Harrison Whitaker was between jobs this past summer and tired of filling out applications.
In a break from the monotony, the 27-year old, who recently earned a doctorate from England’s University of Cambridge, decided to return to a dream he had unsuccessfully pursued during his early college days.
So he started a different kind of application — one for the quiz show “Jeopardy!”
“I just thought, ‘Well, if I have to do something that I can convince myself is productive, may as well be a ‘Jeopardy!’ application,’” Whitaker, who is originally from Terre Haute, Indiana, told the Indiana Statesman.
To his surprise, he kept advancing through the audition process. Eventually, he got the call from a “Jeopardy!” producer.
He was going to be on the show in six weeks.
As part of his preparation, Whitaker told the Indiana Statesman, he watched old “Jeopardy!” episodes at double speed and wrote down material he didn’t know that he could quiz himself on. He also paid special attention to American history content since he’s been living in the U.K. the last few years.
Now, that preparation has helped to make him a standout “Jeopardy!“ contestant.
Harrison Whitaker becomes 10-game ‘Jeopardy!’ champ
After Monday’s game, Whitaker is now a 10-day champ who has accrued more than $270,000.
In one game alone, he earned a staggering $50,000 — the highest single-game total of the season so far, “Jeopardy!” host Ken Jennings noted, per IndyStar.
Whitaker has also cemented his place in the 2027 Tournament of Champions, but right now, the focus is on his ongoing winning streak.
‘Jeopardy!’ clues Harrison Whitaker has missed
Here are 13 clues Whitaker has missed throughout his impressive run, per “Jeopardy!” archives. Can you answer them?
Share in the comments how many you answered correctly. (All answers are at the bottom of the article).
- The rules of the game: “A player can make only one accusation during any one game.”
- “A,” “B,” seas: “This sea provides about half of the seafood catch for the U.S. and a third of the catch for Russia.”
- Plants and animals: “The ‘7 hour flower’ that blooms for a single night before dying is pollinated by a long-tongued species of this winged mammal.”
- Sources: “Warren Buffett said it changed his life to read this biographical dictionary of notables ‘in America.’”
- Resources: “The U.S. has only one operating mine producing this battery and coin metal, in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.”
- State animals: “Washington’s state fish is the steelhead variety of this.”
- Potpourri: “A 19th-century minister created an early version of this s’more fixture to have a bland taste so it wouldn’t drive people to lust.”
- Movie characters: “The novelization of a 1977 movie awarded this character a medal at the end, righting a perceived wrong.”
- Caldecott Medal and Honor books: 1942: This book pictured Mrs. Mallard and her kids Jack, Kack, Lack, Mack, Nack, Ouack, Pack and Quack.
- Women authors: “In her 2016 New York Times obituary, this author was said to have ‘gained a reputation as a literary Garbo.’”
- Sports history: “He wasn’t yet a U.S. citizen when he was named an All-American and won two Olympic gold medals for the country.”
- This category stinks: “If this word refers to your taste in music or clothing, take it as a compliment; if it refers to your smell, take a shower.”
- World languages: “Bosnia’s official languages are Bosnian, Serbian and this; it’s not Herzegovinian.”
(Answers: 1. Clue; 2. Bering Sea; 3. bat; 4. “Who’s Who”; 5. nickel; 6. trout; 7. Graham cracker; 8; Chewbacca; 9. “Make Way For Ducklings”; 10. Harper Lee; 11. Jim Thorpe; 12. funky; 13. Croatian)

