Preliminaries: Dorst/Fleming/Wenglinsky - May 8

Fifteen of the best Jeopardy! players this year have returned for one more shot at $250,000. In the next two weeks, three will play in a two-day final to determine who will walk away with the grand prize.

Another standard two-week affair awaits with an increased minimum guarantee of $100,000 for second place and $50,000 for third.

Semifinalists are guaranteed at least $10,000, while quarterfinalists are guaranteed $5000 for participation. As always, any and all winning accrued depends on how far up the ladder a player goes.

But first, game one...
 

DOUG DORST Austin, TX Writer/professor Three days, $66,802	KERMIN FLEMING Lexington, KY Student 2004 College Champion	MARIA WENGLINSKY Brooklyn, NY Teacher Five days, $122,360

Jeopardy! categories: Pick the Mammal, New York Times Sports, Paint Job, Porper Names, Let Us Worship, Latin Lexicon

Daily Double: $800 Let Us Worship. Maria ($4600 over Doug and Kermin's $600 each) bets $3000. The clue: selenolatry is the worship of this object. Maria’s response: "What is the moon?" Correct for $7600.

End of round:
Doug: $1800
Kermin: $1600
Maria: $10,800

Double Jeopardy! categories: Plays & Playwrights, No. 1 Albums, First Ladies, A World of Facts, They Said It In 2005, "C" Food.

Daily Double #1: $1600 "C" Food. Kermin ($2000 to Marias $8800 and Doug's $1000) bets $1000. The clue: a plant disease known in the US as this smut creates a Mexican delicacy known as huitlacoche. Kermin's response: "What is corn?" Correct for $3000.

Daily Double #2: $800 They Said It In 2005. Doug ($3000 to Maria's $4200 and Kermin’s $4200) fronts $2000. The clue: "To my fellow journalists... risking all and to each of you, courage". Doug's response: "Who is Dan Rather?" Correct for $5000.

End of round:
Doug: $9000
Kermin: $4200
Maria: $13,200

Final Jeopardy! category: Science. The clue: The symbol of this element first isolated in 1783 comes from its German name. Correct response: What is tungsten?

Kermin's response: What is cobalt? WRONG. Wager: $4101. Total: $99.
Doug’s response: What is iron? WRONG. Wager: $3001. Total: $5999.
Maria’s response: What is nitrogen? WRONG. Wager: $6800. Total: $6400.

Maria made a move today... Surprisingly not a smart move if you're ahead in the Quarterfinal Final Jeopardy! Just play the math, and let the others play the odds, because you're trying to guarantee yourself a spot in the final. She was incredibly lucky today.

Second quarterfinal tomorrow.