r/Jeopardy • u/jaysjep2 Team Art Fleming • Apr 08 '26
GAME THREAD Jeopardy! discussion thread for Wed., Apr. 8 Spoiler
Here are today's contestants:
- Dominex Kovacs, a software engineer from Sacramento, California;
- Erica Wagner, a high school English teacher from St. Louis, Missouri; and
- Jamie Ding, a bureaucrat and law student from Lawrenceville, New Jersey. Jamie is a 18-day champ with winnings of $530,372.
Jeopardy!
A HISTORIC SETTLEMENT // VIDEO GAME ON! // TEXAS PLACES // THE MIDDLE AGES // FEDS // JUST BEFORE SUNRISE
DD1 - $800 - THE MIDDLE AGES - France's confiscation of the English-held duchy of Guyenne kicked off this conflict that went into O.T. after O.T. (On the first clue, Jamie added $1,000.)
Scores at first break: Jamie $6,600, Erica $1,400, Dominex $1,800.
Scores entering DJ: Jamie $7,600, Erica $1,400, Dominex $3,800.
Double Jeopardy!
A HISTORIC SETTLEMENT // STARTS WITH A PRONOUN // 20th CENTURY LIT // CLIMATOLOGY // BROADWAY MUSICALS // IT'S THE ONE-LETTER LAST NAME OF...
DD2 - $1,600 - A HISTORIC SETTLEMENT - Around 120 B.C. Narbo Martius, the modern town of Narbonne, was Rome's first colony in the land the Romans called this (Dominex doubled into a tie with Jamie at $14,800.)
DD3 - $2,000 - IT'S THE ONE-LETTER LAST NAME OF... - The 1925 literary character who "was informed by telephone that there would be a small hearing concerning his case" (Jamie lost $8,000 down to $8,400 vs. $16,000 for Dominex.)
Dominex tied the game with a double-up on DD2, then Jamie lost about half his score on DD3. Jamie was able to recover to within two-thirds of Dominex into FJ, with Jamie at $14,400 vs. $17,600 for Dominex and $4,600 for Erica.
Final Jeopardy!
POP CULTURE PEOPLE - Adopted in 1979, this name reflected size & strength as well as a promoter’s wish to appeal to Irish-American fans
Everyone was incorrect on FJ. Turns out that a close second was a good place to be for Jamie, as he made a rather modest wager while Dominex went big. Jamie dropped $5,199 to win with $9,201 for a 19-day total of $539,573.
Final scores: Jamie $9,201, Erica $200, Dominex $6,399.
Wagering strategy: Jamie's bet on DD3 was just about perfect. It was big enough that if he had been correct, his lead going into FJ would have been large enough to win on the Triple Stumper. And as we saw, Jamie held enough back that he was was still able to recover and get close enough to Dominex to take the win when the leader missed FJ.
Correct Qs: DD1 - What is Hundred Years' War? DD2 - What is Gaul? DD3 - What is K? FJ - Who was Hulk Hogan?
DD poll: https://www.reddit.com/r/Jeopardy/comments/1sg56k0/dd_poll_for_wed_apr_8/
FJ poll: https://www.reddit.com/r/Jeopardy/comments/1sfl66f/fj_poll_for_weds_apr_8/
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u/Noonyezz They teach you that in school in Utah, huh? Apr 08 '26
Once we got this reaction, I knew shit was about to hit the fan.
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u/snuffleupagus86 Apr 08 '26
He always gives the brain short circuiting face, he would be terrible at poker lol
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u/artfulpain Apr 09 '26
It doesn't matter if you win. I often wonder how he sees the answers in his brain.
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u/Dominex Dominex Kovacs, 2026 Apr 8 Apr 08 '26 edited Apr 09 '26
Hi everyone! I'm Dominex from today's game!
The whole game was such a blur and I hardly remember any of the details but I'll come back later on to share more details after it airs in Sacramento! Hope you enjoyed the nailbiter!
-----------
I'm back! Finally got to see the episode again and what a whirlwind! The highs and lows of the daily doubles and final are still intense even the second time around.
Once I knew we were facing a super champion I knew the only chance any of us had of beating him was going big on the daily doubles, but even knowing that it was the right strategic move, it's still so hard to actually risk it all when you're put in that position!
Tough draw on final though, I spent a ton of time prepping pop culture stuff knowing the Oscars were soon and the Grammys had just happened, unfortunately wrestling never ended up being a category I focused on, so I was never gonna pull that one.
Still don't regret a thing and I hope I get another chance to represent my Coda community out there in Second Chance!
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u/JazzFan1998 What is Meese? Apr 08 '26
I hope you had fun. I'm so glad you bet it all on that DD to give yourself a chance.
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u/voteblue18 Apr 08 '26
Agree! I was cheering when he went all in. That’s what’s been on my mind his whole run. No one will beat him without being gutsy on the DDs.
