‘Jeopardy!’: Did Scott Riccardi Crack Top 10 All-Time Winners?

Spoiler Alert

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[Warning: The following contains MAJOR spoilers for the Wednesday, July 23, episode of Jeopardy!]

Scott Riccardi secured his 14th win during his last game of Jeopardy! with a total of $390,902. Despite getting the final clue about a horse wrong, he moved up to 12th place overall in all-time winners, above Ray Lalonde. Did he crack the top 10 during the latest game?

Riccardi, from Somerville, New Jersey, played against Gerri Budd, from Nutley, New Jersey, and Andrew Crowley, from Henderson, Nevada, on Wednesday, July 23.

Host Ken Jennings said that Scott Riccardi was trying for win number 15, which was something the game show hadn’t seen since last season with Adriana Harmeyer. “And it’s one that only 10 other champions in the show’s history have reached,” he said. “So, big stakes for Scott today.”

The game started off well for Riccardi, an engineer. He answered most of the clues correctly and took a quick lead. However, when Budd, an adjunct professor and small business owner, found the first Daily Double, Crowley, a freelance writer, was only $200 behind Riccardi. But, Budd had more at stake because she was in the red.

With -$1,400 in her bank, Budd wagered $1,000. In “Word and Phrase Origins,” the clue read, “It’s the 1714 document regarding insurgents that’s a phrase sometimes used in an angry confrontation.” “What is the Riot Act?” she answered correctly, bringing her up to -$400.

During the interview, Budd shared that when she got the call that she was going to be on Jeopardy!, she was in her car and got pulled over by a cop because she had her phone in her hand. After she explained to the officer that she was going to be on the game show, he let her off with a warning.

Although Riccardi had the lead with $7,600 by the end of the round, it wasn’t a runaway just yet. Crowley was not far behind him with $5,800. Budd was still in the red with -$800.

In Double Jeopardy, Riccardi found the first Daily Double. He had $12,000 at this point and wagered $5,000 in “Great Literature Before 2000.” The clue was, “A man makes numerous failed attempts to gain access to the title edifice to improve his situation in this Franz Kafka novel.” Riccardi answered right away with, “What is The Castle?” He improved to $17,000.

Just a few clues later, he found the last DD of the game. With $18,600 in his bank, Riccardi wagered $4,000. In “All About Animals,” the clue read, “The nine-spotted species of this beetle is the state insect of New York.” “What is a ladybug?” he answered quickly. That was correct, and his total moved to $22,600.

By the end of the round, Riccardi had a runaway win with $32,200. Crowley was in second with $9,400. Budd finally got out of the negative with $3,200.

The category for Final Jeopardy was “Famous Buildings.” The clue was: “Opened in 1902, it’s 87 feet in width on the 22nd Street side & less than 7 feet wide at its narrowest point on 23rd Street.” Only two of the contestants correctly guessed the Flatiron Building in New York.

Budd had the correct answer and wagered $3,100, leaving her with $6,300. Crowley’s answer was the Tribeca Building, which was incorrect. He wagered $400, dropping him to $9,000. Riccardi also had the right answer and wagered $7,808, taking his total to $40,008. That gave him a 15-day total of $430,910.

That moved him up four spots, into eighth overall in winnings, according to The Jeopardy! Fan. He jumped ahead of Austin Rogers, Matt Jackson, Julia Collins, and David Madden. Madden’s total was $430,400, so Riccardi’s only $510 ahead of him. To get to seventh place, he has to win another $101,587.

Find out if Riccardi will win game number 16 on the penultimate episode of the season tomorrow, July 24.

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