Thursday’s episode of Jeopardy! saw a contestant build an early lead, only to lose it entirely by making the wrong wager on a clue about desert sheep. That contestant’s tournament hopes vanished fast, and the final result was a champion who never came close to victory.
On September 17, Jen Spinoglio, a financial researcher from San Francisco, came back for her second game with a one-day total of $10,801. She faced off against Christie Ritten, an actuary from La Grange Park, Illinois, and Mark Ramirez, an executive communications lead from Northglenn, Colorado. The episode aired on Thursday, September 17, and the rest of the account covers the whole story.
The Early Round
Ramirez took an early lead by the first 15 clues, earning $6,000. Spinoglio fell behind with -$1,000. Ritten got on the board on the last clue with $400.
On clue 16, the Daily Double appeared, and Ritten found it, putting down the allotted $1,000 on “Popular Books of 1976.” The clue itself was worded as follows: “‘In our family, there was no clear line between religion and fly fishing,’ begins this Norman Maclean novella.”
“I got nothing,” she said. The correct response was A River Runs Through It. Ritten had -$600 after that miss.
When the round concluded, Ramirez had reached $7,000, while Spinoglio sat at $800, and Ritten finished with $400.
Double Jeopardy Opens With a Miss
Ramirez located the first Daily Double on clue four in Double Jeopardy, where he held $11,800 and placed a bet of $1,800. The question in “Desert Animals” read “The desert subspecies of this, Ovis Canadensis, can use ledges only 2 inches wide as hoof-holds.”
“What is the Mountain Goat?” he answered incorrectly. The correct response was Corn Sheep. This dropped him down to $10,000.
The error became the turning point of the contest. Ramirez held the advantage and the opportunity to add to it, yet he slipped into a worse position.
The Last Daily Double Goes Right
On clue 29, Ritten found the final Daily Double. She already had $4,800 and chose to put all of her money into it. The clue itself was “Ok — as Charlie Brown tells Schroeder about the guy who was asked if he can play the ‘Hallelujah Chorus,’ ‘I guess I can’ so this.”, and that happened in “Will You Take Care of That?”.
“What is handle it?” she answered at the last minute. This gave her $9,600.
The final standings put Ramirez far ahead at the top with a massive lead of $20,800. Ritten came in second with $9,600, while Spinoglio took third place with $2,800.
Final Jeopardy Decides the Champion
The three competitors all gave the right answer to the “In 2025, this show celebrated its 40th anniversary, sadly without its 4 main stars, the last of whom passed away in 2021 at age 99.” Final Jeopardy question, which was “TV Anniversaries”. The winning response was The Golden Girls.
Spinoglio placed a bet of $2,799, which gave her $5,599. Ritten’s wager of $2,400 gave her a final total of $12,000. Ramirez didn’t decline to place any wagers at all, leaving his final total standing at $20,800. He will be back for his second game on Friday, September 18.
Ritten’s win came entirely from her Daily Double bet, which she answered correctly. Ramirez’s victory came from holding back in Final Jeopardy, even after he had found the first Daily Double and answered it incorrectly.
Ramirez’s Path Forward
The return of Ramirez for his second game on Friday, September 18, keeps the tournament going and leaves the question of a winner still open.
Thursday’s show pointed toward finding Daily Doubles as the way to win. Ramirez located the first one and failed to convert it, while Ritten found the final one and walked away with the victory. Spinoglio was never given a chance at either of them.
The episode offers a reminder that Jeopardy! is not just about knowing the answers. It is also about knowing when to bet and when to hold back. Ramirez’s decision to wager on the first Double Jeopardy clue did not cost him his win, since he ended with the highest score. Ritten’s decision to bet all-in on her Daily Double paid off.
Thursday’s episode delivered the kind of wild swings that keep fans hooked. A champion fell, a challenger rose, and the leaderboard flipped in an instant. Jeopardy! runs on these big shifts, and this particular broadcast offered several of them.
The Numbers In Order
Here is how the totals moved across the game:
- Ramirez opened with $6,000 after 15 clues, then hit $7,000 by the end of the first round.
- After his incorrect answer on the first Double Jeopardy Daily Double, he dropped to $10,000.
- His final total was $20,800, earned without wagering anything in Final Jeopardy.
- Ritten started with $400 and hit $9,600 after her correct Daily Double answer.
- Spinoglio finished with $2,800.
What the Game Shows
Jeopardy! shows how fast a lead can vanish. One player can lose their advantage in seconds, while another who has trailed can secure victory in a single question.
The Daily Double powers the leaderboard, and spotting it right is half the battle. Getting it right is the rest, and that is where Ramirez fell short. Ritten, on the other hand, located the final Daily Double and flipped the whole game around.
The tournament carries on, and the leaderboard is bound to change once more. Friday’s episode brings a simple question for viewers: will Ramirez recover from his error, or will some other competitor rise up and take the victory instead?
Weekdays see the game’s broadcast, with next-day streams available on both Hulu and Peacock.
Source material: “‘Jeopardy!’ Contestant Builds Big Early Lead: Did They Hang On to Win?,” TV Insider.
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