[The following post contains MAJOR spoilers for the Friday, July 18, episode of Jeopardy!]

Scott Riccardi, from Somerville, New Jersey, has change into the most-talked-about contestant on Season 41 of Jeopardy! due to his “superchampion” standing and cracking the Prime 20 all-time listing. For Friday’s (July 18) sport, although, he might need folks speaking for a special purpose: The 11-time winner shared that he was as soon as electrocuted whereas in an orchestra.

Riccardi, who has an 11-day complete of $282,101, returned for his twelfth sport (and, hopefully, win). He confronted off in opposition to Ameen Ismail, from Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, and Julia Broussard, from New Orleans, Louisiana.

Initially of the episode, host Ken Jennings shared that Riccardi, an engineer, completed with 39 appropriate responses on Thursday, which is probably the most the sport present has seen all season.

The primary a part of the sport didn’t begin off too effectively for Riccardi, although. There have been many Triple Stumpers, and by the point the primary business break got here round, he was in third place. To not point out, he needed to share an embarrassing story when the present returned.

“You had an thrilling highschool expertise, proper? What occurred to you there?” Ken Jennings requested.

“It was form of ramping up after I was within the orchestra for the entire spring musicals,” Scott Riccardi shared. For Lease, they put us proper on stage, they usually had this steel cage. I assume it wasn’t grounded proper, so each time you stepped into it, you’d get a little bit of a shock. However then the following yr, in rehearsal for The Addams Household, I used to be attempting to unplug a keyboard amp, and I obtained an actual dangerous shock. I didn’t suppose anybody seen as a result of they have been all rehearsing, however I seemed over and there was one horrified freshman, simply staring open-mouthed at me.”

Jennings laughed and mentioned, “However, you’ve lived a charmed life. You’re dwelling all of your adventures and made it to the Alex Trebek Stage.” The contestant agreed earlier than Jennings went again to his podium.

Scott Riccardi tried to take the lead when he discovered the Each day Double within the second half of the spherical. With $1,800, he moved to second place. He wagered $1,000 in “Ambrose Bierce’s Satan’s Dictionary.” The clue learn, “This group, then of 90 males: ‘A physique of aged gents charged with excessive duties & misdemeanors.’” “What’s the Senate?” Riccardi answered accurately. This pushed him into first place with $2,800, solely $200 above Ismail, a particle physicist.

He stored the momentum up the remainder of the spherical and maintained the lead with $4,000. Ismail had $3,600. Broussard, a college administrator, was in third with $1,800.

In Double Jeopardy, Riccardi answered three clues accurately earlier than discovering the primary DD of the spherical. He wagered $4,000 out of his $8,800, which might nonetheless preserve him in first place if he obtained it mistaken. In “MP,” the clue learn, “From Italian, it’s an individual who places on, & typically funds, public leisure, like a live performance or theatrical occasion.” “What’s impresario?” the champion answered accurately, giving him $12,800.

Solely two clues later, Ismail discovered the final DD. He was in second with $5,200 and wagered $5,000. In “Conflict Locks,” the clue was “These blue-painted Scottish warriors whose identify is from Latin for ‘paint’ are historically illustrated with flowing locks.” With uncertainty, Ismail mentioned, “Who’re the woad raiders?” He was mistaken and dropped all the way down to $200 and third place. The right response was The Picts.

The opposite two contestants tried to catch as much as Riccardi for the remainder of the spherical by answering a lot of the clues accurately, however he was simply too far forward. Riccardi ended with $22,400. Broussard was in second with $6,800. Ismail had $2,600.

The class for Remaining Jeopardy was “Science Phrases.” The clue learn, “Increasing on a phrase created by a Czech playwright, Asimov coined this time period in 1941 for a department of science that didn’t exist then.” The right response was “robotics,” and all three contestants obtained it proper.

Ismail wagered $105, giving him a last complete of $2,705. Broussard wagered $0, giving her $6,800. Riccardi wagered $8,000, making his profitable complete $30,400. He has a 12-day complete of $312,501. His twelfth win moved him up two spots to quantity 14, based on The Jeopardy! Fan (try the All-Time winnings on the sidebar). Riccardi will return for his thirteenth sport on Monday, July 21.

“Not that many contestants can say that they’ve received at the least twelve Jeopardy video games in common play. Congrats to Scott!” a Reddit person mentioned.

“Man, I want I might make it look that simple,” wrote one other.

“There are solely 5 extra episodes within the season (i.e., 1 extra tape day). The way in which he’s been taking part in, I’d say Scott has an excellent probability of constant his streak into season 42,” added a 3rd.