Credit: Sean Black
Credit: Sean Black
Hosted by Ken Jennings and structured in the style of a Champions League, “Jeopardy! Masters” features six super champs: Matt Amodio, Buttrey, He, James Holzhauer, Mattea Roach, and Schneider.
“Jeopardy! Masters” consists of 10 one-hour episodes featuring two games among different combinations of the six contestants. After each game, match points are awarded: 3 for finishing first, 1 for finishing second and 0 for finishing third. Only the top three with the highest match point total will advance to the final, resulting in a champion who will win a grand prize of $500,000.
At the end of the Jeopardy! round, the dominant He led with 9,400 points followed by Buttrey with 4,800 and Schneider with 4,200.
Double Jeopardy! saw Schneider excitedly rebound after successfully wagering a true Daily Double in the category of “Isle B ‘C’ing You.”
The clue: “This rocky isle at the entrance to Manila Bay is home to the Pacific War Memorial.”
Answer: Corregidor.
However, her victory was short-lived. He found the other Daily Double, successfully wagered everything, and finished the round with 37,600 points. Schneider followed with 14,800 and Buttrey with 8,800.
The Final Jeopardy! clue in the category New England Women:
“At her funeral in 1936, it was said that ‘the touch of her hand... literally emancipated a soul.’”
Answer: Annie Sullivan. Buttrey guessed Clara Barton, wagered everything, and dropped to zero. Schneider opted for Mary Baker Eddy, wagered 5,000, and ended with 9,800 points. He failed to guess but didn’t wager, keeping him in the lead.
During the interview segment, Schneider reflected on the loss of her inspiring cousin.
“My wager on Final Jeopardy! the other day was my tribute to him,” she said. “I was a very cautious, shy kid, and he was always pushing me to try new things. He would force books into my hands and force me to listen to different bands – just always getting me out there. Sadly, he suddenly passed away over a decade ago, but I’m glad I was able to bring him into the show.”
The leaderboard at the end of the fourth episode: First: Holzhauer (9); Second: He (8); Third: Roach (7); Fourth: Amodio (3); Fifth: Schneider (3); and Sixth: Buttrey (2). The ranking takes into account the number of correct responses. Amodio is particularly ahead of Schneider in a tiebreaker based on games won. Also, only four players will advance to the semifinals.
“Jeopardy! Masters” returns Monday at 8 p.m. on ABC. The show will also stream on Hulu.
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