‘Jeopardy!’ Second Chance Delivers Shocking Ending to Part 1 of Final

[Warning: The following post contains MAJOR spoilers for the Thursday, December 18, episode of Jeopardy!]

Thursday’s Second Chance Tournament saw the return of three Jeopardy! contestants are all vying for another chance to try to win. This time around, teacher Eugene Huang from Paramus, New Jersey, trivia host Dave Widmayer from Portland, Oregon, and Wednesday’s champ, filmmaker and educator Pete Johnston, originally from Alma, Michigan, all returned to the podium.

“We have reached the finals in week one of the Second Chance competition, and by the end of tomorrow’s game, we will know which of these finalists — Pete, Dave, or Eugene — will be advancing to Champions Wildcard,” said host Ken Jennings. “Now all three of you found yourself in second place late in your Second Chance debuts, but you all came from behind to win. And now you are here to defend as champions for the first time as we kick off this two-game final.”

Widmayer began the game with “‘Tis the Season” for $600: “This 3-letter organization kicked off (maybe not the right term) its 2025 season in January at the Plantation Course in Maui.” Huang buzzed in with the correct answer, “What is the PGA?”

The game was off to a heated start as the trio left no crumbs on the board, with nearly one-third of the clues uncovered before the first commercial break and the Daily Double still unfound. As the show went to break, Huang led with $4,200, followed by Widmayer with $3,000 and Johnston with $2,800.

During the chat portion of the show, Jennings asked Huang how he prepared, to which he responded, “In terms of learning things, I learned by watching you, Ken.” Huang explained he watched the host’s YouTube video on how to study for the show. Widmayer opened up about his love for the Philadelphia Eagles, while Johnston talked of his first chance on the show, where he went against 16-game champ Scott Ricardi. “Tough draw. Yeah,” said the contestant. When told he would get a second chance, Johnston said he “jumped out of his chair.”

Johnston got control of the board and picked “Civic” for $1,000, finally finding that elusive Daily Double. He made it a true Daily Double, wagering $2,800 on the clue: “The 5th and 14th Amendments to the U.S. Constitution enshrine this 2-word guarentee of a fair trial.” Johnston answered incorrectly, “What is habeas corpus?” The correct answer was “due process.”

By the end of the first round, Huang kept his lead with a total of $6,000, while Widmayer held on to second place with $4,6000. Johnston was in third with $600.

In Double Jeopardy, Johnston started off the round with “Life of a Showgirl” for $2,000, immediately finding the first Daily Double. He wagered $2,000 against his $600 on the clue: “This American was a sensation at the Folies Bergere, dancing while wearing not much but a skirt ornamented with bananas.” He answered incorrectly, “Carmen Miranda,” leaving him with -$1,400. The answer was Josephine Baker.

Despite this setback, by the time the second Daily Double was found, Johnston had bounced back with an impressive $6,600 haul.

The second DD was found by Widmayer in the category “Bodies of Water” for $1,600. Wagering $4,200 against his $8,200 take, Widmayer was faced with the clue: “Care to Gdansk? Then come on down to the mouth of this river, its country’s longest.” He answered, “What is the Dnieper?” Sadly, the answer was the Vistula River, plunging Widmayer down to third place with $4,000.

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By the time Final Jeopardy came around, Huang was still in the lead with $12,000, but Johnston was now in second place with $7,400 after an impressive comeback, while Widmayer was in third with $4,000.

The Final Jeopardy category was “U.S. Presidents”: “His mom, Eliza, the first mother to attend her son’s inauguration, survived him by about 6 years, his wife, by 36.”

Widmayer answered, “Who is Wilson Henry Harrison?” an incorrect answer that cost him everything, leaving him with $0. Johnston also answered Wilson Henry Harrison (along with a cheeky “Hi Katie!”), and also like Widmayer, wagered everything, leaving him with $0 in a shocking turn of events. Did at least Haung get it right?

Haung answered, “Who is Franklin D. Roosevelt?,” another incorrect answer. The correct answer was James Garfield, who was assassinated. But unlike his competitors, Haung wagered only $6,000, leaving him with $6,000 that will be added to his score at the end of Friday’s game as the trio returns for part two of the Second Chance final.

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