In Thursday’s Jeopardy! episode, Greg Jolin, a systems specialist and accountant from New Hampshire, faced off against Alicia Buffa, a translator from Montreal, and returning champion Joseph Carlstein, a graduate student from North Carolina who entered the game with prior winnings of $16,001. The contestants tackled categories like “They Throw Serious Shade,” “A Question of Time,” and “Manners Maketh…,” setting a competitive tone early in the game.
Greg quickly established a lead by finding the first Daily Double in “A Question of Time.” Betting it all, he correctly identified Einstein’s “special” theory of relativity, which propelled him to $3,200. By the first break, Joseph had kept up with $3,200, while Alicia trailed with $800. However, by the start of Double Jeopardy!, Greg had managed to pull ahead with $8,000, while Joseph and Alicia followed with $4,200 and $1,400, respectively.
In Double Jeopardy!, the players encountered categories such as “Bodies of Water” and “U.S. Government.” Alicia doubled her score on a Daily Double, accurately naming Lake Baikal as the body of water bordered by cities on the Trans-Siberian Railway, bringing her to $4,400 and securing her position behind Greg.
Joseph later reclaimed second place by doubling his earnings with another Daily Double in “U.S. Government,” correctly identifying Nebraska as the state that restructured its legislature in the 1930s. With each contestant managing to capitalize on strategic bets, the score remained tight heading into Final Jeopardy! with Greg at $16,400 and both Joseph and Alicia tied at $12,000.
The Final Jeopardy! category, “Animals,” posed a challenging clue about an animal known to the Aztecs as *ayotochtli* or “turtle rabbit.” Both Greg and Alicia correctly answered “What is armadillo?” With Greg wagering $7,601, he edged out the competition, finishing with $24,001, while Alicia followed closely with $23,999. Joseph, who bet his entire score, missed the mark and finished with zero.
In the end, Greg emerged victorious, setting up for future rounds as Alicia’s competitive showing made for an engaging battle.
