Featured J!Buzz
Our Season 32 tournaments and special weeks provided more than their fair share of exciting gameplay: from the D.C. Power Players taking the stage to represent their favorite charities, to seasoned J! Champions competing for a hefty $250,000 pot. Don’t miss these four favorite storylines when we rewind these special episodes for you this summer. And if you missed any of the action when these shows first aired, proceed with caution! No winners revealed, but...spoilers ahead!
1. Tournament of Champions airing Aug. 1-12
With his 13-game winning streak still fresh in mind, everyone thought Matt Jackson would walk away with the Tournament of Champions win. But against a lineup of 14 other multiple winners, the ultimate prize was anyone’s claim.
How intense was the competition? When it was all over, this is what the runner-up had to say: “[The Champion] had a phenomenal timing for the buzzer...better than I’ve ever seen. Better than I’ve ever had.”
Hyperbole? Check out this observation from the man himself, Alex Trebek, who called it “the most dominant performance in any of our tournaments.” Now that’s saying something.
2. The College Championship’s Die-Hard Kanye Fan airing Aug. 15-19
The semifinals and finals of the College Championship provided all the rapid-score suspense you’ve come to expect from this perennial favorite, but we were most intrigued by contestant Sam Deutsch’s ardent fanship of Kanye West. Just moments after singing his praises in his interview with Alex, he was a moment too slow on the buzzer for the clue of a lifetime. Check it out.
3. Teachers Tournament: A Fantastic Final J! Response airing Aug. 22 to Sept. 2
Many of the games in this tournament came down to a Final Jeopardy! clue, which was also where we found our favorite Teachers Tournament moment. If a contestant has a “lock” on a game, or doesn’t know the correct response, sometimes they’ll use the Final Jeopardy! clue to make a joke or give a shout-out. We love that in one Final Jeopardy! round a nervous teacher dedicated his response to the DAR security guard who helped him with his tie.
4. Follow the Fun of Power Players Week airing Sept. 5-9
Key Players: Anderson Cooper, Louis C.K., Matthew Weiner, Kate Bolduan, Lara Logan, S.E. Cupp
The Power Players may be confident in their day jobs of delivering and making the news, but playing Jeopardy! in front of a live audience at DAR Constitution Hall in Washington, D.C., is enough to bring out the jitters in anyone. With a good chunk of money on the line for their favorite charities, they were by turns fiercely competitive and charmingly humble. But in the end, everyone came out a winner. This special week of shows collectively raised $357,400 – not to mention the supplemental
cash donations made by a few of our guest celebs. Our thanks again to all who came to play.
