Jeopardy Masters Season 3 Finale: Yogesh Raut Pulls Off A Big Win Dethroning Victoria Groce

If you like watching super smart people battle it out under pressure then the latest season of Jeopardy! Masters was definitely for you. Another big brain showdown has ended. We now have a new Jeopardy! Masters winner. The Wednesday episodes brought back the top four players of the season. These were season 2 winner Victoria Groce Yogesh Raut Juveria Zaheer and Isaac Hirsh. They played the final six games that would decide who would also become a half-millionaire.

In the semifinals Victoria Groce easily won. She took Game 1 and made sure she had a spot in the championship round. The second semifinal ended with Yogesh getting a win. He along with Juveria moved on to compete against the reigning champion. It was shaping up to be an exciting end. Everyone was wondering if Victoria could keep her crown.

The Twists And Turns of The Jeopardy Masters Semifinal Rounds Leading To The Big Final

How The Top Four Contenders Fought For Their Spot In The Championship Games

Going into the semi-final round Victoria Groce had six points. Yogesh Raut had two points. Isaac Hirsch and Juveria Zaheer had zero points. These points were based on their past match rankings. They would not affect who won the big prize but they did decide who moved forward. Groce had been undefeated leading up to this point so she was certainly the one to watch.

The first semi-final game saw Victoria Groce Isaac Hirsch and Juveria Zaheer compete. Victoria Groce from Pittsburgh Pennsylvania took a big lead early on. She answered many clues correctly. She found the first Daily Double. She had $3,200 and made it a true Daily Double. In the "Books of the Bible" category the clue was "If you’re not a seminarian & you’re reading Deuteronomy 5, it’s probably for these." She correctly answered "What are the Ten Commandments?" This gave her $6,400. By the end of the round Groce was still leading with $12,800. Zaheer from Ontario Canada was in second with $3,400. Hirsch from Burbank California had $2,000.

During the interviews Zaheer talked about her "cheering squad" who always supported her loudly. Host Ken Jennings asked Hirsch if he was meant to be a Jeopardy! Master since his dad was on the show in the 80s. Hirsch laughed and said "I would never use a word like ‘destiny’ but sure." He shared that both of his parents were librarians. He grew up around reference books which helped with his knowledge. Groce got her certification from the Wine & Spirits Education Trust. She shared she took her test after tasting wine all day. These small insights into the contestants' lives always add a nice human touch to the show.

In Double Jeopardy Groce found the first Daily Double again. She was still leading with $16,000. She only risked $2,000. In the "Celebrations" category the clue read "The origins of this ancient Roman festival are murky, but its name might be related to the animal that suckled Romulus & Remus." She answered "What is Lupercalia?" which was correct. This boosted her to $18,000. She also found the final Daily Double of the game in "Book of the Bible?". She wagered $1,200 out of her $31,200. The clue was "Encompassing math & logic, Principia Mathematica by Alfred North Whitehead & him is a book of numbers & letters too." She correctly answered "Who is Russell?" This gave her $32,400. Groce had $32,400 by the end of the round. Zaheer had $7,400. Hirsch had $1,200. The Final Jeopardy category was "Medieval Times."

The clue was "A Vassal-Lord bond had 2 parts: In homage, the vassal swore to serve, & in this other 6-letter word the Vassal also swore, to be loyal." The correct answer was Fealty. Hirsch answered correctly and wagered $100 ending with $1,300. Zaheer answered the same and wagered $0 leaving her with $7,400. Groce did not answer and wagered $2,600. This left her with $29,800. She secured a spot in the finals.

For the second game of the night Zaheer and Hirsch faced Yogesh Raut. Raut from Springfield Illinois picked the first clue in "Around India" and it was a Daily Double. He wagered the maximum $1,000 as he had nothing. The clue was "Before a 2020 visit from Pres. Trump, the replica tombs of these 2 lovers were cleaned for the first time in 300+ years." He answered correctly "Who are Shah Jahan and Mumtaz Mahal?" This gave him the lead with 1,000 points. Raut kept doing well and had $9,200. Zaheer had $2,800. Hirsch was in last with zero. Later the judges decided one of Zaheer’s incorrect answers was right so she ended up with $3,600.

During the interviews Hirsch shared that his girlfriend was in the crowd. He wanted to buy her an engagement ring if he won. Zaheer compared the emergency department to Jeopardy! where you never know what to expect. Everyone takes care of each other. Raut when he was 5 years old was on the news for learning all the state capitals. These interviews offer a nice break in the intense game play allowing viewers to connect with the contestants.

In Double Jeopardy Zaheer found the first Daily Double. She had $4,800 and wagered $1,800. In "Read It" the clue was "Her A Spool of Blue Thread is set in Baltimore like many of her novels." She correctly answered "Ann Tyler" moving her to $6,600. Two questions later she found the last Daily Double. With $7,800 Zaheer wagered $1,800 again. In "Female Activists" the clue was "When she died at 108, the ashes of this 3-named environmentalist were scattered over the everglades she helped to preserve." She answered "Who is Hookman?" which was wrong. The correct response was Marjorie Stoneman Douglas. She dropped to $6,000. By the end of the round Raut had a big lead with $18,800. Zaheer had $10,400. Hirsch was still in last with $3,600. The Final Jeopardy category was "Island Countries."

