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[Warning: The below contains MAJOR spoilers for the April 8 episode of Jeopardy!]
The Jeopardy! Invitational Tournament will go to Game 3, and while two of the finalists—stay-at-home dad Andrew He, writer and television personality Victoria Groce, and writer Amy Schneider—each have one win, fans are already predicting who will walk away with it all.
Heading into the second game, Schneider already had one win after what host Ken Jennings called “an epic battle” with Groce on Friday. Schneider needed the last clue in the Double Jeopardy! round to keep the win within reach, Jennings noted, and was the only one to answer Final Jeopardy! correctly to win by $801. The first player to two wins is named Champion, take home $100,000, and earn a spot in the next Jeopardy! Masters.
Schneider and Groce were tied at the first commercial break during the Jeopardy! round, but the former (thanks to a true Daily Double) held the lead at the end of it ($8,800 to Groce’s $6,800 and He’s $3,000.)
But heading into Final Jeopardy!, Groce had taken the lead—“A very impressive game for Victoria again, but Amy, not that far behind,” Jennings said—with $37,600 to Schneider’s $26,000. All three players got Final Jeopardy! correct, with Groce taking the win ($52,001 to Schneider’s $27,601), forcing a game 3.
Fans on Reddit are not only celebrating Groce’s win but also taking her performance in these first two games as a sign that she could very well win it all—and with the third game of the Finals—to set the stage for quite the match-up in Masters.
“Jeopardy has entered the victorian era,” one person wrote. “All hail the queen.”
Another celebrated Groce’s win by reiterating something fans have been saying, that they want “fresh blood” in Masters. “I’m glad Victoria won. She won deservedly, too. And I hope she’ll win tomorrow as well,” the person shared. “James v. Victoria may turn into an historic matchup.”
Agreed another, “2 people from the chase competing would be fun!”
At least one person does expect Groce to win Game 3. “I would be surprised if this didn’t end tomorrow. I have been rooting for Victoria this entire tournament, and it would be a shame if she didn’t win since she let the first game slip through her grasp,” that viewer wrote. “I like Amy and Andrew too, but they don’t seem to be quite on James’ level. It will be fascinating to see Victoria battle James if she ends up winning JIT.”
For some fans, seeing how well Groce is doing now makes them think about what could have happened her first time competing in 2005.
“Victoria is absolutely insane! It makes me wonder how far she would have gone if she played just like this in her debut,” one pondered.
“Same here. If Victoria was as great as she is now back in 2005, she certainly could’ve gone on a major streak (probably about as long as someone like Arthur Chu and Matt Jackson) and would’ve been the overwhelming favorite in the 2006 TOC,” another suggested.
While at least one viewer thinks that Groce and Schneider are “evenly matched, others disagreed, saying Groce “is on a different level” and “this tournament would’ve already been over today had Victoria just gotten like one or two more clues around the end of DJ on Friday thus negating FJ.”
What do you think of the JIT finals so far? Who do you want to win and who do you think will win? Let us know in the comments section, below.
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