[The following post contains MAJOR spoilers for the Friday, May 2, episode of Jeopardy!]
three-day champion Ben Ganger is trying to qualify for an upcoming Tournament of Champions by winning his fourth game. And his fate came down to a Triple Stumper on the final question.
ƵOur champion Ben Ganger gas three dominant wins so far,Ƶ host said at the beginning of the episode. ƵWhen I asked him yesterday about his vast knowledge, he credited something he once heard Jeopardy! legend say about a Ƶsticky memory.Ƶ ItƵs working out for him so far.Ƶ
Ganger, from Goshen, Indiana, played against Sam Sabulis, from Atlanta, Georgia, and Shweta Balasubramanian, from Pomona, California, on Friday (May 2). He came in with a three-day total of $76,415.
The round started off with just Ganger answering questions. He only got one wrong, and there were two triple stumpers. Six questions in, Ganger, a data analyst, found the Daily Double. With $1,200 in his bank, he made it a true Daily Double. In ƵRadio,Ƶ the clue read, ƵOn October 31, 1938, the New York Times reported that Ƶmany flee homes to escape Ƶgas raid from MarsƵ after this famous broadcast.Ƶ ƵWhat is War of the Worlds?Ƶ Ganger answered correctly, giving him $2,400.
After the Daily Double, Sabulis and Balasubramanian picked up the pace and started to answer questions. However, they were in the hole for a few of them. By the end of the first break, Ganger had a wide lead with $4,000. Sabulis, an attorney, had $1,200. Balasubramanian, a marketing manager, was still in the negatives with -$1,000.
During the interview, Jennings asked the three-day champion how he got into Jeopardy!. ƵI really got hooked on it during a certain Ken Jennings run in 2004,Ƶ he said.
ƵYouƵre my fault,Ƶ Jennings chuckled.
ƵIt became appointment television in the Ganger household to tune in and watch your next round,Ƶ the contestant said. However, Ganger revealed that his grandmother is a fan of JenningsƵ rival, because they are both from Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Rutter is the highest-winning Jeopardy! contestant of all time.
ƵHe beat me so many times. ThatƵs a sensible person to be a fan of,Ƶ Jennings replied. ƵGive her my best, and tell her IƵm so much nicer than Brad. No, BradƵs great.Ƶ
By the end of the round, Ganger still led with $5,600. Sabulis was in second with $1,800, and Balasubramanian was still not on the board with -$200.
In Double Jeopardy, Ganger dominated the round once again. He answered nearly every question in the beginning with Sabulis chiming in on one. However, he got that wrong.
Ganger then found the first DD of the round. With a total of $10,400, he wagered $3,500. In ƵGovernors,Ƶ here was the clue, ƵHer father Ajit Singh Randhawa was a professor at the HBCU Voorhees College in South Carolina.Ƶ ƵWho is Nikki Haley?Ƶ he answered, giving him a total of $13,900.
Two questions later, he found the second one. With the same current total, Ganger wagered $5,000. This would still give him the lead if he was wrong. ƵThis capital lies on the Anatolian Plateau, 3,000 above sea level,Ƶ was the clue in ƵA is for Capital.Ƶ ƵWhat is Ankara?Ƶ he answered correctly, giving him $18,900.
At the end of the round, Ganger had $22,500. Sabulis gained a bit more money with $7,000. Balasubramanian finally got on the board with $1,000.
The category for Final Jeopardy was ƵBoats & Ships.Ƶ The clue read, ƵNearly a century after her 1851 sporting triumph, she was a rotting hulk finally scrapped in 1945.Ƶ Balasubramanian wrote ƵWhat is Titanic?Ƶ which was wrong. She wagered $680, which made her final total $320. Sabulis answered, ƵWhat is SS Rotting Hulk?Ƶ That was also wrong. He ended with $5,189, after wagering $2,611. GangerƵs answer was literally ƵWhat?Ƶ He wagered $2,500, ending with $20,000. The answer was America.
He had a four-day total of $96,415. Ganger now qualifies for an upcoming Tournament of Champions. He will be back on Monday, May 5 to face off against two new champions.
ƵBen has been very strong. Congrats to him :),Ƶ a user said.
ƵMan, Ben is pretty good,Ƶ said another.
ƵBen has been on fire,Ƶ added a third.
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