If you missed Jeopardy! last night, you didn’t see that Brad Rutter had tied with Watson at the end of last night’s episode. Tonight’s episode centered around Double Jeopardy! and Final Jeopardy!, and Watson took the lead very quickly, leaving little room for Brad or Ken to buzz in. To give you an idea of how often Watson was buzzing in, Ken and Brad answered five questions combined during Double Jeopardy!, and there were two Triple Stumpers where no one got the answer right.
As usual, you can go through tonight’s questions on the Jeopardy! archive. Watson got both Daily Doubles, and he wagered really precise amounts based on his confidence level. The first time this happened Alex said, “I won’t ask.” Watson didn’t buzz in with an answer that someone else had already guessed tonight but instead saved his funny moments for the final round.
The Final Jeopardy! question was straightforward. The category was U.S. Cities. The answer: “Its largest airport is named for a World War II hero; its second largest, for a World War II battle.” The question is “What is Chicago?”, which I got easily after eliminating New York City and realizing that I didn’t know who O’Hare and Midway Airports were named after. Ken and Brad also got the question (or is that answer?) correct.
Watson’s answer was “What is Toronto?????” The question marks expressed Watson’s doubts about the response’s correctness, and sure enough, he bet only $947 of his nearly $37,000 total. There was no way Ken and Brad could catch up unless Watson wagered much more than that. The totals for the prizes are calculated based on the two-day total, and Watson is already way ahead because of his performance over the past two days. Tomorrow is the full match, which is where we’ll really get to see Watson in action. I can’t wait.
Toronto: Now a U.S. city. I’m waiting for the demotivational poster with this on it.