‘Jeopardy!’ Champion Harrison Whitaker Faces Big Trouble in ToC Quest

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[Warning: The following post contains MAJOR spoilers for the Friday, November 14, episode of Jeopardy!]

Harrison Whitaker tried to go for the Tournament of Champions during his fourth Jeopardy! game. The champion faced big trouble during the first round, but managed to make a comeback.

This game marks the cutoff for the 2026 tournaments, according to host Ken Jennings. If Whitaker won today, he would qualify for an upcoming ToC. But it might not be until 2027.

Whitaker, from Terre Haute, Indiana, played against Sarah Khan, from Toronto, Ontario, Canada, and Brent Steele, from Sellersburg, Indiana, on November 14. Whitaker had a three-day total of $91,801.

Whitaker, a researcher, found the Daily Double on clue three. He had the lead with $1,000 and made it a true Daily Double. In “Sources,” the clue was “Warren Buffett said it changed his life to read this biographical dictionary of notables ‘in America.'”

“I have no idea. Sorry,” he responded. The correct response was “Who’s Who?” He lost $1,000 and dropped down to $0.

By the first commercial break, Khan, a graduate student, had the lead. She maintained the lead by the end of the round with $5,800. Whitaker was not too far behind with $4,600. Steele, an environmental engineer, was in third place with $2,200.

In Double Jeopardy, Whitaker took the lead and found the first DD early on. He had $13,800 and wagered $4,800 in “Western Europe.” The clue was “The cities of Paris, Brussels & Cologne form a triangle around this great forest area.” “What is Ardennes?” he answered correctly, giving him a huge lead with $18,600.

At $21,800, Whitaker found the last Daily Double. He wagered $3,200 in “Resources.” The clue read, “The U.S. has only one operating mine producing this battery & coin metal, in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.”

“What is zinc?” Whitaker answered unsure.

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“Sorry, no. It’s nickel,” Ken Jennings said. Whitaker dropped to $18,600, but still had a $10,000 lead.

By the end of the round, Whitaker was no longer in trouble as he had $21,800. Khan had $9,400. Steele was in third place with $7,000.

The category for Final Jeopardy was “21st Century Novels.” The clue was “Part 1 of this novel is Toronto & Pondicherry; Part 2 is the Pacific Ocean.” Two of the contestants answered correctly.

Steele answered with “What is Eat, Pray, Love?” which was incorrect. He wagered $2,401, giving him $4,599.  Khan and Whitaker both correctly answered “What is Life of Pi?” Kahn wagered $4,601, making her final total $14,001. Whitaker wagered $2,999. This made his final total $24,799.

He became a four-day champion with a total of $116,600. Whitaker will return for his fifth game on Monday. He is now eligible for the 2027 ToC.