By Kevin Haas
Rock River Current
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ROCKFORD — Lloyd Sy, an Auburn High School graduate who is now an assistant professor at Yale University, ran away with victory on Wednesday to advance in the “Jeopardy!” Champions Wildcard.
Sy won $24,399 to defeat Dillon Hupp and Kelly Barry in his opening round of the tournament. Sy now advances to the semifinals. The TV schedule for his next appearance has not been announced.
The competition allows contestants who won one or two games to compete for the final two spots in the 2024 Tournament of Champions.
More news: Slot revenue in the Rockford region hit its second-highest total on record in 2023
Sy, a 29-year-old Rockford native, had a three-day run on “Jeopardy!” a year ago when he defeated a super champion who had 13 straight wins. The 2012 Auburn High School validictorian earned $53,578 by winning on two consecutive shows.
On Wednesday, Sy finished with 30 correct answers and two incorrect after the Double Jeopardy! round. Dillion was in second place with 13 correct and two incorrect.
He gave Cubs fans a moment of pride while answering a question about a St. Louis Cardinals slugger who hit his 700th home run in 2022.
“Who is the wretched Albert Pujols,” Sy answered.
Host Ken Jennings said the answer was correct, although he couldn’t speak to the adjective, to which Sy replied “Go Cubs.”
All three contestants got the Final Jeopardy question wrong. Sy, who already had more than double the second place cash total, only wagered $801 and took home the victory.
The Final Jeopardy! question: “Oliver Stone, screenwriter of this 1983 movie, named its main character to honor the Super Bowl-winning QB from 1982.” The answer was “Scarface,” in which the main character, Tony Montana, was named for former 49ers quarterback Joe Montana.
Sy filmed the episode earlier this month but was sworn to secrecy on the results until after the show aired.
This article is by Kevin Haas. Email him at khaas@rockrivercurrent.com or follow him on X at @KevinMHaas or Instagram @thekevinhaas and Threads @thekevinhaas