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00:00From the Alex from X-State at Sony Pictures Studios, this is the Jeopardy! Tournament of Champions!
00:16Introducing our first group of Jeopardy! Champions.
00:20A sports anchor from Seattle, Washington, Aaron Levine. An attorney from Washington, D.C., Tom Devlin. And a payment program manager from Columbus, Ohio, Liam Starnes.
00:37And now, here is the host of Jeopardy! Ken Jennings!
00:43Thank you, Johnny Gilbert. And welcome all to the Tournament of Champions.
00:49This year, our field of 21 will compete in a series of games with only one emerging as the ultimate victor in this, our 33rd Tournament of Champions.
00:58Today, in our first quarterfinal matchup, we welcome back Liam, Tom, and Aaron. Good luck to all three of you.
01:04Let's kick off the TOC, shall we, with these categories in the Jeopardy! round.
01:08First up, we have literary quotations, followed by anime, it's hyphenated, then Iowa history represented, followed by let's tool around, and switch the first letter.
01:24Liam, you're up first.
01:25Iowa history, 1,000.
01:27Why not?
01:281850s Mormon pioneers set off from Iowa City to Utah, pulling this transport rhyming with make a start in a song they sang.
01:37Tom.
01:38What's a wagon cart?
01:39No.
01:40Liam or Aaron?
01:42It's a hand cart.
01:44Pulled them themselves.
01:45Back to you, Liam.
01:46Iowa history, 800.
01:48This Iowa senator made news when, discussing Medicaid cuts at a town hall, she made the point, we all are going to die.
01:56Liam.
01:57Who is Ernst?
01:58Joni Ernst is right.
01:59Iowa history, 600.
02:01The first white men to set foot in what's now Iowa were most likely these two French explorers in the 17th century.
02:08Aaron.
02:09Who are Juliette and Marquette?
02:10Yes.
02:11Literary quotations, eight.
02:13What novel but this 50s classic would have the exchange, where are we going man?
02:17I don't know, but we gotta go.
02:19Liam.
02:20What is on the road?
02:21That's the book.
02:22Literary quotations, 1,000.
02:24Answer.
02:25A daily double, Liam.
02:28And you have $1,600 to wager.
02:30How much do you want to put at stake in literary quotations?
02:33Let's make it a true daily double.
02:35Alright, going for 3,200 early.
02:37Here's your clue, Liam.
02:38William Blake wrote that if these portals were cleansed, everything would appear to man as it is, infinite.
02:50Liam?
02:51What are mirrors?
02:52No, he was talking about the doors of perception.
02:55So you're at zero now, but select again.
02:57Switch the first letter, 200.
02:59A leather seat to put on an equine, and a tool for canoe propulsion.
03:04Liam?
03:05What are saddle and paddle?
03:06Right.
03:07Switch the first letter, 400.
03:09The strongest bone in your body, and any of the indigenous primates on a certain island in the Indian Ocean.
03:15Liam?
03:16What is femur and lemur?
03:18Correct again.
03:19Switch the first letter, 600.
03:21Rapid flapping of wings on a bird or butterfly.
03:24And what Marie Kondo wants you to get rid of.
03:27Aaron?
03:28What is flutter and clutter?
03:29Correct.
03:30Literary quotation six.
03:32Mark Twain wrote, Adam was but human.
03:35He did not want the apple for the apple's sake.
03:37He wanted it only because it was this.
03:39Liam?
03:40What is forbidden?
03:41Yes.
03:42Switch the first letter, 800.
03:45A small compressed block of sugar, and the eastern Himalayas to World War II pilots.
03:55What is a lump and the hump, they called it.
03:57Back to you, Liam.
03:58Switch the first letter, 1,000.
04:00A small fatty bit of bacon, and to absolve of a crime.
04:05Tom?
04:06What are lardon and pardon?
04:07You got it.
04:08It's hyphenated, 600.
04:10In the kitchen, clean hands and clean surfaces are key to preventing this, the spread of bacteria from one food to another.
04:17Tom?
