That would be Ken Jennings, for those of you keeping score at home. He proved that a few more years of age haven't dulled his speed on the buzzer, as he often beat the younger James Holzhauer to the punch. Ken also borrowed Jeopardy James' boldness in wagering on the Daily Doubles, which allowed him to pile up a crucial edge in the first half-hour game. James battled back in the second half-hour, but fell just short as Ken bet enough in Final Jeopardy to eke out a 200-point win.
Previously I said the oddsmakers were selling Brad Rutter a little short. To be honest, tonight it looked like the oddsmakers were right and I was wrong. Brad had trouble beating the other two guys on the buzzer, and he messed up a couple of all-in Daily Doubles to compound his problems. He finished a distant third in the overall score tonight.
But at this level Jeopardy hope springs eternal. To state the achingly obvious, these guys are really, really good at this game. The showrunners tried to trip them up with obscure trivia and convoluted wordplay, but the three champs handled almost everything thrown at them. We'll see how the rest of the series goes, but Ken has the very early lead.
A couple minor items. They tarted up the think music for Final Jeopardy, and Alex Trebek remarked that the tune seemed to go a little faster. They also changed the set and camera angles a bit, but the tweaks weren't all that important. The show was still tried and true Jeopardy.
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