SALT LAKE CITY — Betsy Knudson, an attorney from Salt Lake City, won big on Tuesday night’s “Jeopardy” and will be competing in her second game today.
The attorney was up against one-day champion Angela Ward, from Longview, Texas, and Farhad Mahmoudi of Encinitas, California.
Knudson’s love of all things trivia was brought up during introductions with host Alex Trebek, when she expressed gratitude to her boyfriend for converting their formal dining room into a library, an act she said was “much more useful and very much appreciated.”
The attorney was quick on the buzzer and took a large lead at the end of the first half with $8,600 — $5,000 more than Mahmoudi, who finished the half in second place.
Entering the Double Jeopardy round, Knudson continued to speed through the clues, particularly showing an affinity for the category titled “Transylvania.” She correctly answered all of the clues in this category, bringing her total to $16,000.
After securing this lead, Knudson remained relatively quiet throughout the rest of the half, giving the other contestants a chance to close in on the gap. However, the game remained a runaway until the third to last question, when Mahmoudi correctly answered a Daily Double question and wagered enough to remain in the running.
Going into the Final Jeopardy round, Knudson had the lead with $21,200. Mahmoudi followed in second with $15,400 and Ward trailed in third with $8,400.
The final question referenced the name of a Canadian whisky brand that when reversed, formed the name of a cola. All three contestants responded correctly with “What is Crown Royal.” Mahmoudi wagered enough to get a one dollar lead over Knudson, who then revealed her $8,000 wager that brought her total to the large sum of $29,200.
Viewers can see if Knudson’s winning streak will continue tonight at 6:30 p.m. on KJZZ Salt Lake City.