‘Jeopardy!’ Win Comes Down to Final Clue in Tight Game

Spoiler Alert

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[Warning: The following post contains MAJOR spoilers for the Monday, September 15, episode of Jeopardy!]

Paolo Pasco returned for his fourth Jeopardy! game on Monday, September 15. The game was a very close call with two opponents battling it out for first place. The winner was not determined until Final Jeopardy. Did Pasco continue his streak?

Pasco, from San Diego, California, played against Ryan Sharpe, from Oakville, Ontario, Canada, and Kelsi Tyler, from Austin, Texas. The reigning champion had a three-day total of $79,741. He tried to up that in Monday’s game.

Although Pasco, a puzzle writer, started off the game by answering two clues correctly, the rest of the round didn’t go so great. Sharpe, a student, found the Daily Double. He had the lead with $2,000 and made it a true Daily Double. In “It’s a Sign,” the clue read, “In Paris’ Montmartre neighborhood, the sign & red windmill atop this cabaret were first illuminated in 1889.” “What is the Moulin Rouge?” Sharpe answered correctly, doubling up to $4,000.

By the first commercial break, Pasco was in third place with $800. Sharpe still led with $5,600. Although Pasco moved up to second by the end of the round with $4,800, Tyler, a nonprofit program director, was not far behind with $3,400. Sharpe had $7,200.

In Double Jeopardy, Tyler found the first Daily Double of the round on the first clue. She wagered all of her $3,400 in “American Poetry.” The clue was: “A fan of repetition, she began her poem ‘Susie Asado,’ ‘Sweet sweet sweet sweet sweet tea.’” Tyler guessed and answered, “Who is Emily Dickinson?” She was wrong and dropped down to $0. The correct response was Gertrude Stein.

Sharpe found the last DD of the round a few clues later. He had the lead with $8,400 and wagered all of it. In “The Nordic Countries,” the clue read, “A series of clashes between the U.K. & Iceland over territorial rights in the North Atlantic were called these ‘fishy’ wars.” Sharpe answered correctly with “What are the Cod wars?” doubling his total to $16,800.

The rest of the round was a fight for first place between Sharpe and Pasco. They went back and forth answering clues. However, Pasco couldn’t quite catch up to Sharpe by the end of the round. He had $16,800 compared to Sharpe’s $27,600. Tyler was in third with $4,800.

It seemed like Sharpe was in a lock for first place, but an unbelievable wager in Final Jeopardy changed the whole game. The category for the round was “Vocabulary.” The clue was: “Today it’s used as a verb on social media – in previous centuries its meanings included an enemy and not a Quaker.” Only one contestant got it right.

Tyler answered, “What is nemesis?” which was wrong. She wagered $3,800, leaving her with $1,000. Pasco’s answer of “What is unfriend?” was correct. He wagered $10,801, giving him $27,601, $1 above Sharpe’s total at the time. Sharpe had the wrong answer — “What is a troll?” — and his wager of $6,001 dropped him to second place with a total of $21,599.

Pasco will return for his fifth game on Tuesday, September 16, to try to qualify for the Tournament of Champions. He has a four-day total of $107,342.

“Wow!” exclaimed host Ken Jennings after announcing his total.

“It was exciting to watch Ryan almost take Paolo down, then return in FJ,” a Reddit user said.

“Have to imagine Paolo was beyond thrilled to see both the category and clue in FJ. Ryan seemed lights out on science, history and geography. If he goes on a major run, these are the kinds of breaks you need to find. Great game,” another commented.

Jeopardy!, Weekdays, check local listings (Next day streaming on Hulu and Peacock)