‘Jeopardy!’ Competitor’s Wager Pays Big Following Close Match

Jeopardy!‘s still struggling to find a consistent champion in the wake of Ben Chan’s loss, but has a new promising competitor emerged?

In the May 25 match hosted by Mayim Bialik, returning champion Ed Petersen faced off against Jesse Chin an accounting director from Bayside, New York, and Megan Braught a library assistant from Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania. Following his single victory, Ed entered the match with strong footing, scoring decently in the first round.

(Credit: Jeopardy!, Inc.)

He entered Double Jeopardy! with $5,600 against Jesse’s $2,800 and Megan’s $3,000, but Ed’s lead couldn’t last forever. It quickly became clear that Jesse was the player to watch as he pulled in a strong $4,000 win with the Daily Double, boosting his score noticeably during the Double Jeopardy! round. Heading into Final Jeopardy!, Jesse’s total was $14,800 over Ed’s $12,400 and Megan’s $6,200.

Presented with the category, “Asia,” the clue read, “Trained as an engineer, premier Li Peng championed this in 1992; it would ultimately displace over a million people.” All three competitors managed to come up with the correct response of “What is Three Gorges Dam?” But it was Jesse’s wager which pushed him over the edge.

Betting $10,000, he boosted his score to $24,801, placing him far above Ed’s $14,801 and Megan’s meager $1,200. Jesse’s quick responses and wagers are a sign for potential success.

Since Ben Chan’s loss, no competitor has continued on past their one-day streak, but Jesse could change the tides. Only time will tell for certain. Find out if he’ll keep the momentum going through to the next episode and beyond by tuning in Friday, May 26, and let us know what you thought of Jesse’s win in the comments section, below.

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