Jessica Stephens is a statistical research specialist from Nashville, Tennessee.
Jeopardy![]
Original Game[]
She made her Jeopardy! debut on October 11, 2021, and faced both 38-game champion Matt Amodio and future 11-game champion Jonathan Fisher. She trailed Jonathan by just $200 going into Final Jeopardy, $14,600 to $14,400 (with Matt in third at $10,600), wagered all but a dollar in Final, and answered it correctly. However, Jonathan did the same, and wagered all of his money to become the new champion; thus, Jessica was defeated in her very first game.
Second Chance Competition[]
Michael Davies (whose first day as Executive Producer was coincidentally Stephens’ first game) was so impressed by her performance that he saw fit to create a competition that brought 18 former contestants back for a second chance. Stephens’ semifinal saw her win in a runaway against Cindy Zhang and Aaron Gulyas, after Stephens was the only player to answer a Daily Double in that match correctly.
The Finals saw her go up against James Fraser and Molly Karol in a two-day total point affair. In the first game, Stephens finished with $28,600, to Fraser’s $30,929 (with Karol in third at $15,600). In the second game, Stephens entered Final Jeopardy with $15,300 (to Karol’s $10,600 and Fraser’s $2,000), thereby cementing her lock victory. Final was a Triple Stumper, and Stephens advanced to the Tournament of Champions, though she did overwager such that Fraser and Karol would have won if either of them had gotten Final Jeopardy correct.
Tournament of Champions[]
Stephens was placed in the sixth and final quarterfinal, against Zach Newkirk and Professor’s Tournament Champion Sam Buttrey. She was considered by many the favorite to win that game; however, she took an incorrect response to put her in the hole on the very first clue, and she would never get out. She finished Double Jeopardy with -$5,800, which is believed to be the lowest Tournament of Champions score ever; her score was as low as -$6,600 at one point. Sam would go on to reach the finals of the Tournament before finishing as the second runner-up to Andrew He and tournament champion Amy Schneider.