[Warning: The following contains MAJOR spoilers for the July 26, 2024 episode of Jeopardy!]
This marks the end of Jeopardy! Season 40. The game show’s season finale episode saw the defending champion dethroned due to a big gamble in the final round.
Competing on the July 26 episode were defending winner Davey Morrison, an actor, screenwriter and TV personality from Provo, Utah; Steve Babish, a marketing content strategist from San Jose, California; and Rachel Bradley, an ESL instructor from Greenbelt, Maryland. Davey won a total of $29,012 over the two days. Davey had a big lead by the first break (Davey with $2,400, Steve with $400, and Rachel with $600), but Rachel made a huge comeback by the end of the first round.
Going into the Double Jeopardy, Davey had $4,000, Steve had $2,400, and Rachel had $3,800. Steve won the second round, growing his lead to $7,100 thanks to a Daily Double. He lost $2,000 on the next Daily Double, but still led by $10,100. Davey, who had regained his title as champion, was in last place by the time of the Final Jeopardy, when Steve lost his lead after a tough battle with Rachel.
The winnings were $11,800 for Rachel, $11,500 for Steve, and $6,400 for Davey. Rachel and Steve will have to bet wisely if they want to increase their lead. The category was “Ancient Animals” and the clue was “The first fossils of these creatures with an elongated fourth finger were described in 1784 by the naturalist Cosimo Collini.” The answer was “What is a Pterodactyl?”
Rachel was the only one to get the answer right, and she nearly doubled her score with a big bet. Her final score was $23,597. Steve didn’t bet as much, finishing in second place with $10,100, and Davey finished in third place with $999.
Unfortunately, this means fans will have to wait until the season 41 premiere to see Rachel compete in her first match as the returning champion. Thankfully, the Jeopardy! season 41 premiere is not far away. New episodes will begin on September 9, 2024, and the season will run until July 25, 2025.
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