"What a game! I love it!"
— Alex Trebek's response to my game, January 11, 2005
"Undoubtedly our most exciting match of the new year!
"The three players went into Final Jeopardy having accumulated over $40,000. There was the possibility of a big payday.
"But it didn't work out that way - nobody came up with the correct response in Final Jeopardy."
— Alex Trebek's description of my game (January 11, 2005)
Look at my photos from the experience
Game Summary from TVgameshows.net:
Sometimes a big bet means a big loss. All three players missed Final Jeopardy! Tuesday. That ended the reign of two-time champion Joshua Allen and led to a rare worst-to-first finish.
Final Jeopardy! category: English Royalty. Answer: one of the years in which three different kings reigned.
In a tight match, Rubington (with $13,500) questioned: what is 1789? She coughed up $6,700 to stand at $6,800. Allen, a close second, at $17,400, offered: what is 1553? He blew everything to finish with a three-day total of $40,001.
Leader Jonathan Henke, with $18,300, was close with: what is 1938? Correct question: what is 1936? Henke, attempting to outguess Allen, wagered $16,501 to crash back to $1,799 and hand the title to a stunned Rubington.
— TVgameshows.net
January 12, 2005
Game Summary from Game Show NewsNet:
Champion: Joshua Allen (student from North Hollywood,
CA); $39,001 for two days
Challengers:
Jonathan Henke – Researcher, Berkeley, CA
Alex Rubington – Marketing Communications Coordinator,
Natick, MA
Joshua gets off to a fast start again in Jeopardy!, leading at the end of the round ($7400-$5800-$1000). But Alex picks first in Double Jeopardy! and chooses the 'guitar player' category... ending up running it for the full $6000 available. By the time Jonathan finds the Daily Double, it’s a close one: ($13400-$12600-$9000). He wagers $2500 on this: "This 1938 Nobel Literature Prize winner’s parents were Presbyterian missionaries." Jonathan’s got the right answer with "Who is Pearl Buck?" and takes the lead.
But the game could come down to the $2000 clue under “Cosmopolitan,” where Alex finds the second Daily Double. She’s in third ($17,400-$15,100-$10,600) and wagers $2500. She gets it right…and although she still ends up the DJ round in third…it’s the most competitive game we’ve seen in a while, with all three contestants in five figures: ($17400-$18300-$13500).
The Final Jeopardy! category is "English Royalty." The clue: "One of the 3 years in which 3 different kings reigned." Seems simple... sort of. Do they get it?
We start with Alex. She wrote: "What is 1789?" That isn't one of the three, and she loses $6700 to drop to $6800.
Our champ Joshua’s up next, with "What is 1553?" That’s wrong too…and since he wagered everything, he'll go home with the $1,000 consolation, leaving with $40,001.
It’s up to Jonathan. He chose: "What is 1938?" That’s wrong. The right answers were 1066, 1936, and 1483. He lost $16,501 to drop to $1,799... and third-place Alex wins and is the new Jeopardy! champion.
— Jason Elliott, Game Show NewsNet
