The Jeopardy! Tournament of Champions has brought nonstop excitement for fans of the game show, and the finals have only just begun. During his game in the semi-finals, one Jeopardy! champ made history. Here’s why fans are freaking out over this player’s risky moves.
Andrew He Advances To The Finals
Go big or go home! During the last semifinal tournament of this year’s Tournament of Champions, software engineer Andrew He may have made history. In the November 11 game, He competed against Jeopardy! champs Eric Ahasic and Mattea Roach.
The game didn’t start out in his favor, though. Midway through the first round, he had a score of negative $800. However, his luck would soon start to turn.
Once he was out of the hole and back to a much safer score of $0, he found the first Daily Double. When a contestant doesn’t have any winnings, they’re able to wager up to $1,000 on the Daily Double. Of course, He surprised no one by going all in.
The clue read, “The title of this play by Eugene O’Neill refers in part to a pair of trees that surrounds the Cabot Farmhouse.” He correctly guessed, “What’s Desire Under The Elms?” bringing his score to $1,000. Going into Double Jeopardy! He was in third place with $3,400.
Not long into the Double Jeopardy! round, He found the second Daily Double. The software developer decided to bet the entirety of his winnings, a respectable $7,000.
The clue read, “After helping to establish this as an independent country, Eduard Shevardnadze became its president in 1955.” He correctly answered, “What is Georgia?”
Andrew He Masters The Daily Double
His score skyrocketed to $14,000, meaning he suddenly had a big lead over his competitors. Later in the round, He found the third and final Daily Double.
At this point, he decided to make it yet another true daily double, wagering the entirety of his $16,800. The audience audibly gasped at his bold decision. Ken Jennings even proclaimed, “I did not think you were going to say that.”
The clue read, “1855’s ‘Haworth Churchyard’ was Matthew Arnold’s tribute to these literary sisters, written soon after the last one passed.” He paused for a moment, and it seemed like he didn’t know the answer.
Then, he made his guess: “Who are the Brontë sisters?” Jennings announced that his answer was correct, bringing his winnings to an unbelievable $33,600.
Fans watching at home noticed something incredible about He’s three daily double bets. Although Jeopardy! hasn’t officially confirmed it yet, it looks like He is the very first Jeopardy! contestant in the show’s history to go all-in on all three Daily Doubles and answer them correctly. If that’s true, no matter the outcome of the Tournament of Champions, He has made Jeopardy! history.
He advanced to the finals and even won his first round against Jeopardy! legend Amy Schneider and Professors Tournament champion Sam Buttrey.
At the moment, it looks like Andrew He is the wildcard no one was expecting. Fans will certainly be watching closely to see if his bold betting strategy can take him all the way!