A chemistry professor, a ceramic artist, and an ER doctor walk into a game show. It sounds like the start of a very specific joke, but in the case of Tuesday’s Jeopardy!, it was the setup for a Second Chance showdown. Mike Ferguson, Kaitlin Tarr, and Scott Tcheng, respectively representing those professions and hailing from Oklahoma, Colorado, and California, all vied for a spot in the Tournament of Champions. With no returning champion, the field was wide open.
The first round saw Kaitlin establish an early lead, demonstrating a comfortable command of categories like “Quotable Women” and “Nonfiction.” A Daily Double misstep on a “Killers of the Flower Moon” question momentarily slowed her momentum, but she recovered quickly. Scott and Mike, while trailing, remained within striking distance as the game moved into Double Jeopardy.
Round two offered a more challenging set of topics, including “Knotty Entertainment” (presumably not a how-to guide for bondage enthusiasts) and the ever-treacherous “Mythology.” Scott stumbled on a Daily Double about the twins Castor and Pollux, setting him back, while Kaitlin further solidified her lead with a correct response on Lake Champlain. Mike, despite holding his own, struggled to catch up.
Going into Final Jeopardy, Kaitlin held a substantial lead with $14,400, followed by Scott with $11,400, and Mike at $8,200. The category, “Theater Etymology,” seemed to promise an esoteric challenge. And it delivered. The clue, referencing a centuries-old performance style with Greek roots meaning “imitator of all,” proved a head-scratcher for all three contestants. None of them correctly identified the answer: pantomime. Mike bet everything, a bold move that unfortunately left him with zero. Scott, playing more conservatively, wagered enough to potentially overtake Kaitlin had she also missed. She did, but her remaining $8,401 was enough to secure the victory.
Kaitlin Tarr will advance to the Tournament of Champions.
Jeopardy! airs weekdays in syndication. Check local listings.
