It all comes down to this. We started with 145 people, all with one goal: $2 million dollars. After some byes, a few stunners, and some moments of zen, we have our final three... Ken Jennings, the recordholder. Brad Rutter, the million-dollar master. Jerome Vered, an early great. One of them will be the new king of quiz with another $2 million pocketed. Second place is guaranteed half a million, while third is guaranteed a quarter-mill, but who will get which check?

The moment three months in the making is upon us.

JEROME VERED Writer Los Angeles Won $137,601	BRAD RUTTER TV quiz show host Lancaster, PA Won $115,000	KEN JENNINGS Software engineer Salt Lake City 2004 75-time Champion

Jeopardy! categories: The Smart Set, Eggheads, Sheer Genius!, Shrew-ed, High Intelligence, "Bril"-liant!

Daily Double: $800 The Smart Set. