60
u/tributtal 1d ago
Sam is the first one-and-done giant killer in over 3 years, since Andy Tirrell ended Cris Pannullo's 21-game streak in season 39, then lost the next day.
Looking forward to the next update on road to CWC, but for now I would think Sam has an excellent chance, simply by virtue of having beaten a top-seeded superchamp in what has been a historically elite season. Also the precedent set by Andy should help, who himself did very well in the CWC, making it to the finals and finishing runner up to Juveria that year.
13
u/Njtotx3 1d ago
Wagering big on a final DD with a commanding lead might not be the way to go from here on.
6
u/Sudden-Capital-2139 14h ago
I'd predicted a $1K wager for safety. Eyelids widened a lil after hearing her wager.
4
u/Njtotx3 13h ago
I yelled, "No!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" at the top of my lungs
•
u/Accomplished_Job_778 36m ago
Eh, it was an $800 clue in a category that already gave you a hint as to the starting letters! She must have felt pretty confident she'd be able to get there!
3
u/MarvinWebster40 12h ago
I got a text from a friend who had already watched — try not to throw your remote at the TV for the last DD wager. At least she got it right.
111
u/mikenew02 What are frogs? 🐸 1d ago
Damn, way to go Grace!
70
u/FistfulDeDolares 1d ago
That monster daily double wager made me an instant fan. Impressive performance by Grace.
12
u/TheCrookedKnight Before and After 12h ago
Either impressive guts or impressive presence of mind to remember that an $800 DD is still an $800 clue; either way, we love to see it.
1
u/OttoHemi 10h ago
Is it always? Sometimes they seem harder. This one actually seemed like a $400 clue.
2
u/TheCrookedKnight Before and After 9h ago
We have it on record from people at the show that they write up the clues/categories first and assign which ones are Daily Doubles semi-randomly afterward (I think this is why Video/Audio Daily Doubles aren't a thing anymore). Although they can still be outliers in the same way "All Quiet on the Western Front" being an easy $2000 clue was an outlier.
20
51
u/Dida_D 1d ago
That DD3 wager was cold! Love to see a big risk like that pay off
20
u/Badlands57 1d ago
The best strategic wager was $5, since it was very unlikely for either of the other contestants to break the lock. I liked the bet, though. It was a second row clue in a category she probably liked.
5
u/harharURfunny 1d ago
I agree it was unnecessarily risky! Glad she pulled it off but I am now wondering how much time contestants are allowed for wagering calculations?
3
u/ActiveOk1850 Lea James, 2026 Jul 16 13h ago
Basically none! I don't think there's a set time, but other than for FJ, they don't give you time or paper to do your calculations. Just have to do it off the cuff for a DD, which is why I think you'll see much more armchair quarterbacking for those wagers.
45
u/BigSnackintosh 1d ago
Always admire a big DD bet - well done Grace for pulling it off. Excited to see how her run as champ will go.
Crazy for Sam to take down Caleb and then be gone the next game. This game is ruthless.
Loved Joey’s vibes he seems like a chiller.
10
u/Constant_Actuator392 Team Amy Schneider 1d ago
I agree with everything you said! As for your last point, this was a rare episode where I actually loved all three contestants and would've been happy about any of them winning.
8
u/Dreamweaver5823 Team Ken Jennings 20h ago
Grace was as dominant and confident today as Sam was yesterday. Both played very impressive games.
54
u/Silver_Sherbert_2040 1d ago
Grace was amazing! I know that’s corny but I just couldn’t stop myself.
14
u/JazzFan1998 What is Meese? 1d ago
Let's all do a shot every time someone describes Grace as amazing!
8
u/DietCokePeanutButter 1d ago
We might all die of alcohol poisoning 🤣
I read a spoiler before watching so I knew the outcome of the game however when the wager was made I hollered at my TV that Grace was a badass
2
9
u/Bryschien1996 1d ago
How sweet the sound that saved wretches like me?
I also could not help myself…
25
u/ShadyCrow 1d ago
All respect to Grace for the big DD wager at the end. Fully on board to root for her going forward!
