[Warning: The following post contains MAJOR spoilers for the Thursday, January 8, episode of Jeopardy!]
The third Champions Wildcard was a thriller. After Harvey Silikovitz won his spot in the semifinals on Wednesday, three new Jeopardy! contestants took to the podium to try to win their spot.
Giant slayer Jonathan Hugendubler, from Baltimore, Maryland, played against Vickie Talvola, from Jersey City, New Jersey, and Pete Johnston, from Alma, Michigan, on January 8. Hugendubler, an adjunct professor, took down Scott Riccardi on the Season 41 finale. He won the Season 42 premiere, but failed to win his third game. Talvola, a quantitative trader, won one game in September 2025, giving her a total of $25,950. Johnston, a filmmaker, was one of three contestants to win the Second Chance Tournament and advance to the Champions Wildcard.
Johnston found the Daily Double on clue one and wagered $1,000. In “Poets & Poetry,” the clue read, “‘Bless my baby bless my baby bright’, wrote Gertrude Stein to her.” He didn’t know the answer, which was Alice B. Toklas, and dropped down to -$1,000. Hugendubler had the lead by the first commercial break.
By the end of the round, Hugendubler led with $4,800. Johnston had $3,800. Talvola was in third place with $800.
In Double Jeopardy, Talovla found the first DD. She made it a True Daily Double with $2,400 in her bank. In “Let’s Radiocarbon Date,” the clue was “Found in Portugal, the skeleton of a love child from a Homo sapiens & this species has been dated at 27,000+ years old.” She answered with “What is Neanderthal?” which was right, doubling her up to $4,800, tying with Hugendubler.
It was a battle for first place between Hugendubler and Talvola. Johnston was only $200 away from second place when he found the second DD. With $7,800 in his bank, he wagered $1,000. In “Broadway Writing Teams,” the clue read, “John Kander & Fred Ebb knew how to open a show, with ‘All That Jazz’ & this language-lesson number that begins Cabaret.” He answered “What is ‘Willkommen’?” which was correct, and gave him the lead with $8,800.
The game was very tight throughout the rest of the round. The last six clues had the contestants battling for first place.
Johnston ended the round in the lead with $10,800. Hugendubler and Talvola were tied with $9,200. But Final Jeopardy could change everything.
“What a game we have here going!” host Ken Jennings said.
The category for Final Jeopardy was “Biblical Art.” The clue was “3 of Michelangelo’s panels on the Sistine Chapel ceiling deal with him, including his ‘drunkenness’ & ‘sacrifice.’”
Hugendubler answered “Who is Noah?” which was correct. He wagered all of his money, ending with $18,400. Talovla also answered “Who is Noah?” giving her $13,600, after wagering $4,4000. Johnston did not have the correct response and said, “Who is Abraham?” He wagered $7,601 and dropped down to $3,199.
Hugendubler moved on to the semi-finals, joining Silikovitz, Stella Trout, and Michelle Tsai. There will be one more quarterfinal game on Friday.
Fans reacted to the win online. “Definitely a WOW!” one Reddit user said.
“These clues became difficult,” said another.
“Well-played by all three contestants!” a third added.
Jeopardy!, weekdays, check local listings, stream next day on Hulu and Peacock
This story originally appeared on TV Insider
