Thrilling End Determined by Final Query

[Warning: The following post contains MAJOR spoilers for the Tuesday, December 9, episode of Jeopardy!]

The December 9 episode of Jeopardy! was a detailed recreation that got here all the way down to the ultimate query. Will Riley returned for his second recreation after defeating Ron LaLonde on Monday. Did he defend his title and win?

Riley, an engineer, went into recreation two with a complete of $16,801. He confronted off towards Jenna LaFleur, from Washington D.C., and Steve Riddell, from Euless, Texas, on Tuesday.

Though the primary half of the spherical was a back-and-forth between Riley and Riddell, a enterprise supervisor, Riley got here out on high after the primary 15 clues. Nevertheless, LaFleur, a freelancer, discovered the Day by day Double on clue 18.

She made it a real Day by day Double with a $2,400 bid. The clue in “That’s In all probability Unlawful” was: “This crime refers to illegally transporting booze or taping & promoting that Doobie Brothers live performance.” LaFleur accurately responded with “What’s bootlegging?” She doubled her rating, giving her the lead with $4,800.

LaFleur saved the lead for the remainder of the spherical and ended with $7,600. Riley had $5,400. Riddell was in third place with $4,400.

In Double Jeopardy, Riley discovered the primary DD on clue six. He made it a real Day by day Double in “Islands” with $6,200. The clue was “In 1902, an eruption of Mount Pelée on this French island destroyed the town of Saint-Pierre.” Riley accurately responded with “What’s Martinique?” and doubled as much as $12,400.

The remainder of the spherical was a battle for first place between Riley and LaFleur. LaFleur’s alternative got here when she discovered the third DD on clue 12. She wagered $2,000 in “Say ‘Love.’” The clue was “The June 1915 challenge of Poetry journal contained an offended letter from Ezra Pound in addition to this poem by T.S. Eliot.”

“What’s The Waste Land?” She answered incorrectly.

“Sorry, no. Gotta have ‘love’ in it. It’s The Love Music of J. Alfred Prufrock,” host Ken Jennings replied. She misplaced $2,000 from her complete.

Riley had the lead going into Ultimate Jeopardy with $19,600. Nevertheless, he didn’t have a runaway as LaFleur was a detailed second with $14,400. Riddell was in third place with $9,200.

Solely one of many recreation present contestants bought the ultimate clue proper. The class was “Legends.” The clue learn, “Legend says that for navy help, Robert Bruce gave half of an emblem of Scotland’s monarchy to the King of Munster, who turned it into this.” The proper response was the Blarney Stone.

Riddell’s response was “What’s a royal crest?” He wagered all of his cash, leaving him with $0. LaFleur responded with “What’s a unicorn sword?” She wagered $5,201, leaving her with $9,199. Riley had the right reply. He wagered $9,201, making his last complete $28,801.

Riley now had a two-day complete of $28,801. He’ll return for recreation three on Wednesday.