Richard Nguyen took down 12-game Jeopardy! champion Adam Remsen on June 30 during the final clue. Did he win again, or was the giant-crisher a one-and-done champion?
Nguyen, from Placentia, California, entered his second game with a total of $20,801. On July 1, the research attorney played against Robyn Masella, from Corvallis, Oregon, and Ben Crockett, from Laurel, Washington. Warning: Spoilers for the July 1 episode of Jeopardy!ahead!
Nguyen had the lead of $4,000 by the first 15 clues. His opponents were in the red for most of the round until Crockett, a director of data analytics, got two clues right, bringing him to $800.
Nguyen found the Daily Double on clue 16. He wagered $3,000 in “An Operatic Demise.” The clue was “In a Verdi opera, Radamès is condemned to be buried alive, & this heroine joins him in the tomb.”
“Who is Aida?” he answered correctly, despite not knowing a lot about Opera. This brought him to $7,000.
By the end of the round, Nguyen was way ahead with $8,400. Crockett had $2,200. Masella, a victim advocate, was in third place with -$600.
In Double Jeopardy, Masella got back on the board by clue four. On clue five, she found the first DD. She had $600 and wagered the allotted $2,000.
The clue in “Word Origins” read, “This word first appeared on 16th-century Dutch maps has the name of a whirlpool in the Arctic Ocean.” “What is Bermuda?” she answered incorrectly. The correct response was maelstrom, dropping her down to -$1,400.
However, Masela had the chance to redeem herself when she found the last DD on clue seven. She wagered $2,000 in “Film & TV Cameos.” The clue was “Martin Scorsese directed this De Niro film & makes a creepy cameo as a disturbed passenger plotting to harm his wife.”
“What is Throw Momma From the Train?” the contestant wrongly guessed. Masella dropped to -$3,400 since the correct response was Taxi Driver.
Nguyen had a massive lead after answering most of the clues correctly. He ended with $18,000. Crockett had $3,800. Masella ended with -$1,400. Therefore, she could not participate in Final Jeopardy.
The category for Final Jeopardy was “Names In Entertainment.” The clue was “Among his numerous accolades are 3 Tonys, 3 Emmys, 5 Grammys & a 2016 Pulitzer Prize.”
Crockett correctly answered with “Who is Lin-Manuel Miranda?” which was correct. He wagered $2,200, giving him $6,000. Nguyen did not have the right response and wrote “Who is La?” He wagered $2,000, ending him with $16,000.
This gave him a two-day total of $36,801. Nguyen will return on July 2 for his third game.
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