‘Jeopardy!’ Fans Swoon Over Champ Will Riley: Did He Win Again?

[Warning: The following post contains MAJOR spoilers for the Wednesday, December 10, episode of Jeopardy!]

Will Riley returned for his third Jeopardy! game and fans are starting to notice that he is a “cutie.” Find out if fans will continue to see him after Wednesday’s game or if his streak ended.

Riley, from Houston, played against Chelsea Carter, from Pasadena, California, and Eddie Kass, from Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts, on December 10. Riley went into the game with a two-day total of $45,602.

Fans complimented Riley on his good looks. “Will is a cutie who is sure to generate plenty of interest. I like his presentation, the sharp suit and tie offset by the rakish earring. Enthusiastic manner and great smile, although he looked more worried today. He really pulled it out of the fire!” a Reddit user said.

“How cute is Will?? That smile and tee-hee-hee snicker laugh/smile at the end…what a doll!” a Jeopardy Fan Group user posted.

“He is adorable,” replied another.

“So cute that he can’t control his joy. He’s the real deal,” a third wrote.

“Charming and a lovely man. I am rooting for him to keep going,” one last fan said.

Now, onto the game.

Riley, an engineer, didn’t buzz in until clue seven, giving his opponents bigger leads over him. By the first commercial break, he moved into second place. Kass, a double bassist, had a $600 lead over him with $4,200.

Kass had the lead of $5,400 when he found the Daily Double in the second half. He wagered $2,600. in “That’s a Christmas Movie.” The clue read, “In this 2003 movie, we learned ‘They tried using gnomes & trolls, but the gnomes drank too much.'”

“What is The Santa Clause?” Kass answered incorrectly. The correct response was Elf, so he dropped down to $2,800 and second place.

Riley had the lead by the end of the round with $6,000. Carter, a creative director, moved to second place with $4,400. Kass had $2,800.

In Double Jeopardy, took the lead in the beginning. He found the first DD on clue 10. With $9,200 in his bank, he wagered $1,800. In “From the French,” the clue was “The originally French word for this natural deadly phenomenon was influenced by a French word for ‘descent.'”

Kass took too long to answer “What is an avalanche?” so he didn’t get the points. This put him down to $7,400.

Riley was still in second place with $8,400 when he found the second DD on clue 18. He whaered $3,000 in “Civil War Geography.” The clue was “This city on a bend in the Mississippi River was called ‘The Gibraltar of the West’; the Union captured it in 1863.”

“What is Jackson?” Riley guessed.

“I’m afraid it’s not. It’s Vicksburg,” host Ken Jennings told him. Riley dropped down to $5,400, putting him in third place.

After his DD fail, Riley was determined to get back in the lead and answered multiple clues in a row correctly, tying the game with Kass at $12,200.

The game show ran out of time, leaving two clues unanswered. Kass had the lead with $13,800. Closely behind him was Riley with $12,200. Carter was in third place with $4,400.

The category for Final Jeopardy was “Russian Literary Works.” “The son of a former serf buys this title area for 90,000 rubles above the mortgage” was the clue. Only one player knew The Cherry Orchard. Did that help or hurt Riley’s game?

Carter had the correct response. She wagered $4,399, giving her $8,799. Riley’s response was “What is The House of?” He wagered $3,399, making his final total $$8,801. Kass responded, “What is The Gulag?” He was wrong and dropped down to $2,800 after wagering $11,000.

“By only $2, Will remains a Jeopardy! champion. We’ll see you tomorrow,” Ken Jennings said. Riley had a three-day total of $54,403.