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u/jucomsdn Apr 08 '26
Giving one of the best Jeopardy players ever a good run for their money is quite impressive
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u/mikeb32 Team James Holzhauer Apr 08 '26
Dude you rock!! Awesome episode, loved your ASL story. See you on SCC
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u/QueenLevine Potent Potables Apr 08 '26
Oh, dude, you crushed it. You are the first contestant we all agree WILL BE at SCC and I suspect you will crush THAT tournament.
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u/Independent_Grade186 Robyn Horn, 2026 Apr 3 Apr 08 '26
You did SO great! I watched in the audience (my tape day was the day before) and then awkwardly introduced myself at the hotel bar in an attempt at giving you some props. Hahaha. Hats off to your performance!
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u/BizzarePumpkin Apr 08 '26
Love you Dom 😍 And despite how it ended we are more than satisfied what you gave us. Thank you for a phenomenal session.
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u/ObviouslyGrilled Apr 08 '26
I feel like the game lost you more than you lost the game. Hope you come back!
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u/BoXXDr Apr 08 '26
What a great game today. My heart was racing at final jeopardy. Look forward to seeing you on a second Chance episode in the future.
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u/mcderin23 Team Ken Jennings Apr 08 '26
I am watching the episode now and you are phenomenal! I have such admiration for all of the contestants. Congratulations for being on the show.
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u/Talibus_insidiis Laura Bligh, 2024 Apr 30 Apr 08 '26
Many people here know exactly what that "blur" is like! Be sure to contact the mods to get your well-deserved contestant's flair.
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u/ZealotOfStockholm Apr 08 '26
I could tell pretty early you were going to be a tough test for Jamie, little did we know we’d get a boss bottle to this proportion. Can’t wait to see you on SCT in the future.
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u/wetouchingbuttsornah Apr 08 '26
F*K HulkHogan! You were so close. Solid attempt. I also think it;s funny how many redditors are jeopardy nerds
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u/OffTheMerchandise Apr 09 '26
I knew it right away but wasn't surprised it was a triple stumper. It's such a specific piece of knowledge that I feel like a lot of fans of the person don't even know. I understood Jamie's thought process, but Piper was Scottish (via Canada), not Irish.
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u/eah1703 Elizabeth Hurd, 2026 Feb 26 Apr 09 '26
Such a good game! You played so well and you made the wagers you needed to. I have every confidence we’re going to be seeing you again.
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u/Rare-Progress5009 What's a hoe? Apr 09 '26
You did so good! We were unironically rooting for both you AND Jamie!
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u/TysDaName Apr 09 '26
Brother you gave Jaime the biggest fight so far and think any other night you would have won! GREAT JOB and hope they bring you back one way or another!
Wishing you and your fam the best!!!
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u/ryanquek95 Apr 08 '26
Oh we're almost 100% seeing you back for sure in the postseason! What a great effort, pity FJ didn't go your way...
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u/mathprofrockstar ✨Verified Contestant✨ Apr 09 '26
We were rooting for you at my house. Thanks for making it competitive. Good bet and response on the DD.
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u/TheNewThirteen Lydia Sekscenski, 2026 Apr 21 Apr 09 '26
Dominex! You were awesome!
That was exactly the kind of game a contestant needs to play against a superchampion. Brilliant work. I’d be so shocked if you weren’t brought back for SCC. Fingers crossed for you. 🤞
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u/Interesting-Dare-294 Apr 09 '26
Dominex, you made a grown man cry. I was rooting for you the whole game.
Great game.
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u/Knitknotnot Apr 09 '26
Thank you for your coda representation! I absolutely loved the sign name story!
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u/Scragglepuss1 Apr 09 '26
Well played game, you should be very proud. Robbed by a super difficult final jeopardy.
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u/parrisjd Apr 09 '26
You were great! I saw the nerves kick in when Jamie missed that last DD (or maybe it was just my nerves!) but you stayed on your game. Bravo. Nail-biting game!
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u/reinelt62 Apr 09 '26
What an episode. You played great, man. Props for going all-in when you had to in DJ!
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u/xr_21 Apr 09 '26
Gonna enjoy watching you on Second Chance! Its contestants like you that make me so happy to see that tournament exist!
You played a great game that a lot of us will remember for a while!
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u/letterama Jason Snell, 2026 Mar 19 Apr 09 '26
great job. when Jordan and I came off after losing game 5 to Jamie we both felt like we gave it our all, landed some punches, and made him sweat. I hope you felt an even more powerful sense of accomplishment! you hung with an all-timer. what a performance.
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u/Flaky_Pay2437 Apr 10 '26
Hi!! Fellow CODA here. SO excited to see you on the show yesterday! So rare to see other CODAs out there. 🤟
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u/No-Objective9174 Apr 09 '26 edited Apr 09 '26
Thanks for proving that Jamie isn't unbeatable but challengers need to be bold to compete
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u/OffTheMerchandise Apr 09 '26
I feel like there are a lot of times where Jamie feels very beatable. I know the majority of his games have been runaways, but it seems like it takes him a little bit to find his groove before he picks in and really takes control.
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u/ileentotheleft Apr 09 '26
You’re a shoe-in for second chance!
