[The following post contains MAJOR spoilers for the Thursday, June 12, episode of Jeopardy!]
Jeopardy! champion Matt Massie made a wild wager on the final question that almost cost him the win. He has a two-day total of $58,000 and tried for his third win after finding every Daily Double in his previous game.
The attorney, from South Charleston, West Virginia, faced off against Josh Prohofsky, from Jacksonville, Florida, and Sean Addie, from Cannon Falls, Minnesota, on Thursday, June 12.
Massie found the first Daily Double on the eighth clue. He had $1,000 in his bank and made it a true Daily Double. In “Hot, to Go,” the clue read, “You can get soup or mac & cheese in a bread bowl from this place with a name from Latin for ‘bread basket.’” He answered correctly with, “What’s Panera Bread?” giving him $2,000 and the lead.
However, by the first commercial break, one wrong answer had cost Massie the lead. He had $1,600. Addie, an attorney, was in first with $3,800. Prohofsky, a marketer, had $2,000.
During the interviews, Addie admitted something shocking — he has been in over 15 different prisons. However, it’s not what you think. Since Addie is an attorney, he works on criminal justice policies and goes to different jails to talk to the inmates and workers about how they can make the prisons better. He believes that his work has paid off.
Massie failed to take the lead during the second half of the round, ending it with $5,600. Addie maintained the lead at that point, with $6,400. Prohofsky dropped down to third with $1,800.
In Double Jeopardy, Prohofsky found the first DD of the round on the first clue. He had $1,800 but wagered up to the allotted $2,000. In “The English Past,” the clue read, “Published by Clarendon Press, this definitive reference work was completed in 1928 after 70 years of effort.” He answered incorrectly with Britannica. Prohofsky dropped down to -$200. The correct response was The Oxford English Dictionary.
Two clues later, Addie found the final DD. With a big lead of $7,200, he wagered $2,929. “Yeah. That’s what I was going to predict,” host Ken Jennings joked.
In “Reservoirs, Darling,” the clue was “Cities bordering Kuybyshev Reservoir, largest on the Volga River, include Ulyanovsk, now named for this leader who was born there.” “Who is Putin?” he incorrectly answered. The right response was Lennon. Addie dropped to $4,271, giving Massie the lead with $5,600.
“Sean here. When I made my daily double wager, my rationale was it would make it hard to calculate an appropriate wager for final jeopardy. Those taping days are long days and for us three coming from the East Coast, even longer. Matt and Josh were great competitors and I knew that to stand a chance I would have to think and play outside the box,” Addie wrote on Reddit.
Addie gave Massie a run for his money throughout the round. However, in the end, Massie maintained the lead with $18,800. Addie had $9,871 to not give Massie a complete runaway. Prohofsky ended the round with $8,200.
Did a risky wager end Massie’s winning streak? If his answer was wrong, it could have. The category for Final Jeopardy was “Broadway Cast Albums.” “In 2024, 21 years after it was first released, the original cast album for this show made the top 40 for the first time” was the clue.
The correct response was Wicked. Two of the players answered correctly. Addie, however, did not. He answered, “What is Rent?” The attorney wagered $9,871, ending with $0. Both Massie and Prohofsky answered, “Wicked.” Prohofsky wagered $3,000, giving him a final total of $11,200. Massie wagered $3,000, giving him $21,800.
If Addie had gotten it correct and Massie hadn’t, Addie would have won with $19,742. Although he was unsure of the category, Massie’s wager could have cost him another win. He will return on Friday, June 13, for his fourth game and a chance at the Tournament of Champions.
“Matt is a very strong player!!! I’m really liking him so far, hope he makes the TOC. What happened with his wager tho?? He seemed to overbet from the lead,” a Reddit user said.