In Friday’s episode of Jeopardy!, three contestants, Olaf Talbert, a retired U.S. Navy officer from Pensacola, Carol Lowe, a photographer from Conway, and Will Wallace, a game design director from Austin, took on a mix of challenging clues. Will returned as a three-day champion with a total of $55,598, aiming for a fourth win.
The first round categories included “Botany,” “Afternoon ‘T’,” “‘90s Movies by Characters,” “Retronyms,” “Seoul,” and “Searching.” Will gained early momentum by hitting a Daily Double in “Retronyms,” where he correctly identified “cloth diapers” as the answer to a $1,000 clue, bringing his total up to $4,400. By the end of the Jeopardy! round, he held a solid lead with $6,000, trailed by Olaf at $4,000 and Carol with $1,000.
In Double Jeopardy!, Will found another boost in “Rocktober,” taking advantage of his strong knowledge in music history. The categories ranged from “International Space Hall of Fame Inductees” and “Art & Artists” to “Quick!” and “European Lakes & Rivers.” His confidence in “Rocktober” paid off with a successful $3,000 wager on a Daily Double about Midnight Oil’s 2000 performance at the Sydney Olympics, solidifying his lead with $22,200 heading into Final Jeopardy! Carol struggled with her Daily Double in “Quick!,” dropping $1,000. By the round’s close, Will led by a wide margin, while Olaf and Carol trailed significantly.
The Final Jeopardy! category, “U.S. History,” presented a clue about the largest land deal in U.S. history, finalized at a site named after a military hero. Both Will and Olaf correctly answered “What is Jackson Square?” Will’s calculated $2,200 wager brought his winnings to $24,400 for the day, leaving him with an impressive four-day total of $79,998. Olaf finished with $2,400, while Carol ended with $1,600, with Carol’s FJ wager costing her the chance to hold onto second place.
