And the winner of the ‘Jeopardy!’ Tournament of Champions is ...
After being delayed amid the writers strike, the “Jeopardy!” Tournament of Champions finally arrived and made the wait worth the while.
The competition included the “largest contestant field in Tournament of Champions history” and marked the first time a celebrity competed, the Deseret News previously reported. After nine quarterfinal and three semifinal games, contestants Ben Chan, Yogesh Raut and Troy Meyer were the three competitors left vying for the $250,000 prize.
And on Tuesday night, after a rigorous final series that went to six games, one of them became the newest winner of the Tournament of Champions.
Here’s a look at the 2024 Tournament of Champions winner — and how he secured his victory.
Who won the 2024 ‘Jeopardy!’ Tournament of Champions?
The $250,000 prize went to whoever could claim three wins first.
Going into Tuesday’s game, Raut and Chan had an equal advantage with two wins each (Meyer had one). But ultimately, it was Raut who pulled off the third win.
His victory Tuesday is especially impressive considering he didn’t land on any Daily Doubles, and therefore didn’t get the opportunity to make large wagers, per “Jeopardy!” archives. Going into the Final Jeopardy round, Raut was actually in second place with $16,600, but only trailing Meyer by $3,200. Chan, who lost $9,600 on a Daily Double in the second round, was far behind with $3,200.
But the game was still in reach for anyone — it just all came down to the following Final Jeopardy clue:
The human body: “This glandular organ that starts to shrink at puberty is known for being where the cells key to adaptive immunity develop.”
Only Chan got it right: the thymus.
Chan wagered all of his $3,200 and doubled his total score to $6,400. Meyer, who was in the lead, made a large wager and lost $13,401 on the clue, dropping to just $1 below Chan, per The Jeopardy Fan website. And while Raut also missed the clue, his smaller wager of $3,201 secured his victory.
Raut is now the newest winner of the Tournament of Champions, following Amy Schneider’s win in 2022, per Deseret News.
What clues stumped all three contestants?
Per “Jeopardy!” archives, the following four clues stumped all three contestants during Game 6:
Newer machines and inventions: “With a name like another musical instrument, the “O-” this uses an optical sensor and keyboard to make violin music.”
Jeoportmanteau: “A temporary stay + a writer for a newspaper or magazine.”
Books and authors: “A dessert made from a family recipe is the title of this Charmaine Wilkerson novel that became a Hulu series in 2023.”
Underground: “It’s a homophone of a word meaning the opposite of easy or soft, but this soft rock made possible the ancient tunnel city of Derinkuyu.”
For more clues that stumped all three contestants throughout the tournament, see this Deseret News article.
Now it’s time for the ‘Jeopardy!’ Invitational Tournament
When one “Jeopardy!” tournament ends, a new one begins.
On Wednesday, the show will begin its inaugural “Jeopardy!” Invitational Tournament, which features a mix of popular players in recent years (like “Jeopardy!” Masters competitors Amy Schneider, Sam Buttrey and Andrew He) and some fun throwbacks (like Chuck Forrest, the 1986 Tournament of Champions winner).
Throughout the tournament, the contestants will compete for the $100,000 grand prize and an invitation to compete in the upcoming “Jeopardy!” Masters tournament, according to a news release sent to the Deseret News.
The players will compete across nine quarterfinal and three semifinal games, with the top three players competing in a first-to-win-two series.
Per a “Jeopardy!” news release, below is the full roster of contestants:
Brandon Blackwell — a 2008 Teen Tournament semifinalist and current competitor on ABC’s “The Chase.”
Colby Burnett — a 2012 Teachers Tournament winner, 2013 Tournament of Champions winner, Battle of the Decades semifinalist and All-Star Games second runner-up.
Sam Buttrey — a 2021 Professors Tournament winner, 2022 Tournament of Champions second runner-up and 2023 “Jeopardy! Masters” participant.
Lilly Chin — a 2017 College Championship winner and 2017 Tournament of Champions semifinalist.
