[Warning: The following post contains MAJOR spoilers for the Wednesday, December 3, episode of Jeopardy!]
Ray LaLonde is in the top 20 Jeopardy! players of All-Time Regular Play Only at number 13, according to The Jeopardy! Fan. While he cemented himself as one of the greatest of all time with $386,400 in winnings, he is not the only LaLonde sibling with a love of trivia.
Ron LaLonde, Ray’s twin brother, competed on Jeopardy! on Wednesday, December 3. Did he win and live up to his brother? Read on to find out. Ray played against Sarah Murphy, from Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, and Libby Jones, from Davenport, Florida.
Jones, a recruiter, returned for her third game this week after defeating super champion Harrison Whitaker on December 1. Her two-day total equaled $70,802, after a runaway game on Tuesday. She had the second-highest one-game winnings, behind Harrison, according to host Ken Jennings.
Jones and LaLonde, a medical physicist, battled it out for first place. LaLonde was only $200 behind Jones when he found the Daily Double. At $1,800, he made it a true Daily Double. In “Literature,” the clue read, “‘In this island we arrived, and here have I, thy schoolmaster, made thee more profit than other princes can’ is in this play.” He answered correctly with “What is The Tempest?” doubling to $3,600.
Despite the risk paying off for LaLonde, he fell to second place by the first commercial break.
During the interviews, Ken Jennings asked Ron if he could prove that he wasn’t actually Ray. Ron shared that Ray was sitting in the audience. Ray waved to Jennings, and the host said hi to him. Ron teased that his brothers and sisters are a lot smarter than both of them and would do well on the game show.
Jones kept the lead and had $10,800 by the end of the first round. LaLonde was in second place with $5,200. Murphy, a freelance transcript editor, had $1,000.
In Double Jeopardy, Jones found the first Daily Double on clue two. She had $12,800 and wagered $4,000. In “African Geography,” the clue read, “This small neighbor of Nigeria borders a bight (or bay) of the same name.”
She answered, “What is Guinea?” which was wrong. The correct response was the Bight of Benin. She dropped down to $8,800.
LaLonde gained some steam and took the lead until Jones swooped in a few questions later and took back first place. After correctly answering clue 19, Murphy found the second DD on clue 20.
She looked nervous as she wagered $2,600 out of $3,400. In “Double Meanings,” the clue read, “Something fitted to a horse, or being under control for use, like the Sun’s energy.” “What is saddled?” Murphy answered incorrectly. The correct response was harness and she dropped down to $800.
Jones ended the round in the lead with $15,200. LaLonde had $11,200. Murphy ended with -$400, so she couldn’t compete in Final Jeopardy.
The category for Final Jeopardy was “Monuments and Memorials.” The clue was “In NYC’s cathedral of St. John the Divine, an alcove with memorials to Hart Crane, Sylvia Plath & 54 others is the ‘American’ this.” The correct response was “What is Poet’s Corner?” One contestant guessed it while the other had half of the answer.
Jones answered, “What is poet?” It was considered wrong, so she dropped down to $7,999 after wagering $7,201. LaLonde answered correctly and wagered $4,001, making his final total $15,201.
LaLonde became the night’s winner, dethroning the two-time champion. He will return on Thursday for game two. Can he go on as long a streak as his brother did? Only time will tell.
Jeopardy!, Weekdays, check local listings, stream next day on Hulu and Peacock
