‘Jeopardy!’ Champ Paolo Pasco Goes for Three-peat After Huge Win

Jeopardy.com

Did Jeopardy! contestant Paolo Pasco win his third game? If he did, he would be the contestant this season with the most wins so far.

Pasco, from San Diego, California, played against Saralyn McKinnon-Crowley, from Waco, Texas, and Jeff Freymann, from Berkeley, California, on Friday, September 12. The reigning champion has a two-day total of $54,197, and he tried to up that on his third game.

Pasco took the lead early on and found the Daily Double before the first commercial break. He made it a true Daily Double of $2,200. In “A How-To Category,” the clue read, “How to become president of the U.S.? Have this job if the president, veep & Speaker of the House are unable to do the gig.” He hesitated before shrugging and answering, “What is President Pro Tempore?” Pasco was correct and raised his total to $4,400.

Host Ken Jennings finally got to say a joke he has been wanting to for years. On clue 12 in “Big Piles,” the clue was “In gambling, it’s a four-letter verb meaning to pull in a big pile of chips, or a four-letter noun for part of each pot taken by a casino.” None of the contestants knew the answer, so he told them.

“Finally, I get to say it. What is a rake?” Jennings said. This stems from when he answered a clue with “What is a hoe?” when the answer was rake.

Pasco, a puzzle writer, was in the lead by the first commercial break with $4,200. He kept the lead throughout the round and had $7,600 by the end of it. McKinnon-Crowley, an assistant professor, was in second with $4,400. Freymann, a retired radio producer and part-time composer, had -$600.

In Double Jeopardy, Pasco maintained a wide lead and had $16,800 by the time he found the first DD of the round. He wagered $3,400 in “Acid Test.” The clue read, “This acid is produced when your body breaks down glucose during exercise, but it’s not what makes your muscles sore.” Pasco answered correctly with “What is lactic acid?”, moving him up to $20,200.

A few clues later, he found the last DD. He wagered $500 out of his above amount. In “When In the World…?” the clue read, “In late April 1865, this play was performed for a specific audience: Edwin Stanton & a crew of investigators.” He answered correctly again with “What is Our American Cousin?” This gave him $22,700.

Although Freymann answered most of the clues after that correctly, it wasn’t enough to catch up to Pasco, who had $25,500. Freymann moved to second place with $8,600. McKinnon-Crowley had $6,400.

The category for Final Jeopardy was “Famous Buildings.” “In 1588, a 10th chapel was added to this building to honor a Yurodivy, or ‘holy fool,’ who was canonized that year,” was the clue. Only one contestant got it right.

McKinnon-Crowley answered, “What is the Hagia Sophia?” She was wrong and wagered $6,000, leaving her with $400. Freymann was also incorrect with “What was Notre Dame?” He wagered $1,400, leaving him with $7,200. Pasco got it right, answering, “What is St. Basil’s Cathedral?” He wagered only $44, bringing his total to $25,544.

He had a three-game total of $79,741, and he will be back on Monday, September 15, for his fourth game.

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