‘Jeopardy!’ Fans React After Contestant’s Jaw-Dropping Win: Did Harrison Whitaker Triumph Again?

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What To Know

Harrison Whitaker returns for his ninth time at the podium.
He returned with an impressive eight-day total of $218,600. Will he add to that total and return for a ninth time?
Fans compared Whitaker’s run to Jeopardy! legend and host Ken Jennings.

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

Jeopardy! fans are shocked at a contestant’s jaw-dropping runaway win. Did Harrison Whitaker win his ninth game, or did another player blow him out of the water?

Whitaker, from Terre Haute, Indiana, returned with an eight-day total of $218,600. The researcher played against Sarah Wylie, from Boynton Beach, Florida, and Jamie Kohlmeier, from Sarnia, Ontario, Canada, on Friday, November 21.

Whitaker had the lead with $3,200 when Wylie, a teacher, found the Daily Double. She had $2,800 and wagered $2,000 in “Globetrotters.” The clue read, “Chinese scholar Peng Hai identified this man as Boluo, a courtier mentioned in the ‘History of the Yuan.’” “Who is Confucius?” she answered, unsure. The correct response was Marco Polo. She dropped down to $800.

By the end of the round, Whitaker was already way ahead of his competitors. He had $7,200. Wylie was in second place with $1,600. Kohlmeier, a beer specialist, had $800.

In Double Jeopardy, Whitaker found the first DD on clue four. He had $10,400 and wagered $4,400. In “Spies Like Them,” the clue was “Documents declassified 100 years after her execution led to speculation that she was scapegoated by French officials.” “Who was Mata Hari?” Whitaker answered right away. This gave him $14,800.

Despite answering one clue wrong, Whitaker found the last Daily Double and widened his lead. With $19,600, he wagered $2,400 in “‘O’ Pourri.” The clue read, “After his death, his lyre was placed in the heavens as a constellation.” Whitaker knew right away that it was Orpheus and moved his total up to $22,000.

By the end of the round, Whitaker answered 29 clues correctly, giving him 39 correct in the whole game, with only one incorrect response. He ended the game with $31,200. Wylie had $5,200. Kohlmeier was in third place with $2,400.

The category for Final Jeopardy was “Scientists.” The clue was “In a 1939 letter, he recalled a boyhood experience that inspired his life’s work: petting his cat on a cold winter’s night.” Only one contestant got the right answer.

Kohlmeier answered with “Who is Schrodinger?” He was wrong and wagered $2,398, leaving him with $2. Wylie’s response was “Who is Einstein?” which was incorrect. She wagered $5,200, leaving her with no money. Whitaker had the right answer with “Who is Tesla?” He wagered $18,800, making his total $50,000.

“Oh, you wagered a lot,” host Ken Jennings said. “That’s our biggest single-game total in Season 42.” This isn’t the first record he broke this season.

This gave Whitaker a nine-day total of $268,600. He will return for game 10 on Monday.

Fans reacted to his huge win on Reddit. “When Harrison got FJ right, I was just thinking he could wager enough to win exactly 50K and it would still be a runaway, and then he actually did it,” one wrote.

“Whoa, over a quarter million already. Harrison is an elite player,” said another.

“Harrison outdid himself! Congrats and take the weekend off!!” a third added.

One fan said he reminds them of a young Ken Jennings.

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