[Warning: The following post contains MAJOR spoilers for the Monday, December 8, episode of Jeopardy!]
Ron LaLonde returned for his fourth Jeopardy! game on Monday, December 8, after two runaways and three wins. This game ended in drama after one contestant had a huge comeback. Did Ray‘s twin brother win game number four and qualify for the Tournament of Champions?
LaLonde, from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, returned with a three-day total of $52,501. He played against Morgan Lloyd, from San Diego, California, and Will Riley, from Houston, Texas, for his fourth game.
The beginning of the game saw LaLonde, a medical physicist, in the negatives, but he quickly climbed back up when Riley, an engineer, found the Daily Double. With only $200 in his bank, Riley wagered the allotted $1,000.
In “World Traveling,” the clue read, “It’s off to the settlement originally named Canterbury that became this New Zealand city.” “What is Christ Church?” Riley answered correctly. He moved from third to first place with $1,200.
LaLonde took the lead when he answered four out of five clues correctly in “Music Terms.” By the first commercial break, only a few hundred dollars separated all of the contestants.
The reigning champion kept his lead at the end of the round with $5,600. Lloyd, a middle school English teacher, had $2,800. Riley dropped down to third place with $800.
In Double Jeopardy, Riley started off the round by finding the DD on clue one. He had $800, but wagered the allotted $2,000 in “Roman Emperors.” The clue was “A persistent enemy of Christianity, late 4th century emperor Julian was known by this word for one who rejects his religion.” “What is an apostate?” Riley answered correctly. This brought him up to $2,800, making a tie for second place.
The lead went back and forth throughout the round, but LaLonde had it when he found the second Daily Double. With $8,000 in his bank, he wagered $4,000. In “That Seems Fair,” the clue was “These 2 words, one with an extra 2 letters, can mean a promise of the same opportunity vs. the same outcome.” LaLonde didn’t give an answer.
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“That’s a shame,” host Ken Jennings said. LaLonde dropped to $4,000, tying for second with Lloyd.
LaLonde took the lead back, but not for long. The men were going back and forth like a seesaw until Riley made a comeback with $10,800. LaLonde ended with $8,400. Lloyd had $3,600.
The category for Final Jeopardy was “Around the USA.” “A geological survey published in 1883 said this landmark was ‘regular in its operations,’ that ‘occur … frequently’” was the clue.
Two of the three game show contestants got it right. Lloyd responded, “What is the San Andres Fault?” which was incorrect. She wagered all of her money, leaving her with $0. Riley had the right response of “What is Old Faithful?” He wagered $6,001, giving him a final total of $16,801.
LaLonde also had the correct answer. However, he only wagered $1,199, making his final total $9,599. LaLonde’s streak came to an end, and Riley became the new champion.
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