‘Jeopardy!’ Contestant Gets Buzzer Surprise Before Dramatic Win

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Despite spending most of the game in the red, one Jeopardy! contestant had a pleasant surprise in the Double Jeopardy round that led to a dramatic win. Find out if the reigning champion continued her streak.

Jennifer Leavey, from Ashland, Massachusetts, returned for her third game on September 23. She entered the game with a two-day total of $50,801 and played against Emily Burnham, from Bangor, Maine, and Edward Tournier, from Brooklyn, New York. Warning: Spoilers for the Wednesday, September 23episode of Jeopardy! ahead!

Leavey, a technical writer, found the first Daily Double on clue 13. She had the lead with $3,000 and wagered $1,000.

The clue in “How Do You Do?” read, “In Sanskrit, this greeting means ‘bowing to you.'” Leavey didn’t have an answer. The correct response was namaste, so she dropped to $2,000, but still kept the lead.

By the end of the round, Leavey had $4,400. Tournier, a teacher, was in second place with $1,000. Burnham, a writer and editor, spent most of the round in the negatives, but managed to end the first round with $400.

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In Double Jeopardy, Burnham wasted no time getting back into the red. She quickly climbed her way to $1,600 on clue four when she found the first DD of the round.

Burnham wagered $1,200 in “’60s Movies Lines.” The clue was “‘I think you are another of these desert-loving English.'” “What is Lawrence of Arabia?” Burnham answered correctly. This moved her into second place with $2,800.

Then, on clue six, Burnham found the second DD. Tied with Leavey at $4,400, Burnham wagered $3,000.

The clue in “Islands Aren’t Forever” was “Just down the coast from Cancun, Mexico, is this country’s biggest & funnest island, Ambergris Caye, formerly a peninsula.”

“What is Belize?” she guessed, but was right. The game show contestant took the lead with $7,400.

From there, Burnham had a buzzer surprise and took the lead with $11,400. Tournier had $8,600. Leavey was in third place with $8,000.

The category for Final Jeopardy was “2026 Commencement Speakers.” The clue read, “After a tough year, she told grads one guarantee in life is that you’re going to fall, it’s going to hurt & to fight on, your mountain awaits.”

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Leavey’s response was, “Who is Kamala Harris?” She was incorrect and wagered $5,000, leaving her with $3,000. Tournier wrote, “Who is Cheryl Strayed?” He was wrong and wagered $8,228, leaving him with 372.

Burnham had the correct response of “Who is Lindsay Vonn?” She wagered $5,801, giving her $17,201. She will return on Thursday for her second game.

“I grew up in a Jeopardy! house!” the game show contestant told her alma mater, the University of Maine. “My mom has been a lifelong fan, and I definitely had a childhood full of reading and a love of learning, so it set the stage pretty perfectly for an eventual appearance on the show.”

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