[The following post contains MAJOR spoilers for the Wednesday, March 19, episode of Jeopardy!]
Alex DeFrank tried to go for his fourth Jeopardy! win against two new opponents, but host Ken Jennings was hung up on another contestant’s story about running in a carrot suit.
“It’s been a great week so far for our three-game champion, Alex DeFrank,” Jennings started off the show. “We learned that he was undefeated on Sports Jeopardy! many years ago and is currently undefeated on our show. But, will he be defeated in 30 minutes time? Let’s find out.”
DeFrank, from Brooklyn, New York, played against Adam Silverman, from Arlington, Massachusetts, and Ann Velenchik, from Brookline, Massachusetts, on Wednesday, March 19.
The game started off unprecedentedly as the first question picked in the game in the “10 Points for Slitherin” category was a Daily Double. DeFrank chose to wager $1,000 despite not having any money yet. The clue read, “There are many types of these, named for how they move. Only one is an American rattlesnake, so it’s the one used as an insult in Westerns.” “What are sidewinders?” DeFrank asked with skepticism in his voice. He was correct and added $1,000 to his bank.
The rest of the round was a battle between all three contestants. Out of the first 15 clues, DeFrank answered nine of them correctly. He led with $5,000. Velenchik, an economics professor, was in second with $2,200, and Silverman, a scientist, trailed with $1,400 by the first commercial break.
When it came time for the interviews, Jennings couldn’t help but laugh at Silverman’s misery. Silverman shared that he has gotten into running in the past couple of years. One time when he ran a 5k he had to wear a carrot onesie. “Why?” Jennings laughed. The game show contestant explained that he lost a bet. “The worst part of this story is that I wasn’t the fastest piece of produce running the 5k,” Silverman said. He had gotten beaten by someone in a banana costume. “It still hurts.”
Velenchik revealed that her father had a weird tradition: He would have people in his work send her birthday cards without any return addresses. “I didn’t know any of the names or who these people were.” She shared that by the time she figured it out, her father was turning 60, so she got her revenge by having 60 of her students write out cards to him and put something on it that made it sound like they knew him. DeFrank shared that he witnessed a game of “Three Card Monte” on a New York subway car. However, he did not participate in the game and did not lose any money.
By the end of the first round, DeFrank had 16 answers correct, and two incorrect with $8,000. Velenchik answered seven correct and one incorrect with a total of $4,400. Silverman answered six correctly and had $3,000 in his bank.
In Double Jeopardy, DeFrank found the first DD in two questions. He wagered $7,000 out of his $10,000. The clue read, “This German composed ‘Ritterballett’ or ‘Knight’s Ballet’, while he was still living in Bonn.” “Who is Beethoven?” he answered correctly, making his total $17,000.
After that, Silverman dominated the round by buzzing in on every category for the next nine questions. His streak ended on the tenth question when he got it wrong. But, he built a pretty big bank, going from $3,000 to $11,000 in just a few questions.
DeFrank was already way ahead with $22,000 when he found the second DD of the round. Despite being $10,000 ahead of Silverman, he played it safe and wagered $6,000. In the category “Olympic Host City Attractions,” the clue read, “The Leonard Cohen mural & Place Des Arts.” “What is Montreal?” he answered correctly. His bank now stood at $28,600.
By the end of Double Jeopardy, DeFrank answered 32 total questions correctly with only two incorrect, and a total of $37,400. Velenchik had a total of $6,000 after answering nine correct and two incorrect. Silverman’s total was $13,000, with 15 correct and one incorrect.
The category for Final Jeopardy was “Historical Horses.” The clue read, “Named for an 1807 battle & valiant in one eight years later, Copenhagen was this man’s steed; society ladies donned strands of his hair.” Velenchik did not write down anything and wagered $0, ending with $6,000. Silverman answered correctly with “The Duke of Wellington.” He also wagered $0, ending with $13,000. At this point, unless DeFrank got the answer wrong and made some crazy wager, he would be the night’s winner. DeFrank answered “Who is Trafalgar? Love you Ashley.” He wagered $10,600, making his final total $26,800. Ashley is seemingly DeFrank’s wife, who he talked about traveling with in a previous episode.
This makes his four-day total $102,400. He will be back on Thursday, March 20, against two new opponents, to try and win his fifth game.
Jeopardy! fans praised the champion and believe he will qualify for the next Tournament of Champions. Five wins will guarantee a player a spot in an upcoming TOC.
This story originally appeared on TV Insider
