‘Jeopardy!’ Tournament of Champions Finals: Complete Guide & Who Will Win

After four weeks of shocks and drama, including the eliminations of super-champs Matt Amodio and Mattea Roach, the best of 7 games finals of Jeopardy‘s Tournament of Champions starts today, Monday, November 14.

It’s an all California contest as Amy Schneider, Andrew He, and Sam Buttrey battle it out for the TOC crown and the $250,000 prize. Ken Jennings will preside over what promises to be a highly competitive finish to the tournament.

Last Friday, November 11, Andrew He secured his spot in the finals after an underdog victory against fan-favorite Roach. The software developer from San Francisco made bold moves during the game, including two huge wagers, which left Jennings and the live audience stunned.

After landing on a Daily Double, He said, “I gotta do it, all of it,” betting his entire $7,000 on the clue. He answered correctly, doubling his total to $14,000. But his big gamble didn’t stop there, as he landed on another Daily Double and, once again, wagered everything.

“I did not think you were gonna say that,” responded Jennings after He made his second all-in bet. Again, He answered correctly, giving him a significant lead over Roach and meteorologist Eric Ahasic. He ended up going into Final Jeopardy with $39K, with $17K for Ahasic and $7,200 for Roach, which was enough to give him the win.

Roach took the loss in good spirits, taking to Twitter afterward to congratulate He and reveal she had a “stress dream” about Ahasic the night before the taping.

“Absolutely massive congratulations are due to @gg_andrewhe, who gave a master class last night on how to play Jeopardy in a tournament context – I feel lucky to have even been a side character to his main character in our semifinal!!” she wrote.

“Big shout as well to @EricAhasic, who put the pressure on Andrew in a way that I simply wasn’t able to – I actually had a stress dream about facing Eric the night before we taped this semifinal, and his performance this game showed I was right to be worried!!” she said in a follow-up tweet.

Big shout as well to @EricAhasic, who put the pressure on Andrew in a way that I simply wasn’t able to – I actually had a stress dream about facing Eric the night before we taped this semifinal, and his performance this game showed I was right to be worried!!

— Mattea Roach (@mattearoach) November 12, 2022

The Finalists

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Amy Schneider is a former engineer from Oakland, California, who won 40 games in a row during her run on regular Jeopardy!, placing her second to Ken Jennings for most consecutive wins in the show’s history. She also sits in fourth place for all-time winnings in regular play with $1,382,800. After receiving a bye into the TOC semi-finals, Schneider defeated Tyler Rhode and Maureen O’Neil to earn her spot in the finals.

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Andrew He is a software developer from San Francisco, California, who won five games during his appearance on regular Jeopardy! until he was defeated by Schneider. In the first round of the TOC, He achieved a narrow victory over Jonathan Fisher and Christine Whelchel to move onto the semi-finals, where he defeated super-champ Roach and Ahasic to secure his place in the finals.

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Sam Buttrey is an associate professor of operations research from Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California, and earned his spot in the TOC after winning the Professors’ Tournament (and the $100,000 prize that came with it). He beat Zach Newkirk and Jessica Stephens in the first round of the TOC and then defeated super-champ Amodio and John Focht in last week’s semi-final game.

The ultimate victor will be the first to win three games of the TOC. This means there could potentially be seven games in total, which, if so, it means the competition will run into next week.

Now that the finals are set, fans are making their predictions for who will walk away with the $250,000 prize.

“Jeopardy Tournament of Champions prediction: Amy in 5, Sam and Andrew each win 1,” said one viewer.

“While it’s a bit anti-climactic that only one superchamp made it to the #Jeopardy TOC finals, I’m here for the Andrew He revenge tour (He being the first to lose to Amy – and only because he got the final wrong),” added another fan.

Jeopardy Tournament of Champions prediction: Amy in 5

Sam and Andrew each win 1.#JeopardyTOC

— Mark Simon (@MarkASimonSays) November 14, 2022

While it’s a bit anti-climactic that only one superchamp made it to the #Jeopardy TOC finals, I’m here for the Andrew He revenge tour (He being the first to lose to Amy – and only because he got the final wrong)

— Kyle Decker (@kfd2010) November 13, 2022

“I think Amy will win overall, but not in the minimum of three games. I think the over/under is 5.5 games in the final series,” wrote a fan on the Jeopardy! Reddit forum.

Related

6 Things to Know about 'Jeopardy!' TOC Finalist Sam Buttrey

“After all the rematches that almost happened but didn’t, I’m very glad we finally get to see Amy and Andrew duke it out again,” wrote another commenter. “That said, if Sam manages to win in 3, he has the potential to become the only remaining player in Jeopardy! History to have never lost a game.”

“Buttrey in three, you heard it here first,” said another.

Who are you rooting for in the finals? And who do you think will be the ultimate victor? Let us know in the comment section below.

Jeopardy!, Tournament of Champions, Weeknights, Check your local listings