Arthur Chu — a Season 30 11-game champion and 2014 Tournament of Champions first runner-up.
Leonard Cooper — a 2013 Teen Tournament winner and All-Star Games competitor.
Celeste DiNucci — a Season 22 five-time champion, 2007 Tournament of Champions winner and Battle of the Decades participant.
Chuck Forrest — a Season 2 five-game champ, 1986 Tournament of Champions winner, Super Jeopardy! quarterfinalist, Million Dollar Masters tournament semifinalist, Ultimate Tournament of Champions Nifty Nine finisher and Battle of the Decades.
Dhruv Gaur — a 2018 College Championship winner and 2019 Tournament of Champions semifinalist.
Victoria Groce — a Season 22 one-game champion and current participant on ABC’s “The Chase.”
Andrew He — a Season 38 five-game champion, 2022 Tournament of Champions first runner-up and 2023 “Jeopardy!” Masters fourth-place finisher.
Ben Ingram — a Season 29 eight-game champion, 2014 Tournament of Champions winner and All-Star Games participant.
Matt Jackson — a Season 32 13-game champion, 2015 Tournament of Champions first runner-up and All-Star Games first runner-up. (Note: Jackson sits at No. 10 for both highest winnings in regular season play and all-time winnings on the “Jeopardy!” Leaderboard of Legends).
Alex Jacob — a Season 31 six-game champion, 2015 Tournament of Champions winner and All-Star Games competitor.
Mackenzie Jones — a Season 36 eight-game champion and 2021 Tournament of Champions quarterfinalist.
Sam Kavanaugh — a Season 35 five-game champion and 2021 Tournament of Champions winner.
Larissa Kelly — a Season 24 six-game champion, 2009 Tournament of Champions first runner-up, Battle of the Decades participant and All-Star Games winner. (Note: Kelly sits at No. 9 for all-time winnings on the “Jeopardy!” Leaderboard of Legends).
Alan Lin — a Season 33 six-game champion, 2017 Tournament of Champions first runner-up and 2019 All-Star Games second runner-up.
David Madden — a Season 21/22 19-game champion, 2006 Tournament of Champions semifinalist and All-Star Games winner. (Note: Madden sits at No. 7 for all-time “Jeopardy!” winnings, No. 8 for highest winnings in regular season play and No. 8 for most consecutive games won, per the Leaderboard of Legends).
Pam Mueller — a 2000 College Championship winner, 2001 Tournament of Champions semifinalist, 2005 Ultimate Tournament of Champions Sweet Six finisher, Battle of the Decades semifinalist and All-Star Games second runner-up.
Terry O’Shea — a 2014 College Championship winner and 2014 Tournament of Champions semifinalist.
Dan Pawson — a Season 24 nine-game champion, 2009 Tournament of Champions winner and Battle of the Decades quarterfinalist.
Jennifer Quail — a Season 36 eight-game champion and 2021 Tournament of Champions first runner-up.
Austin Rogers — a Season 34 12-game champion, 2017 Tournament of Champions second runner-up and All-Star Games participant.
Amy Schneider — a Season 38 40-game champion, 2022 Tournament of Champions winner and “Jeopardy!” Masters fifth-place finisher. (Note: Schneider is second behind only Ken Jennings for most “Jeopardy!” games won. She also sits at No. 4 for highest winnings in regular season play, and No. 5 for all-time “Jeopardy!” winnings, per the Leaderboard of Legends).
Monica Thieu — a 2012 College Championship winner, 2013 Tournament of Champions quarterfinalist and All-Star Games first runner-up.
Jason Zuffranieri — a Season 35/36 19-game champion and 2021 Tournament of Champions semifinalist. (Note: Zuffranieri sits at No. 8 in a tie with Madden for most consecutive games won. He also sits at No. 7 for highest winnings in regular season play, per the Leaderboard of Legends).
Answers: (1. the “O-bow,” an optical bow; 2. sojournalist; 3. Black cake; 4. tuff)