‘Jeopardy!’: Female Novelist Gets Final Question About Women Authors — Did She Win?

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Sometimes Jeopardy! contestants get lucky, and a clue or category aligns with what they do for a living, giving them a bit of an advantage. A novelist in Friday’s game had to answer a clue about a woman author. Did this allow her to win and dethrone the current champion?

Eileen Goodwin, from Boston, Massachusetts, returned for her second game on October 16 with a total of $8,401. On Friday, the research assistant faced off against Frank Merchlewitz, from Robinsdale, Minnesota, and Mariah Stovall, from Newark, New Jersey. Warning: Spoilers for the Friday, October 16, episode of Jeopardy! ahead!

By the end of the first round, Merchlewitz, a senior digital producer, led with $4,800. He correctly answered the Daily Double, giving him a lead over his competitors. Stovall, a literary agent and novelist, and Goodwin were tied with $2,800.

Stovall has written I Love You So Much It’s Killing Us Both, which came out in 2024. According to the description, the book follows an “immersive journey into the life and mind of Khaki Oliver, who’s perennially trying to disappear into something.” She has also written fiction for different anthologies, and non-fiction for multiple publications. As an agent, Stovall works at Trellis Literary Management, according to her website.

In Double Jeopardy, another DD find from Merchlewitz allowed him to take an even bigger lead. At the end of the round, he was in the lead with $14,400. Stovall had exactly half of his total with $7,200. Goodwin was in third place with $6,800.

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The category for Final Jeopardy was “Women Authors.” The clue read, “Using Nantucket as a backdrop, Elin Hilderbrand earned the title the ‘Queen of’ this, added to Merriam-Webster in 2024.” 

Only one contestant had the correct response, which was Goodwin. She responded with “What is the beach read?” Goodwin wagered $500, giving her $7,300.

Stovall wrote, “What is Martha’s Vineyard?” She wagered all of her money, ending her with $0. Merchlewitz thought it was romantascy, which combines romance and fantasy. Since he was wrong, he dropped to $14,350 after wagering $50.

Merchlewitz will return on Monday for his second game. He works for the Minnesota Orchestra, where he builds the digital media library and runs the organization’s social media, according to his website.

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