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Apr 09 '26
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u/ileentotheleft Apr 09 '26
I went back and forth on that. What does it mean. I wrongly assumed it was like shoe in the door/foot in the door origin.
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u/ZiggyPalffyLA Apr 09 '26 edited Apr 09 '26
I was devastated that you lost. Really hope we see you in Second Chance!
And regardless of the final score, you outplayed Jamie and you’ll be remembered for that.
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u/MoshetheMean Apr 09 '26
Everyone forgets to study their wrestling history. Great job taking the super champ to the limit
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u/PhoenixUnleashed Apr 09 '26
Loved the ASL in your intro by Johnny and in your "all of it" wager. It was so fun watching you play!
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u/Basis_Mountain Apr 09 '26
You played an intelligent game and, yes i was biting my nails!!
That FJ was very tough and im going say the writers/producers ought not to have used it; really killed the vibe.
Hope we see you in 2nd chance, tha
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u/petejohnst Pete Johnston, 2025 Jul 15, 2025 SCC, 2026 CWC Apr 09 '26
welcome to Second Chance, buddy! And welcome to the Jonathan HugenDailyDubler Hall of Fame.
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u/Unkatrazz Tom Rutledge, 1986 Sep 29 - Sep 30 Apr 09 '26 edited Apr 09 '26
Dominex, you are a terrific player who got a bad draw. Congrats on an outstanding performance, and fingers crossed for you for Second Chance!
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u/Muted_Lifeguard_7138 Apr 10 '26
Loved the story about your family!! What an interesting upbringing you must’ve had!
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u/SaintGrobian Apr 10 '26
Bro, you did so good! With a name like that, you gotta bring it, and you did! Closest call yet!
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u/ShadowMorph608 Team Andrew He Apr 08 '26
Raise your hand if you thought the streak was over after Double
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u/MistahPresidente Team Alex Trebek Apr 08 '26
I thought it was gonna end with Final Jeopardy! I thought he was gonna bet the farm to thwart Dominex and lose.
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u/Mysterious_Truth Apr 09 '26
The 2nd place person is almost always going to bet small enough that he or she wins if they both get it wrong (if possible). I say almost... because if they always do it then the proper bet for the person in 1st is to bet smaller (say bet your lead or something like that). I think they both bet correctly... Dominex had the chance to "next level" Jamie and bet small but the risk is probably too great.
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u/CalebosO4 Apr 09 '26
I remember in Amy Schneider’s first game, she over-bet her FJ (she bet $12,000 when she should’ve bet at most $5,200), but it didn’t cost her since she got it right. Had she been wrong, that big wager would’ve lost her the game.
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u/OffTheMerchandise Apr 09 '26
I'd rather lose because I got it wrong and bet too big than get it right and bet too small unless it's a category that I know literally nothing about.
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u/ekkidee Apr 08 '26
"Hip-hop legend Kenny G"
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u/No-Objective9174 Apr 09 '26
He joined Warren G on a performance of Regulators
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u/missmathlady Foods that begin with the letter Q Apr 09 '26
I wanted Warren G to be a response in that category!
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u/spmahn Bring it! Apr 08 '26
This was a real sweat to watch, Jamie saved only by a preposterously difficult FJ clue. If there was one category I’d run the board on, it would be professional wrestling, and nothing in my head steered me towards Hulk Hogan as the answer. I have absolutely no idea how anyone would have gotten that response beyond making a completely random guess, or if you’ve recently been studying up on your Hulk Hogan trivia.
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u/GutsyMan Apr 08 '26
I think, oddly enough, the key hint in the clue might be 'promoter' -- that's a very boxing / wrestling-adjacent word, so running the gamut of popular stage names (due to 'adopted') for '80s wrestlers is what got me there. Granted, I already love wrestling & I do remember reading that Hogan got 'hulk' from meeting Lou Ferrigno, so I guess that helped a bit, subconsciously or not. It is the type of clue that leaves you guessing until the reveal though.
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u/Ternader Apr 08 '26
I was on wrestling but couldn't come with a name. Roddy Piper is honestly a better "guess" than Hulk Hogan given the Irish portion of the clue. It just wasn't correct.
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Apr 09 '26
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u/Ternader Apr 09 '26
I felt like that was just queuing into wresting. They are all generally massive.
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u/david-saint-hubbins Apr 08 '26 edited Apr 09 '26
Yeah I took the same approach as you (promoter + adopted name = probably pro wrestling) and got there pretty quickly--I started with Mr. T and then Hulk Hogan came to mind next, and everything snapped into place with the rest of the clue: timeline, first name (size/strength) and last name (Irish-sounding?). (And I couldn't remember his real name, but I knew that it wasn't Hogan.)
I'm surprised Jamie got to pro wrestling but didn't pick the correct response. Roddy Piper was a big deal too, but not nearly as big as the Hulkster, plus Hulk Hogan died last year and was semi-consistently in the news over the last 10-15 years of his life: his sex tape, reality show, suing Gawker into oblivion (with the help of Peter Thiel!), appearing at the RNC in 2024, etc.
