‘Jeopardy!’: Teacher Speaks Out After Thriller Against Movie Producer & Poet

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What To Know

In the November 4 episode of Jeopardy!, middle school teacher Joseph Evans faed off against poet Joyelle McSweeney and movie producer Aaron Himmel.
Himmel had led most of the game heading into Final Jeopardy.
Evans expressed gratitude for the experience, describing it as a “dream come true” and sharing his pride in being both a teacher and a lifelong Jeopardy! fan.

[Warning: The following post contains MAJOR spoilers for the Tuesday, November 4, episode of Jeopardy!]

A teacher on Jeopardy! spoke out after a thriller game against a poet and a movie producer. Did the poet win her second game or did the teacher get a big paycheck?

Joyelle McSweeney, from South Bend, Indiana, had a one-day total of $17,700 after a runaway game. She returned for game two on November 4 against Aaron Himmel, from Long Island, New York, and Joseph Evans, from Beltsville, Maryland. Himmel is a stay-at-home dad, but he was also an executive producer on the movie, The Brutalist. According to Fandom, he also appeared on Who Wants to Be A Millionaire? in 2018, where he won $30,000.

McSweeney, a poet, didn’t fare too well in the beginning of the game. She had $400 by the first commercial break while her opponents were $2,000 ahead of her.

Evans, a middle school history teacher, found the Daily Double. He had the lead with $2,800 and wagered $1,000. In “In The Book,” the clue read, “Boys in Afghanistan battle to see who can cut the strings of their opponents’ toys.” “What is The Kite Runner?” he answered correctly, moving to $3,800.

By the end of the round, Himmel pulled into the lead with $5,600. Evans had $5,400. McSweeney only had $800.

In Double Jeopardy, McSweeney found the first Daily Double on the first clue. She wagered the allotted $2,000 in “Not Their Main Musical Instrument.” The clue was: “Pepe Romero plays a mean classical guitar but is also good on this type, lighter and often with a golpeador or tap plate.” She ran out of time as she said, “What is a lute?” but the correct answer was flamenco guitar. McSweeney dropped down to -$1,200.

After gaining a wide lead of $11,200, Himmel found the second DD a few clues later. He wagered $3,000 out of his $11,200 in “A Watery Border.” The clue read, “For 1,250 & 24 miles, these 2 rivers form parts of the border between the U.S. & Mexico.” “What is the Rio Grande and the Gila?” he answered incorrectly, so he dropped down to $8,200, but still kept the lead. The correct response was The Rio Grande and the Colorado.

By the end of the round, Himmel had the lead with $15,000. Evans had $9,000. McSweeney was in third place with $3,600.

The category for Final Jeopardy was “Literary Characters.” The clue read, “‘Assure me that I yet may change these shadows you have shown me, by an altered life!’ says this man.” The correct response was Ebenezer Scrooge from A Christmas Carol, which two of the contestants got.

McSweeney had the correct response and wagered all of her money, so she ended with $7,200. Evans also responded with Scrooge and wagered $6,529, giving him a final total of $15,529. Himmel answered with Dr. Jekyll. He wagered $3,001, dropping him down to $11,999.

Evans was the new champion. He spoke to his local ABC news station, ABC7 News, about his time on the game show. “I think 95% of Jeopardy! contestants all watched it when we were growing up, and we all were yelling at the TV, the answers,” Evans said. “And I just figured it was time…in my middle age, that was time to take the test.”

The seventh-grade Global Humanities teacher said that he loves his job and is “proud to be a nerd.” “I like teaching middle school. I don’t say exactly how many years I’ve been teaching, but I tell the kids more than 10,” he told the outlet.

“I’ve been blown away by the support, by people asking when I’m going to be on. It really was a dream come true. The other thing about Jeopardy! is that you only get on once, you can’t come back later, or unless they want you back, like, that’s your one shot. So you better enjoy it, and I really did,” Evans said.

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