JEOPARDY! On Wednesday, contestant Erin Portman secured a high-paying first victory with $31.2K and earned bonus points for her on-stage narrative.
She told Ken Jennings, 48, that she had run upon Jane Goodall while looking for a restroom.
Vince Bacani, the one-day champion, competed against Erin, a high school English teacher from Naperville, Illinois, and Alec Wang, a real estate analyst from Avon, Connecticut.
After defeating the competitor who had previously defeated 3-day champion Yogesh Raut, Vince, a risk manager from Montreal, Quebec, Canada, stood on the winner’s platform.
The possibility of a multi-day winner being eliminated, Ken asked the three competitors additional personal questions during the Q&A session.
Erin began: “Jane Goodall, loved her since I was a little kid, went and saw her speak one time – I was looking for the restroom before the event started.”
She continued: “I got a little bit lost backstage and there she is standing in front of me.”
“Wow, large as life?” Ken asked in surprise wanting to know more.
“Yeah, it was a little spooky, all I could say was ‘I’m looking for the bathroom’ and so was she.”
Ken just laughed, as did the crowd, before adding on the 88-year-old and first person to observe chimpanzees up close: “Celebs they’re just like us – even primatologist celebs.”
Erin gained a significant lead after playing around, and Vince missed a Daily Double, but he eventually located the final player to reenter the race.
Vince had $15,599 going into Final Jeopardy, Erin still had the lead with $21,000, and Alec didn’t play because he finished at -$2,000.
In another amusing response, the former 1-day champion asked for “liquor” in response to a clue and then, when he found it, added, “boy, could I need some,” considering he was in last place.
Ken joked that Vince eventually made his comeback “without a shot of liquor.”
Under “Early American History” Final Jeopardy read: “In 1692 Increase Mather wrote, ‘It were better that ten suspected’ these ‘escape, than that one innocent person … be condemned.'”
“Did she bet more than a dollar, wow she did!” an impressed Ken exclaimed on her big $10.2K bet.
“Wow,” he said again: “You are our new Jeopardy! champion!”