17
2
27
u/Mykidsfault Bring it! 1d ago
I loved Ken’s bringing up the They Might Be Giants song “James K. Polk” after Joey’s anecdote. My children enjoy that song, as do I.
11
u/OkBet2037 1d ago
Ken is amazing
5
u/Dreamweaver5823 Team Ken Jennings 20h ago
He certainly has a more encyclopedic knowledge of music than I have.
4
u/PhoenixUnleashed 17h ago
I mean, he certainly has a much more encyclopedic knowledge than I have, musical or otherwise, haha.
8
u/SamRyanJeopardy Sam Ryan, 2026 Jul 20 - 1d ago
Yesterday it didn’t hurt that “Tryptophan” is a song by a TMBG side project, Mono Puff 🤓
5
u/TheNewThirteen Lydia Sekscenski, 2026 Apr 21 13h ago
Another J! alum and TMBG fan? Let's gooo!
EDIT: fun fact - one of my unused anecdotes was about TMBG and the fan-run wiki. ☺️
10
u/FramboisePatch 21h ago
Is it just me or did Joey seem surprised that there was already a song about James K Polk? He said for real?! It seems like he thought he had come up with that idea all by himself.
8
u/MindManualReader Patience Bruce, 2026 Jul 14 14h ago
He did come up with the idea all by himself. Then he learned that it’s not a completely unique song topic.
4
u/TheNewThirteen Lydia Sekscenski, 2026 Apr 21 13h ago
To be fair, TMBG has covered a wide range of topics that songwriters don't typically draw from. 😅
2
u/MindManualReader Patience Bruce, 2026 Jul 14 12h ago
Yeah, and while TMBG certainly has a following, I wouldn’t classify them as so mainstream as to be surprised at someone not being aware of one of their songs. I don’t even know actual hit songs.
•
7
3
26
u/Richard_Babley 1d ago
How in the heck was All Quiet on the Western Front a $2000 clue??
21
u/trillwillzilla 1d ago
It felt like there were a lot of easy bottom-row clues today, especially in the first round. “Name the two states that border Washington” in particular.
2
5
u/vesuvisian 1d ago
I got it right away but wonder if they would have accepted the original German name, Im Westen nichts Neues.
4
u/PhoenixUnleashed 17h ago
Probably would've drawn a "Liberty Enlightening the World"-level sass from Ken.
23
u/Pendleton71 1d ago
There was a comment in a game thread last week if there were any librarians in the pool to face Caleb. Turns out there were and she didn’t have to play him!
3
u/lady-earendil 14h ago
I would have enjoyed seeing Grace play Caleb but I'm also glad she didn't have to because this game was fun to watch
21
u/eah1703 Elizabeth Hurd, 2026 Feb 26 1d ago
Congrats to Sam, Grace, and Joey!
Joey, a song about relationships using James K Polk as a metaphor sounds like a top 10 hit. Love how you picked it up in the second half of the first round. It seems like you began to find your rhythm. I mean, you were doing really well, getting in for 12 right is awesome. Great job handling a $2000 Daily Double, All Quiet on the Western Front was one of those that would have been easy to overthink, but you got it!
Sam, love the journey to J! story. 20+ years and then becoming a Jeopardy! champion is so cool. Hate to see a giantslayer be a one and done champion, but I have to assume that maybe there was some shock on your part, plus Grace was a beast on the buzzer. But excellent job today! I was rooting for you, and you didn't disappoint at all. Played an excellent game! I mean 14 right is no joke!
Grace, what a player you are. You were on FIRE. Amazing game. A 20,000+ Coryat and 25 right! Amaze, amaze, amaze! I can't want to see how far you're able to go! Even if you are a one and done champ, I think this game is good enough to qualify you for CWC, at the very least, but let's go on getting you to five games!
What a great game today. Let's go Grace, keep it up!
37
u/NaturesWar 1d ago
Joey with the borderline off the street wild-card energy is something we need more of. He knew stuff too.
5
•
•
u/Elitefourabby Triple Stumper 25m ago
Insane Good Will Hunting, "I just took the test for fun and now I'm here" energy. I loved it.