04:18What is cross-contamination?
04:19Right.
04:20It's hyphenated for eight.
04:21Aspirin and ibuprofen are both known as this type of drug, so named because they are designed to reduce pain and swelling.
04:28Aaron?
04:29What are anti-inflammatory?
04:30Good.
04:31Literary quotation is four.
04:33This Austin dad asks Lizzie, for what do we live but to make sport for our neighbors and laugh at them in our turn?
04:44Her dad has just called Mr. Bennett. Aaron, back to you.
04:47Hyphenated, 1,000?
04:48Not as well known as the Research Triangle as North Carolina's metro area of High Point, Greensboro, and this birthplace of Krispy Kreme.
04:57Tom?
04:58What is Winston-Salem?
04:59That is correct.
05:00Tom, you're now in second place, and we need to take a quick break.
05:02The Tournament of Champions will continue in a moment.
05:12Seattle viewers might recognize sports anchor Aaron Levine back with us.
05:16Aaron, what we didn't know when you made your first Jeopardy appearance is you had a little help there.
05:20Tell us about your Etsy purchase.
05:21Yes.
05:22My tape day was on the heels of a Mariner's 10-game winning streak, and it was widely publicized that a Mariner's fan hired an Etsy witch to relieve them of bad jujus.
05:31Yes.
05:32So, the morning of my tape date, I spent $17 and hired an Etsy witch to maybe give me some good vibes for that day, and it ended up working.
05:42I won three games, but, of course, I lost to none other than a pastor.
05:46Oh.
05:47We have found maybe the weakness of the Etsy witches.
05:50Yes.
05:51Etsy witches two for two in Seattle sports this season.
05:53Absolutely.
05:54Good to know.
05:55Tom Devlin is back with us.
05:56He's an attorney from Washington, D.C.
05:58Tom, you were delighted to find what a diverse audience Jeopardy! has when your shows appeared, right?
06:03Yeah.
06:04So, in my first game, we had a celebrity category that culminated with a $2,000 clue where the response was, who is bad baby?
06:10The Jeopardy! folks put that in the social media, and there's an entire generation of TikTok users that said, how did this 43-year-old white man know who bad baby is?
06:19And the answer is, Jeopardy! contains multitudes.
06:20It does.
06:21And so do you, apparently.
06:22I guess so.
06:23And you're a TikTok star now.
06:24Who knew?
06:26Liam Starnes is a payment program manager from Columbus, Ohio.
06:30You just moved to Columbus, but you're originally from the Chicago area, right?
06:33I am.
06:34And you had a cool Chicago experience after being on Jeopardy!
06:37I was invited to throw out the first pitch at a Chicago White Sox game.
06:41Fun.
06:42Even though I'm a Cubs fan.
06:43Oh.
06:45Did you think about saying no? That's tricky in Chicago.
06:48I'm hoping that if I win the TOC, the Cubs will come calling.
06:51I see.
06:53Do you want to do the seventh inning, take me out to the ball game?
06:55I would love to.
06:56All right.
06:57Right now, Tom has command of the board.
06:58Take a look at what's left, Tom. What'll it be?
07:00Uh, let's do anime for 800.
07:02In a film from this franchise, Goku and Vegeta encounter Brawly, the legendary Super Saiyan.
07:09Tom.
07:10What is Dragon Ball?
07:11Yes, Dragon Ball Z.
07:12Uh, anime for six?
07:13Two young girls find unusual forest creatures living near their new home in this Miyazaki film.
07:19Aaron.
07:20What is Spirited Away?
07:21No.
07:22Tom.
07:23What is My Neighbor Totoro?
07:24That's right.
07:25Let's tool around for 600.
07:27Note the rounded shape of the end opposite the face of this type of hammer.
07:31Tom.
07:32What is a ball peen hammer?
07:33Right.
07:34Let's tool a round for 800.
07:36Plumbers use handheld snakes for minor clogs.
07:39When the clogging gets tough, they reach for this thicker cabled relative.
07:43Aaron.
07:44Oh, what are portable snakes?
