‘Jeopardy!’ Drama as Fan Favorite Martha Bath Wins After Opponent’s Stunning Collapse
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Jeopardy!‘s Champions Wildcard competition keeps bringing the drama, as Thursday’s (January 18) episode saw fan-favorite Martha Bath soar to victory after one of her opponents blew two Daily Doubles.
The Wildcard tournament sees brief champions from Season 39 returning to the Alex Trebek Stage for a second shot at glory, all with the hopes of earning a coveted spot in the upcoming Tournament of Champions.
Bath previously won one episode in Season 39 and instantly became a fan-favorite when she revealed she’d appeared on the show 50 years earlier when Art Fleming was the host. The retired CPA from Seattle, Washington, said she won $40 and a set of encyclopedias during her original appearance.
Having won her Season 39 episode with $30,800, Bath returned to Jeopardy! on Thursday but was up against tough opponents in Nik Berry and Kendra Westerhaus.
Berry earned his spot in the Wildcard competition after winning an audio-only play-in game, which aired on TuneIn Radio last Friday, January 12. Meanwhile, Westerhaus won two games in Season 39 before Stephen Webb defeated her in her third appearance.
Bath got out to an early lead on Thursday’s game, stacking up $6,800 by the end of the Jeopardy round, compared to Berry’s $4,200 and Westerhaus’ $3,200.
In Double Jeopardy, Berry started to mount a comeback, nailing multiple correct answers. However, his game fell apart after landing on both Daily Doubles, which he failed to answer correctly. His second Daily Double was particularly painful as he wagered and lost his entire amount.
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Fortunately, Berry managed to answer a couple more clues correctly, keeping himself alive for Final Jeopardy with $800. At this point, Bath led the way with $9,600, while Westerhaus trailed behind with $4,800.
All three contestants struggled to come up with the right answer for the Final Jeopardy clue, which read, “After the Vietnam War, Vietnam got bogged down in a campaign against this leader whom it managed to overthrow in 1979.”
Each of them answered “Ho Chi Minh,” but the answer host Ken Jennings was looking for was “Pol Pot.” In a savvy bit of gameplay, Bath wagered $0, which helped her win the episode and secure her spot in the semi-finals.
Viewers were excited about Bath’s win, though they also sympathized with Berry’s brutal defeat.
“Nik’s brain-fart response on [Daily Double] was unfortunate,” one fan on the Jeopardy! Reddit forum said. “I’m guessing he panicked because he didn’t know the answer and then blurted out the word on the map without realizing it.”
“I felt bad for Martha when she forgot to answer in the form of the question but glad she pulled out the win,” wrote another. “Mad respect to her for competing in the Art Fleming and Alex Trebek eras, and now the Ken Jennings era.”
Another added, “I was rooting for Martha and glad she got the win! Her situation is so unique.”
“Damn, you gotta feel for Nik there. He arguably played the best, but going big and missing both of the Daily Doubles ended up biting him,” one commenter wrote. “I think it’s reasonable to assume he would have done solidly well after his play-in game performance.”
“I started the episode with no real rooting interest but quickly decided I was all in for Martha,” said another.
One fan added, “It was a very rough day for Nik. He did play well but the cruel nature of the beast that is the Daily Doubles proved to be his downfall.”
“It was a great game by all three and I’m thrilled that a player from the Fleming era is still in it! Honestly, I’d love to see Martha in the finals,” said another.
The Wildcard tournament will continue over the next few weeks, leading into the highly-anticipated Tournament of Champions. Regular, non-tournament Jeopardy! is expected back in April.
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