‘Jeopardy!’ Champion Alison Betts Won $250,000 on Another Game Show

This… Is… Jeopardy!

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After a long string of tournaments, Jeopardy! returned to regular play this week with new contestants, but one of the players on Thursday’s (April 11) episode wasn’t quite a stranger when it came to TV game shows.

Thursday’s game saw Alison Betts, a writer and creative executive originally from San Jose, California, taking on Brian Hardzinski, a public radio producer originally from Flower Mound, Texas, and Lee Wilkins, a regulatory affairs coordinator from Auburn, Alabama.

Wilkins had unseated three-day champion Lucas Patridge on Wednesday but was unable to get out of the blocks in this episode. Instead, Betts and Hardzinksi dominated. The pair went back and forth throughout the game, with Betts leading by just $600 going into Final Jeopardy.

Heading into the final round, Betts stood at $14,600, Hardzinksi followed closely behind with $14,000, and Wilkins trailed with $3,200.

The final clue under the category “Space Shuttles” read, “2 space shuttles were named for craft commanded by this man who died far from home in 1779.”

Betts and Hardzinski both answered correctly with “Cook,” and both players went all in with their wagers. This meant that Betts kept her $600 lead, winning the episode with $28,600 over Hardzinski’s $28,000.

As the final result was announced, Betts couldn’t hide her surprise. But while this may have been her first victory on Jeopardy!, it wasn’t her first taste of success on a television game show.

The San Jose native previously appeared on Netflix’s Bulls***: The Game Show, hosted by America’s Got Talent judge Howie Mandel. The twist of the trivia-based show was that if a contestant got a question wrong, they could survive by convincing other players they knew the answer even when they didn’t.

Betts, who qualified for the hot seat despite having one of the lowest accuracy scores, climbed all the way to $250,000 before she chose to keep what she’d won and leave.

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After the Jeopardy! episode aired, Betts took to social media to celebrate her victory. She shared a video of herself kissing a baby alligator in New Orleans, confirming a story she told Ken Jennings on the show.

We’ll always have (Jefferson) Parish #Jeopardy pic.twitter.com/k8oBEFgwzj

— Alison (@MsAlphaBetts) April 11, 2024

Earlier in the week, Betts tweeted, “Don’t let your kids play video games! 30 years ago I fought my cousins for control of the Sega Genesis so we could play Jeopardy instead of Mortal Kombat, and now look what happened,” alongside a photo of her on the Alex Trebek Stage.

Don’t let your kids play video games! 30 years ago I fought my cousins for control of the Sega Genesis so we could play Jeopardy instead of Mortal Kombat, and now look what happened; I’ll be appearing tomorrow, 4/11, on #Jeopardy! pic.twitter.com/PQtVS2eO1q

— Alison (@MsAlphaBetts) April 10, 2024

Fans are already hoping Betts can continue her winning streak and become Jeopardy!‘s next super-champ.

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“Congrats to Alison, hope she can win a few more,” wrote one viewer on the Jeopardy! Reddit forum.

“Yeah Alison! Kickass job!” said another.

Another added, “Allison played a great game and didn’t wimp out on final jeopardy. Great game!”

“Hopefully Alison can win a couple games; she seems strong,” said one commenter.

What did you think of Thursday’s game? Can Betts become the next super-champ? Let us know in the comments section below.

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