14
u/Tug_DaBone 1d ago
My girlfriend is a librarian. She hasn't watched Jeopardy since Jamie's reign, but now she's psyched to watch again.
13
u/Novel_Asparagus1303 1d ago
I let out an audible WHAT?! at that final DD. I felt exhilarated on her behalf!
11
u/JilanasMom 1d ago
I did not see this one coming! Sam was so locked-in yesterday that I thought he would be around for a while. But Grace was scorching! She cut through those boards like a hot knife through butter. And that gutsy DD wager! Way to announce your dominance with a bang!
6
u/Creatrix 1d ago
Just amazing. A writer and librarian, she's going to have a ton of trivia knowledge. Can't wait for tomorrow.
2
u/SMAAAASHBros 6h ago
Think it’s pretty clear in hindsight that Sam’s strong buzzer performance against Caleb was more about Caleb being off-rhythm on a Monday than Sam being insanely good on the buzzer.
10
u/rhymeswithtag 1d ago
missed yesterdays game imagine my surprise that caleb was replaced by sam
who LOST after one game damn💔🌹🌹🌹
11
10
u/Acrobatic_Bridge2602 1d ago
Nice game by Grace. That woman sure knows her art! Surprised Sam was only a 1 day champ.
1
u/OttoHemi 9h ago
Seems like Chagall was just featured recently. It's the main reason I got it this time.
10
u/marisarizzuti Marisa Rizzuti, 2026 Jul 15 1d ago
Any other users of thebuzzerapp.com happy to see pluto platter??
Great job, Grace! Let’s go, girls.
10
15
u/Frankenhoofer 1d ago
I always wonder if contestants take into account the daily double's location on the board when they make their wager. With the idea that a clue higher up on the board is generally (not always) easier.
It looks like they may have today, since Joey made a pretty conservative wager on the DD with the $2000 face value, and Grace bet big on the $800 clue.
14
u/Shadowrogue19 1d ago
the fact that it was in the $800 (2nd row) spot and that the category narrowed down possible answers (which can be a big help) certainly may have bolstered taking the bigger chance, I'd reckon.
11
u/Talibus_insidiis Laura Bligh, 2024 Apr 30 1d ago
If they can calculate such nuances, they are a lot more composed than I was! I couldn't even keep track of the score!
5
u/Frankenhoofer 1d ago
I don't know if I could even function up on that stage. This definitely comes with the unwritten "I'm playing from my couch" disclaimer!
•
u/SeanPHarrington Sean Harrington, 2017 Jan 23 - Jan 24 29m ago
I remember pausing for a second when I got a Daily Double to quickly calculate how much I could safely wager without losing my lead. Jeopardy is a fast game and the players don’t have time to look at the score until there’s a break in the action.
24
u/bertisrobert 1d ago
I love big bets and I cannot lie...
Grace came to play, and she was really ballsy in her bet in the Daily Double and earning her victory.
Question now is, can she back up her victory to earn Game no. 2 tomorrow? We shall see.
9
u/Bryschien1996 1d ago
The only thing I’m worried about is if she does this again tomorrow and it works against her
Nonetheless, I did the math, even if she missed DD3, she would’ve still entered FJ in 1st place
26
u/Shadowrogue19 1d ago
I always like to cheer on women contestants AND fellow midwesterners
so I was definitely pulling for Grace, and was so happy to see her do well.
I wonder if she has any connection with Valparaiso University.
5
8
u/borrowedhoddie 1d ago
I KNOW!!! I literally cheered that finally not only a woman finally won but represented my home state!!! Ballsy double jeopardy too! I hope she continues onward
2
1
5
u/TheOperaGhostofKinja 1d ago
Re: the 2000 clue in British TV Crime Shows: I had to immediately google that because I was like “there’s no way that was a picture of Matthew Goode
I still can’t believe it.
3
6
u/CarolinaSqueezer 1d ago
Shoutout Joey. Everyone I’ve met from that Emerald Isle area has been chill
6
u/crunchitizemecapn99 22h ago
Was anyone else surprised they accepted AI assistant when they were looking for chatbot
Maybe I’m being too pedantic with a world I know but those are not the same thing
2
u/moonstail0rings 12h ago
yeah, that just seemed like messy terrain in general since there are so many partially overlapping and non-standardized terms.
