Yogesh Raut Wins Jeopardy! Masters Season 4, Becomes First Two-Time Champion
Yogesh Raut, a specialist in applied cognition from Vancouver, Washington, captured the $500,000 grand prize in the Season 4 finals of Jeopardy! Masters, becoming the first contestant in the tournament’s history to win twice. The two-episode finale aired September 8 on ABC, pitting Raut against Season 2 winner Victoria Groce of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and stay-at-home dad Andrew He of San Francisco, California.
Game One: Raut Takes Early Command
Raut led after the Jeopardy! round with 7,800 points. Groce, a writer and speaker, found the Daily Double on clue 20 in the category “A Trip to the Valley.” With 2,400 points, she wagered everything on the clue: “It’s home to the Timbisha Shoshone Village at Furnace Creek.” Her response, “What is Sun Valley?”, was incorrect; the correct answer was Death Valley, dropping her to zero.
He finished the first round in second with 3,400 points, while Groce recovered to 400.
Double Jeopardy! Swing
Groce dominated the start of Double Jeopardy!. On the first Daily Double (clue 4, “Before, During, & After”), she wagered 1,200 of her 5,200 points. The clue: “Innate response urging a choice of Melee or escape into a buzzy Rimsky-Korsakov piece with a can of Albacore.” She answered correctly: “What is fight or flight of the bumblebee tuna?”, moving to 6,400.
She found the next Daily Double on clue 10 (“The Pre-Musketeers”) with 8,000 points and bet it all. The clue: “With a name meaning ‘new soldier,’ these elite Ottoman troops were early adopters of gunpowder weapons.” Her correct response, “Who are the Janissaries?”, vaulted her to 16,000 points, just ahead of Raut’s 15,800.
By the end of the round, Raut reclaimed the lead with 19,800 to Groce’s 18,800. He held 7,800.
Final Jeopardy! Round One
The category was “The Internet.” The clue: “In the wake of a recent tech boom, this small Caribbean territory now gets nearly 50% of its revenue from domain name sales.”
- He responded “What is Anguilla?” — correct. He wagered 7,777, finishing at 15,577.
- Groce also answered “What is Anguilla?” correctly but wagered zero, staying at 18,800.
- Raut gave the same correct response and wagered 10,000, ending Game One with 29,800 points.
Scores from both games were combined to determine the overall winner.
Game Two: Raut Clinches the Title
Groce found the first Daily Double (clue 3, “The 20th Century”) with 1,000 points, wagering it all. Clue: “The breakup of Czechoslovakia into Slovakia & the Czech Republic is called this, playing on the name of a 1989 event.” She answered “What is the Velvet Divorce?” correctly, doubling to 2,000.
After the Jeopardy! round, Groce led with 6,200, followed by Raut (5,600) and He (1,400).
Double Jeopardy! Decides the Match
He found the first Daily Double on clue 12 (“Quasi-related Pairs”) with 4,600 points, betting everything. Clue: “‘A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning’ poet & wiped with a Swiffer.” He did not respond; the correct answer was Dunn and Duted, dropping him to zero.
Raut found the second Daily Double on clue 19 (“Foe-pourri”) with 10,000 points, wagering 5,000. Clue: “In 1959, his scathing review of B.F. Skinner’s ‘verbal behavior’ was a seminal movement in the birth of cognitive science.” He answered “Who was Chomsky?” correctly, moving to 15,000. Groce held 17,000 at that point.
Entering Final Jeopardy!, Raut led with 19,000, Groce had 18,600, and He had 2,800.
Final Jeopardy! Round Two
Category: “Supreme Court Decisions.” Clue: “This 1944 decision frequently cites Hirabayashi v. U.S, decided 18 months earlier & upholding a conviction for violating curfew.”
- He wrote “What is Ken vs. Us at Wresl?” — incorrect. He wagered 2,800, falling to zero and a two-game total of 15,577.
- Groce wrote “What is Takematsu vs. U.S.?” — incorrect. She wagered 4,400, finishing with 14,200 in Game Two and a two-game total of 33,000.
- Raut wrote “What is Korematsu?” — correct. He wagered 7,201, earning 26,001 in Game Two and a combined total of 56,001.
Final Standings and Prizes
- Yogesh Raut — Winner, $500,000, the Alex Trebek Trophy, and $100,000 donated to his charity, Direct Relief.
- Victoria Groce — Second place, $250,000.
- Andrew He — Third place, $150,000.
All episodes of Jeopardy! Masters Season 4 are now streaming on Hulu.
