‘Jeopardy!’ Champion Pulls Off Dramatic Comeback With Two Back-To-Back Daily Doubles — Before A Nail-Biting Final Jeopardy Finish Decides The Winner
A Jeopardy! champion who appeared to be losing control of his second game staged an impressive comeback after uncovering two consecutive Daily Doubles, setting up a tense Final Jeopardy showdown in which all three contestants knew the answer.
Greg Monson, a videographer from Portland, Oregon, returned to the quiz show on Friday, October 9, hoping to extend his winning streak after surviving an unusually difficult game the previous day.
His challengers were Dan Perkey, a brewer originally from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and Kendra Kendell, a payroll analyst originally from Aurora, Colorado.
But the defending champion’s second appearance got off to a rocky start, with an early Daily Double mistake leaving him behind.
By the time Final Jeopardy arrived, however, the leaderboard had been completely transformed.
Champion Stumbles As Challenger Takes Early Lead
The opening round featured a playful Yacht Rock theme, with categories inspired by classic soft-rock hits including Africa, Sailing, What a Fool Believes and I’d Really Love to See You Tonight.
The musical theme offered an entertaining beginning, but the competition quickly became serious.
Monson selected a $1,000 clue in the Yacht Rock category asking contestants to identify the Doobie Brothers singer whose smooth vocals helped define the genre.
Perkey correctly identified Michael McDonald, becoming the first contestant to score.
Monson soon uncovered the game’s first Daily Double in the Africa category.
The clue asked for the nationally named portion of the Sahara Desert extending eastward into Egypt.
With the game still in its early stages, Monson wagered the maximum permitted $1,000.
Unfortunately, his response of the Sudanese Sahara was incorrect.
The correct answer was the Libyan Desert.
The mistake cost Monson valuable momentum, allowing Perkey to establish a comfortable lead.
At the end of the Jeopardy round, the scores stood at:
- Dan Perkey: $5,400
- Greg Monson: $1,800
- Kendra Kendell: -$1,200
With Monson trailing by $3,600 and Kendell in negative territory, Perkey appeared to have the advantage heading into Double Jeopardy.
Two Daily Doubles Completely Change The Game
The second round brought a remarkable reversal.
Kendell began rebuilding her score by correctly identifying Bonnie Parker from a historical photograph clue, giving her an opportunity to recover from her difficult opening round.
But the biggest turning point belonged to Monson.
On the 14th clue of Double Jeopardy, the defending champion discovered a Daily Double in the Mammals category worth $1,600.
The question asked contestants to identify the largest cat native to the Americas, whose name is believed to derive from an Indigenous expression meaning someone who kills with a single leap.
Monson wagered $4,000.
This time, he answered correctly: the jaguar.
The successful bet added $4,000 to his score and gave him much-needed momentum.
Moments later, Monson uncovered another Daily Double, this time in the Journalism category.
The clue referred to a collection of documents published by several newspapers in 1971, originally titled Report of the Office of the Secretary of Defense Vietnam Task Force.
Monson correctly identified the Pentagon Papers.
He had once again wagered $4,000.
In the space of two consecutive clues, the champion had added an extraordinary $8,000 to his total.
The back-to-back discoveries completely altered the competition, transforming what had looked like a difficult title defense into a genuine opportunity for another victory.
Final Jeopardy Leaves All Three Contestants Fighting For The Win
Despite Monson’s dramatic turnaround, the game was far from decided.
Kendell had also mounted a strong recovery, while Perkey remained firmly in contention.
The Final Jeopardy category was 1990s Nonfiction Bestsellers.
Host Ken Jennings presented the following clue:
“This word began the titles of 2 bestsellers from the same man, one of the books is set in Alaska, the other in Nepal.”
The clue required contestants to recognize two famous nonfiction books written by the same author.
Both titles were published during the 1990s and became widely known for their accounts of adventure and survival.
Unlike the previous day’s game, which had been filled with clues none of the contestants could answer, all three players correctly solved the final question.
The answer was Into, referring to Jon Krakauer’s Into the Wild and Into Thin Air.
But with everyone answering correctly, the winner would be determined entirely by the size of their wagers.
Just $200 Separates Champion From A Runaway
Perkey wagered $9,000, bringing his final total to $18,000.
Kendell made an even larger bet of $10,400, finishing with $20,800 after an impressive recovery from her negative first-round score.
That put the pressure squarely on Monson.
The defending champion had entered Final Jeopardy with $13,600 and needed a sufficiently large wager to protect his title.
He chose to risk $9,000.
When his correct answer was revealed, his final score climbed to $22,600.
That was enough to defeat both challengers and secure his second consecutive victory.
Monson’s score entering Final Jeopardy had been just $200 short of the $13,800 required for a runaway against Kendell’s $6,800, meaning the final clue could still have changed the outcome.
His correct response ensured that his remarkable Double Jeopardy comeback would not go to waste.
Greg Monson Extends His Winning Streak
Monson’s $22,600 victory brought his two-day winnings to $31,300.
The champion will return on Monday to attempt a third consecutive win.
His latest performance demonstrated how quickly fortunes can change on Jeopardy!, particularly when a contestant makes the most of the Daily Double opportunities.
After an early mistake, Monson could easily have found himself overwhelmed by Perkey’s strong start.
Instead, two consecutive $4,000 wagers helped him regain control of the board.
Kendell’s recovery added another layer of suspense, ensuring that the contest remained competitive until the final moments.
And with all three contestants correctly identifying the same literary clue, the game ultimately came down to strategic betting rather than knowledge alone.
What began as a difficult title defense ended with Greg Monson securing a second victory, $31,300 in total winnings and another chance to extend his streak — thanks in large part to two Daily Doubles that changed everything.
Jeopardy! airs weekdays in syndication and is available to stream the following day on Hulu and Peacock.