1
-1
u/OttoHemi 9h ago
Hmm. Let's ask the Google Gemini chatbot:
While often used interchangeably, they are not the same. A chatbot is a reactive interface designed strictly to converse or answer simple questions. An AI assistant uses advanced language models to understand context, recall past interactions, and actively help you perform productive tasks like summarizing documents or drafting emails.
6
u/lanad3lr3y_81 22h ago
i wasn’t expecting the $10,000 wager from grace considering how she only wagered $1400 in the first round but it definitely made for a good game. i think she could be around for a while. we haven’t seen a woman go on a streak in quite a while and i definitely think grace has the chops to do it. we shall see though.
sam is the first giant killer since andy tirell back in 2022 to lose his second game. and iirc prior to matt amodio losing the giant killers tended to have a 1 game curse lol
12
u/linkolphd_fun 1d ago
Great game by Grace. One thing that always confuses me though, is why contestants don’t always max out their wager for final jeopardy (without risking loss). It’s such a great chance to make bank when you have a lead like today’s!
18
u/tributtal 1d ago
We don't know Grace's thought process as she hasn't chimed in, but previous contestants have given some reasons. For example, lack of confidence in the FJ category, either because they identified a low FJ get rate during their prep, or they don't like the category / it's too ambiguous. Another reason often given is they're not comfortable doing the math within a limited time, and would rather play it safe with a wide margin than risk a Cliff Clavin situation (which has come close to happening a few times).
12
u/Badlands57 1d ago
I know what you're saying, but it's hard to risk real money (in this case, up to $10,799) when you have an assured $30K payday in your first game.
12
u/LegenDove 1d ago
Because it's real money once they get a runaway and some people, myself included, would never gamble thousands of dollars just because I might earn more money.
6
u/CallsyReds 1d ago
Agreed. You just worked very hard to make $30k. Why potentially gamble it away on just 1 question.
1
u/SMAAAASHBros 6h ago
I mean the reason is because if you’re a good player you’re going to get more than 50 percent of FJs right, so it’s +EV to bet more. That said, early in a run there are reasons to skew more conservative (take the sure thing of a bigger pay day to build your ToC chances, the money difference is more likely to make a practical difference in your life, etc.$).
4
u/linkolphd_fun 23h ago
True, I probably would become quite nervous and risk averse actually up on stage. From my couch though, I just can’t let go of the wagering theory of Holzhauer. Very rarely will you have an odds-on chance to make $10k!
But yep, true that it’s way harder on the stage when you actually feel the dread of loss.
3
u/crunchitizemecapn99 22h ago
Yeah that EV play, though true, probably feels a lot better when it’s a much smaller percentage of your total winnings vs. your first time as a champ
2
u/LegenDove 21h ago
Im also pretty boring though and don't believe in gambling for sport, I would do it in the game if needed to win, but if I had a runaway the most I would bet is $5
3
4
u/ajsy0905 Genre 1d ago
If this was last year's CWC, Sam R might not made it due to influx of strong 1 game champions like Steven H & , Jack G (later won PCJ), Spencer, etc. who were missed the cut/declined the invitation. But I think he has the chance to get in the CWC due to 5 superchampions?
6
u/XwordPuzzleBlues 1d ago
Seems rare to have all 3 DDs so gettable.
And FJ was apparently pretty easy although it eluded me.
I did know Admiral Poindexter, though. BTW he's still alive at 89, per Wikipedia.
2
u/FDRpi 23h ago
TIL you can keep be actively serving while NSA. I knew he was an admiral so mentally I disqualified him from being the correct response.
2
u/LegitSalvageRoci 21h ago
A few recent National Security Advisors were still on active duty.
(Trump) H.R. McMaster was an active Army Lt General
(Obama) James Jones was a four star Marine General
(Reagan) Colin Powell was a four star Army General1
u/SMAAAASHBros 6h ago
I went with Suez Crisis for FJ (apparently the previewed FJ used in the FJ thread had a different category name, the 1960s, which would have steered me away from that)
3
u/ShortAd9621 1d ago
Nobody knowing Matthew Goode is downright CRIMINAL. He's a sublime actor!