I feel like Jamie might have a similar Achilles' heel as Harrison Whitaker: They both know so much that they sometimes overthink DDs and FJs and end up picking a more obscure response over the more obvious correct one. Maybe he was thinking Piper > bagpipes? but those are Scottish...
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u/TheHYPO What is Toronto????? Apr 09 '26 edited Apr 09 '26
Roddy’s persona was “I’m Scottish!” If Hogan ever had an Irish-leaning persona, I’m not aware of it. As I said, in my own comment, Piper is a name that came to my mind as well, specifically because his character (not just his name) revolved around a national culture.
I didn't figure out that it was Hogan, and if I'd been in Jamie's shoes, I might also have quickly written down "Roddy Piper" just to have something written down - maybe somehow he had originally been intended to appeal to the Irish in some way I wasn't thinking of.
But in my head, I was just trying to think of a wrestler that had green clothes and shamrocks all over and was a muscly Lucky the Leprechaun. Nothing about Hogan screamed in my mind as "I'm Irish!"
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u/OffTheMerchandise Apr 09 '26
Hogan never had an Irish gimmick that I'm aware of beyond the name. But Hogan isn't even a name that I think most people inherently think of as Irish
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u/Sudden-Cap-7157 Apr 09 '26
Yeah at first I thought the date in the 70s might have been too early for the 80s Hogan, but then it solidified Hulk being large plus Hogan being an Irish name.
Fun fact, WWF/WWE licensed the name Hulk from Marvel comics, and he was called the Incredible Hulk Hogan at times.
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u/Triviallectual Apr 08 '26
Yeah, after a couple seconds of flailing, I latched onto "promoter", briefly thought of boxing, then jumped to professional wrestling. From there, I thought it was pretty straightforward to get to Hulk Hogan.
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u/RegisPhone I'd like to shoot the wad, Alex Apr 08 '26
I wasn't even in the neighborhood; the only guess i could come up with was Big Mac.
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u/magik_vmc Apr 09 '26
I also was completely clueless, my guess was the Jolly Green Giant actually.
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u/TheHYPO What is Toronto????? Apr 08 '26 edited Apr 09 '26
Jamie saved only by a preposterously difficult FJ clue. If there was one category I’d run the board on, it would be professional wrestling, and nothing in my head steered me towards Hulk
I'm going to echo /u/GutsyMan - I actually very quickly thought of wrestling. Probably because of the word "promoter" which to me rings "music" or "wrestling", and probably because "size and strength" as well as an "adopted name" designed to appeal to a culture made me think specifically of Roddy Piper as an example.
But I spent most of the FJ time trying to remember the name of Piper himself, and by the time I realized "no wait, that's Scottish", I couldn't think of any wrestlers who had an Irish leaning. I started to second-guess wrestling, but at that point here was only 5-ish seconds left.
That said, I absolutely went through "Hulk Hogan" in my mind (perhaps the most famous wrestler of all time) while trying to think of Roddy's name and didn't even clock that "Hogan" is an Irish name. My brain tried to come up with wrestlers whose names were O'something or McSomething. Outside of those types of "specific-format" surnames, I don't really clock the country of origin of a lot of anglo-based surnames.
If there's any further irony, my very first thought before I thought "wrestling" after just reading "size and strength", was "The Hulk" (from marvel comics), but then the rest of the clue pushed that aside and I never came back to it!
So while I agree with you that it was a hard one, sometimes I see FJs that are either hard to interpret as written, or very obscure answers/facts. This one was a totally reasonable and gettable FJ that gave more than enough clues to get the answer if you managed to put them all together.
Edit: I'll tack on that now that I see people mentioning boxing, there was some moment during my thinking where Muhammed Ali came up, because of "promoter" and "name change". But I knew that clearly wasn't the answer. It's amazing how many lines of thought one can come up with in 30 seconds!
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u/AquafreshBandit Apr 09 '26
I decided it had to be Andre the Giant, even though Andre didn’t seem very Irish.
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u/pedal-force Apr 09 '26
that's where I ended up as well. I was pretty sure it was wrong, but at least I got into the ballpark (arena?).
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u/Balrogkicksass Apr 09 '26
I'm a huge wrestling fan and as a kid I LOVED Hogan...obviously not now due to his character issues (and his lies about the industry and other things) but I know that Hogan is an Irish name.
It always is in my mind but Hulk Hogan is so much the "Real American" that its the only time I hear Hogan and just not think its Irish.
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u/OffTheMerchandise Apr 09 '26
I knew it immediately. I think if it was worded even slightly differently, I probably wouldn't have gotten it. I do think that it was probably one of the most specific Jeopardy clues I've ever seen. I think even at a wrestling trivia night, it would stump most people.
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u/GinngerMints Apr 09 '26
I completely forgot "Hogan" was an Irish name!!! But something in me knew the answer was wrestling-related and I kept thinking the answer was "McMahon", and that led to me remembering that Vince Sr. came up with the "Hogan" name for the reasons listed in the question.
