What To Know
- Harrison Whitaker had an impressive 14-game Jeopardy! winning streak heading into the December 1 episode.
- Whitaker faced off with Libby Jones and Brendan Thomas, and it came down to Final Jeopardy answers and wagers.
- Fans weren’t the only ones to react online to the outcome — Jones’ brother chimed in as well.
[Warning: The following post contains MAJOR spoilers for the Monday, December 1, episode of Jeopardy!]
Harrison Whitaker returned for his 15th game of Jeopardy! on Monday, December 1. He gave fans a Thanksgiving treat by winning on both Thursday and Friday. Fans were shocked at the result. Did he win his 15th game, or did his streak end?
He came into the December 1 episode with a 14-day total of $373,999. That put him in 14th place for All-Time Jeopardy! Winnings, Regular-Play Only, above Adriana Harmeyer, and below Ray Lalonde, according to The Jeopardy! Fan.
Whitaker, from Terre Haute, Indiana, played against Libby Jones, from Davenport, Florida, and Brendan Thomas, from Fayetteville, Arkansas, for game 15.
Whitaker, a researcher, found the Daily Double on clue one. He wagered the allotted $1,000 since he had $0. In “Get Some Rest,” the clue read, “Latin for ‘gap’ or ‘yawn’, it can be a break in work, often for TV productions over summer.”
“What is a doldrum?” he responded incorrectly, giving him -$1,000. The correct response was “What is a hiatus?”
Clue two was a triple stumper, and then Whitaker took the lead by answering clues three to seven correctly. Thomas, a historian, swooped in and answered some clues correctly, with Whitaker getting more money by the first commercial break.
He kept the lead by the end of the round with $6,600. Thomas had $2,800. Jones, a recruiter, found her footing in the second half of the round, with $3,000.
The first Daily Double in Double Jeopardy was found on clue one again. However, this time, Thomas found it. He made it a true Daily Double with $2,800. In “Geographic Film Titles,” the clue read, “It’s the only James Bond film with a country in its title.”
Thomas was only off by one word with his response, “What is To Russia With Love?” The correct response was “From Russia With Love.” He dropped down to $0.
The rest of the round until the second DD was an even playing field. Jones found it on clue 11 with $9,400 in “A Boatload of Trouble.” The clue was: “An 1898 court of inquiry said it was ‘unable to obtain evidence fixing the responsibility for the destruction of’ this.” The correct response was “What is the (U.S.S.) Maine?” Since Jones answered that, she jumped to $12,400.
She took first place, compared to Whitaker’s $10,600. However, Jones didn’t have the lead for long as Whitaker got the next $2,000 clue correct, putting him $200 in the lead.
Whitaker was still in first place by the end of the round with $21,000. Jones had $17,200. Thomas was in third place with $3,600.
The category for Final Jeopardy was “Postage Stamps.” The clue read, “A 1959 4-cent stamp depicts an eagle & a maple leaf beneath the name of this project.” The correct response was “What is the St. Lawrence Seaway?” Only two of the contestants had the correct response.
Thomas answered with St. Lawrence. He wagered $3,599, giving him a final total of $7,199. Jones also had the correct response. She wagered $7,601, making her final total $24,801. Whitaker answered, “What is The Ambassador Bridge?” He took a big gamble and wagered $13,401 This gave him a total of $7,599.
Jones became the new champion, ending Whitaker’s streak. She will return on Tuesday for game two.
Her brother, Evan, spoke out on Reddit about her win. “Libby is my sister! We had both been trying to get on the show for years, and by sheer luck, I wound up getting the call first. She was in the tape day audience for my games, and from the moment I walked off the stage, I had been looking forward to when I could return the favor for her. Luckily, that day came only a year and some change later! (And I can confirm that watching a loved one play Jeopardy! is just as nerve-wracking as actually being the one to play),” he said.
Fans reacted to Whitaker’s loss and Jones’ win on the thread. “I am pissed off that he lost,” one fan wrote.
“Yep, we all knew it was gonna happen at one point. Streaks like this usually end on a tricky Final, and Postage Stamps turned out to be the hurdle today. Huge props to Libby for having what it takes to take down a 14-day super-champ. And a big hats off to Harrison for having a remarkable run,” another commented.
“It finally happened. And it wasn’t because he missed a daily double, which is how I was predicting it to happen,” a third added.
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