‘Jeopardy!’ Fan Favorite Clinches Single Dollar Win Over JIT Competitor

Sam Kavanaugh, Chuck Forrest, and Monica Thieu from 'Jeopardy!'s invitational tournament
Jeopardy!, Inc.

Jeopardy!‘s Invitational Tournament continues to rage on and it was a close call for a fan-favorite in the March 28th quarterfinals match between Sam Kavanaugh, Chuck Forrest, and Monica Thieu.

As a five-game champion from Season 35 and 2021 Tournament of Champions winner, Sam has been a recent favorite among viewers of the game show. But things weren’t looking good for Sam early on as he entered Double Jeopardy with a meager $200 against Chuck’s $2,600 and Moncia’s impressive $8,200.

Sam Kavanaugh on 'Jeopardy!'

(Credit: Jeopardy!, Inc.)

Things began to turn around for Sam in the Double Jeopardy round as he snagged both Daily Doubles delivering correct responses for clues in the categories “Art Terms” and “Science.” In both instances, he added thousands to his score, leaving him at a marginal lead over Chuck’s $11,000 with $12,000.

Still, Sam was trailing behind Monica’s $15,800 as they entered Final Jeopardy. The category was “20th Century Books” with the clue being, “TIME mentioned ‘cruelty & enforced conformity’ when summing up this novel with a ‘stonily silent narrator.'” The correct response was “What is One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest?”

Ultimately, none of the players responded correctly, but Sam played it smart by gambling a small amount in Final Jeopardy, leaving him with a single-dollar win over Monica with a total of $7,600 against her $7,599. The narrow victory is a true reminder that anything can happen in this Invitational Tournament which is still in its quarterfinal rounds.

While fans will have to tune in and see who will join Sam in the semifinals, they’re sounding off on his exciting win, below. See their reactions, and sound off in the comments section.

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