'Jeopardy!' champion miraculously advances despite finishing last in winnings

George Back

On Monday, reigning Jeopardy! champion Megan Wachspress was the personification of the old adage “Sometimes it is better to be lucky than good.” While incredibly smart, the attorney from Berkeley, Calif., has benefited from other contestants' stumbles and bad luck throughout her five-day run.

On Friday, contestant Sadie Goldberger appeared to correctly answer the Final Jeopardy! clue correctly and win the game. But due to a questionable call by judges, her answer was deemed illegible and Wachspress was announced the winner.

Wachspress’s win on Monday wasn’t controversial, but it could easily be described as fortuitous. Contestant Ketty Pan made a big gamble near the end of the game on a Daily Double she wound up answering incorrectly, which all but eliminated her from contention. Going into the Final Jeopardy!, contestant Tory Leviton had a slight lead over Wachspress. Despite both of them answering the question incorrectly, Wachspress won because Leviton wagered too much money.

Fans were surprised by Wachspress continued luck.

Wachspress’s five wins qualified her for the Tournament of Champions, but with only $52,002 in total winnings, she has less than half as much as any other five-day champion this year.

Wachspress also only took home $401, while the second and third place winners received the larger $2,000 and $1,000 consolation prizes.

Jeopardy! is a syndicated program; visit Jeopardy.com or check your local listings for the TV schedule.

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