JEOPARDY! champ Adriana Harmeyer eked out an incredible come-from-behind 13th victory on Friday when many fans were convinced her run was over. In a stunning Final Jeopardy twist, Adriana snatched the win from second place, causing jaws to drop and questions about the frontrunner's wager. Ken Jennings began the match by commending Adriana for her “three weeks” as champ—a feat few viewers had expected.
The competition was fierce, with challengers Kaitlin Tarr and Susan Ayoob putting up a ferocious fight. In the Jeopardy! round, Adriana caught fire, amassing $7,200 and hitting a $1,000 Daily Double, while Susan had $3,000 and Kaitlin $3,800. Double Jeopardy! saw Kaitlin take the lead but lose $3,000 on a Daily Double after confusing “viva” with “salud.
” Kaitlin regained the lead with the correct response of “malaria” on the last Daily Double, adding $2,000. She retook the lead again on the second-to-last clue, setting up a neck-and-neck finish. Heading into Final Jeopardy!, it looked like the West Lafayette, Indiana archivist was history, sitting in second place.
Kaitlin had $12,800, Adriana $12,400, and Susan $10,200. The final clue was in the category “1960s AMERICA”: “Helping draft an executive order in 1961, Hobart Taylor Jr. almost used the word 'positive', but instead chose this alliterative phrase.
” Susan answered with “?” and wagered everything from third place, which Ken commented was “probably the smart bet,” though that’s debatable.
