After clinching his first Jeopardy! victory with a steady performance, Dan Hopkins came back for a second round full of confidence — but a series of bold bets quickly turned the game upside down, costing him the win and leaving viewers on the edge of their seats.

Dan Hopkins Wins First ‘Jeopardy!’ Game—but Early Stumble in Round Two Shakes His Momentum

Dan’s background in tech, data, and education likely contributed to his success on Jeopardy! In his first episode, Dan and his opponents meandered through topics including “2 Word Responses,” “Old to the OED,” and “You Can’t A Fjord It.” The game featured several triple stumpers, including Final Jeopardy: “Following the Baptist Church bombing in 1963, MLK telegrammed him that the blood of four girls ‘is on your hands.’” The correct response was George Wallace, but all three contestants answered incorrectly. Despite wagering $5,201, Dan ended the game with $10,799 and secured the win.

The next night, Dan returned to face Sunny Hwang of Brooklyn, New York, and Jacob Hale of Anchorage, Alaska. He found the first Daily Double in the “Action Phrases” category and wagered $1,500. Host Ken Jennings read the clue: “In a cliché, these three words are yelled to remake a newspaper; a 2014 New York Times article notes at least six such events in 14 years.” Dan guessed, “What is rewrite the headline?”—but the correct response was “What is stop the presses?” The miss dropped him to second place. At the end of the first round, Dan remained in second place; Jacob led the pack with $5,400, Dan was working on a comeback with $4,700, and Sunny was holding on with $2,600.

Dan Nearly Made a Comeback During Double Jeopardy

In Double Jeopardy, Dan once again found the first Daily Double in a category called “Tigers by the Tail.” He had taken the lead with $10,700, and put up $3,000. The clue read “This villain’s name in a 1984 book suggests he is a chief among tigers.” Dan incorrectly answered “What is El Tigre” and lost out on his $3,000 wager.

Dan also found the game’s final Daily Double in “It Was the 1970s,” once again wagering $3,000 of his total $12,100. He was still in the lead, but when given the clue “A six-day bank takeover in a European capital led to this term for an unexpected psychological phenomenon.” The correct answer was “What is Stockholm Syndrome,” but Dan’s guess “mass hysteria” cost him his third Daily Double wager. He maintained a comfortable lead with nearly $3,000 more than the next contestant, but that advantage didn’t last for long. Dan ended the Double Jeopardy round with $9,900. Jacob was just behind him with $9,000 and Sunny trailed them both with $6,200.

A Wild Wager During Final Jeopardy Cost Dan Hopkins the Game

In the game’s final round, the “Famous American Homes” category provided a clue that read “The name of this residence completed in 1895 combines part of the owner’s Dutch name with an English word for an open expanse.” Dan took a massive swing, wagering $8,101. Sunny and Jacob put up $4,000 and $4,200 respectively, and all three contestants answered incorrectly, and ultimately, Dan’s big bet cost him the game. Jacob ended the game with $4,800 and returned to play again the following night, where he dramatically finished in last place with $0 to his name, all because of a misspelling.

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Jeopardy

Release Date

September 10, 1984

Network

ABC

Writers

Michael Davis

Franchise(s)

Jeopardy