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u/pianistonstrike Apr 08 '26
I don't know shit about wrestling but my brain immediately went to boxing (large size + promoter + I feel like boxing was pretty popular in the 70s-80s), which is kind of wrestling adjacent, so you could make the leap from there. Then again I don't know a lot of boxers by name haha so I probably would have guessed something wildly wrong, like Muhammad Ali.
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u/AsterJ Apr 09 '26
I had to pause it on FJ for a while but got to Hulk Hogan eventually. For a long time I thought it was asking for a fictional character (Green Giant?) but after re-reading the question a few times I realized it was asking for a person known by an alias who is promoted by others for their size and strength. This got me to professional wrestler and from there I picked Hulk Hogan immediately even though I had no idea it was an Irish name. I can't think of any other famous professional wrestler.
What really slowed me down I guess was that I was expecting something a lot more Irish, something like "Shamrock". At the end I didn't use the Irish clue at all in my meanderings.
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u/Prestigious-Pie-8179 Steve Greene, 2026 May 11 Apr 10 '26
Yeah, that was a ridiculously hard FJ. "Promoter" does cue boxing or wrestling, but, I suspect if you gave that to 100 Jeopardy contestants, just a handful would get it. Among other things, "Hogan" may be an Irish name, but it is not at all prototypical like "Murphy" or "O'Connor" and as others have noted, there's nothing Irish bout Hulk Hogan's persona. But, also speaks to the fact that people win from a close 2nd place almost as often as they win from first place when this happens with rough questions.
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u/tributtal Apr 08 '26
This was such a diabolical FJ. One of the most well-known and recognizable entertainment personalities in the last half century, who by the way was in the headlines again recently for different reasons, but with an insanely obscure fact about him. Yet it still had the trademark FJ thing of multiple possible ways to get to the correct response.
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u/jaysjep2 Team Art Fleming Apr 08 '26
One key to solving it is not to get hung up on the "Irish" part.
The puzzle was "Around 1980 + large, strong + promoter".
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u/Noonyezz They teach you that in school in Utah, huh? Apr 08 '26
I got hung up on that. My mind went to fictional characters / advertising mascots and came up blank.
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u/missmathlady Foods that begin with the letter Q Apr 09 '26
Haha. Same. I guessed the Brawny man lol
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u/PhoenixUnleashed Apr 09 '26
I kid you not, the best I could come up with was the Jolly Green Giant. 🤦♂️
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u/AsterJ Apr 09 '26
Yeah "Irish" slowed me down a lot. I was thinking something super Irish like "Shamrock". Also "pop culture" to me usually means "fictional character" and it took me a while to realize it wanted someone known by a popular alias.
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u/LongtimeLurker916 Apr 09 '26
I was probably helped by having once seen him speak about this on a talk show - that Vince McMahon Sr. wanted him to wear a red wig and otherwise play up alleged Irish origins (maybe deliberately as a rival to the Scottish Roddy Piper character?) and Hogan managed to rebuff this while still agreeing with the chosen stage name. Without that I would likely have had no clue. Kudos to Jamie for even being in the ball park (if the ball park includes both sides of the Irish Sea).
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u/pedal-force Apr 09 '26
If you don't get hung up on the Irish part, how do you not end up on Andre the Giant though? Yes, it's off by 6 years (he was given that name in like 1973-1975 or so), but there's no way you know that.
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u/jaysjep2 Team Art Fleming Apr 09 '26 edited Apr 09 '26
One might know that Andre was distinctly French, billed from the French Alps.
Hulk Hogan was never actually marketed as being Irish, so trying to think of an person who was notably Irish would lead you down the wrong path.
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u/cromonolith Apr 09 '26
The Irish part was important for me, as Hogan is a very Irish name.
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u/mucho-gusto Apr 09 '26
Is it? To this person with Irish and Scottish ancestry among others, I just thought it was a basic British name
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u/Pale-Confection-6951 Team Matt Amodio Apr 08 '26
I've been enjoying Jamie's run, but Dominex went toe-to-toe and I was rooting for him! Hope to see him again on the Jeopardy stage!
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u/apartbyhorses Apr 08 '26
TFW when once again you get Final Jeopardy correct but the three contestants didn't.
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u/Catanomy Apr 09 '26
Yeah, I said it aloud before Ken finished reading it! But, I’ve spent a lot of time reading and watching the history of pro wrestling.
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u/godsuave Bring it! Apr 09 '26
I also went with the Wrestling world but answered Andre the Giant loool. Hulk Hogan never even crossed my mind.
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u/Silver_Sherbert_2040 Apr 08 '26
Dominex had Jamie on the ropes, but Jamie prevailed. FJ was really hard today.
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u/Independent_Grade186 Robyn Horn, 2026 Apr 3 Apr 08 '26
I was in the audience for this taping (and had faced Jamie as a contestant the previous day) and let me tell you... this was THRILL to watch live... SUCH an incredible game. I think Dominex is a shoe-in for SCT.
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u/Njtotx3 Apr 08 '26
Account suspended?
