After five runaway games, Tristan Williams ran into some trouble during his seventh Jeopardy! game. The game was decided by a classic ’80s rock song.
Williams, from Lincoln, Nebraska, went into his seventh game with a six-day total of $113,699. On May 14, the data scientist played against Anne Benjaminson, from New York, New York, and Nishi Kantamneni, from Pleasanton, California. Warning: Spoilers for the May 14 episode of Jeopardy! ahead.
With multiple Triple Stumpers in the first half of the round, Williams only answered two clues correctly. He had one incorrect response, giving him a total of $1,000. Benjaminson, a foreign service officer, had the lead with $3,200.
By the time Williams found the Daily Double on clue 27, he had $4,000. He was in second place and wagered $3,000. In “A LSAT Time For Everything,” the clue read, “In 1957, Mike Stepovich was sworn in as the last governor of this territory, not yet a state; he was also the first born there.”
“What is Alaska?” he answered correctly. Williams had the lead with $7,000.
He ended the round with that. Benjaminson had $5,600. Kantamneni, a platform engineer, was in third place with $2,000.
Williams had a narrow lead over Benjaminson in Double Jeopardy when he found the first DD on clue five. He had $9,800 compared to her $7,200.
$5,000 was his wager in “It’s All History.” The clue read, “A failed attempt to convert a chieftain to Christianity led to this man’s death at the Battle of Mactan in 1521.”
“Who is Suleiman?” he answered incorrectly. The correct response was Ferdinand Magellan. Williams dropped to $second place with $4,800.
Benjaminson had the lead of $8,800 when Williams found the DD on clue 14. He had $6,000 and wagered $3,000.
In “Good Hang,” the clue was “In the atrium of the east building of the National Gallery in Washington hangs a large & gently spinning work by this American artist.” “Who is Calder?” he answered correctly. This gave him the lead with $9,000.
The two contestants went back and forth for first place. Williams came out on top with $12,200. Benjaminson had $9,600. Kantamneni was in third place with $4,400.
“Inspired By” was the Final Jeopardy category. The clue was “This 1982 No. 1 hit was inspired by Splendor in the Grass, a classic film about the failed expectations of teens Wilma & Bud.”
Only one of the game show contestants had the correct answer. Kantamneni’s response was “What is idk, but thanks for having me. Shoutout to my fam!” She was obviously wrong and wagered $2,700, giving her $1,700.
Benjaminson wrote, “What is Summer of 6?” She was wrong, too. Benjaminson wagered all of her money, ending with $0. Williams had the correct response of “What is Jack and Diane?” He wagered $7,001, giving him a final total of $19,201. “Jack and Diane” is a 1982 song by John Mellencamp.
He had a seven-day total of $132,900. Williams will return on Friday for game eight.
“Congrats, Tristan! I wonder how far he will go,” a Reddit user said.
“Nicely done, Tristan! Anne almost had you,” said another.
“Tristan got pushed but still came up on top! Nice work,” a third added.
“Holy smokes, Anne was FIERCE today! Tristan really had to fight for that win,” one last fan commented.
Jeopardy!, weekdays, check local listings, stream next day on Hulu and Peacock
