In the Monday April 22 episode of Jeopardy!, three more contestants took center stage, each bringing their unique backgrounds and expertise to the game. The contestants were Elly Trickett, a blog and podcast editor from Danbury, Connecticut; Nam Nguyen, a playwright from Mississauga, Ontario; and Marko Saric, a math professor from Chapel Hill, North Carolina, who entered the game with a two-day winning streak and total earnings of $26,600.
The first round featured categories such as “Take Me to the Bridge!” “Booked in Books,” “Last Name’s the Same,” “An Emmy-Winning Role,” “Also a Basketball Term,” and “The Sunday Scaries.” One of the highlights was the video Daily Double in the “Take Me to the Bridge!” category, where Marko showcased his knowledge by identifying the Suez Canal in Egypt, home to the world’s longest rotating metal bridge, and doubling his score to $7,200. At the first break, Marko had already built a substantial lead with $9,000, followed by Nam with $2,400, and Elly with $1,000.
As the game progressed into Double Jeopardy!, the contestants were presented with new categories: “Secrets of the Octopus,” “Historical Figures,” “Zimbabwe,” “Libraries,” “And the Role Almost Goes To…,” and “6-Syllable Words.” Nam seized the opportunity to take the lead with a strategic wager on the second Daily Double, adding $5,000 to his score by answering correctly about the historical figure who negotiated the Kanagawa Treaty—Perry. However, Marko remained close behind.
The competition intensified as Nam’s correct response to the third Daily Double further extended his lead to $17,000, while Marko’s score stood at $16,400. Nam’s impressive performance in Double Jeopardy! almost led to a runaway game, as he entered Final Jeopardy! with a score of $28,200, significantly ahead of Marko’s $14,700. Elly, unfortunately, ended the round with a negative score of -$800.
The Final Jeopardy! category, “20th Century Authors,” posed a challenging clue: “Best known for a novel, she wrote at least 6 full-length plays & collaborated with Moms Mabley on a 1931 Broadway revue.” Both Nam and Marko provided incorrect responses, but Nam’s conservative wager of $1,201 secured his victory, finishing with a final score of $26,999. Marko ended up in second place with $1,199, and Elly finished with -$800.
The correct response to the Final Jeopardy! clue was Who is Zora Neale Hurston?