07:47No.
07:48Liam or Tom?
07:50That would be an Augur or Roto-rooter.
07:52Tom.
07:53Uh, anime for 1000.
07:55The walls just aren't enough to keep out the horrific, man-eating and totally nude giant
08:00humanoids on this show.
08:02Aaron?
08:03What is Attack on Titan?
08:04Yes.
08:05Let's tool around 1,000.
08:07A drill bit is held in place by a clamp called this, also a male nickname.
08:12That's the chuck.
08:16Aaron?
08:17Iowa History 4?
08:18Around 1838, Fort Madison newspaper editor James Edwards began promoting this nickname
08:24for Iowans.
08:25Aaron?
08:26What are Hawkeyes?
08:27Yes.
08:28It's hyphenated 4?
08:29It's the military version of a trial for service members.
08:32A summary one is for less serious offenses.
08:35Tom?
08:36What is a court-martial?
08:37Yes.
08:38Anime for 4?
08:39This mischief-making lad from The Village Hidden in the Leaves gives his teachers at the Ninja
08:43Academy all they can handle.
08:48Who is Naruto?
08:49Tom?
08:50No anime cred.
08:51Let's tool around 400.
08:53The spirit or bubble type of this is fine for smaller projects, but for big jobs the laser
08:58type is usually more accurate.
09:00Tom?
09:01What is a level?
09:02It is a level.
09:03Tool for 2?
09:04Introduced in 1907, this type of adjustable wrench is a brand name, not just a shape.
09:13Crescent wrench is a brand.
09:15Tom?
09:16Iowa for 2?
09:17In 1857, the word fort was removed from the name of this city, and it became the state
09:22capital.
09:23Liam?
09:24What's Des Moines?
09:25You got it.
09:26Uh, hyphenated 200?
09:27We got this term for an impossible situation from the title of a 1961 novel.
09:32Tom?
09:33What is Catch-22?
09:34Uh, Literary 2.
09:35In a tribute to a dead friend, Tennyson wrote,
09:38"'Tis better to have done this than never to have loved at all."
09:41Tom?
09:42What is loved and lost?
09:43That's correct.
09:44One more time.
09:45Back to anime.
09:46In Death Note, a high school student called Kira can kill you using his mystical notebook
09:50if he does this.
09:52Tom?
09:53What is Write Your Name?
09:54Write Your Name, and it is correct.
09:55You have the lead with $5,000, and Double Jeopardy is up next.
09:58Don't go anywhere.
10:06Welcome back.
10:07Our six-time champ, Liam Starnes, will be selecting first in Double Jeopardy from these categories.
10:12First, we have the Era of Good Ceilings, followed by What Are You Listening To?
10:18Then, It's All From Greek to Me, Mountains, 20th Century Women of the World, and finally, How Terrific.
10:27Liam, select.
10:28How Terrific, $2,000.
10:30Answer.
10:31Nearly doubled right off the bat.
10:37You can wager up to $2,000 here, Liam.
10:39How do you feel about tariffs?
10:41I guess I'll do $2,000.
10:42All right.
10:43$3,400 if you're right.
10:45Here's your clue.
10:46How Terrific.
10:47Senate.gov called this 1930 piece of tariff legislation among the most catastrophic acts in congressional history.
10:54What is the Smoot-Hawley Tariff?
10:56Smoot-Hawley is correct.
10:58$3,400 for you.
10:59Second place.
11:03Mountains, $1,600.
11:05To complete the seven summits, you have to top this Antarctic mountain.
11:09Aaron.
11:10What's...
11:12Vincent Massif?
11:13Right.
11:14Mountains, $12.
11:15Just north of the Alps, these mountains in France and Switzerland may get their name from a word meaning forest.
11:24Those are the Jura Mountains. Aaron?
11:27Mountains, $800.
11:28Catherine Lee Bates wrote America the Beautiful after visiting this mountain and has a statue in Colorado Springs.
11:34Aaron.
11:35What is...
11:36Pike's Peak?
11:37Right.
11:38It's all Greek to me, 16.
11:41Now often meaning a part of a song, in ancient Greece it meant a band of dramatic singers and dancers.
11:47Tom.
11:48What is chorus?
11:49Yes.
11:50Greek for 12.
11:51One of this device is from Greek for spiral and wing.
11:54Not that the ancient Greeks ever saw one.
11:56Tom.
11:57What is helicopter?
11:58You got it.
11:59Greek for two.
12:00From the Greek for long lasting, this term for a good buddy comes from 17th century Cambridge University slang.
12:07Liam.
12:08What's a chum?
12:09No.
12:10Tom or Aaron?
12:13From Kronos?
12:14What is a crony?
12:15Oh.
12:16Back to you Tom.
12:17Huh.
12:18Listening for 16.
12:19I can't stop listening to this 1995 album that featured the songs Wonderwall and Champagne Supernova.
12:25Tom.
12:26What's the story Morning Glory?
12:27Correct.
12:28In the form of a question.
12:29What are you listening to for 12?
12:31This track from Sabrina Carpenter's 2025 album Man's Best Friend is a question and apparently refers to Devin's Glow Up.
12:39Aaron.
12:40What is When Did You Get Hot?
12:43That's the title.
12:4420th Century Women 16.
12:47Answer.
12:48Daily Double for you now Aaron.
12:53A chance to make a move.
12:54You're in second place.
12:55What do you want to bet here?
12:575,600.
12:59Okay.
13:00Trying the true Daily Double in 20th Century Women of the World.
13:04Here's your clue for the lead.
13:06In 1935, she became director of the Vienna Psychoanalytic Training Institute.
13:15Who is Joliet Curie?
13:17No.
13:18Anna Freud, I'm afraid.
13:19Who is Anna Freud?
13:20You're down to zero again, but a lot of money on the board, Aaron.
13:23Okay.
13:2420th Century Women of the World 2.
13:25This Brit worked tirelessly for women's suffrage and died just three weeks before the UK Equal Franchise Act was adopted in 1928.
13:33Liam.
13:34Who is Pankhurst?
13:35Right.
13:36Mountains 2,000?
13:38The highest point in the Atlas Mountains is this peak that's south of Marrakesh.
13:42Liam.
13:43What is Jebel Tube call?
13:45That's correct, yes.
13:46How terrific, 1,600.
13:48Tariffs were a major source of government revenue until 1913, when passage of this constitutional amendment led to a federal income tax.
13:56Aaron.
13:57What is the 16th?
13:59It is.
14:00Era of Good Ceiling 16.
14:02Ceilings called Pressed This Metal, often really iron, were big around 1900, as in the Palace Saloon, Florida's oldest bar.
14:10Tom.
14:11What is Tin?
14:12It is.
14:13What are you listening to, 2,000?
14:15In 90s songs like Killing in the Name and Testify, you can hear the anger of this band.
14:20Tom.
14:21What is Rage Against the Machine?
14:22Right, for 2,000.
14:23Good Ceilings for 12?
14:25The Beaux-Arts era in the U.S. produced elaborate coffering, like at this city's Copley Plaza Hotel.
14:31Tom.
14:32What's Bastin?
14:33Yes.
14:34The Era of Good Ceilings for 2,000.
14:36Here's a cathedral ceiling in Spain's last Gothic cathedral, in this city with the name of a famed guitarist.
14:42Liam.
14:43What is Villalobos?
14:44No.
14:45Tom.
14:46What is Segovia?
14:47Segovia is right.
14:4820th Century Women 12?
14:50Eleanor Lily Deshay designed Tutti Frutti headgear for this Portuguese-born Brazilian movie star.
14:55Tom.
14:56Who is Miranda?
14:57Right, Carmen Miranda.
14:58Terrific for 1,200?
14:59Aimed at boosting economic recovery after World War II, the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade led to the creation of this group in 1995.
15:08Liam.
15:09What is the WTO?
15:10Right.
15:11How Terrific 800?
