RYAN Manton has suffered a devastating blow in tonight’s Jeopardy! game after a surprising newcomer ended the rising star’s winning streak.
Fans were hoping Ryan could pull off the rare move of winning five consecutive games on a single day of taping however, he fell just short after losing Friday’s episode by a significant margin.
Mark Fitzpatrick beat out rival Ryan with his Jeopardy! debut[/caption]
After accumulating $83,179 with his impressive four-day winning streak, Ryan was looking to tip over the six-figure scale with tonight’s game.
The returning system administrator from Ohio went up against Mark Fitzpatrick, a content manager from Connecticut and Anne Singleton, an executive director from Massachusetts.
Ryan’s advantage at the beginning was strong as Mark lost $2,400 on a true Daily Double where he went all-in with his bet.
However, it was Anne who was in the lead heading into the first break with $2,800 while Ryan was just behind at $2,400 and Mark secured $1,800.
Mark turned his luck around when he found the second Daily Double under the category U.S. Museums – this time getting it right and adding $3,000 to his prize pot.
“Her story is told in 9 galleries through photos, drawings, paintings & personal possessions at her museum in downtown Santa Fe,” Ken Jennings read aloud to which Mark correctly responded “Who was O’Keeffe?”
Rounding out the trio, Mark also found the third Daily Double under the category Tall Tales – which scored him an additional $5,000.
“Able to produce enough dairy products for an entire logging camp, Bessie the Yeller Cow was the mate of this other colossus,” host Ken stated.
Mark correctly guessed “Who was Babe the Blue Ox?”
With the help of his Daily Double bonuses, as well as making aggressive wagers throughout the game, Mark was in the lead heading into Final Jeopardy! with a score of $23,400.
Ryan was in unfamiliar territory in second place with $15,200 while Anne had a total of $10,200.
Ken then read the Literary Characters Final Jeopardy! clue: “A fragment from a nautical tool found on a Chilean island in 2005 was likely left by the Scot who partly inspired this character.”
Only Mark got the last question correct as he wrote down “Who is Robinson Crusoe?”
Rounding out the game, Mark had a one-day total of $30,401 while, shocking many fans, Ryan was far behind with $9,999.
Anne remained in third much of the episode and ended the game with $5,000.
Fans raved over Mark’s gameplay and expressed their surprise over Ryan’s sudden loss.
“Wow, what a turnaround from yesterday’s game. Whether favorable categories or that ‘final game of the day’ energy that some contestants get empowered by, Anne and especially Mark made it a game while Ryan stayed competitive despite Mark finding all the DDs.
“Unless the postseason really changes things up, Ryan is likely ToC bound, so congrats to him!” one viewer wrote.
Jeopardy! 2025 Tournament of Champions
Jeopardy!’s next Tournament of Champions will take place this winter, midway through Season 41 (exact airdate TBA) and it’s shaping up to be another showstopper. Here’s who is officially eligible so far:
- Adriana Harmeyer (15 wins and $349,600 total)
- Isaac Hirsch (nine wins and $215,390)
- Survivor alum Drew Basile (seven wins and $129,601)
- Alison Betts (5 wins and $121,500)
- Dr. Amy Hummel (5 wins and $100,994)
- Lisa Ann Walter (winner of Celebrity Jeopardy! 2024)
- Grant DeYoung (four wins and $81,203)
- Amar Kakirde (four wins and $55,899)
The prize for winning the ToC is $250,000 and a coveted slot in Jeopardy! Masters.
Jeopardy.com notes: “All 4-time and over winning players starting from 04/10/24 will be eligible for a future Tournament of Champions.”
“Presence on this list does NOT guarantee an invitation to compete. Other eligibility rules apply and final selection is up to the producers’ sole discretion.”
“What a great game! A raw third place score of $10,200 is awesome. Hope Anne gets a second chance,” another said.
A third wrote: “Really amazing performance by Mark. It is tough to come back from 0 after getting a DD wrong, but his aggressive wager on the final DD paid off tremendously.
“Still, it’s surprising that he was the only one to get FJ correct. How many books are about surviving on an island? And Lord of the Flies is neither about a single character nor based on true events, which pretty much just leaves Crusoe.”
“Wow what amazing gameplay. The most aggressive of the season?” a fourth questioned.
After Thursday’s episode, fans were hoping Ryan would pull off “the rare move” of winning five games on a single filming day.
“Congrats to Ryan on win #4! Knock on wood, but if he can win tomorrow, he’ll not only make it to 5 wins, but he’ll have done it in a single tape day. That’s like running a marathon,” a viewer wrote.
