[The following post contains MAJOR spoilers for the Thursday, March 20, episode of Jeopardy!]
Alex DeFrank tried to go for his fifth win on Jeopardy!, but fans were more concerned over a question about rapper Kanye West. Fans said that the game show should have issued a warning before it.
The reigning champion’s four-day total equals $102,400, but can he beat the dreaded four-game curse? DeFrank, from Brooklyn, New York, played against Cameron Berry, from Brighton, Massachusetts, and Hillary Hess, from Arlington, Virginia, on March 20. “Our four-game champion Alex DeFrank pulled into six-figure territory in his last game, and with another win today, it would guarantee him a spot in our next Tournament of Champions,” host Ken Jennings said at the beginning of the game.
The game started off with a triple stumper on a $1,000 question. “A Chinese game combines with a Vegas one in this 3-word casino game, but the added joker can be an ace & dice are often involved,” was the clue. The answer was “Pai Gow Poker.”
DeFrank’s game did not start out too well. He got a $400 question wrong, which put him in the negative. Berry, a data analyst and college administrator, and Hess, an export policy analyst, continued to answer questions correctly, giving them both $1,400. Berry then answered another question, giving him the lead with $2,400.
He then found the first Daily Double of the game and wagered all of his money. The clue read, “A set of elevators, a steep slope, a blood-storage depot.” “What is a bank?” he answered correctly, giving him $4,800.
DeFrank, an inventory specialist, correctly answered a $200 question after, still leaving him in the hole. He then answered another, giving him $200.
During the interview round, Berry revealed that during quarantine, he watched every Best Picture winner at the Oscars. Hess is a Jeopardy! legacy, as she revealed that her mom was a three-day champion in the 1970s, and she helped Hess train. DeFrank revealed that he was a barista for 10 years and would get out of his company’s POS screen and look up old Jeopardy! questions to quiz his coworkers.
In the second half of the round, DeFrank answered enough questions correctly to compete for second place. However, Berry still had a substantial lead with $9,400. Hess was in second with $2,600, but DeFrank wasn’t too far behind with $2,400.
Double Jeopardy! favored in DeFrank’s favor when Hess got a question about the 1300s wrong and dropped down to $600. DeFrank earned $1,200 on a question in the category “The Song of Roland Drums Machines,” but fans had a problem with it. “The title of his album 808s & Heartbreak refers to the death of his mother Donda, & to the Roland TR-808 used on the songs,” the clue read. “Who is Kanye West?” DeFrank buzzed in, which was correct, giving him $5,600.
“That’s the fourth Kanye clue this year. Make it stop,” a Reddit user said.
“That Kanye question needed a note saying the clue was recorded before he declared himself a literal N*zi,” commented another.
“Thank you. There’s no excuse for plugging Kanye after his N*zi reveal two years ago,” replied a fan.
Hess found the first DD of the round. With $5,000 in her bank, she wagered $2,500. The clue read, “As part of a play, the Paraodos was the song recited or sung as this group of commentator made their entrance.” “What is the chorus?” she answered, giving her $7,500.
With only two clues left in the game, Berry found the last DD of the game. He had a substantial lead with $24,200, and he wagered $4,000. The clue read, “When it comes to certain acts such as arson, there’s some truth to the cliche, about guilty folks returning to here.” “What is the scene of the crime?” he answered correctly, giving him $28,200.
By the end of the round, Berry had $28,600. Hess was in second with $7,500. DeFrank was shockingly in last place with $4,000. Unless Berry made a big wager and got the final question wrong, DeFrank would live up to the four-game curse.
The category for Final Jeopardy! was “U.S. Cities.” The final clue read, “Named for a 1775 battle, this city contains the graves of John Breckinridge & Henry Clay.”
DeFrank answered “What is Lexington?” which was correct. He wagered $4,000, which brought his final total to $8,000. Hess answered with “What?” and wagered all of her money, dropping her down to $0. Berry answered incorrectly with “What is Charlestown?” but he only wagered $4,000, giving him $24,600, and the win.
DeFrank left with $3,000, giving him a final total of $105,400. Hess left with $2,000. Berry will face off against two new contestants on Friday, March 21.
This story originally appeared on TV Insider
