‘Jeopardy!’ Champion Adam Remsen Stumbles on All 3 Daily Doubles — Did He Survive?
Adam Remsen, an attorney and theater producer from Memphis, Tennessee, returned to the Alex Trebek Stage seeking a fourth win on Jeopardy! and looking to add to his three-day total of $57,601. Standing in his way were two challengers hoping to claim the title for themselves: Carolyn Bavington, an actuary originally from Highlands Ranch, Colorado, and Matt Fink, a lawyer from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
With two challengers determined to end his winning streak, would Remsen hold onto the title? Warning: Spoilers ahead for the June 17 episode of Jeopardy!.
On the very first clue, Remsen found the first Daily Double under “International Borders” for $800. He wagered $1,000 on the clue: “The Lateran Treaty of 1929 set the border between these 2 states.” Remsen incorrectly answered, “What are Latvia and Lithuania?” instead of the correct response, Italy and the Vatican. With his first answer of the game dropping him into the red, things seemed to be off to a shaky start for the returning champion.
As it turned out, his competitors were more formidable than previous challengers, as Bavington gave Remsen a run for his money during the first round. By the first commercial break, Bavington held the lead with $4,000, while Remsen sat in second with $2,800, and Fink had $1,800.
By the end of the round, however, Remsen had found his groove. The reigning champ recovered to take first place with $6,200, followed by Bavington with $4,200 and Fink with $400.
In Double Jeopardy, Fink started the round with “1-Syllable Entertainment” for $1,600, which offered the clue: “Post-Super Bowl in 2007, the N.Y. Times wrote, ‘Just when it seemed time to give up on … the halftime show, along comes’ this performer.” Remsen buzzed in with the correct response, Prince, giving him control of the board.
Remsen’s Daily Double woes continued, however, as he missed both of the remaining DDs in Double Jeopardy. He found the round’s first Daily Double under “Essays” for $2,000 and admitted, “I don’t love this category. Um, $2,000, please.” For the clue, “His collection The Purple Decades includes the essay ‘The Me Decade & the Third Great Awakening,’” Remsen incorrectly responded, “Who is Leary?” The correct answer was Tom Wolfe.
“We know you don’t like essays, Adam; how do you feel about national holidays?” joked Ken Jennings. “In principle, I love them,” joked Remsen.
With the clue, “March 17 is St. Patrick’s Day in Ireland; across the channel in Scotland, November 30 is this,” Remsen answered, “What is St. George’s Day?”
“I’m afraid not,” responded Jennings. “George is England.” The answer was St. Andrew’s Day. “The good news for you: no more Daily Doubles!” exclaimed Jennings.
Despite Remsen’s triple fumble, by the time he got to Final Jeopardy, he had nabbed yet another runaway lead with $20,000, while Bavington came in second with $5,000. Fink was third with $400.
In the category “TV Personalities,” the Final Jeopardy clue was: “Perhaps destined for success, she has 1st & last names that are associated with the Hindu goddess of prosperity & good fortune.”
Fink correctly answered, “Who is Padma Lakshmi?”, the host of Top Chef, wagering all he had and bringing his total to $800. Bavington also answered Lakshmi but bet nothing, so her total stayed at $5,000.
Did Remsen get it right?
This was not Remsen’s game, as he wrote down, “Who?” However, he only bet $5,000, bringing his total to $15,000 and giving him the win. The victory allowed him to retain his title as Jeopardy! champion and increased his four-day total to $72,601.
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