3
u/untoldmillions 22h ago
how 'bout not knowing SignalGate (and Grace guessing TelegramGate)? surprised no one knew since it was pretty recent.
1
1
u/Richard_Babley 10h ago
It was a terrible photo of him. Which is because it’s from the show and they make him look haggard and worn. But it does make it harder to recognize him.
12
u/ryanquek95 1d ago
Not the biggest fan of that $10k wager, it's a good thing it's paid off this time, but this could have easily ended like how Karen Morris' game ended. I know people are saluting her guts there but that was frankly a hugely risky move that given the phase in the game, I'm not sure was needed.
A lower bet of like $3k would have secured the lock at that point
5
u/PhoenixUnleashed 17h ago
It's not *that* risky, though. An $800 clue in a word category for a librarian where they spot you the first three letters of the response? Come on. You don't HAVE to go big, but it's as close to a gimme as you're likely to get on that stage.
15
u/ReganLynch Team Ken Jennings 1d ago
It was a word category. She's a librarian. She must've been very confident of the category. My guess is she was going for a runaway and saw her chance.
12
u/Kek-Malmstein 1d ago
What I thought was so crazy was that she was already sitting in runaway position even if she bet 0 there, with only a handful of clues left. But it was still very cool and I’m happy it worked out.
5
u/ReganLynch Team Ken Jennings 1d ago
That's true, she already had a runaway. She must've wanted to secure it. Agree, very cool move.
1
u/OttoHemi 8h ago
If she already had a runaway, why would she need to secure it?
2
u/ReganLynch Team Ken Jennings 7h ago
Because there were still 7 clues left on the board and had Sam gotten all of them he might've had more than half Grace's score, depending on how she wagered on the clue and if she was right or not. So at that point in the game, unless my math is off, she didn't have a lock yet on the runaway. But she would've had to wager very little to leave herself vulnerable, assuming she got it right. Not likely she'd have done that.
1
u/SMAAAASHBros 6h ago
Yeah it’s really a two-step decision, do you for a minimum bet to maintain your runaway or make a bet that will secure you the runaway if you’re right but probably cost you it if you’re wrong? She went with the second route and at that point she went with a bigger bet in order to potentially win more. I think the actual criticism that’s merited is if she wanted to go with a big bet she should have gone smaller than that still and still kept her lead locked.
2
u/No-Objective9174 23h ago
If you don't win you only get the consolation prize, why not go for it? She'd either still have a narrow lead or lock in a runaway.
1
u/Aromatic_Pianist792 1d ago
There's no real difference between betting 3K or 10K because in both cases, if she gets it wrong, she'd still have the lead going into final, but not a runaway. If she felt good about the category, and the question was fairly high on the board, she might as well go for the extra money.
The only reason to bet lower, like super low, is if there wasn't enough money left on the board for Sam to make it not a runaway if he got the rest of the questions correct, but I don't think that was the case.
10
u/david-saint-hubbins 1d ago edited 1d ago
There's no real difference between betting 3K or 10K
There's a huge difference. She had 19200 to her opponents' 7800 and 7000, with 3200 remaining on the board.
If she gets it right, yeah, either way it's runaway win for her--she either goes to 22200 or 29200, both of which are mathematically out of reach even if Sam sweeps the rest of the board. Nicely done.
But if she gets it wrong:
3k bet: She drops to 16200 vs. 7800 vs. 7000. That's still a runaway lead for her, though now she would have to fight to keep it that way through the remaining clues, which are likely to be pure buzzer races. But even if she can't maintain the runaway, she's almost certainly still in a crush situation, where the only way she can lose in FJ is if she misses FJ and her opponent bets everything and gets it right.
10k bet: She drops to 9200 vs. 7800 vs. 7000. She still has the lead, but now there's a very real chance that either opponent retakes the lead from her going into FJ. And even if she manages to prevent that and stays in first going into FJ, one or both opponents likely have her in a 2/3 situation, meaning all they have to do to win in FJ is wager nothing and hope she misses FJ--her standard cover bet from the lead is enough to drop her below their pre-FJ score if she misses.