The clue was "The only U.N. member state named for a woman, it’s named for a 4th-century Sicilian martyr." The correct answer was St. Lucia. Hirsch got it right and wagered $615 ending with $4,215. Zaheer answered the same and wagered zero points. She stayed at $10,400. Raut also answered correctly and wagered $2,100. This gave him $20,801. He got one match point while Zaheer also got one. Hirsch received zero. After Victoria Groce received three from the first game she had a total of nine points. Raut’s total was five. Zaheer had two and Hirsch had zero. This was the end for Hirsch. He went home with $100,000.

The Grand Finale of Jeopardy Masters Season 3 Delivers A Shocking Outcome

Victoria Groce Fights Hard But Yogesh Raut Emerges As The Surprising New Champion

In the Finals Victoria Groce the reigning champion Juveria Zaheer a finalist in her Masters debut and Yogesh Raut the reigning runner-up faced off in two games. The person with the most total points would win. Raut really tried to buzz in quickly at the start of the round but Groce was faster. She also found the first Daily Double in "Blank of the Blank." With $1,200 she made it a true Daily Double. The clue was "In an early chapter of an 1864 book, the narrator says, ‘the very idea of going down’ here ‘was simply absurd.’" Groce correctly answered "What is the center of the earth?" This gave her $2,400.

It was a fierce battle between Groce and Raut. They traded the lead throughout the round. By the end of the round Raut had $6,600. Groce had $5,400. Zaheer had $2,600. In Double Jeopardy Groce quickly took the lead. She also found the first Daily Double in "Go Fish." She wagered $4,000 out of her $10,200. The clue was "A Florida city is said to have gotten its name after pioneer Mary Ormond Boyer saw these fish springing from a Bayou." She answered "Pompano" which was incorrect. This dropped her to $6,200. The correct answer was "Tarpin." This gave Raut the lead back. However a few clues later she found the last Daily Double. She made it a true Daily Double wagering all of her $7,400. In "Let’s Hit the Road" the clue was "During World War II, this historic highway carried vital supplies from Lashio to Kunming." Groce correctly answered "What is the Burma Road?" This gave her a wide lead with $14,800. Raut had $9,400. By the end of the round Groce was leading with $21,200. Raut had $13,000. Zaheer was in the red with -$1,000. She did not play in Final Jeopardy. The category was "Peoples of the World."

The clue was "Heard often in the film The Conquerer, this name of a once-nomadic people comes from a Latin word used for hell." Raut wrote "Who are Tatars?" which was incorrect. He wagered $13,000 leaving him with zero. Groce was also wrong with her answer "Who are the Mongols?" She wagered $6,800 which took her down to $14,800. The correct answer was Parters. In game two Groce was the only one with points but those were reset for the final combined score. Ken Jennings reminded everyone "But, remember, as we’ve seen in a two-game total point affair, anything can happen. This is not over yet."

Zaheer found the Daily Double in the second game. She had $800 but wagered $1,000. In "World History" the clue was "The Piagnoni, fanboys of Girolamo Savonarola, were the main instigators behind these events; one took place on Shrove Tuesday." She answered correctly "What is Bonfire of the Vanities?" This gave her $1,800 putting her just $200 behind Raut. The rest of the round was a close game. By the end Raut had the lead with $7,000. Zaheer was in second with $5,200. Groce was in third with $4,200. In Double Jeopardy Zaheer was in second when she found the first Daily Double. With $10,800 she made it a true Daily Double. In "Let’s Set Some Boundaries" the clue was "The Western limit of the Mediterranean is a line drawn between Cape Spartel in Africa & this Spanish cape famed in Naval history." She correctly answered Trafalgar taking the lead with $21,600.

Only a few clues later Raut found the last Daily Double. He was in second with $16,600 and made it a true Daily Double. He said "This may be the end for me." In "The ‘End,’" the clue was "Polonium, radium & uranium were all first discovered in this ore." He correctly answered "What is Pitchblende?" This gave him the lead with $33,200. By the end of the round Raut had a huge lead with $36,000 points. Zaheer had $20,800. Groce was in third with $11,000. The Final Jeopardy category was "Paintings."

The clue was "The artist saw this subject as a kindred spirit & in 1890 depicted him with flowers used to treat heart disease." The correct answer was Dr. Gachet. Groce gave the correct response and wagered $11,000. This gave her $22,000 for the second game and a combined total of $36,400. Zaheer also answered Dr. Gachet. She wagered $16,000 giving her $36,800. Raut also answered correctly and wagered $5,601. This gave him a final total of $41,601 making him the Jeopardy! Masters champion.

Yogesh Raut won $500,000. He also received the Alex Trebek trophy and the title of Jeopardy! Master. Money was also donated to his chosen charity Equal Justice Initiative. Groce went home with $150,000. Zaheer left with $250,000. It was a surprising finish for many especially since Victoria Groce had been so strong all season. It just goes to show anything can happen in Jeopardy! Masters.