champion with $17,987, proving that a well-placed wager can sometimes be more valuable than even the correct Final Jeopardy! response.
Jeopardy! airs weekdays on syndicated television. Check your local listings.
