Who won Jeopardy! tonight, July 20?
By Matt Moore
The end of the week is in sight, but there is still more Jeopardy! to be play. Find out who won tonight, July 20.
Season 39 will draw to a close in the coming weeks. Whether or not Jeopardy! returns for season 40 remains up in the air. The ongoing writers’ strike could mean that the game show is delayed. Until then, this season still has a few games left.
Who is the current Jeopardy! champion?
Thursday night’s game featured the return of two-day champion David Bederman. He entered tonight’s game with $52,802 in winnings.
He faced off against Toula Ballas, a publishing consultant from New York City, and Nik Berry, a social studies teacher from Baltimore, Maryland.
It was a relatively close game in the “Jeopardy!” round. Bederman finished in the lead with $4,000, while Ballas sat in second with $2,000 followed by Berry with $1,400.
Thanks to hitting on both “Daily Double” questions, Bederman held a lead after “Double Jeopardy!” play. He had $14,800 to give himself a lead over Berry’s $10,200. Ballas never got any momentum and ended the round with $4,800.
However, Ballas was the only player to correctly answer “Final Jeopardy!.” But a smart wager by Berry gave him the victory. Nik Berry is the new Jeopardy! champion.
What was tonight’s Final Jeopardy! question?
Tonight’s “Final Jeopardy!” question was a good one for anyone who studied British Romanticism. Here’s the clue in the category “19th Century British Poems”:
The author of this unfinished epic poem was unsure if he wanted the title character to “end in hell—or in an unhappy marriage”
Answer: What is “Don Juan”?
The correct answer was the Lord Byron epic poem composed between 1819 and 1824. Returning champion David Bederman guessed “Leviathan.” Toula Ballas answered correctly and added $4,790 to her score. Nik Berry incorrectly wrote down “Rime of the Ancient Mariner,” but only risked $599. It was enough to give him the win by a margin of just $11.
Who won Jeopardy! tonight, July 20?
To recap, here’s how Jeopardy! finished for Thursday, July 20:
1. Nik Berry: $9,601
2. Toula Ballas: $9,590
3. David Bederman: $9,199
Berry will return to play in the next game as the returning champion.