‘Jeopardy!’ Contestant’s Big Wager Leaves Ken Jennings Shocked

Spoiler Alert

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[Warning: The following post contains MAJOR spoilers for the Tuesday, September 30, episode of Jeopardy!]

Zach Knecht, from Spring Hill, Florida, won his first game on Monday, September 29, after a wild Final Jeopardy wager. He has a one-day total of $13,401, and tried to up that in his second game.

The law clerk played against Hannah Gómez, from Tucson, Arizona, and Curtis Bogetti, from Kamloops, British Columbia, Canada, on Tuesday, September 30.

Knecht found the Daily Double on clue one. Since he had $0, he wagered the allotted $1,000 in “U.S. Geography.” The clue read, “In the U.S., this elevated boundary & watershed stretches from New Mexico to Montana.” “What is the continental divide?” he answered correctly, giving him the lead with $1,000. By the first commercial break, Knecht had $4,400, which was $3,000 more than his opponents.

By the end of the round, Knecht kept his lead but not by much. He had $6,200. Bogetti, a PhD candidate, had $5,400. Gómez, a book editor, was in third place with $1,600.

In Double Jeopardy, with only $8,600 in his bank, which was $1,200 behind Knecht, Bogetti found the first DD. In “Olden Lit,” Bogetti made it a true Daily Double, wagering all his $8,600.

“Wow! That’s a big wager,” host Ken Jennings said. If Bogetti got it right, he would take a big lead. The clue read, “In ‘The Song of Roland’, God makes the sun stand still so this emperor can continue a battle.” “Who is Charlemagne?” he answered correctly, giving him the lead with $17,200.

Bogetti found the last DD with $22,800. In “The Righteous Gemstones,” he wagered $3,000. The clue read, “Pliny the elder called this alliterative bright blue gem ‘a fragment of the starry firmament.’” “What is Lapis lazuli?” Bogetti answered correctly. This gave him $25,800.

Bogetti ended the round in the lead with $26,600. Knecht was in second place with $15,000. Gómez had $6,800.

“This is not over yet as we head into Final Jeopardy!,” Ken Jennings said.

The category for Final Jeopardy was “Destinations.” The clue was “In 2020, the Pripyat Ferris wheel earned a cameo mention in a N.Y. Times travel essay called Why Would Anyone Want To Visit this place.” Two of the contestants were correct with Chernobyl.

Gómez wrote, “What is Egypt?” She wagered $6,800, leaving her with $0. Both Bogetti and Knecht had the right answer. It all came down to their wagers. Knecht wagered everything, doubling him to $30,000. He wagered $3,401, giving him $30,001, making him the new winner.

“By $1, Curtis, you are now a Jeopardy! champion. Congratulations!” Jennings said. Bogetti will return on Wednesday as the new champion.

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