How a Dark Horse ‘Jeopardy!’ Legend Defied the Staggering Odds to Secure a Historic Tournament of Champions Victory That Left the Trivia World in Absolute Awe.

‘Jeopardy!’ Contestant Dazzles Fans With Huge TOC Win

[Warning: The following contains MAJOR spoilers for the Tuesday, February 3, episode of Jeopardy!]

The Jeopardy! Tournament of Champions continued as Game 2 had another huge win. The previous day, fans were dazzled after Paolo Pasco had a runaway win in Game 1.

The finals of the TOC come down to which contestant wins three games first. It can go up to seven, depending on how many games each contestant wins and when. So, it could come down to one champion sweeping in three games, or the finals could go on until next week.

The winner takes home $250,000 and an invitation to play in Jeopardy! Masters. The second-place contestant receives $100,000, while the third-place contestant takes home $50,000.

Throughout the games, Scott Riccardi, from Somerville, New Jersey, will play against TJ Fisher, from San Francisco, California, and Pasco, from San Diego, California.

Pasco, a puzzle writer, took an early lead when he answered the first two clues correctly. He then found the Daily Double on clue three. Having $1,800 in his bank, he wagered it all in the category “Words of Mouth.” The clue read, “A WWII ad campaign warned Americans about the risks of giving info to the enemy, leading to this 4-word rhyming slogan.” He answered correctly with “What is loose lips sink ships?” doubling him up to $3,600.

Although Riccardi and Fisher, a marketing specialist, picked up a few clues, it wasn’t enough to catch up to Pasco after the first 15 clues. Fisher was in the negatives. Pasco had $5,800, which was double Riccardi’s total.

By the end of the round, Pasco led with $6,800. Riccardi, an engineer, had $2,600. Fisher ended with -$1,400.

In Double Jeopardy, Pasco found the first DD on clue two. He had $8,000 and wagered all of it again. In “Before, During, & After,” the clue was “Piscine entry in a Douglas Adams sci-fi series that’s in an unusual or uncomfortable situation listening to a Handel suite.”

He answered correctly with “What is So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish Out of Water Music?” This brought his total to $16,000.

Pasco then found the last DD right after on clue three. This time, he went smaller with $6,000. In “That’s a Long Title,” the clue read, “This Swift title continues, ‘for Preventing the Children of Poor People from Being a Burthen to Their Parents…’”

Once again, Pasco got it right with “What is A Modest Proposal?” He now had $22,000.

Pasco continued to blow his opponents out of the water. He ended the game with $31,200. Riccardi had $9,800. Fisher was in third place with $4,600.

The category for Final Jeopardy was “American Artists.” The clue read, “His 1967 New York Times obituary called him a ‘painter of loneliness.’” The correct response was Edward Hopper, which all three game show contestants had.

Fisher wagered $3,177, giving him a final total of $7,777. Riccardi ended with $9,800, after wagering $0. Pasco wagered $1,105, making his final total $32,305.

Pasco won and secured his second win. If he wins tomorrow, he takes the whole competition. Riccardi and Fisher both have zero wins.

Fans reacted to another runaway win. “I think Paolo’s gonna wrap this thing up tomorrow,” a Reddit user said.

“How did Paolo only win 7 games lol? Good lord,” a fan asked.

“Paolo makes it look so easy. Hats off!” a third added.

“Paolo is such a beast,” a Reddit user said.

Jeopardy!, weekdays, check local listings, stream next day on Hulu and Peacock