[Warning: The following contains MAJOR spoilers for the Friday, February 13, episode of Jeopardy!]
Friday the 13th called for a thriller of a Jeopardy! game. The first semifinal game of the 2026 Jeopardy! Invitational Tournament was a nailbiter throughout. Find out who advanced to the finals.
Roger Craig, from Johnstown, Pennsylvania, played against Drew Basile, from Birmingham, Michigan, and Jen Giles, from Longmont, Colorado, on February 13. Whoever won the game would advance to the three-person final, where the first contestant to two wins will become the champion, take home $150,000, and advance to the upcoming Jeopardy! Masters.
Craig, an applied scientist, got the first clue wrong, so he dropped to -$1,000. Giles, a teacher, correctly answered it, then proceeded to find the Daily Double on clue two.
Giles made it a true Daily Double with $1,000 in her bank. In “Song & Book: Same Title,” the clue read, “Don Henley looks back at an old relationship; Roger Kahn looks back at the baseball players of the 1950s.” “What is The Boys of Summer?” he answered correctly, putting her in the lead with $2,000.
Basile, a writer, took the lead by the first 15 clues with $2,200. He kept the lead by the end of the round with $6,000. Giles had $2,400. Craig was in third place with $1,200.
In Double Jeopardy, Craig found the first DD on clue two. He wagered all of his $3,200 in “A Science Brief.” The clue was: “The Cassini-Huygens mission found rippling sand dunes & liquid seas on this moon.” “What is Titan?” he answered correctly, giving him the lead with $6,400.
When Basile had $5,600 in his bank, he found the second DD on clue eight. He made it a true Daily Double in “Writers.” The clue read, “Dickens saluted this writer as ‘my dear sir,’ but also expressed doubt that it was actually a man behind the name (it wasn’t).” “Who is George Elliot?” Basile answered correctly. He doubled to $11,200, taking the lead. Craig had $7,600.
Craig quickly took the lead only a few clues later. He ended the round in the lead with $18,400. Basile had $14,000. Giles was in third place with $4,800.
The Final Jeopardy clue was in the category “Saints.” The clue read, “Mentioned several times in a 1599 play, this patron saint of cobblers had a feast day that coincided with the Battle of Agincourt.” Two of the game show contestants had the right answer.
Giles answered, “Who is St. Swithin?” She was wrong, so she ended with $4,075 after wagering $725. Basile’s response — “Who is Crispin?” — was correct. He wagered $0, so he ended with $14,000. Craig also had the right response. He wagered $9,601, ending with $28,001.
Craig advanced to the finals, which will begin on Wednesday, February 18.
Jeopardy!, weekdays, check local listings, stream next day on Hulu and Peacock
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