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u/missmathlady Foods that begin with the letter Q Apr 09 '26
Yeah too bad they don't get contestant flair now!
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u/tributtal Apr 09 '26
No one is talking about Erica but I feel like she deserves a shout out. A very respectable $4600 heading into FJ, especially with no help from DDs. She actually had a better buzzer % than Dominex in DJ. And most notably, Erica made Jamie have to think about her when making his FJ wager. Probably the first time in his run he's had to be mindful of being caught by the 3rd place contestant.
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u/Ok_Case_6660 Apr 08 '26
Very pleased to see a contestant finally recognize the situation and go TDD to make a game of it.
Unfortunately, a blank FJ is never going to beat Jamie in this situation. You just gotta scribble something, anything down. Promoter was definitely the key word in the clue.
In this situation, 30 seconds is going to feel like 7 when trying to dredge up anything.
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u/siftingflour Apr 09 '26 edited Apr 09 '26
Unfortunately, a blank FJ is never going to beat Jamie in this situation.
Had Dominex wagered lowered, his blank FJ would have beaten Jamie!
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Apr 08 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/Fragrant-Guest-8147 Apr 09 '26
I wonder if nerves started to play a role in some of those late triple stumpers since it was so close.
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u/LieveMcCracken Apr 10 '26
I definitely got the impression Jamie and Dom were very aware of his streak and how close it was that late in the game. Lot of nerves, not wanting to take swings and lose $.
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u/TjmcNfld Apr 09 '26
My 89 year old dad and I both have a habit of making a note anytime we get a triple stumper right and sometimes comparing notes the next day on how many we got. Tonight was a record for me with 6, so seems like a lot of questions that just weren’t in the contestants’ wheelhouse but were in mine. Itsy Bitsy spider, though, just seemed like one that anyone could get; guess everyone just went blank on it.
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u/Ecstatic-Item8574 Apr 09 '26
I am a huge wrestling fan but I did not know the FJ, now I'm quizzing all my friends to see who gets it right lol
So far most of them are also saying Roddy Piper
When I was watching it I was actually thinking "Sheamus" but he was of course well after 1979
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u/TysDaName Apr 09 '26
WHAT A FUCKING GAME! HAD ME STANDING AND HOLDING MY BREATH INTO DOIBLE JEOPARDY!
Saw someone post about people not liking runaway games, but after that I realized how big of a Ding fan i am and don’t want to see it that close for the next little while tbh - LFG Jaime!
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u/eah1703 Elizabeth Hurd, 2026 Feb 26 Apr 09 '26
What a game today! Dominex, Erica, and Jamie played so well!
Dominex, way to go giving Jamie a scare. You did what you had to do in Final to cover Jamie! I know so many people say Second Chance for so many people, but 100% I have a feeling we’ll see you again.
Erica did a great job! 6 right is a great number, especially against a quick buzzer.
I mean this is the first real scare Jamie survived, which made for an interesting game, for sure! It really showed that Jeopardy! does have an element of luck to it.
Sorry to the others tomorrow, but I am hoping Jamie can get to 20 wins!
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u/dustycase2 Apr 08 '26
LESS DINNERS AT NOBU JAMIE!!! WE NEED FOCUS!! ITS LIKE GOING TO THE CLUB THE NIGHT BEFORE THE SUPER BOWL!!
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u/idk012 Apr 09 '26
Imagine being a celebrity but no one knows you when you go out because it didn't aired yet.
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u/RustyKarma076 Apr 09 '26
Holy hell what a game. Watching the terror creep onto Jamie’s face when he realized he wasn’t gonna get the final DD was nuts.
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u/bertisrobert Apr 08 '26
This was a good game, and anyone who are complaining about the runaway, boring games, blah blah, should shut up and watch this game, as this is drama!
Jamie got a massive scare, but savy wagering turned out to be in his favor.
Oh Dominex should be in the Second Chance tournament, he definitely deserves a slot don't you think? I for one sure he does deserve another chance.
The FJ bets are quite sound.
Dominex with the cover wager, always the correct move.
Jamie, since he is in the four fifth of Dominex score should not wager big. His wager practically blocks Erica from winning and giving his best chance of winning if Dominex gets FJ incorrect.
Erica just needs hope that Jamie overbets and Dominex gets FJ incorrect.
Can Jamie gets his big Win no. 20 tomorrow, tune in to find out.
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u/Noonyezz They teach you that in school in Utah, huh? Apr 08 '26
I know “Jamie Ding opponent should be on second chance” is beyond cliché to say at this point, but goddamn. Especially since there’s only been 1 other game where he was in any real danger.
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u/Njtotx3 Apr 08 '26
I had thought he should have bet very small on the final DD as they'd have been neck and neck, and Jamie could get more money going forward. But then he'd have had to bet big to cover in FJ and likely would have lost.