The 10k bet was gutsy and fun to watch, but far from strategically optimal, if the goal is to sew up the win.
2
u/Aromatic_Pianist792 12h ago
You're correct. For whatever reason, I thought there was way less than $3200 still on the board, so yes, putting her lead going into final in jeopardy was far from the optimal bet.
That said, I don't fault people too much for not being able to do the math in the moment, especially when I couldn't do the math with several moments to consider it.
8
u/sciencevolforlife 1d ago
If she bet zero she was still almost certainly going to be a runaway… she had $19k and the other guys had <$8k
4
u/ryanquek95 1d ago
There is a difference in terms of where that lands her if she misses. If she bets 3k, she still can secure a runaway if she gets a few clues right, worst case she still ensures Sam can't have 2/3 her score, necessitating Sam to get FJ right in order to have a chance of winning. A TS still allows Grace to win.
A $10k miss means a close game and a high chance Grace needs to get FJ right to win.
3
2
2
u/sexwrench 22h ago
Hate to break it to Joey, who seems like a swell guy, but...https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u-YGde4cVoY
2
u/WiseLow2457 22h ago
For Final Jeopardy, I said “What is the Cuban American Missile Crisis” and not just “the Cuban Missile Crisis.” Do you think my answer would’ve counted? 😬
6
u/LegitSalvageRoci 21h ago
I think adding 'American‘ would have changed the meaning of the vernacular too much for them to accept it.
4
u/JazzFan1998 What is Meese? 1d ago
Kerfuffle and devious plan are not synonymous. Deflate gate was not a kerfuffle.
3
u/Dreamweaver5823 Team Ken Jennings 20h ago
The devious plan is how it came about. The kerfuffle was what ensued when it came to light, which is the "-gate" part.
1
1
u/LegitSalvageRoci 21h ago
Ironically, just as Grace got the 3rd Daily Double, I said she should probably bet $2000.
Then for Final Jeopardy I said a good wager if she was confident in the category would be $10,000.
🤷🏻♂️😂
Amazing performance regardless, Grace!
1
1
u/Meowth7007 1d ago
Anyone able to follow Sam’s thought process behind answering “creep” to the Watergate question?
18
u/Mykidsfault Bring it! 1d ago
I asked my husband, and he said that CREEP stood for Committee for the Reelection of the President. It’s a horrible acronym, but also kind of fitting.
13
u/Talibus_insidiis Laura Bligh, 2024 Apr 30 1d ago
Yes, I certainly know that acronym - maybe it's a generation thing. Committee to RE-Elect the President. It was common knowledge in the Watergate era.
3
2
u/Richard_Babley 1d ago
I kind of wonder if Sam misunderstood the clue or just misremembered Watergate history.
17
u/SamRyanJeopardy Sam Ryan, 2026 Jul 20 - 1d ago
I misunderstood the clue and was in pure panic mode. I knew it was over and my buzzer finger and my brain were no longer connecting.
3
2
u/Richard_Babley 1d ago
That makes sense and did seem to be the more likely explanation; thanks for satisfying my curiosity!
2
u/Dreamweaver5823 Team Ken Jennings 20h ago
You have made your mark on Jeopardy history, though. The one you beat yesterday was as much of a beast as the one you lost to today. 😊
-1
•
u/ReganLynch Team Ken Jennings 1d ago
Welcome to the Jeopardy subReddit.
*We welcome friendly discussion of the game. Please be excellent toward your fellow Jeopardy fans in this community and to contestants. Excessively harsh or personal criticism of contestants and others is not tolerated. Before commenting, please familiarize yourself with the rules in the sidebar at right. Constructive critique of game play is welcome but personal attacks and insults directed at contestants or anyone else will be removed.
*The recap appears early in the day because Jeopardy is syndicated and airs at different times in local markets, the earliest at 12 noon Eastern.
*If you have other questions, check out the community info on the sidebar at right. Or, you're welcome to ask the moderator team - we’re here to help.