Durham's Amy Bekkerman wins 'Jeopardy!' Champions Wildcard game; advances to semifinal

DURHAM — Nearly two years removed from a two-game “Jeopardy!” win streak, Amy Bekkerman has returned to her winning ways on the beloved trivia show.

Bekkerman, a 37-year-old academic copy editor and Durham resident, won Thursday night’s episode of the “Jeopardy!" Champions Wildcard tournament, walking away with $12,200 despite incorrectly answering the final clue. She beat out Scott Plummer, a software developer from Golden, Colorado, and Los Angeles lawyer Tim Moon.

The Durham resident’s homecoming to the Alex Trebek Stage came as part of the tournament inviting past winners to compete for a spot in the show’s “Tournament of Champions.” Bekkerman’s victory was a “Jeopardy! Champions Wildcard” quarterfinal matchup.

According to Susie Eun with Jeopardy Productions, Inc., Bekkerman will compete in a semifinal game in an episode set to air on Thanksgiving night, Thursday, Nov. 23.

Bekkerman led the whole game in Thursday's episode, ending the first round with $5,000 in earnings after answering nine questions correctly. She more than doubled her score in “Double Jeopardy!” six correct clues, entering “Final Jeopardy!” with $12,200.

The final clue from the show’s host and legendary former contestant Ken Jennings was categorized under famous poets. The clue read: “1793 reports of the killing of Hector Munro by a wild animal in India may have inspired one of this man’s best known poems.”

Contestants took 30 seconds to scribble down their answers, and Jennings revealed that the correct answer was “Who is William Blake?” Only Plummer answered the final clue correctly.

Moon had $3,800 heading into “Final Jeopardy!” but wagered all his earnings with the incorrect answer of “Who is (Rudyard) Kipling?” Plummer bet all but $1, resulting in his second-place finish with $5,599.

Bekkerman wisely played it safe, betting $0 on her incorrect answer, which she also guessed was Kipling. Her $0 bid was drawn with a cartoon smile.

“But does it matter?” Jennings asked as she revealed her answer and wager. “No! Bet zero (dollars) with a smiley face. She’ll be smiling, she’s headed to the semifinals.”

The show reported that Bekkerman answered 15 of 18 questions correctly in Thursday’s episode.

Jennings also stated: “Amy Bekkerman had the first runaway lead of these quarterfinals.”

Bekkerman is playing in the third of four groups of contestants in the “Jeopardy! Champions Wildcard” tournament. The winner of the third group will be crowned in the show’s Tuesday, Nov. 28 episode.

The entire “Jeopardy! Champions Wildcard” schedule began on Oct. 2 and is expected to wrap with the winner of the fourth group being declared on Dec. 18.

In March 2022, Bekkerman won two “Jeopardy!” games, less than a week after a then-Rye Beach resident Maureen O’Neil went on a four-game win streak to earn $58,200 in cash winnings.

More: Seacoast's 'Jeopardy!' champs Maureen O'Neil, Amy Bekkerman have answers on shared success

This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Durham NH's Amy Bekkerman wins 'Jeopardy!' Champions Wildcard game