Jeopardy! Second Chance recap: Silver Spring attorney Melanie Hirsch wins Christmas Eve game

Jeopardy! Second chance semi-finals number 3 ended on an exciting note. 

The previous episodes saw Guy Branum and Michelle Tsai reaching the finals of the tournament. 

Michelle Tsai’s spelling mistake during the final round made headlines. 

For context, Michelle Tsai misspelled Stig Larsson’s name during the final Jeopardy round. 

But host Ken Jennings remarked:

“Yes, misspelled, but we will accept that."

The winner of the last semi-finals joined these finalists in the finals of Jeopardy! Second chance. 

Silver Spring attorney Melanie Hirsch won the semi-finals on the Christmas Eve episode. 

She competed against a medical student from Illinois, Andrew Wang, and a stay-at-home father from Long Island, Aaron Himmel. 

Jeopardy! Recap: Melanie had a weak start at the beginning of the show 

Ken Jennings began the show by saying:

“It’s the night before Christmas, and three second chancers have gathered with fear in hopes that a first Jeopardy! victory soon would be here.” 

The categories in the first round were Around the Caribbean, Classical music, Hoe Hoe Hoe: Let’s Garden, Go away, I’m mobile gaming, From the T.V. show’s opening narration and An “I”, 4 an “I.”

Aaron was given the chance to select the category. 

First, Daily came to Aaron in the first round. 

He bet $1000 and picked the category “Around the Caribbean.” 

The clue given to him was:

“Split between two nations, this island has the largest population of any Caribbean isle, about 21 million.” 

He answered:

“What is Hispaniola?” 

Aaron answered correctly, which took his total to $1400. 

Andrew was at the top of the leaderboard with $4,400 at the time of the first break. 

He was followed by Andrew, who earned $2,800, and then Melanie was at the bottom with $2,400. 

Aaron was still leading with $6,600 by the end of the Jeopardy round. 

Andrew was at $5,000, and Melanie was at $3,800. 

The Double Jeopardy round’s categories were World History, The Play Is the Thing, Critical Vase Theory, Asian Americans, Pop Culture Forecast, and Caution: Word Construction Zone.

Melanie was selected to choose the first categories, and she also hit the second Daily Double in the process. 

She wagered her whole earnings, which were $3,800. 

The clue was:

“ 2010’s ‘Clybourne Park’ starts with a white couple selling their home to the younger family of this Great American Play.” 

She answered:

“What is A Raisin in the Sun?” 

Melanie answered correctly, and it took her total to $7,600. 

The final Daily Double went to Andrew, who also bet his entire earnings. 

The clue was:

“In the 19th century a group of Irish radicals & a group of coal miners agitating for better conditions shared this feminine name.” 

He answered:

“What is Molly McGuires?” 

He answered correctly, and his total winnings were $13,200. 

Melanie came in strong in the Double Jeopardy round and answered many of the questions. 

The scores by the end of the Double Jeopardy round were Melanie and Andrew at $20,400 and Aaron at $17,000. 

The final Jeopardy clue was:

“In an early draft, this title line was followed by ‘It may be your last,’ but Judy Garland refused to sing it that way.” 

Aaron and Melanie answered correctly which was

“What is ‘Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas’?”

Aaron did not wager anything, so his total remained the same. 

Andrew lost his entire earnings by answering incorrectly. 

Melanie, on the other hand, won $40,800 by answering correctly. 

Stay tuned for more such updates.