15:13This agency that collects tariffs at U.S. ports of entry was formed in 2003 as part of the Department of Homeland Security.
15:23That's the CBP, Customs and Border Protection.
15:26Liam.
15:2720th Century Women 800?
15:29When fashion designer Paul Poiré asked her, for whom are you in mourning, she replied, for you.
15:34Liam.
15:35Who is Coco Chanel?
15:37Right.
15:38Greek 800?
15:40This word for a type of gymnast with no fear of heights comes in part from a Greek word for highest.
15:45Tom.
15:46What's an aerialist?
15:47No.
15:48Liam or Aaron?
15:50What is an acrobat?
15:52Liam?
15:53What are you listening to, 800?
15:55Naturally, this R.E.M. song mentions the rapture, as well as a tournament, a tournament, a tournament of lies.
16:01Tom.
16:02What is the end of the, it's the end of the world as we know it?
16:05That's the title.
16:06Uh, Ceilings for Eight?
16:07This era of 1920s and 30s design is seen in a ceiling in Chicago's carbide and carbon building.
16:13Tom.
16:14What is Art Deco?
16:15Right.
16:16Women for Four.
16:17A motto of this now sainted nun was, let us do something beautiful for God.
16:21Tom.
16:22Who's Mother Teresa?
16:23Right again.
16:24Tariff for Four.
16:25This economicism that uses tariffs to bolster domestic industry helped get William McKinley elected in 1896.
16:32Tom.
16:33What's protectionism?
16:34Right.
16:35Mountains for Four.
16:36This highest peak in the lower 48 is at the eastern border of Sequoia National Park.
16:41Liam?
16:42What is Mount Whitney?
16:43Correct.
16:44Greek 400.
16:45The Greek word xelos gave us this adjective meaning envious.
16:49Tom.
16:50What's jealous?
16:51Yes.
16:52Listening for Four.
16:53This duo's icky thump says, white Americans, why don't you kick yourself out? You're an immigrant too.
17:02Tough truth from the White Stripes.
17:04Here's the final clue.
17:05We go back to the era of good ceilings.
17:07The era of this Soviet dictator was not great in many ways, but did birth the Moscow Metro and the great ceilings in some stations.
17:14Liam?
17:15Who is Stalin?
17:16Stalin is correct.
17:17You're in second place with 6200, but what a game Tom Devlin had today.
17:21Here's your final Jeopardy category, players.
17:24Famous photos.
17:25After the wagers are in, we will return with the clue.
17:29Famous photos.
17:30The first final Jeopardy category of the TOC.
17:33Here's the clue.
17:34Being only 5 foot 5, photographer Joe Rosenthal had to climb on top of a Japanese sandbag to snap a photo while on this peak.
17:4430 seconds.
17:45Good luck.
18:03Let's begin on the end with Aaron Levine, who has $1,600 coming into Final Jeopardy and wrote down.
18:23What is Mount Suribachi on Iwo Jima?
18:26Bring back the Sonics.
18:27You are correct.
18:28Three times.
18:29Yes.
18:30It is Mount Suribachi, the famous photo of Iwo Jima and the flag raising.
18:33What did you wager, Aaron?
18:34Just a dollar.
18:35You finished with 1,601.
18:37Liam Starnes was in second place with 6200.
18:40Did you come up with Mount Suribachi?
18:42Iwo Jima.
18:43You knew the photo, but you didn't know the name of the mountain.
18:45What did you wager, Liam?
18:476200.
18:48That'll drop you down into third place, but Tom Devlin could not be caught today.
18:5219,400.
18:53His final Jeopardy response?
18:56Change from Mount Fuji to Iwo Jima.
18:58Close, but no cigar.
18:59Will it matter?
19:00What did you wager, Tom?
19:01Nothing at all.
19:0219,400 makes you today's quarterfinal winner.
19:06Congratulations, Tom Devlin.
19:10The quarterfinals will continue tomorrow right here on the Alex for Backstage.
19:13We'll see you then.
19:14We'll see you then.
19:15We'll see you then.
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