‘Jeopardy!’ Contestants Stumped on ‘Wicked’ Final Question
Spoiler Alert
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Triple Stumpers happen all the time on Jeopardy!, but it is less common for no one to get the answer right on the final question. The latest instance, on Thursday’s (April 3) episode was even more of a shocker because it was a pop culture question that was relevant in the past year that left all three contestants scratching their heads, as the current champion tried to win his fourth game.
Bryce Wargin, from Kansas City, Missouri, has a three-day total of $59,400. He returned for his fourth game to defend his title against challengers Mary Walheim, from Berwyn, Pennsylvania, and Alfred Wallace, from Grand Forks, North Dakota.
Walheim, a retired risk manager, started off the game by answering five questions correctly in a row. During the first 15 questions, three full categories were played before the game show went on its first break, at which time she led with $3,800. Meanwhile, Wargin had $1,800, and Wallace, a librarian, was in third with $1,600.
During the interviews with host Ken Jennings, Wargin revealed that he went to a military academy for high school in Indiana. Walheim shared that an uncle played for the original New York Knicks team, and Wallace once went on an oxygen-deprivation flight.
Wargin found the first Daily Double late into the round. He made it a true one and bet all of his money. The clue read, “Families gather, slips of paper are chosen, a black spot’s on one, Tessie Hutchinson has a very bad day.” Wargin answered with, “What is The Lottery?” which was correct, and he doubled to $8,800.
That DD hugely helped the game show contestant because Wargin took the lead after correctly answering it with $11,600. Walheim dropped to second with $4,800. Wallace remained in last with $2,800.
In Double Jeopardy, Wallace found the DD during the first clue. It read, “Thankfully, Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka overturned this unfortunate decision of 1896.” He answered correctly with “What is Plessy v. Ferguson?” doubling to $5,600 and taking second place.
He also found the second DD of the round within the first eight clues. However, he didn’t fare well with this one. The clue read, “The Strait of Hormuz connects the Persian Gulf & this other gulf with a national name.” He didn’t know the answer and dropped $3,000 from his score of $9,200. The correct answer was, “What is the Gulf of Oman?”
Wargin spent most of this round in the lead by a mile. However, Wallace gave him a run for his money when he got the last five out of 10 clues correct, quickly catching up to his opponent. By the end of Double Jeopardy, Wargin led with $16,000. Wallace had $10,600. Walheim trailed with $6,000. Final Jeopardy would determine the new winner as the numbers were close.
The category for Final Jeopardy was “Fictional Characters.” The clue read, “Boq is one of these fictional people, ‘not as big as the grown folk… but neither were they very small.’” Walheim answered, “What is a Lilliputian?” which was incorrect. She wagered $5,999 and left with $1. Wallace was also wrong, writing out, “What are lili?” After wagering $10,000, he left with $600. Unless Wargin made a ridiculous wager, he would be the night’s winner, no matter what his answer. He originally wrote “What are lilliputians?” but crossed it out and wrote “dwarves.” That was still wrong. After wagering $5,201, Wargin dropped to $10,799, making him the night’s winner. The correct answer was “What is a munchkin?” The Wicked-related question stumped all of the players, despite it being one of the biggest movies of 2024.
Wargin now has a four-day total of $70,199. He is one win away from being a wildcard pick for the Tournament of Champions. The champion will face off against two new opponents on Friday, April 4.
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