‘Jeopardy!’ Winner Branded ‘Buzzer Monster’ by Defeated Rival

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Smashing it! The Jeopardy! champion who won the March 5 episode of the game show was called a “buzzer monster” by his defeated rival.

Quentin Powers, from Arlington, Virginia, returned to the Alex Trebek Stage for his third game with a two-day total of $20,798. He played against Nishal Shah, from Parsippany, New Jersey, and Cory Aiello, from Indianapolis, Indiana.

Was Powers, a returned Peace Corps volunteer, the “buzzer monster,” or did someone else beat him? Warning: Spoilers for the March 5 episode of Jeopardy! ahead!

Aiello, a development officer, had the lead of $4,200 when Powers found the Daily Double on clue 14. Powers had $2,600 and wagered $1,000.

In “Say Your Prayers,” the clue read, “O my God, I am heartily sorry for having offended you’, begins the act of this, a synonym for repentance.” “What is repentance?” he answered incorrectly. The correct response was contrition. Powers dropped down to $1,600.

During the interviews, Aiello revealed that his twin brother, Todd, was on Jeopardy! 16 years ago. Aiello was smashing the buzzer consecutively during the second-half of the round.

He ended in the lead with $7,400. Powers was in second place with $3,000. Shah, a research scientist, had $2,400.

In Double Jeopardy, Aiello dominated the round by answering multiple clues in a row correctly. When he found the first DD on clue 15, he had the lead with $13,000. He wagered $2,000.

The clue in “Poets” was “Best known for writing about Lady Liberty, she penned ‘Venus of the Louvre’ about a different statue.” “Who is Lazarus?” he answered correctly, giving him $15,000.

On clue 22, Shah found the last DD. He had $7,200 and wagered $2,000. In “Flowers,” the clue read, “A contemporary of Linnaeus, German botanist Traugott Gerber has a variety of this flower named in his honor.”

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“What is a rose?” he answered incorrectly. Shah dropped to $5,200 since the correct response was Daisy.

By the end of the round, Aiello had the lead with $17,400. Shah had $8,000. Powers was in third place with $5,000.

The category for Final Jeopardy was “21st Century Heroes.” The clue read, “In his memoir, he referenced Alfred Hitchcock‘s The Birds while writing about a near-disaster. All three game show contestants had the correct response of Chelsey “Sully” Sullenberger.

Powers wagered $4,999, making his final total $9,999. Shah wagered $3,001, giving him $11,001. Aiello wagered only $530, making his final total $17,930.

Aiello will return on Friday, March 6, for his second game. Powers’ streak was now over.

On Reddit, Powers spoke out about his opponent. One fan said, “Quentin is done, but I loved him!”

To that, Powers replied, “Thanks for the support :) Cory was a monster on the buzzer!!”