The Wednesday “Jeopardy Masters” 2024 episode was a high-stakes competition, with the six contestants battling to make it to the next step, the semifinals. Once the two final games in the quarterfinals were over, four masters were moving on, while two of the players were eliminated.
Who made the cut? The first game of the episode saw Vancouver’s Yogesh Raut, a cognitive and behavioral scientist, going up against James Holzhauer, the Las Vegas-based, self-described “Final Boss” of “Jeopardy!,” and Matt Amodio, a quantitative researcher from New York.
It was a closely fought game, and by the time “Final Jeopardy” arrived, Holzhauer was in the lead, with 16,400; Amodio was second, with 12,400; and Raut was in third, with 10,200.
“All of you are well-positioned for ‘Final Jeopardy,’” host Ken Jennings said. He then announced the category: “Military People.” The clue was, “In April 2020 chief master sergeant Roger Towberman became the first enlisted member of this.”
Raut guessed, “What is the officers’ club?” which was incorrect. He wagered “every single point,” as Jennings said, which dropped Raut’s total to zero.
Amodio had the correct answer, with “What is Space Force?” He also wagered everything, raising his total to 24,800.
Holzhauer also had the right answer, and his wager of 8,615 boosted his total to 25,015, earning him the win.
Jennings said that both Holzhauer and Raut had clinched spots in the semifinals, which begin Friday. Amodio earned one match point for his second place finish, “but sadly, it’s a moral victory,” Jennings said, as Amodio didn’t qualify to move to the semifinals. But Amodio didn’t walk away empty-handed — he won $50,000 for finishing in sixth place.
Then it was time for the second game of the episode, featuring Victoria Groce, a writer and television personality from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Amy Schneider, a writer from Oakland, California; and Mattea Roach, a writer and podcast host from Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Jennings said Groce had already secured a place in the semifinals, but Schneider and Roach were competing to see which of them would move to the semifinals.
It wasn’t a surprise that Groce, who has been dominant so far, was in the lead when “Final Jeopardy” came around. Groce had 21,005; Schneider had 7,800; and Roach had 2,800.
The “Final Jeopardy” category was “Short Stories.” The clue: “’Down — steadily down it crept ... downward with its lateral velocity. To the right — to the left’ is in this 1842 tale.”
Roach wrote, “What is an anti-climactic end to the quarters!,” referring to the quarterfinals. “Congrats Amy!”
Jennings complimented Roach’s good sportsmanship, and noted that they had wagered zero, leaving Roach with a total of 2,800.
Schneider guessed “What is ‘The Gold Bug?’” which Jennings said reflected the correct author, but was the wrong answer. Schneider also bet zero, leaving her with 7,800.
Groce guessed, “What is ‘The Tell-Tale Heart?’” which was also written by Edgar Allan Poe, but was also wrong. The correct answer, Jennings said, was Poe’s “The Pit and the Pendulum.”
It turned out Groce also wagered zero. “Nobody bet anything at all,” Jennings said, in surprise. “Why am I even here?”
But Groce’s bet left her with 21,500 and another win. The totals also won Schneider a spot in the semifinals, which meant Roach was eliminated. But the fifth-place finish won Roach $75,000.
At the end of Wednesday’s round, the leaderboard has Groce at the top, followed by Raut, Holzhauer, and Schneider. The three players who earn the most points by the end of the semifinals will go on to the finals and compete head-to-head for the $500,000 grand prize and Trebek Trophy.
“Jeopardy Masters” 2024 continues with the first night of semifinals, at 7 p.m. tonight on ABC.