‘Jeopardy!’: Did Matthew Riggle Qualify for the Tournament of Champions?

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No pressure for Matthew Riggle as he entered his fifth Jeopardy! game. The reigning champion tried to qualify for the Tournament of Champions during the third game of the season.

Riggle, from Madison, Alabama, played against Daniel Nicastro, from Las Vegas, Nevada, and Jen Spinoglio, from San Francisco, California, on September 16. Riggle, a community college math instructor, went into the game with a four-day total of $95,602. Warning: Spoilers for the Wednesday, September 16 episode of Jeopardy! ahead.

Nicastro, a delivery driver, found the Daily Double on clue three. He had $1,800 and wagered all of his money in “Musical Idioms.”

The clue was: “To go at full effort, perhaps from changing an organ’s settings to play at the highest volume.” “What is full stop?” he answered. The correct response was “pull out all the stops,” so he dropped back down to $0, making it a three-way tie.

By the first commercial break, Riggle was the only one on the board with $4,200. He still had the lead at the end of the round with $4,800. Spinoglio, a financial researcher, had $2,600. Nicastro had $400.

In Double Jeopardy, Nicastro found the first DD on clue four. He had $2,000 and wagered $$1,900 in “Languages.” The clue read, “This country has the most speakers of Berber; Algeria is next.”

“What is Libya?” he answered. The correct answer was Morocco, so he dropped to third place with $100.

Riggle found the last DD on clue 10. He had the lead with $9,600.

In “Unfinished Lit,” he wagered $7,000. The clue was “Published posthumously in 1938, her ‘The Buccaneers’ wasn’t about pirates, but about love in the Gilded Age.”

“Who is Stine?” he answered, shaking his head. The correct response was Wharton. Riggle still kept the lead but made it a closer game with $2,600. Spinoglio had $1,400.

However, by the end of the round, Nicastro ended with $100. Riggle had $5,400. Spinoglio was in the lead with $10,600.

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The Final Jeopardy clue in “Names in Tech News” read, “This last name in A.I. news has the same origin as a Latin name meaning ‘lover of God’ or ‘loved by God.'” Only one of the game show contestants got it right.

Nicastro responded, “What is Theodore?” He was wrong and wagered $98, giving him a total of $2. Riggle’s response was “What is Amadeus?” which was also wrong. He wagered $5,201, giving him $199.

Spinoglio replied correctly with “What is Amodei?” She wagered $201, ending her with $10,801. This made her the new winner. Riggle did not qualify for the TOC and will not be back again on Thursday.

Spinoglio will return for her second game that day against two new competitors.

Jeopardy!, weekdays, check local listings, stream next day on Hulu and Peacock