‘Jeopardy!’ Contestant Sets New Record With Stunning Win
Spoiler Alert
What To Know
- Harrison Whitaker appears on his fifth consecutive game on Jeopardy!.
- One contestant dominated most of the game by successfully answering both Daily Doubles.
- If Whitaker wins, he will secure a spot in the 2027 Tournament of Champions, as confirmed by host Ken Jennings.
[Warning: The following post contains MAJOR spoilers for the Monday, November 17, episode of Jeopardy!]
A Jeopardy! contestant set a new record for Season 42 with their stunning win. Did Harrison Whitaker win his fifth game, or did a new champion emerge?
Whitaker, from Terre Haute, Indiana, returned for his fifth game with a four-day total of $116,600. On November 17, he played against Lawrence Suba, from Verona, Wisconsin, and Rachel Bernstein, from Los Angeles, California.
According to host Ken Jennings at the beginning of the episode, if Whitaker wins his fifth game today, he will qualify for the 2027 Tournament of Champions, since the qualification period for the postseason ended on November 14.
Whitaker had $7,400 by the first commercial break, with his opponents in the negatives and $1,000s. When Bernstein, a teacher, got into the positives with $200, she found the Daily Double. She wagered the allotted $1,000 in “That’s Bull!” The clue read, “From a 1521 papal bull excommunicating Martin Luther: ‘He has been declared a’ this, something you never want the pope to call you.” “What is a heretic?” Bernstein answered correctly, giving her $1,200.
By the end of the round, Whitaker had a whopping $11,200. Bernstein was in second place with $2,200. Suba, a technical software trainer, had $1,800.
In Double Jeopardy, after correctly answering the first three clues, Whitaker found the first DD on clue four. He had $15,200 and wagered $4,800. In “Weirdly Named Conflicts,” the clue was “Part of this numerical clash, the 1760s Fantastic War had no major battles — just troop movements when Spain invaded Portugal.” “What is the Seven Years’ War?” he answered correctly, giving him $20,000.
Whitaker found the other Daily Double with $28,800 in his bank. He wagered $1,200 in “The South Pacific.” The clue read, “James Cook’s dad was a migrant from Scotland, so it’s little surprise he named an island ‘New’ this, for dad’s homeland.” ” What is Caledonia?” Whitaker answered right away, taking him to $30,000.
By the end of the round, he had $35,200. Bernstein had $13,000. Suba was in third place with $600.
The category for Final Jeopardy was “Poetic Objects.” The clue read, “In a British poem, this is ‘raddled with Napoleon’s paint, nose eaten by a less clear conqueror.'” The correct response was Sphinx, and all three contestants got it right.
Suba wagered $500, giving him a total of $1,100. Bernstein’s wager was $11,799, making her final total $24,799. Whitaker wagered $9,199, making his final total $44,399.
“Wow. This is our biggest payout of Season 42,” Ken Jennings said. Whitaker had a five-day total of $160,999 and secured a spot in the 2027 Tournment of Champions.
Jeopardy!, weekdays, check local listings, stream next day on Hulu and Peacock
This… Is… Jeopardy!
Get absolutely everything about Jeopardy! in your inbox!
Conversation7 Comments
Please read the TV Insider Community Guidelines.
Register or sign in to join the conversation.
-
P
When a contestant's muscle memory becomes so strong that it blocks out other contestants from answering, it's time to randomize the intervals. No one wants to go an entire season with a one-man game. He needs opponents who are equal or better than him. Start vetting contestants when games are being dominated and give Harrison a real run for his money. It's getting boring watching the Harrison show.
-
G
I'd be willing to bet that the writers are busy looking for categories over which Harrison can be bested.
-
-
G
At one time years back, Jeopardy had a five-game limit on champions. Harrison (along with notables Holzhauer & Raut) serve as good reasons to bring this rule back. I am more than ready to see Harrison defeated, to one day seeing him up against Raut.
-
L
Choosing to not restrain 🙊 myself (again), I find myself wanting to express my conflicted impression of Harrison, being somehow so turned off by his dominance that is showcased in his spoken-at-high-speed correct answers and his equally speedy buzzer skills. As knowledgeable and affable as Harrison clearly is, his habit of turning a fierce, menacing head towards an opponent who dared to beat him at the buzzer is off-putting because it comes off as him not being open to or tolerant of the possibility of someone being equal or superior to him - like, "how dare you!" To be fair, it's not uncommon to see 👀 this, but the intensity varies, as well as the personas. I'm excited for Harrison & Jeopardy! Company, and for his eventual, inevitable "Slow-Down-Show-Down". 🤭🫡
-
G
Glad I am not the only one who noted his case of glaring at any contestant who beats him on the buzzer. Makes me wish they'd bring back the five-game limit on champions.
-
B
I thought it was just me who was annoyed by this!!
-
-
Y
Harrison's talking speed remains super fast, and now, his is comparable to former champions including,
IMO, Brad Rutter's & Arthur Chu's, but slightly slower than James Holzhauer's.
Also, I don't understand Ken's repeated ignorance: since Ken previously said that the current champ joked about staying mentally sharp by drinking coca-cola, well, maybe Ken should remember to drink his coffee before hosting.
Anyway, there's a clue that specifically expected a "3-named" hero, and despite being correct, Harrison simply responded Stanton instead of Elizabeth Cady Stanton entirely. He ABSOLUTELY DESERVE the penalty today for a $1,600-clue; and would still win, finishing with ≥ 30 correct responses & ≥ $30,000, but not necessarily his final score of $44,399.