Did ‘Jeopardy!’ Champion Tom Devlin Make It Four in a Row?

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Tom Devlin, a three-day Jeopardy! champion with $73,199 in winnings, competed for his fourth consecutive win against Shaan Mishra and Kristina Pohribnij.
Despite leading throughout most of the game and making bold wagers on Daily Doubles, Mishra and Pohribnij each held their own against the champ.
The Final Jeopardy was a nail-biter as it was anyone’s game.

Would returning Jeopardy! champion Tom Devlin, an attorney from Washington, D.C., keep his hot streak alive for a fourth straight game? Ahead of Friday’s (October 24) new game, he’d racked up an impressive three-day total of $73,199 in winnings, but Friday’s cutthroat game stood to put his reign to the test. If he won, Devlin only needed one more to make it to the Tournament of Champions.

In the game, Devlin went up against management consultant Shaan Mishra from Carmel, Indiana, and stay-at-home mom Kristina Pohribnij from Palatine, Illinois, both determined to dethrone the reigning Jeopardy! champ.

Devlin began the first round by picking “The National Toy Hall of Fame” for $800, which yielded the clue: “Josefina Montoya & Addy Walker are part of the historical characters series of these dolls inducted in 2021.” Pohribnij buzzed in with the correct answer, “What are the American Girl dolls?”

The round’s Daily Double was discovered by Devlin in “Movie Last Lines” for $1,600. Wagering $1,600 on the clue “1987: ‘Grandpa? Maybe you could come over & read it again to me tomorrow’; ‘As you wish,’” Devlin answered correctly with “What is The Princess Bride?,” doubling his score to $3,200.

Before the first ad break, Devlin was in the lead with $7,400, while Pohribnij came in second with $2,600 and Mishra in third place with $600. By the end of the round, Devlin maintained his lead with a total of $9,000, as Pohribnij earned $4,400 and Mishra nabbed $2,600.

In Double Jeopardy, the first Daily Double was discovered by Devlin under “Acronyms” for $1,000. Devil wagered a hefty $5,000 on the answer, “What is ANZAC?,” lifting him to $16,000.

The third Daily Double of the game was found by Mishra under “You “SC” & You “CLA” for $2,000. He bet $5,000 on the clue: “If you don’t fire ’til you see the whites of their eyes, you’re waiting to see this, which covers 5/6 of the eyeball.” With the correct answer of “What is the sclera?” bringing with total to $5,800.

During Double Jeopardy, Devlin answered nine clues correctly, but Pohribnij and Mishra gave him a run for his money, holding their own with several strong responses. By the end of the round, however, it still wasn’t enough to overtake the reigning Jeopardy! champ, as they entered Final Jeopardy with totals of $22,800 for Devlin, $15,600 for Mishra — which moved him to second place — and $10,800 for Pohribnij.

The Final Jeopardy category was “Relics,” with the clue “Missionary William Ellis reported in 1825 that his ‘bones were preserved…& were considered sacred by the people’ of Hawaii.” The answer was “Who was Captain James Cook?” Pohribnij answered incorrectly with “Who is Father Damien?,” to which host Ken Jennings responded, “That makes sense, but I’m afraid it’s not Father Damien, Kristina.” She wagered $5,000, bringing her total to $5,800.

Devlin also incorrectly wrote, “Who is Father Damien?” With his wager of $8,401, his new total was then $14,399, losing the lead. But will he lose the game to Mishra?

Mishra wrote, “Who is Cook???,” the correct answer. With a wager of $0, Mishra kept his total at $15,600, enough to steal the title of “Jeopardy! champ” from Devlin as he won the game.

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