Big ‘Jeopardy!’ Bets Foil Victory Hopes for Second Night in a Row

[Warning: The below contains MAJOR spoilers for the April 20 episode of Jeopardy!]

They say no risk, no reward, but this week’s Jeopardy! contestants are finding that the risks aren’t worth it. For the second night in a row, none of the players answered Final Jeopardy correctly. But two of them — including returning champ Devin Lohman — made large wagers that hurt their chances of clinching the win.

Emma Hill Kepron, a librarian from Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, went home victorious in the April 20 episode of Jeopardy!, unseating champ Devin. Unfortunately for him, his final wager made that easy to do. Here’s how Emma ended up winning the night.

The episode began with host Ken Jennings announcing Devin’s new Jeopardy! record. In the April 19 episode, the architectural designer and masters student from Peachtree City, Georgia won with just $1,200 in earnings. He now holds the record for the lowest-winning score of the season, “but you know what?” Jennings said, “he’s a Jeopardy! champion nonetheless.”

Up against Devin and Emma was Sam Claussen, a history professor from Santa Clarita, California. He proved to be a worthy opponent, maintaining the lead for most of the game. Devin had some fine Daily Double hunting skills in this installment, allowing him to repeatedly catch up to his competitors, but he still remained in third place for most of the game.

Given that, it makes sense that he would place a big bet in Final Jeopardy. This one was for all the marbles. In last night’s game, he was in the lead in the final round at a whopping $20,600. For some reason, he bet $19,400, but thanks to everyone betting big and answering incorrectly, his $1,200 was enough to be named the victor.

This time around, his Final Jeopardy score was $10,200 (third place). He wagered $8,300, which could have landed him ahead of first-place player Sam (who entered the final round with $18,400). But he, along with Sam and Emma, got the answer wrong.

Devin ended up staying in last place at $1,900, which was still $700 more than his first game. Sam made a big bet of $12,401, dropping him down to $5,999. Emma made a smaller wager. She began with $15,400 and wagered just $4,000, leaving her with $11,400. With that more modest bet, Emma was able to win the game.

Here’s the “Modern Words” clue that stumped them all: “Neal Stephenson coined this word in his 1992 novel ‘Snow Crash’; it was later shortened by a company to become its new name.” The answer: “What is metaverse?” Did you answer tonight’s Final Jeopardy correctly?

Other highlights of the night came through Devin’s Knives Out-esque sweater and when Sam, who’s bald, answered the Triple Homophones “bald/bawled/balled” prompt with a wry smile. A noteworthy moment came when no one knew that Bobby Brown originally sang “My Prerogative.” Check out some fan reactions to tonight’s episode below.