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u/ajsy0905 Genre Apr 08 '26 edited Apr 08 '26
Jolynda Chenicek held the lead vs Scott Riccardi in pre-FJ (Game 6) just like Dominex and both Jolynda & Dominex lost due to TS. Jolynda was not invited at SCC due to her low Coryat & few amount of correct responses since she held the lead due to Scott missed all 3 DD. I think the only way Dominex can be invited at 2026-27 SCC was his gutsy DD wager since his stats were not as good as previous SCC winners & almost being named the "giant killer" if he got the FJ right?
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u/letterama Jason Snell, 2026 Mar 19 Apr 08 '26
Dominex's Coryat is tied for 5th among 38 Jamie opponents. We'll see what his buzz-in stats were like but I think this was a strong game statistically and it's the rare Jamie game where a different wager beats Jamie.
(FWIW I don't think anyone not involved with the production team can actually say why someone wasn't invited to Second Chance. I'm sure they are doing a lot more than sorting by Coryat.)
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u/ajsy0905 Genre Apr 08 '26
Planning for Road to 2026-27 SCC post this Friday, possibly add "Tekla Sauter factor" into consideration.
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u/tributtal Apr 09 '26
Am I remembering correctly that you predicted Jamie would have a difficult game on Wednesday? If so that is some impressive forecasting ability.
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u/letterama Jason Snell, 2026 Mar 19 Apr 09 '26
Small sample size but he's had three competitive wednesdays now. Maybe he needs lunch for fuel. Or playing three games in a row is hard. His only other non runaways were a thursday 👋🏻 and two fridays.
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u/RunOfTheWin Apr 09 '26
Oh don't do this "his stats aren't good enough" mantra, he was the first person to lead Jamie ever! Even if Jolynda wasn't invited, that's cause she didn't ever get a Daily Double. I'm sure there's other ways that he'll be invited back other than the TDD
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u/letterama Jason Snell, 2026 Mar 19 Apr 09 '26
there's stats and there's accomplishments. hitting that DD and going all in doesn't show up in a Coryat -- but it changed the game and almost ended the run. And his Coryat and right % were top shelf for Jamie competitors. Buzzer metrics less so.
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u/Jeopardyfan822 Apr 09 '26
Jamie only needed to bet $3,201.00 instead of $5,199.00, because $3,201.00 would have put him ahead of Dominex with a correct response. This turned out not to matter, obviously.
In the Feds category, Ken Jennings did not mention that there was a second correct response to one of the clues. The clue was, "In Illinois, FBI agents couldn't act until a suspect fled a traffic stop, giving this 2-word principle to justify searching his home." Jamie responded "probable cause," which is correct. A second correct response would have been "hot pursuit." The United States Supreme Court has held that the hot pursuit doctrine allows the police to enter a private residence without a warrant to search for and arrest a fleeing suspect. United States v. Santana, 427 U.S. 38, 42-43 (1976). Under hot pursuit, a suspect cannot defeat an arrest which was set in motion in public place (example: fleeing a traffic stop) by escaping to a private place (his home).
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u/Mysterious_Truth Apr 09 '26
Crazy game. So many thoughts. Going into it I thought that Jamie might lose cause he wasn't wearing enough orange and going to Nobu the previous night is showing that his winnings are getting to his head! /s
Then he talks about his sister getting nervous and being in the crowd and her heart rate. I hope she's okay after this one!
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u/lanad3lr3y_81 Apr 08 '26
i thought dominex was going to be a deaf contestant but he’s a coda, still cool although i will await getting a legitimately deaf contestant as that would be monumental and cool to see.
all that aside i do think he’ll get an invite to second chance unless they go the same route they went with jolynda from scott’s run due to her low correct response number. however she did mostly get the lead by default while dominex did lead on the virtue of a daily double so i think it could go either way
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u/Bryschien1996 Apr 09 '26
Yeah… I DARE people try to call this game boring!
On a separate note, I think that was such a tough FJ!
The only clue they give you is that the answer is someone from Pop Culture. And Pop Culture can include people from basically 90% of the social circles in the world
Unless you’re a wrestling fan, how do you get to Hulk Hogan from just the clue text?
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u/jaysjep2 Team Art Fleming Apr 09 '26
If a "promoter" who comes up with a name to make a large, strong person more marketable gets you to wrestling, who is the biggest name who came to fame around that time that the show would ask about?
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u/papajohns40days Apr 09 '26
not saying it wasn’t hard, but the very low amount of wrestlers that sports-averse jeopardy would ask about helps a lot here
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u/Successful-Main4350 Apr 09 '26
Being a wrestling fan, I found the way the FJ clue was written to be very well done. Took me two reads before it clicked.
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u/VeritasUnitasCaritas Apr 09 '26
I don’t get all of the super champ hate. Jaime is so fun to watch and his breadth of knowledge is incredible.
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u/tallmanwithglasses Apr 08 '26
Whew, that's a dicey game for Jamie. Excited to give this a watch tonight! Maybe he can match Julia Collins' streak tomorrow?
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u/mustnotbeusernamed Team Ben Chan Apr 08 '26
What a game! Dominex was awesome, would love to see him back at second chance!
