Dan Laine, a software engineer from Jersey City, carried out an unexpected comeback to win on Tuesday’s episode of “Jeopardy!” after entering the final round in third place.
Laine, who graduated from Cornell University in 2018, finished the game with a total of $2,193 after wagering only $7 on a Final Jeopardy clue about hypnosis that all three contestants missed, The Jeopardy! Fan reported.
The win ended the reign of six-game champion Peter McFerrin, an energy industry professional from Corona, California, who led the match with $11,400 before the final round but lost $9,401 on his incorrect response, according to North Jersey Media Group.
Contestant Wilson Li, a vice president of regulatory reporting of Woodside, New York, also dropped out of contention for the lead when he lost $8,599 on his final wager, The Jeopardy! Fan reported.
Laine’s victory comes after New Jersey’s most success Jeopardy player Jamie Ding, a Lawrenceville resident and Seton Hall law student, won 31 consecutive games marking the fifth-longest winning streak in the game show’s history.
Ding’s streak ultimately ended on April 27 after being defeated by contestant Greg Shahade.
Laine will return Wednesday at 7 p.m. His opponents will be AJ Maroney, a beverage manager from Boston, and Katelyn Mueller-McLean, a San Francisco-based accessibility audio producer, Parade reported.
The show can be watched on ABC and streamed on Hulu and Peacock.
