We started with 135 players fighting for 45 slots. Then we threw in nine of Jeopardy!'s best for fun, whittling the field to 18. Now we're down to the six best - Brad Rutter, the Million Dollar Master; Pam Mueller, the lady of the bunch; Frank Spangenberg, the living legend; John Cuthbertson, the underdog; Chris Miller, the newbie; and Jerome Vered, the guy everyone likes. Two of these players will go on to next week's finals against the reining King of Quiz, Ken Jennings. At stake: $2,000,000 for the winner, $500,000 for the first runner-up, and $250,000 for the third-place finisher.

Today, the final card is set.

BRAD RUTTER TV quiz show host Lancaster, PA Won $65,000 $10,000	JOHN CUTHBERTSON Investment analyst San Diego Won $67,900 $13,500	CHRIS MILLER Retail specialist Louisville, KY Won $73,844 $10,000

Jeopardy! categories: Predators, Tribute Bands, Forbes' Billionaires, Russian Geography, Draw It Up, Time for a "Con"test

Daily Double: $600 Russian Geography. Brad ($400 over Chris' $200) bets $400 early. The clue: Kaliningrad, a small piece of Russian territory, sits between Poland & Lithuania on this sea. Brad's guess: "What is the Baltic Sea?" Correct for the doubler, $800.

End of Round:
Brad - $5400
John - $3200
Chris - $5000

Double Jeopardy! categories: Pre-Daters, Glenn Close Encounters, Grand Canyon National Park, World Coins, Author! Arthur!, Secretaries of State Before & After.

Daily Double #1: $1600 Pre-daters. Brad ($11,000 over John's $3200 and Chris' $7800) fronts $2000. Clue: the last city to host the Olympics before St. Moritz in 1948. Brad's guess: "What is London?" Correct response: What is Berlin? Brad drops to $9000.

Daily Double #2: $800 Author! Arthur!. Brad ($16,200 over John's $3200 and Chris' $7800), the only one to control the board after achieving some ethereal Zen state, goes $3200. Clue: it's no mystery; he was knighted in 1902 for his work defending British policy in the Boer War. Brad's guess: "Who is Arthur Conan Doyle?" Correct for $19,400.

End of Round:
Brad - $26,600
John - $5200
Chris - $7800

Remember, this is a two-day affair. Scores from yesterday will be added to today. The winner is guaranteed at least $50,000, second place is guaranteed $30,000, while third is guaranteed $20,000. The winner will join Jerome Vered and Ken Jennings in the final NEXT WEEK!

Final Jeopardy! Category: Historic Objects. Answer: given to Washington by Lafayette, one of the keys to this is on display at Mount Vernon. Correct response: What is the Bastille?

John's question: What ? (WRONG) Wager: $5000. Final score: $200.
Chris' question: What is something? (WRONG) Wager: $6101. Final score: $1699.
Brad's question: What is the Bastille? (RIGHT) Wager: $0. Final score: $26,600.

$10,000	$13,500	$10,000
+26,600	+    200	+ 1,699
$36,600	$13,700	$11,699

It was over when Brad got a hold of the board, riding it for all its worth. He moves on with $50,000 today, $115,000 total. Chris leaves with $93,844, while John takes home $97,900.

So there you have it... Jerome Vered, Brad Rutter, and Ken Jennings... And the only things that separates these three from a $2 million payday are three days and each other... The tripleheader for all that cheddar NEXT WEEK!