The scores were high, the answers good, and the competition fierce, but polite, on Friday’s “Jeopardy!” Teen Tournament game. After seeing the lead change hands many times during the course of the game, Portland’s Avi Gupta emerged the winner of the last of the quarterfinals matches.
Gupta’s victory was by no means a sure thing. He entered “Final Jeopardy!” in third place, behind Shriya Yarlagadda, a sophomore from Grand Blanc, Michigan, and Hannah Nekritz, a senior from Stamford, Connecticut.
The “Final Jeopardy!” category was “Compound Words.” Gupta, who recently graduated from Catlin Gabel school in Southwest Portland, had a total of $14,2000. Nekritz’s total was $16,200. Yarlagadda was in the lead, with $17,600.
The “Final Jeopardy!” answer -- remember, players have to write their guesses in the form of a question -- was: “This 8-letter word can follow nuclear to refer to a dangerous accident, or mean a total loss of emotional control.”
This actually was one of the easier puzzles of the show, which featured challenging questions and correct guesses from all three players. And all three had the correct “Final Jeopardy!” response, which was, “What is meltdown?”
Gupta, who also included a note giving a shout-out to his baseball team on his response card (Update: Avi Gupta says that meant to give a shout-out to his basketball team, but short of time, he wrote b-ball, “which Alex interpreted as baseball :”) made the most aggressive bet. He wagered $11,399, bringing his total to $25,599. That strategy gave him the win, as Nekritz and Yarlagadda wagered smaller amounts.
The good news is that none of them actually lost. Gupta will return for next week’s Teen Tournament semifinals, since he won his game.
And, thanks to the “Wild Card" category, players who didn’t win their rounds, but earned high amounts, get to return for the semifinals. So, Yarlagadda, whose total in Friday’s show was $23,000, and Nekritz, whose total was $18,200, will both compete in the semifinals.
Gupta is scheduled to play in the “Jeopardy!” Teen Tournament semifinal game that airs Wednesday, June 26. You can watch the show on KATU, and it should start about three minutes before 7 p.m., following the “KATU News at 6” broadcast.
-- Kristi Turnquist
kturnquist@oregonian.com 503-221-8227 @Kristiturnquist
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