SALT LAKE CITY — Betsy Knudson’s journey on “Jeopardy” came to a heartbreaking end Friday night.
During her second game on “Jeopardy,” Knudson was able to come from behind and win, but her valiant effort Friday did not yield this same result.
The Salt Lake City attorney was up against Ivan Plis of Washington D.C., and Lauren Cusitello — also an attorney — from San Diego, California.
Compared to her earlier games, Knudson was quieter on the buzzer, but she finished the first half in second place with $4,800 — $2,000 behind Plis and $1,600 ahead of Cusitello.
During the Double Jeopardy round, Knudson only answered a few questions, leaving her two other contenders to dominate the board. When Knudson finally got control of the board nearing the game’s end, she landed on a Daily Double question — which happened to be the very last question left on the board.
At this point, the attorney was trailing in third with $4,800 — $13,400 less than Plis, who was in the lead. Wanting to close in on the gap and stay in the running, Knudson made it a “true daily double” and wagered all of her money.
The Daily Double question was: “Glenohumeral is the medical name for this joint with greater range than any other in humans.”
Alex Trebek was looking for the answer “shoulder,” but Knudson incorrectly responded with “hip.”
As she had wagered all of her money and the question was the final one of the game, Knudson finished her fourth game with no money and was unable to participate in the Final Jeopardy round.
The final question referenced the poet who wrote in 1855: “I guess it must be the flag of my disposition, out of hopeful green stuff woven.”
Both Plis and Cusitello answered correctly with “Who is Walt Whitman,” but it was Plis who became the new "Jeopardy" champion, wagering $5,000 to bring his one-day total to $23,300.
Knudson accumulated a staggering total of $61,402 on her three-day “Jeopardy” winning streak.