‘Jeopardy!’ Final Question Drama as Game Is Decided by Big Wager

Did Jeopardy! champion James Denison secure his spot in the next Tournament of Champions with win number five, or did someone else win? The game was decided by a big wager on the final question.

Denison, Alexandria, Virginia, went into game five on March 12 with a four-day total of $99,400. On Thursday, he played against Luke Henson, from East Moline, Illinois, and Lydia Cawley, from Arlington, Virginia. Warning: This post contains spoilers for the March 12 episode of Jeopardy!. 

By the first 15 clues, Denison, a college professor and museum curator, and Henson, a grocer, were tied at $3,000 each. Cawley, a director of product, had $200.

Denison took the lead when he found the Daily Double on clue 18. He had $4,400 and wagered all of his money. In “3-Letter Verbs,” the clue read, “To work diligently at your trade, or to push alcohol on someone.” Denison correctly answered, “What is ply?” giving him $8,800.

By the end of the round, Denison maintained the lead with $11,000. Henson had $3,600. Cawley was in third place with $1,000.

In Double Jeopardy, Denison found the first DD on clue six. He had $12,200 in his bank and wagered $5,400 in “Lakes & Rivers.” The clue was “About 2/3 of Venezuela’s oil output comes from the Basin of this large lake, now greatly polluted as a result.”

“What is… Titicaca?” he answered incorrectly. The correct response was Lake Maracaibo. Denison dropped down to $6,800, only $800 ahead of Henson. The game show contestant swore under his breath after he got it wrong.

“This game just got a little bit closer,” host Ken Jennings said.

Cawley had $2,200 when she found the last DD on clue 12. She wagered all of her money in “Entertainment by the Numbers.” The clue read, “Songs from this Broadway musical include ‘The Lees of Old Virginia’ & ‘Sit Down, John.'”

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“What is… Hello, Mary?” she answered incorrectly. The correct response was 1776, so Cawley dropped down to $0.

Denison had the lead by the end of the round with $14,400. Henson had $8,400. Cawley remained in third place with $1,200.

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The category for Final Jeopardy was “21st Century Women.” The clue read, “The Iowa legislature passed a resolution declaring February 22,  2024, her day across the state.”

Only one contestant got the correct response of Caitlin Clark. Cawley’s response was “Who is Gauff?” She wagered $27, giving her a total of $1,173. Henson had the correct response and wagered $8,938. This gave him a final total of $16,978. Dension wrote, “Who is Collins?” He wagered $5,999, making his final total $8,401.

This made Henson the new winner. Denison left with four wins under his belt and almost $100,000. Jennings shared that he will be in the TOC. Henson will return on Friday, March 13, for his second game.

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