[Warning: The below contains MAJOR spoilers for the May 4 episode of Jeopardy!]
Hannah Wilson, a data scientist from Chicago, Illinois, is impressing viewers after just two episodes of Jeopardy! — but how long could she go?
Hannah (with a one-day total of $25,800) went up against croupier Warren Grace and translator and editor Marie Claude Dussault, and that came after Hannah defeated a three-game winner (Kevin Belle), responding correctly to 24 clues, as host Mayim Bialik noted. She continued to dominate in her second game, answering 17 correctly in the Jeopardy round and 16 in Double Jeopardy.
Hannah also found all three Daily Doubles (after uncovering two in the previous game). She was leading after both rounds; Warren was closest to her after the first (with $3.000 to her $13,000), then Marie Claude heading into Final Jeopardy (with $5,600 to her $35,200). Hannah then got the last clue, in the category “Bodies of Water” (“Formed some 10,000-15,000 years ago & with an average depth of only about 150 feet, it’s named for a man who sailed through it in 1728”) correct (the answer was Bering Strait) and ended the game well ahead of the others, with $45,200. That gives her a two-day total of $71,000.
Fans on Reddit are already predicting that these two days are just the beginning. “I’m settling in. It’s gonna be another person who goes on forever. Hannah loves to go in for the kill,” one user wrote, with another agreeing, “yeah Hannah’s definitely gonna go 5+ days barring a major competitor.”
Some think that her job might contribute to her success. “Very impressive performance by Hannah! She clearly has a broad base of knowledge, and I’m looking forward to seeing her go on a run,” one viewer suggested, with another replying, “She’s a data scientist, and I think that data scientists tend to perform better than an average contestant.” That person added, “Data scientists like Hannah tend to have a big advantage due to their strong analytical skills, pattern recognition abilities, critical thinking, extensive knowledge, research skills, and quick decision-making. She must have done a lot of preparation by using these types of skills.”
For one viewer who praised Hannah’s ”incredibly impressive performance … As a lifelong fan who is trans, I’m so excited to see yet another trans person — after Amy, Mattea, and Rowan last year — put in such an impressive performance!” Amy Schneider, who won last year’s Tournament of Champions, also chimed in on Twitter to congratulate Hannah after her first win.
Huge congratulations to Hannah Wilson!!! Welcome to the Guild of Jeopardy Champion Trans Women, one of us will be in contact shortly to explain the secret handshake and so forth
— Amy Schneider (@Jeopardamy) May 4, 2023
Fans have even started to speculate what it could be like to see Hannah face off with Ben Chan when he returns for the May 15 game. “When Ben interrupted his run last month, I was thinking how it would be interesting if he faces a superchamp when he returns. It’s looking like that could happen. How would they decide who gets the champ’s podium? Coin flip I guess,” one person pondered.
Ben won three games in a row before the April 17 episode introduced three new contestants. “The returning champ found themselves unable to travel this week. What that means is, never fear, we’ll have Ben back on at a later date,” host Ken Jennings said at the time. Ben later explained that he tested positive for COVID.
Do you think Hannah and Ben could face off in the May 15 episode?
Jeopardy!, Weekdays, check local listings