By Kevin Haas
Rock River Current
Get our mobile app
ROCKFORD — Lloyd Sy’s second run on “Jeopardy!” has come to an end.
Sy was defeated in Monday’s episode by political science professor Andy Tirrell.
Sy had the lead with $19,800 going into Final Jeopardy. But he slipped up on the final question and Tirrell answered correctly, adding $6,001 to his $16,800 total while Sy lost $14,000.
More news: The Rockford region’s housing market broke three records in 2023
The Final Jeopardy question was: “Stan Lee said the alias-using title character of this novel set during the French Revolution was the first super hero I read about.” The answer was “The Scarlet Pimpernel.” Sy had answered “The Count of Monte Cristo.”
Sy, a 29-year-old Rockford native who was the 2012 Auburn High School valedictorian, was back on the show Monday after winning his opening round of the Champions Wildcard last week. Sy, who is now an assistant professor of English at Yale University, got 30 answers correct and won $24,399 in the opening round. He got 20 questions correct on Monday.
The Champions Wildcard allows contestants who won one or two games to compete for the final two spots in the 2024 Tournament of Champions.
Sy was a two-day champion on “Jeopardy!” a year ago, including defeating a super champion who had 13 consecutive wins. He earned $53,578 by winning on two consecutive shows.
Sy had a viral moment in his previous Champions Wildcard appearance last week after he correctly answered a question about St. Louis Cardinals slugger Albert Pujuls, who he described as “the wretched Albert Pujols.” The Cardinals are rivals of Sy’s favorite team, the Chicago Cubs.
Video of Sy’s answer circulated on social media and in dozens of media outlets, including Sports Illustrated. It also spurred a T-shirt with his quote and name on it.
Sy joked during an interview with the Rock River Current that his lifelong fandom of the Cubs, who are known as the Lovable Losers because of their long World Series drought before 2016, has prepared him for handling defeat in stride.
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