Andrew Jones, a graduate student from Queens, N.Y., is starting to look like a player to watch after locking in his second straight Jeopardy! win on Tuesday with a gutsy Final Jeopardy! bet that nearly doubled his score and netted him another $20,800.
Jones, who now sits at a two-day total of $26,400, played a sharp if not flashy game—capitalizing when it counted. After correctly answering a Daily Double in the “Opera” category during Double Jeopardy!, he leaned in hard during Final, wagering big and correctly identifying Edward Albee’s Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? as the play that skirted music licensing fees by altering a nursery rhyme.
That move clinched the game and left both challengers playing catch-up. Katie Tarara, a nonprofit comedy theater exec from Pittsburgh, struggled to gain traction after missing both of her Daily Doubles, including a $5,200 swing in “Change a Letter.” She finished third with just $1. Florida attorney Aaron Dmiszewicki landed in second at $3,599 after missing Final Jeopardy! altogether.
Categories in play included “World History,” “Sitcoms,” and the pun-heavy “Proust’s Remembrance of Smells Past.” But it was Jones’ calm read on buzzer timing—and a big bet when it mattered—that separated him from the pack.
He returns Wednesday to defend his title with momentum and a bit of swagger—traits that tend to matter once the win count starts climbing.
Jeopardy airs weekdays in Syndication. Check local listings.
