[Warning: The below contains MAJOR spoilers for the March 6 episode of Jeopardy! High School Reunion Tournament.]
The March 6 episode of Jeopardy! High School Reunion Tournament proves that it can all come down to how much you wager in the end. In fact, since the three contestants — Claire Sattler, Stephanie Pierson, and Justin Bolsen — all got it wrong, it determined who moved on to the finals.
Double Jeopardy! was filled with a few misses as well as, for Stephanie, almost correct answers in two clues under Pivotal Women. First, for the $1600 clue, “After inspiring millions to join a global climate strike in 2019, this Swedish activist was named Time magazine’s Person of the Year,” Stephanie said “Who is Greta Thurnberg,” instead of “Greta Thunberg.” Then for the $2000 clue, “Depicted in the movie ‘Hidden Figures’ and described as one of NASA’s ‘human computers,’ this mathematician overcame institutional racism and sexism doing the complex calculations that put America’s first astronauts into space and on the Moon,” she said “Who was Kathleen Johnson” instead of “Katherine Johnson.”
After Double Jeopardy, Claire led with $8,600, Justin was in a close second with $8,400, then Stephanie with $5,200. Then came time for Final Jeopardy!, and the clue, in U.S. History, read: “An 1869 presidential pardon was granted to this man, due in part to a plea by the Medical Society of Harford County, Maryland.” Everyone was incorrect (the correct answer was Who was Mudd?), but it was Justin’s wager (of $2,001) that led to him moving on with $6,399. Stephanie ended the game in second, with $1,700, and Claire in third with $399. (Stephanie and Claire each went home with $10,000.)
It was an answer that a few fans on Reddit thought the contestants should have gotten — and Claire herself actually chimed in as well. “I was kicking myself the whole time the question was on screen! I knew the clue was referring to Booth’s doctor, but I just had absolutely no idea what his name was! (if only I’d paid closer attention to National Treasure 2)” she wrote. “But such is the fickle beast of Jeopardy!— it can all come down to Final…”
She then went on to wish Justin, Jackson (who won the first semifinal), and whoever would be moving on after the March 7 episode “the best … in the finals,” adding, “they’re such lovely people and I can’t wait for y’all to see the games.”
She later wrote, “Justin is a sweetheart and this is all in good fun. 10 upvotes and I make a TikTok about losing to Justin with the New Girl audio ‘A White man?? NO!!’”
Flipped back just for Final #Jeopardy. That was so easy. And they all missed it. Our schools are failing miserably.
— The Goof™ (@MetsFanInPhilly) March 7, 2023
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