In a suspenseful episode of Jeopardy! that aired on Thursday, May 23, 2024, three contestants vied for the top spot. Liz Capouch, a knowledge base specialist from Blaine, Minnesota, Brendan Gilfillan, a consultant from Alexandria, Virginia, and Amar Kakirde, a graduate student from Lake Hiawatha, New Jersey, all put their knowledge to the test. Amar entered the game as a one-day champion, having won $16,600 during his previous appearance.
The first round featured a variety of categories, including “Lit Titles by the Numbers,” “It’s a Plane,” and “The Real Taglines of the Real Housewives.” The contestants demonstrated their knowledge and quick thinking as they navigated through the clues. However, the game took an intriguing turn when all three contestants missed the Daily Double questions, setting the stage for a competitive and unpredictable contest.
As the first break approached, Amar found himself in a challenging position with a score of $0, while Brendan and Liz had built up totals of $2,800 and $1,400, respectively. Heading into Double Jeopardy!, Amar began to mount a comeback, but his opponents also struggled, allowing him to seize the lead with a score of $9,200. Liz trailed closely behind with $5,200, while Brendan had $3,000.
The Double Jeopardy! round introduced new categories, such as “Congress Acted Up,” “Men of Science,” and “Name, the Expression.” This portion of the game proved to be a turning point, as Amar was able to gain momentum despite missing one of the Daily Doubles.
Going into Final Jeopardy!, Amar maintained his lead with $7,999, followed by Liz with $5,200, and Brendan with $3,000. The final clue, in the category of Artwork, read: “Rembrandt’s only seascape is set here, where the main figure once said, ‘Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith?‘”
In a surprising twist, only Liz provided the correct response, identifying the location as What is the Sea of Galilee? However, her wager of $0 meant that Amar’s slim margin was enough to secure his victory, why she did that I’m not sure, unless she wasn’t fully confident in her answer. Amar ultimately won the game with a final score of $7,999, bringing his two-day total to an impressive $24,599.
The episode also offered a lesson in the Jeopardy! rule book. Brendan experienced the strictness of the show’s rules when he was marked incorrect for leaving out a word in a song title. However, in a contrasting scenario, providing more information than required for a song title was deemed acceptable, which of course seems to make no sense whatsoever when it comes to an even playing field.
Also, the contestants’ lack of knowledge about classic films surprised me somewhat, as none of them identified Jimmy Stewart as the star of the iconic movies “Rear Window” and “Vertigo.”
