‘Jeopardy!’ Favorite Loses Wildcard But Shockingly Makes ToC
The Jeopardy! Wildcard Tournament just ended. It was an exciting tournament that went to the very last question. In the final game, fan favorite Drew Goins played against Will Yancy and Mehal Shah for his chance to compete in the Tournament of Champions.
While Drew lost, fans were surprised when they learned that Drew was still headed to the Tournament of Champions as the runner-up, which isn’t usually the case. Here is what you need to know.
What Happened In Jeopardy! Wildcard Tournament Finals?
The Jeopardy! Champions Wildcard Tournament is a two-day tournament and has a rolling score. The contestants included Drew Goins, a journalist from Honolulu, Hawaii, Will Yancey, a lecturer of history from Banquete, Texas, and Mehal Shah, a software engineer from Seattle, Washington.
The scores that carried over from Day 1 had the game start with Mehal in the lead with $27,200, Drew in second place with $17,600, and Will in last place with $5,600. By the time the three headed into Final Jeopardy!, Mehal had made $19,000. Drew stayed in second with $10,200. Will had just $3,600.
This led to the final, which was “Composers.” Ken read the clue, “Troll Hill” is the name of his country home, the grounds of which include a concert hall & a lakeside cabin where he worked.” The answer was, “Who was Grieg?” It was a triple stumper, and no one guessed it right.
Mehal bid nothing since he was in the dominating lead, and he won the Wildcard Tournament. This means he moves on to the Tournament of Champions. Drew took second place.
Why Is Drew Goins Playing In Jeopardy! Tournament Of Champions?
However, even though Drew lost the Jeopardy! Wildcard Tournament, he also moved on to the Tournament of Champions as well. This should come as no surprise to our readers, as we previously reported the runner-up would also move on to the ToC. For those who were surprised, here is what happened.
Usually, the Celebrity Jeopardy! Champion gets an automatic qualifier for the Tournament of Champions. However, the champion, Lisa Ann Walter (Abbott Elementary), was unable to return because of scheduling conflicts and had to give up her role in the tournament. Since there was an open spot and there were not enough automatic qualifiers, the production team chose to have the Wildcard runner-up also move to the ToC.
This means Drew Goins is headed to the tournament along with Mehal. The top three winners this year all get byes in the first round. Those three players are Adriana Harmeyer (15 wins), Isaac Hirsch (9 wins), and Drew Basile (7 wins). There were only four other automatic qualifiers (with five wins or more), so the ToC sent auto invites to four game winners (there were only four of those, too).
What are your thoughts on Drew making it to the Jeopardy! Tournament of Champions as a runner-up? Let us know in the comments below.
- Distracted Robin Roberts Refuses To Speak To ‘GMA’ Co-Hosts - April 17, 2025
- Kelly Ripa Says Mark Consuelos Obsession Has Helped Marriage - April 17, 2025
- ‘Live’ Kelly Ripa Gets Snippy, Tells Audience Member Who’s Boss - April 17, 2025