‘Jeopardy!’: Buzzer ‘Beast’ Wins Instant Classic Game — Fans React After Thriller

Spoiler Alert

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[Warning: The following post contains MAJOR spoilers for the Tuesday, October 21, episode of Jeopardy!]

A beast on the buzzer won tonight’s Jeopardy! game and fans reacted after an incredible game, but many were unhappy with the “terrible” Final Jeopardy clue. Did Dargan Ware win his third straight game or was there a new champion crowned?

Ware, from Bessemer, Alabama, played against Elyse Erdman, from Hershey, Pennsylvania, and Tom Devlin, from Washington, D.C., on October 21. Ware, a writer and attorney, had a two-day total of $47,801.

The beginning of the round didn’t start off too well for Ware. He had a negative score when Devlin, also an attorney, found the Daily Double. He was in the lead with $4,400 and made it a true Daily Double. In “Words for the People,” the clue read, “This word for the rabble is classified 4F; Fs are half its letters.” Devlin quickly answered with “What is riff raff?” giving him $8,800 and a huge lead.

By the first commercial break, Devlin had a huge lead with $12,000, Ware had $1,200, and Erdman, a director of social media, was in third place with $600.

During the interviews, Devlin revealed that he was once a backup singer for Shania Twain for three minutes. On her tour, she sang a charity single and wanted the local high schools to provide singers. His choir teacher asked him if he wanted to sing at her concert, and he performed in front of 20,000 people. Erdman was a competitive gymnast and got to meet some Olympians during that time. Ware revealed that he had been trying to get on the Jeopardy! stage for 30 years.

By the end of the round, Devlin still had a big lead with $15,600. Ware had $3,800. Erdman still only had $600.

In Double Jeopardy, Devlin had $26,000 when Ware found the first Daily Double. Ware had $8,600 and made it a true Daily Double. If he got it right, he would only be $9,000 away from the lead. In “Get Rich or Die Tryin’,” the clue read, “Harry Jones is a grifter after a payday who takes an interminable doze in this work, Philip Marlowe’s 1st full-length appearance.” “What is The Big Sleep?” he answered correctly, giving him $17,200.

Ware found the last DD on the next clue. He wagered $9,000, which would put him in the lead if he got it right. In “In Da Club,” the clue read, “Founded in 1892, it originally focused on the conservation of some of California’s mountains.” Ware answered right away — “What is the Sierra Club?” — and took the lead with $26,200.

Ware kept the lead by the end of the round with $31,800. Devlin had $27,200. Erdman just made it into Final Jeopardy with $1,000.

The category for Final Jeopardy was “U.S.A.” The clue read, “When area codes were introduced, 3 very populous areas got the ones quickest to dial: these 3 codes.” The correct response was “What are 212, 213 & 312?” which none of the game show contestants got.

Erdman wrote, “What is thanks for having me?” She wagered $0 and left with $1,000. Devlin’s response was “What are 202, 212, 222?” He wagered $4,601, ending him with $22,599. Ware answered, “What are 312, 212, 202?” He made a big wager of $23,200 and ended with $8,600.

That made Devlin the night’s winner. He will return for his second game on Wednesday. Ware called him a “beast” on the buzzer and reacted to the game on Reddit. “Congrats to Tom! An absolute beast on the buzzer and obviously very knowledgeable as well,” he said.

“The FJ was tough, but I feel like I should have figured out that, whatever the dialing speed clue meant, it had to be a permutation of the same three numbers,” Ware continued.

Fans also reacted. “Holy cow, that was one heck of a game, spoiled only by a terrible FJ clue. I have no earthly idea how anyone would reason that out if they didn’t know it. You have to feel bad for Elyse here, wedged between these two. I am certain we will see Tom and Dargan again regardless of what happens,” one wrote.

“10/10 game of Jeopardy! No notes,” another said.

“That felt like something I would see out of a JIT game, fantastic gameplay,” a fan commented.

“Great match,” one last fan said.

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