Mark Fitzpatrick won his fifth consecutive game on Jeopardy! on October 10, 2024, becoming Season 41's first 5-day champion. The content manager from Riverside, Connecticut, defeated Mike Obstgarten, a test-prep coach from Henderson, Nevada, and Cynthia Bullock, a nonprofit executive from Colorado Springs, Colorado. Fitzpatrick's victory brought his total earnings to $107,201, qualifying him for the next Tournament of Champions.
The episode's Final Jeopardy category was Movies, featuring a clue about cast connections between a 1990 film and an HBO series. Fitzpatrick responded to the question "What is Goodfellas?" accurately, thus obtaining a final score of $25,601 to seal the victory.
Mark Fitzpatrick becomes first 5-Day champ of Jeopardy! season 41
Mark Fitzpatrick secures 5-Day championship
Mark Fitzpatrick's performance on October 10 ended the game with $25,601, bringing his five-day total to $107,201. Throughout the match, Fitzpatrick demonstrated consistent strength, answering 18 questions correctly and only 2 incorrectly. His buzzer skills were evident as he managed to be first 26.32% of the time.
Fitzpatrick also successfully answered both Daily Doubles he encountered, resulting in a net gain of $31,800. With this performance, Fitzpatrick has maintained an impressive 10 out of 12 success rate on Daily Doubles.
His Coryat score, which measures a player's raw point score without factoring in Daily Doubles or Final Jeopardy wagers, averaged $18,400 across his appearances, which is quite impressive.
With this victory, Fitzpatrick has earned a spot in the next Tournament of Champions, where he will compete against other top performers from the season. His five-day winning streak places him among the elite group of contestants who have achieved this milestone in the post-1984 era of Jeopardy!, making him the 280th player to do so.
Final Jeopardy breakdown
The last Jeopardy round category was Movies. The clue read:
"More than 25 cast members from this 1990 film drama would later appear on an HBO series with a similar theme."
The correct response was "What is Goodfellas?" The clue referred to the numerous actors who appeared in Martin Scorsese's 1990 crime drama and later took roles in the HBO series The Sopranos. Notable actors who bridged both productions include Lorraine Bracco, Tony Sirico, and Frank Vincent, among others.
The wagering strategies in Final Jeopardy were crucial to the outcome. Fitzpatrick made an aggressive wager of $7,001. Mike Obstgarten, in second place, made a strategic $0 wager to maximize his chances of winning if Fitzpatrick answered incorrectly. Cynthia Bullock, trailing in third, wagered $3,000.
Both Fitzpatrick and Obstgarten correctly identified "Goodfellas" as the answer, while Bullock incorrectly guessed "Star Trek." The final scores reflected these responses, with Fitzpatrick at $25,601, Obstgarten at $12,800, and Bullock at $1,400.
Significant game moments
The Double Jeopardy round was marked by intense competition. Fitzpatrick wagered $6,600 on his first Daily Double and $3,000 on his second, answering both correctly. Obstgarten displayed his strength in the African-American Sports History category, capitalizing on his background as a Sports Jeopardy! alumnus.
The game's combined Coryat score of $29,600 indicated a high level of play from all contestants. There was $15,800 in Lach Trash, representing 15 Triple Stumpers - clues that none of the contestants answered correctly.
Notably, all clues were played during this game, leaving no unplayed clues. This maintains the season's low total of only one unplayed clue so far.
Final standings after Jeopardy! October 10, 2024 episode is as follows:
- Mark Fitzpatrick (Winner): 18 correct, 2 incorrect, 26.32% buzzer success rate
- Mike Obstgarten (Runner-up): 20 correct, 4 incorrect, 36.84% buzzer success rate
- Cynthia Bullock (Third place): 7 correct, 2 incorrect, 15.79% buzzer success rate
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