risk! Champion Laura Fadda stunned fans with an “improbable” winning streak after getting “lucky” with various advantages.
The game show contestant was praised for being “relatable” to viewers at home despite her impressive knowledge giving her one of the longest winning streaks in season 41.
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Going into Thursday's match, the Memphis Tennessee native was looking to extend her five-day winnings of $58,400.
Laura, who works as a director at Berkeley Research Group, faced off against Brad Grosnick, a voice actor from Aurora, Illinois, and Carol Portas-Kane, an education researcher from New Jersey.
The game started off poorly for Brad – who lost his entire $2,400 fortune on the real Daily Double despite getting an early lead.
Heading towards double danger! In the round, Laura already had $4,000, while Carol was far behind with $3,400, followed by Brad with $2,400.
Laura found her second Daily Double in the game when host Ken Jennings read the $1,200 clue under the “Difference by Letter” category.
“Take medication and engage in practice to achieve tranquility and enlightenment,” Ken read.
Laura correctly answered “What is mediation and meditation?” – Added $1,600 to her big lead after an impressive run at the start of Double Jeopardy! circular.
Carol, who was now a distant third, found the last Daily Double and bet her entire fortune in an attempt to bring her score closer to her opponents.
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“James Gadsden negotiated with this Mexican president. whom the Texans met in battle; “The purchase helped oust him from office,” Keane read under the “Gadsden Purchase” category.
She correctly answered “Who was Santa Anna?” – Double her points to $6,400.
Heading into Final Jeopardy!, Laura had the most money of her career at $20,400.
Brad came in a distant second with $9,200 while Carol added $6,400 to her prize pool.
Ken introduced the final category, “Movies and Their Soundtracks,” while players placed their bets.
“‘Catch it’ was the tagline for this film whose iconic soundtrack became one of the best-selling albums of all time,” the host read.
All three players were right in their guess of the 1977 John Travolta classic, What's Saturday Night Fever?
Laura, as she had done in previous matches, bet very conservatively – setting her total at $21,000.
Carol finished with $9,400 while Brad bet $0, ending with $9,200.
All bets are off
Laura is one of the few contestants in Season 41 who has managed to win five matches – securing her place in the Tournament of Champions.
Fans have been impressed by the manager's winning streak – even if they partly credit 'luck' as one of the factors that has seen her able to get this far.
One viewer wrote: “Laura's run as a heroine is a great example of what has made the show popular over all these decades.
“An ordinary person, through a combination of intelligence and some luck, has gone on an improbably long journey where we can't wait to see what happens next.
“The home viewer can easily relate to Laura and imagine themselves there in the same situation. This is Jeopardy!, and many of us will miss it when the show returns to the over-the-top postseason.”
risk! Tournament of Champions 2025
Jeopardy's upcoming Tournament of Champions! This winter, in the middle of Season 41 (exact air date TBD) it's shaping up to be another great show. Here's who's officially eligible so far:
- Adriana Harmeier (15 wins, $349,600 total)
- Isaac Hirsch (nine wins, $215,390)
- Greg Golin (five wins, $135,002)
- Survivor alum Drew Basile (seven wins, $129,601)
- Allison Bates ($5 wins, $121,500)
- Mark Fitzpatrick (five wins, $107,201)
- Dr. Amy Hamel ($5 wins, $100,994)
- Ryan Manton (four wins, $83,179)
- Grant DeYoung (four wins, $81,203)
- Will Wallace (four wins, $79,998)
- Amar Kakirddi (four wins, $55,899)
- Lisa Ann Walter (Celebrity Jeopardy! 2024 Winner)
The prize for winning ToC is $250,000 and a coveted slot on Jeopardy! Masters.
Jeopardy.com notes: “All players winning 4 or more times starting 04/10/24 will be eligible for the future Tournament of Champions.”
“Being on this list does not guarantee an invitation to compete. Other eligibility rules apply and final selection is at the sole discretion of the producers.”
Another agreed and insisted: “Laura continues to impress. She's had some lucky breaks along the way, but you can't put together a 6-game winning streak based on luck alone.”
“According to the box scores, she has made more buzzer-beaters than any of her opponents since her third match, so she knows her stuff.
“She seemed relaxed and in control in today’s match (the fourth day of registration), which requires great stamina.”
Another person responded, adding: “100% this.” Yes, you have had some lucky breaks but you have to be good to be in a position to take advantage of those breaks!
While someone else shared the same sentiment: “Laura is getting better. She definitely had some luck along the way to ToC, but today's win was her biggest reward yet.
“Now that she's passed her qualification, I wouldn't be at all surprised to see her continue to improve and finish with more than 10 wins.”
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