| Niki Peters Sophomore, University of California, Berkeley Boise, ID  Friday, 1st, $24,400 25 R, 2 W, 1/1 DDs, $20,200 Coryat |
Gus Woythaler Senior, Stanford University Encino, CA  Thursday, 1st, $22,222 25 R, 1 W, 1/1 DDs, $17,800 Coryat |
Emily Sun Freshman, Columbia University San Diego, CA  Monday, 1st, $8,999 16 R, 5 W, 0/1 DDs, $11,600 Coryat |
| Andy’s Thoughts: Of the three semifinals, this semifinal looks to have the most fireworks, with the top 2 players from the quarterfinals paired here in the semi. The show looks like it’s going to be playing up the Cal-Stanford rivalry here. If Emily negs five times like she did in the quarterfinal, she’s going to give up a lot of ground to the two Pac-12 representatives, and it will be very difficult for her to play spoiler. I am hard-pressed to pick a winner in this semifinal; it definitely feels like it’s a toss-up between the two Big Game rivals. Play it 10 times, and I’d say Niki takes 5, Gus 4, and Emily 1. | ||
| Emily Bingham Senior, Wright State University Dayton, OH  Tuesday, 1st, $17,600 19 R, 2 W, 2/2 DDs, $15,400 Coryat |
Sam Deutsch Junior, University of Southern California Bethesda, MD  Wednesday, 1st, $14,401 17 R, 2 W, 1/1 DDs, $12,400 Coryat |
Hannah Norem Sophomore, Augustana University Houston, TX  Thursday, 3rd, $14,400 11 R, 4 W, 0/0 DDs, $7,400 Coryat |
| Andy’s Thoughts: To me, it felt as though Emily played the best out of these three during their respective quarterfinals. Although the buzzer can be fickle sometimes, I think that Emily’s knowledge base, especially in academic categories, will give her an advantage. Sam went 1/5 or 2/5 in every single category in his quarterfinal, whereas Emily had a 4/5 in literature. I can’t see an entire set of boards without something bookish on it, and I expect Emily would use that to build an advantage. Hannah had a good late run in her game, and she could play spoiler here, especially if that late run is indicative of having found the buzzer timing. Of course, they call it Jeopardy! for a reason, and every player has a puncher’s chance every time out. If you played this 10 times, I’d say that Emily takes 5, Sam 3 or 4, and Hannah 1 or 2. | ||
| Ziad Ali Freshman, North Carolina State University Oak Ridge, NC  Friday, 2nd, $21,600 13 R, 1 W, 1/1 DDs, $9,600 Coryat |
Sarah Dubnik Senior, University of Pittsburgh Jamison, PA  Thursday, 2nd, $14,801 17 R, 1 W, 2/2 DDs, $11,600 Coryat |
Kate Laubscher Sophomore, Northeastern University Woodside, CA  Tuesday, 2nd, $14,400 9 R, 3 W, 0/0 DDs, $7,200 Coryat |
| Andy’s Thoughts: In this matchup between three wildcards, Sarah played very gamely against Gus, and Ziad and Kate both doubled up in Final Jeopardy in order to snatch their spot in the semis. Sarah definitely felt like the strongest of the three players, but it would not surprise me to see Ziad connect on a huge late-game Daily Double. It’s hard to predict a game between three wild cards, though. My official prediction: It’ll be close, and whomever is in third will have a chance to win a Triple Stumper Final Jeopardy. If you played this semifinal 10 times, I’d say Sarah would win 5, Ziad 3, and Kate 2. | ||