‘Jeopardy!’ Contestant Has Huge Win After Spelling Bee Question

Jeopardy! crowned another winner who had a runaway lead after a spelling bee final clue. Paolo Pasco returned for his second game after a runaway game one.

Pasco, from San Diego, California, played against Jill Frechette, from West Boylston, Massachusetts, and Andy Miller, from Nashville, Tennessee, on Thursday, September 11. The reigning champion had a one-day total of $20,001 that he tried to add to.

Miller, a math professor, dominated the first half of the round. He had the lead with $3,800 when he found the Daily Double. Miller wagered $3,000 in “This Old Thing?” The clue read, “It was found in 1799 by a Frenchman named Bouchard or Boussard, whose name must’ve been written down in parallel texts.” He correctly answered, “What is the Rossetta Stone?” giving him $6,800.

The rest of the round was a fight for first place between Miller and Pasco, a puzzle writer. By the end of the round, Miller led with $8,600. Pasco was in second with $6,600. Frechette, a research data analyst, ended the round with $1,200.

In Double Jeopardy, Pasco found the first DD on clue two. With $7,400 in his bank, he wagered $4,200. In “Oscar Winning Title References,” the clue was “1988: How a young Charlie Babbitt mispronounced his older brother’s name.” He correctly answered with “What is Rain Man?” Pasco moved into first place with $11,600.

Just a few clues later, Pasco found the last DD of the round. He had $12,800 in his bank and wagered $3,200. If he got it wrong, he would still be in the lead, but not by much. In “Writers at Rest,” the clue read, “She may not be fully at rest in an English churchyard as vandals chiseled away the name Hughes on her gravestone more than once.” Pasco hesitated for a second before correctly answering, “Who is Sylvia Plath?” This brought him to $16,00.

Pasco continued to dominate the round, surpassing his opponents by a landslide. By the end of the round, he had $34,400. Miller ended with $12,200. Frechette was not able to participate in Final Jeopardy due to having -$400.

The category for Final Jeopardy was “Today Spelling Counts.” “The winning word at the first Scripps National Spelling Bee was this, a plant & genus with sword-shaped leaves now on the trophy” was the clue. The correct response was gladiolus.

Both of the contestants answered incorrectly, but both wrote “What is Laurel?” Miller wagered $7,800 and ended with $4,400. Pasco wagered $204, giving him a final total of $34,196. He will be back tomorrow for his third game.

Some fans pointed out that, although it was a spelling question, host Ken Jennings didn’t spell out the answer when telling them what it was. “A bit of irony that for a Final Jeopardy category explicitly placing importance on spelling, Ken never actually spells out the word ‘gladiolus’ for the audience,” a Reddit user said.

“I was there, and that never occurred to me. Good point!” another replied.