Jeopardy! crowns High School Reunion Tournament winner in A-plus moment despite final clue ripped as

August 25, 2024

JUSTIN Bolsen has won Jeopardy!'s High School Reunion Tournament, $100K, and a ticket to the 2023 Tournament of Champions.

The Brown University freshman looked overjoyed and although the final clue seemed oddly low-brow for some fans, they were too - especially since he won by just $363.

Mayim, 47 hosted the fiery finale of the 14-episode High School Reunion Tournament.

Twenty-seven former Teen Tournament contestants who first duked it out in 2018 and 2019 have competed, and three remained.

Justin, Vanderbilt junior Jackson Jones, and Emory senior Maya Wright went head-to-head tonight and yesterday.

The finals were a two-day total point affair meaning the student with the highest combined score of both games wins.

'CONGRATULATIONS JUSTIN!'

Jackson had an opportunity to close the book when he landed on the last Daily Double of the episode, but he was incorrect and lost $3.2K.

As a result, it was a fight to the finish and the scores going into Final Jeopardy saw Maya at $14,200 (plus $3,370 yesterday), Justin at $11,000 (plus $13,570 yesterday), and Jackson at $5,600 (plus $24,000 yesterday).

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Final Jeopardy under "Landmarks" read: "After its completion in the late 19th c., it was called 'a truly tragic street lamp' & a 'high & skinny pyramid of iron ladders.'"

Everyone was correct with "What is The Eiffel Tower" and Justin flashed a thumbs up while the 30-second Jeoaprdy! tune played.

Indeed, he nearly doubled up to $21,991 and his two-day score was revealed to be $35,561.

Jackson was left with a smidge less - $35,198 - and Maya with $24,610 - so Justin narrowly but decisively took win and looked absolutely thrilled.

He flashed a winning grin as a golden $100K flashed over his podium.

"Congratulations Justin, you won $100,000 and you're in the Tournament of Champions!" Mayim exclaimed as the live crowd roared.

The other two finalists did not go home empty-handed - Jackson gets $50K and Maya $25K, all clapping graciously.

'JEOPARDY! KIDS EDITION?'

On Reddit, fans knocked the tournament's final clue for being a little obvious.

One fan wrote: "Was that one of the easiest FJs ever? That might be the most literal description of a landmark that's already one of the most iconic and thought of landmarks in the world."

Another wrote: "It’s absurd, honestly. The difficulty was all over the place this tournament, but that could’ve been the final of a Jeopardy Kids edition."

A third wondered: "Was that really the Final Jeopardy question? May as well have told them it's in France while you're at it."

DARK HORSE!

But the rest celebrated Justin's unexpected win (given he was behind Jackson going in) as one wrote: "I’m so happy for Justin! He’s just the cutest!!"

"Pays to wear a suit, boys," wrote another.

One of the semi-finalists Caleb Richmond wrote he was in the audience and that "Justin has a resounding fan club."

Justin is studying economics and international and public affairs at Brown.

In his quarter-finals game, Justin showed he was not messing around with a huge $8,800 Daily Double bet, and advancing from there.

Waiting in the wings to now face him are some serious quizzers like Cris Pannullo (21 wins) and Troy Meyer (6 wins).

“It’s going to be crazy,” Justin said in a statement. “I think everybody knows that people who go on mega-streaks are really, really good, so I can only hope to do my best against them. We’ll see what they have in store for me.”

It's worth noting right now the 2023 Tournament of Champions has a lineup of only men, but he earned his way there and who doesn't love a dark horse?

GLITCH FOR THE BOOKS

There was a newsmaking blunder last episode and in the first half of the finals which smudged Jeopardy!'s record a bit.

The contestants' final scores on their podiums flashed on-screen for multiple seconds before the game had begun.

The U.S. Sun was the first to report the antenna-adjusting incident on March 8's episode when it aired.

Mayim was congratulating the finalists and wished them good luck when the camera cut to their final tallies showing.

Jackson's $24,000, Justin's $13,570, and Maya's $3,370 (combined with their scores tonight) remained on screen for several seconds and were indeed their totals in the end.

Jeopardy! could not spoil the ultimate result of the college students’ fierce faceoff, because it’s a two-game match, but it certainly caused a ruckus.

Clamoring fans took to Twitter calling the slip-up everything from a "big oopsie" to a "horrendous" look for the game show.