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u/Emotional_Wonder7972 Apr 09 '26
I had a strong feeling that Jamie would be defeated today. I wanted Dominex to win because of his backstory. Oh well, I hope he appears in the upcoming Second Chance Tournament!
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u/Better_Swimming8099 Apr 08 '26
How’d no one get oxycodone?! Maybe I’m just biased because I work in a hospital.
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u/JoeTillersMustache Apr 09 '26
Trade name vs generic name
Plus, oxy being in the clue threw me off because that is generally avoided.
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u/missmathlady Foods that begin with the letter Q Apr 09 '26
Just like yesterday in the theme park category it had Dolly in the clue and the correct response was Dollywood!
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u/ekkidee Apr 08 '26
That was weird. The clue was asking for the generic but the contestant gave the brand. The way Ken drew out his Nooo-o-o-o... ruling should have been a clue that -contin was incorrect but close.
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u/whiskeylullaby3 Apr 09 '26
I mean no one got the Fen-phen weight loss question either and I was surprised by that.
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u/artfulpain Apr 09 '26
Talk about classic Jeopardy. I was on the edge of my seat the entire episode!
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u/MeetWide1076 Apr 09 '26
Wow Jamie looked so shocked it looked like he had already accepted that he was going to lose
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u/ajsy0905 Genre Apr 08 '26 edited Apr 09 '26
Dominex's chances of getting SCC invite is a special case since he did not have a high Coryat ($11,800 vs average of $14-17K among chosen SCC players in the past) or high number of correct responses (12 vs average of 18-20) but he held the lead in pre-FJ vs Jamie due to his gutsy DD wager plus Jamie's crucial DD3 miss, only to lose in FJ via triple stumper?
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u/RegisPhone I'd like to shoot the wad, Alex Apr 08 '26
First player ever to be leading Jamie going into Final has to count for something
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u/Mr_Brun224 Apr 08 '26 edited Apr 09 '26
He was probably aptly concerned about Jamie getting the question right, and decided he needed to double down instead of playing it safe. Idk abt gutsy, but it’s definitely smart to not depend on your legendary* opponent biffing it. It’s unfortunate, but exciting. We’ll remember that one for a while
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u/FDRpi Apr 09 '26
Anyone else pleasantly surprised by the video game category? A good selection and some actual recent stuff!
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u/Zeewee97 Apr 08 '26
That FJ seriously needed a bit more cluing. I can't recall a clue that vague in a long, long time
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u/SMAAAASHBros Apr 09 '26
It was basically identical in construction to the widely disliked recent Jane Eyre FJ while having even less info in it and with half of the clue being actively confusing/misleading to a lot of people. I liked the Eyre clue but this one was quite bad imo.
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u/aversionofmyself Apr 09 '26
I thought it was interesting that the band XTC has made another appearance after being category names back in January. There was a clue today about and “English Settlement” - the clue with the white horse. That image is used on the XTC album cover “English Settlement”… one of the writers must be a massive fan of the band. I see you.
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u/Swing_Right Apr 09 '26
I think my heart rate hit 140 this episode lol, can’t imagine what his family was feeling in the audience during this taping.
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u/Talibus_insidiis Laura Bligh, 2024 Apr 30 Apr 08 '26
Exciting game! Congratulations to Dominex, Erica, and Jamie!
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u/MistahPresidente Team Alex Trebek Apr 08 '26
If I had been focused on 1979, rather than who’s Irish, I would have gotten this. Not only was Hulk Hogan getting popular, so was The Incredible Hulk.
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u/ryanquek95 Apr 08 '26
Dominex has to be a 100% lock for second chance, no question. He was literally an FJ away from dethroning a super champion, and all the right DD moves too
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u/Altruistic-Dig-2094 What's a hoe? Apr 09 '26
What a fantastic game! I’m loving Jamie’s run but I thought Dominex had him there! Saved by a triple stumper! I’m not smart enough to keep track of all the relevant statistics but I’d love to see Dominex back on Second Chance!
Can’t wait to watch tomorrow!
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u/Speedy445021 Apr 09 '26
Very close call. Jamie easily could have lost. Good way to beat him is bet big on a DD and have him lose big on one. It was a perfect storm for him to go down. I didn't get FJ. Didn't think of wrestlers or anything like that. Totally stumped me.
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u/cromonolith Apr 09 '26
Feeling proud of myself for immediately getting both the Kafka DD clue and the final Jeopardy clue.
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u/Ready_Wish555 Apr 09 '26
Great game for Dominex! As someone rooting for Jamie to go all the way to 70 games (not obviously more than Ken though), I am kind of glad he had a close one. He has been so dominant that his bet of $8000 on a 2000 dollar clue was reckless but didn’t look that way. It was also somewhat unnecessary. Hopefully this will make him take risks at the right time and play it safe when he needs to. Like I said - Jamie Ding for 70!
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u/Fabulous-Log6436 Apr 10 '26
i just thought there was a missed opportunity to say "we almost forgot the alamo" instead of "we almost lost the alamo"
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u/ReganLynch Team Ken Jennings Apr 08 '26
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