‘Jeopardy!’: Halloween-Themed Episode Ends with Pulse-Pounding Finish

On Friday’s Halloween-themed episode of Jeopardy!, pastor Christopher Tillman returned to defend his title as champ after delivering a stunning upset against three-time winner Aaron Levine in Thursday’s game. As Tillman looked to add to his one-day take of $16,000, did he hold onto the podium for a second victory, or did a new crop of contestants scare up a win and end his reign before it even began?

New contestants at the podiums included orchestra manager and composer Robbie Ellis from Chicago, Illinois, and graduate student Siobhan Hickey from Frederick, Maryland. Were there treats in their future?

“Today, Christopher is back on Halloween to conjure up a second win, but his challengers, Siobhan and Robbie, are dying to beat him! Let’s see what the spirits have in store,” said host Ken Jennings, to set the mood for the fun Halloween-themed episode.

Tillman kicked off the round with his pick of “All Kinds of Scary Books” for $600: “In this Nordic horror tale, a boy befriends a vampire who helps him defeat a group of punks who’ve been bullying him.” Sadly, the first pick was a Triple Stumper, as no one was able to correctly answer with Let the Right One In.

There was better luck in the second pick from the category “Costumes” for $1,000, with the clue, “Palace guards in London wear scarlet tunics & 18-inch hats made of this, like some rugs; PETA objects on behalf of Canadian brown ones.” With the correct answer — “What is a bear?” — Ellis was the first player on the board.

Hickey found the first Daily Double in the category of “Braaaaaains” for $600. Wagering $1,000 against her $800, the clue was: “Chemical & electrical messages pass between your billions of neurons via these junctions; time to fire on all of them now.” With the correct answer of “What are synapses?,” Hickey was in second place $1,800, behind Ellis, who had $2,200. Tillman was still at $0.

By the time of the first commercial break after clue 15, champ Tillman had $1,800 while challenger Ellis led with $4,000. Hickey was in third place with $800.

While getting to know the contestant, Ellis talked about his side gig as a “musician for magicians”: “There is a particular theater in Chicago that embraces the Chicago improv tradition of having music directors that underscore sets.” Ellis accompanies them on a Hammond organ and keyboard.

Hickey chatted about how her parents opened a natural food business in the ’80s, which led to her passion for cooking.

Tillman shared the story of his church, a historic former Baptist church in the heart of the city that had gone up for sale. He approached the remaining members of the congregation and asked, half-jokingly, “Would you please give us your building and all of your money?” And surprisingly, they did. “It was a pretty good deal,” Tillman quipped.

The trio faced two more Triple Stumpers, both in the category of “All Kinds of Scary Books.” Under $1,000, the group was unable to answer, “1997’s The Bone Collector introduced this brilliant quadriplegic detective matching wits with a killer.” The answer was Lincoln Rhyme. And under $400, they were left puzzled by the clue, “In this Robert Bloch novel, a young woman who has committed a crime attempts to hide at an isolated motel, relax & take a shower.” The answer was Psycho.

In the first round, the group had a total of six Triple Stumpers. By the end of it, Ellis was in the lead with $4,800, while Tillman was on his heels with $4,400. Hickey was in third with $1,800.

Double Jeopardy abandoned the Halloween theme for more traditional categories. Hickey began the round with “Women of Country Music” for $1,200: “Her 1961 country hit ‘Crazy’ was written by Willie Nelson.” With the answer “Who is Patsy Klein?,” Hickey brought her total up to $3,000.

From there, Hickey had a bit of a run, bringing her total up to $4,200 before she discovered the second Daily Double in the category of “World Geography.” Betting $3,000 on the clue, “After its founding in 1822, this capital was divided into 2 sections, one for freed American slaves & one for locals,” Hickey incorrectly answered, “What is Washington, D.C.?” The correct answer was Monrovia, bringing her total down to $1,200.

Hickey managed to regain her footing and earned $6,000 before she found the third and final Daily Double under “Commencement Speeches.” She wagered $3,500 on the clue: “In a 2014 address at Middlebury College, she spoke of “42 hours, jellyfish, sharks, Gulf Stream eddies.” After a pause, Hickey said she was “not sure.” The correct answer was Diana Nyad, which brought her total down to $2,500 and put her in third place to Tillman’s $9,600 and Ellis, who had $3,600.

Scores at the end of the Double Jeopardy stood at $10,800 for Tillman, $4,400 for Ellis, and $3,300 for Hickey.

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Final Jeopardy covered the category of “Famous Trials,” and offered the clue: “A lawyer in a 1933 trial called this novel ‘tedious and labyrinthine and bewildering’ — & he was arguing on its behalf.” The answer was Ulysses, but would any of the players get it?

Hickey answered, “What is Lolita? Hi Mom + Dad?!!” Betting $3,298 on the clue, she lost everything but $2. Ellis answered, “What is The Wizard of Oz???” He wagered $2,201, bringing down his total to $2,199. And returning champ Tillman responded with, “What is Catch 22?” But by only wagering $1,200, he remained champ with his total of $9,600, bringing his two-day total to $25,600.

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