[Warning: The following contains MAJOR spoilers for the June 28, 2023 episode of Jeopardy!]
This season of Jeopardy! has produced some mixed reactions from fans, namely about the structure of clues and low winning scores. They’ve wanted to see a little more challenge and thrill, but they got an entertaining show in the Wednesday, June 28 episode thanks to one player’s runaway game.
Competing in the episode were returning champ Chris Ban (one-day winnings of $13,000), Vic Goel, and Bryan White. And while there were some supposedly easy clues they couldn’t answer in the episode, it was still a night of strong playing that fans were happy to see.
Chris won fans over in the June 28 game after dedicating his win to his late brother. Sadly, he didn’t become a two-day champ in this episode. By the time of the first break, he was in third place with $0. Vic was in second at $400, and Bryan was in the lead with a hefty $4,000. Bryan would hold onto his lead for the rest of the game.
Going into Double Jeopardy, Chris pulled into second place with $1,200, but Bryan was still comfortably ahead with $6,600. Vic had slipped into third with $600. Thanks to a string of correct answers, including some Daily Doubles, Bryan massively increased his winnings in Double Jeopardy.
Entering into the final round, he was sitting pretty with $18,400 vs. Chris’s $4,800 and Vic’s $4,200. As long as he didn’t make an unwise wager, the win was Bryan’s to take. Given that no wager from his competitors would help them match Bryan’s score, it was a runaway game.
Everyone answered the Final Jeopardy clue correctly (another welcome change for fans who have often noted the frequent “triple stumper” Final Jeopardy clues this season). The category was “Medical World.” The clue: “He created a chest drain valve that aided breathing in wounded soldiers in Vietnam but is better known for a lifesaving measure.” The correct answer was, “Who was Heimlich?”
In the end, the scores were Chris with $8,550, Vic with $8,200, and Bryan with $20,130. While some fans felt the clue was too simple for a final test, others on the Jeopardy! Reddit page were more so paying attention to Bryan’s impressive gameplay.
One fan said Bryan “absolutely wrecked the competition.” Another praised his performance while still noting the ease of the final question. “Impressive game by Bryan today! Glad that Chris got a win in before today’s runaway commenced, and at least the FJ was a triple get,” they wrote. “Is it too early to ask which FJ this season was the easiest? Heimlich came to me pretty quickly.”
Chris himself responded to this comment similarly praising his competitor. “He totally SMOKED me on the buzzer. What a champ. I feel more wins coming for him this week. Nice guy, too. Good luck Bryan!!” Chris wrote. In response to Chris’s note, one fan said “Bryan looks to be a strong contender for a [Tournament of Champions] berth.”
What do you think of Bryan’s performance? Does he have the makings of a repeated Jeopardy! winner? Let us know what you thought of the episode in the comments below.
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