Viewers at home were shocked when Jeopardy! contestants were neck-and-neck and one took a big risk to win. Whoever won on this episode advanced to the semi-finals
Jeopardy! contestants were neck-and-neck
Jeopardy! contestants kept viewers on their toes at the end.
On the Wednesday, Feb. 19 episode of the trivia game show, viewers saw a benefits consultant from Chanhassen, Minnesota, Emily Sands, a scientist from Berkeley, California, Rachael Schwartz, and an actor originally from Coral Gables, Florida, Jonathan Fisher, go head-to-head in the Invitational Tournament. This part of the tournament takes 27 familiar faces and competes across nine quarterfinal games, three semifinals, and a multiple-game finals series for a spot in the 2025 Jeopardy! Masters.
Emily and Jonathan were neck-and-neck throughout the competition. When it came to Final Jeopardy!, one of them took a risk that could’ve cost them the game.
The category was “The Ancients Speak” with the clue being, “He wrote, ‘I must make the founder of lovely & famous Athens the counterpart … to the father of … glorious Rome.'”
One contestant took a risk and wagered nothing
Before Final Jeopardy! Emily had $14,000, Jonathan with $12,400, and Rachael with $6,000. All three of the contestants guessed the wrong answer, which was “Who was Plutarch?” and Emily took a risk and wagered $0 to advance with 14,000. Jonathan wagered $399, leaving him with $12,001 and Rachael went big and wagered $5,000, leaving her with $1,000.
Viewers at home were in shock at how close the competition was between Jonathan and Emily. One person wrote on a Reddit thread: “What a twist ending! Jonathan is no slouch! He beat Matt Amodio and led Andrew He going into FJ in the ToC.” Another person wrote: “Interesting wagering at the end! A straight 0 bet is always a massive risk, but it paid off here.” A third person wrote: “Super fun especially with how close it was, nice job :D.”
Fans also showed their excitement about the ending on X, formerly known as Twitter: “OH SNAP! Jonathan makes the proper wager but Emily says… ‘NOT SO FAST, MY FRIEND.'”
Emily was left surprised and admitted to “almost having a heart attack wagering 0.” She now advances to the semi-finals.
