‘Jeopardy!’: Is Champ Steven Olsen Headed for the Tournament of Champions?

Spoiler Alert

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[Warning: The following post contains MAJOR spoilers for the Wednesday, September 24, episode of Jeopardy!]

Steven Olson has returned for his fourth Jeopardy! game, and if he wins tonight, he only needs one more to make it to the Tournament of Champions. A contestant usually needs to win five games to qualify for the tournament, but sometimes the producers invite contestants after four wins based on their winnings and number of games won to determine the 15 contestants moving into the tournament.

Olson, from Princeton, Illinois, played against Natalie Shapero, from Los Angeles, California, and Jaedon Jerue, from Danville, Illinois, on Wednesday, September 24. Olson has a three-day total of $57,089.

The game started off well for the band director as he answered the first clue correctly and then found the Daily Double on clue two. With only $800 in his bank, Olson wagered the allotted $1,000. In “A Phrase In History,” the clue read, “Conquistador Cortés told the Aztecs, ‘We Spaniards suffer from a disease of the heart that only’ this substance ‘can cure.’” He answered with, “What is gold?” which was correct, giving him $1,800.

Olson’s opponents tried to catch up with him by the first commercial break. The first part of the round had two Triple Stumpers and saw Shapero, an English professor, take the lead by only $200 with $3,600.

However, Olson retook the lead by the end of the round with $6,800. Shapero had $5,600. Jerue, a seventh-grade math teacher, was in third with $2,200.

In Double Jeopardy, Jerue found the first DD on clue four. He made it a true Daily Double in “Geographic Name Game.” The clue read, “Magellan named this southern archipelago after the fires he saw while passing through.” Jerue answered, “What is Tierra del Fuego?” which was correct, doubling him up to $4,400.

Despite there being three triple stumpers, Olson answered most of the clues correctly until he found the last DD. With $14,000 in his bank, he wagered $4,000. In “‘V’ocabulary,” the clue was “Used for heart conditions & high blood pressure, it’s any medication designed to widen the blood vessels.” Olson answered with “What’s vascular?” but he was wrong. He dropped down to $10,000 since the correct response was vasodilator. 

The loss didn’t deter him, though, as he maintained the lead to the end of the round with $17,200. Shapero had $8,000. Jerue went back to third place with $6,400.

The category for Final Jeopardy was “The 21st Century.” The clue was, “A 2011 email said, ‘On September 17, we want to see 20,000 people … set up tents, kitchens, peaceful barricades and’ these 3 words.” Only two of the contestants got it right.

Jerue wrote, “What is Love You Mom?” He was clearly wrong and dropped down to $4,799 after wagering $1,601. The other two answered with, “What is Occupy Wall Street?” which was correct. Shapero wagered $6,000, giving her a final total of $14,000. Olson’s wager of $93 kept him in first place with $17,293.

This gave him a four-day total of $74,382. Right now, Olson is a wildcard for the Tournament of Champions. He will be back for game five on Thursday, where he will guarantee himself a spot in an upcoming ToC if he wins.

“Poor Steven seems so nervous, even after winning a few games. He’s so good, I wish he could relax and enjoy himself!” a Reddit user said.

“I feel bad beating Steve on the vasodilator DD, as I only knew it bc my cholesterol is over 300,” another wrote.

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