CULVER CITY, CALIFORNIA: 'Jeopardy!' seems to have gotten a champ who might be here to stay for a good while. David Bederman has once again become the champ and has retained his crown for another day on the game show.
While the other two contestants, Liz Cotrufello and Sean Weatherston, performed exceedingly well, they didn't manage to push Bederman off the pedestal. In fact, Cotrufello seemed to be quite the enthusiastic contestant with many correct answers under her belt, including the Daily Double. But in the end, it was Bederman who came out as the victor.
How did David Bederman become 'Jeopardy!' champ?
Just like in the previous episode against Daniel Moore, Bederman was able to maintain his lead despite some missed clues and Cotrufello's fiery responses. By the time they reached Final Jeopardy, he was in the lead with a decent $15,000 while the other two remained a few thousand dollars behind.
The Final Jeopardy clue was from the "Famous Paintings" category and said: "A German guidebook to a 1937 World's Fair dismissed it as a "hodgepodge of body parts that any four-year-old could have painted." Cotrufello, who was close behind Bederman, failed to answer correctly while Weatherston's wager wasn't enough to give him a win with the correct answer "Guernica." Bederman's wager of $9,401 gave him a big jump, taking his 2-day total to $52,802.
Liz Cotrufello's impressive performance
A fourth-grade teacher from Broomall, Pennsylvania, Cotrufello gave Bederman quite the fight during the episode. She came up with correct responses for almost all categories and successfully got through the Daily Double as well, unlike Bederman. However, Cotrufello had to walk away with just $1,000 after finishing third on the podium.
In the next episode, attorney Bederman will face Nik Berry, a social studies teacher from Baltimore, Maryland, and Toula Ballas, a publishing consultant from New York City. These are the last few days of 'Jeopardy!' Season 39 as the season will air its final episode on July 28. Following that, there will be several reruns and some second-chance episodes.
