Attorney and theater producer Adam Remsen from Memphis, Tennessee, returned for a third time to defend his title as Jeopardy! champion. With a two-day total of $35,801, the multihyphenate looked to keep his position as champ against two new competitors: government employee Nabil Rahman from Queens, New York, and Sarah McCleskey, an academic librarian from Astoria, New York. Would he succeed? Warning: Spoilers ahead for Jeopardy! for June 16.
“Our champion, Adam Remsen, is coming off his second win, and he told us after the game yesterday that he actually felt more nervous in game No. 2 than he did last week,” said host Ken Jennings. “But his nervousness did not seem to have affected his confidence because he also pointed out after the game that, at the moment, he has a lifetime high winning percentage on Jeopardy! than I do!”
Remsen started the game with “Colorful Language” for $800: “This nickname of heavyweight champ Joe Louis is inscribed on his headstone at Arlington National Cemetery.” With the correct answer, “the Brown Bomber,” Remsen was the first on the board.
In the chat portion of the show, McCleskey discussed her plans for her possible Jeopardy! winnings. She revealed that she and her wife were building their dream home in Scotland and that her goal was simply to win enough money to pay for the kitchen. Rahman, meanwhile, shared that traveling to the Alex Trebek Stage marked the first time he had ever flown on an airplane. “I don’t know what Jerry Seinfeld‘s problem was … the food was pretty good,” Rahman joked.
Champ Remsen explained that he had been trying out for Jeopardy! for more than 20 years. “The first time I auditioned was in 2003, when the Brain Bus used to come around from city to city, and I went down there,” recalled Remsen. “I auditioned, and I actually got the call a few months later, but I had some kind of conflict, and I couldn’t go. So I’ve auditioned whenever I could since then, and now, 23 years later, here I am.”
The first Daily Double was found under “Go With the Flow” for $600 by Rahman. He wagered his entire total of $2,200 on the clue: “The Dong Nai & Ben Cat join this river, which still goes by its original name, unlike the former capital it flows through.” Unfortunately, he lost everything with the incorrect answer, “Mekong.” The correct answer was Saigon.
By the end of the first round, Rahman had recovered somewhat but was still in third place with $1,600, while McCleskey was in second with $3,600. Remsen led with $8,000.
Rahman found the second Daily Double hiding under “5-Letter Adjectives” for $1,600. With $2,800 to play with, he once again made it a true Daily Double on the clue: “This colorful adjective is used to describe both a lion’s coat & a type of port wine.” Rahman answered, “What is … brown?” losing his winnings with the wrong answer. The correct answer was tawny.
Remsen found the third and final Daily Double as the ninth clue under “Whose What?” for $1,200. Betting $4,000 on the clue, “This Moscow landmark is also known as the Church of the Intercession on the Moat,” Remsen answered correctly, “What is St. Basil’s Cathedral?” His new total was $16,800.
By the end of Double Jeopardy!, Remsen was in yet another runaway lead with $28,400, while McCleskey was in second with $6,000 and Rahman was third with $1,600.
In the Final Jeopardy category of “Hollywood Names,” the trio was given the clue: “He’s got 12 Oscar nominations & 2 wins & a Henry Mancini Award from ASCAP & in 2018 received the German Order of Merit.”
Rahman answered, “Who is Hans Zimmer?” but wagered only $25, bringing his total to $1,625. McCleskey answered incorrectly with “Who is John Williams?,” losing $2,700 and bringing her total to $3,300. Did Remsen get it right?
Remsen incorrectly answered, “Who is Frankenheimer?,” but wagered only $6,600. With his new total of $21,800, Remsen remained the champion and increased his three-day total to $57,601.
Jeopardy!, weekdays, check local listings, stream next day on Hulu and Peacock