‘Jeopardy!’ Fans Hail Champ After Thriller Is Decided on Final Question

Spoiler Alert

[The following post contains MAJOR spoilers for the Friday, April 18, episode of Jeopardy!]

Jeopardy! has a new champion again! The game was a close battle that came down to the final question to determine the winner after all three game show contestants correctly answered a Daily Double. The champion gained attention online for his thrilling gameplay.

Steve Hoying, from Hillard, Ohio, was back for his second game. He had a one-day total of $29,403 after defeating champ Andrew Hayes in a runaway win. Hoying versed Rachael Gray, from Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, and Liam Starnes, from Barrington, Illinois, on Friday, April 18.

The game started off tight between all of the challengers, but Gray, a graduate student, took the lead by the first commercial break. Despite finding the first Daily Double of the game, Hoying, an attorney-at-law, remained in third place. The clue read, “Around 1675 he said: ‘If I have seen further it is by standing on the shoulders of giants.’” “Who was Newton?” he answered correctly, doubling up to $3,600.

By the end of the round, there were five Triple Stumpers. Only one question was answered incorrectly, and that was from Hoying. “Introduced in the 1920s, this Japanese mayo brand was named for a novelty doll popular around the world,” was the question. “What is Daruma?” he answered, but it was wrong. Kewpie was the correct answer, so he lost $600.

The first round ended with Gray in first place with $6,200. Starnes, an undergraduate student, had $4,400. Hoying, the reigning champion, was in third place with $4,200.

In Double Jeopardy, Starnes took a big lead after he answered the first six clues and found the first DD of the round. “Grand Rapids, Michigan has a public sculpture by this man — a 42-ton stabile,” was the clue. “Who is (Alexander) Calder?” he answered, which was correct. After wagering $6,000, Starnes was now in the lead with $17,600.

Gray found the second DD. The clue read, “It’s the title of Demi Moore‘s memoir; Bruce Willis & Ashton Kutcher are characters, but not Joy, Anger, Sadness or Bing Bong.” She answered, “What is Inside Out?” which was right. Gray gained $4,000, but it wasn’t enough to give her the lead, only giving her $7,800.

The round ended with two wrong answers— one from Hoying and one from Starnes— and five Triple Stumpers. This put Starnes in the lead with $19,600. Gray was in second with $16,200. The reigning champ, Hoying, was in third with $13,800.

The category for Final Jeopardy was “Presidential Nominees.” The question was, “The year the Democratic nominee gave his ‘Cross of Gold’ speech, the GOP nominee was this man who backed the gold standard.” Gray was the only one to answer incorrectly with, “Who is Taft?” She wagered $12,000, ending with $4,200. Both Hoying and Starnes answered, “Who is [William] McKinley?” It all came down to their wagers. Hoying wagered $6,000, ending with $19,800. That put him in the lead by $200. However, Starnes wagered $12,801, so his final total was $32,401. He was the night’s champion, defeating Hoying.

Starnes, a student at the University of Chicago, will be back on Monday, April 21, to face off against two new opponents.

Fans reacted to Starnes’ win and the incredible game played between the three contestants. “What a game! This was a very well played game all round, congrats to Liam!” a Reddit user said.

“You never know after one game, but I can see Liam sticking around for a few days,” wrote another.

“If I had a nickel for everytime this season a college kid from suburban Chicago has gotten a clue about the Sea of Cortez right and used it to propel himself into the lead and win in a FJ about Presidential nomination speeches that two players got right, I’d have two nickels, and the other one was my game!” former player Zoe Grobman wrote.

“One of the best all around games in a long time. Three amazing contestants,” said another fan.