NewJeopardy!champion Emily Croke revealed her astonishing connection to the Final Jeopardy! clue that she answered correctly to win the June 23 game.During theJeopardy!episode, Emily played against returning champion Andrew Brigger and David Spelman. Their Final Jeopardy! question was,“In 1896 the Vassar-educated wife of this man wrote, ‘Thousands of dollars may be paid for a copy of Shakespeare.'“The answer was Henry Folger, andEmily was the only contestant who got it right.
NewJeopardy!champion Emily Croke revealed her astonishing connection to the Final Jeopardy! clue that she answered correctly to win the June 23 game.
In aJeopardy!Reddit thread,Emily shared that she’s related to the subjects of the Final Jeopardy! clue from the June 23 episode. She stated,“Seeing the clue revealed was completely surreal. Emily and Henry Folger are my 3x great aunt and uncle. This fact has had very little material impact on my life but has been sort of ever-present.”
Emily continued,“I think about Emily fairly often because her jewelry boxes are sitting on my dresser (I joked with my mom that I should wear something of Emily’s for good luck on a Shakespeare clue). I actually have a copy of a speech she gave—at Vassar!—about whether or not Shakespeare wrote Shakespeare.”
AJeopardy!Instagram post showed a behind-the-scenes moment in whichEmily shared with host Ken Jennings that Emily Folger is her great-great-great-aunt Emily, and that she’s named after her.
Seeing the clue revealed was completely surreal. Emily and Henry Folger are my 3x great aunt and uncle. This fact has had very little material impact on my life but has been sort of ever-present. I think about Emily fairly often because her jewelry boxes are sitting on my dresser (I joked with my mom that I should wear something of Emily’s for good luck on a Shakespeare clue). I actually have a copy of a speech she gave—at Vassar!—about whether or not Shakespeare wrote Shakespeare.
What Emily Croke’s Connection To Final Jeopardy! Clue Means
This Was A Surprising Jeopardy! Coincidence
Emily’sfamily connection to the Final Jeopardy! clueduring her game is a startling coincidence, and it means that she got very lucky when it came to the last question. However,this wasn’t the only strange coincidence for her in the game. In her Reddit post, Emily shared that one of her oldest friends had sent her a text as she was on the way to the studio telling her to"Remember Winona,“which was a reference to a teacher who’d given them a memorable pep talk. Emily later correctly answered a question about singer Wynonna Judd in the game.
These coincidences are amazing and will definitely become part ofJeopardy!lore.It’s fascinating that Emily Folger isn’t just some disconnected and distant relative of Emily’s, but rather a strong presence in her life. She has her jewelry on her dresser and carries on her name, which is very beautiful.
Our Take On Emily Croke Revealing “Surreal” Connection To Final Clue
Emily’s Win Seemed To Be Written In The Stars
I think it’s fantastic that Emily had such a strong connection to her Final Jeopardy! clue. I don’t recall anything like this happening in recent games, and I thinkit’s a sign that Emily was meant to be aJeopardy!champion. Of course, her knowledge and preparation were her two most important tools, but it seems that a little bit of magic came into play here as well.
Emily might’ve gotten lucky withthat Final Jeopardy! clue, but she was a strong competitor before it, who almost had a runaway game with $12,200 before the last round, ahead of David’s $6,600 and Andrew’s $2,000. She was the only contestant who answered the Final Jeopardy! question correctly and won $13,201. I really enjoyed watching Emily playJeopardy!, andI hope that she can break the recent streak of one- or two-day champions and make it to the Tournament of Champions by winning at least five games.
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Jeopardy! (1984) is a long-running quiz show where contestants are presented with general knowledge clues in the form of answers and must phrase their responses in the form of questions.
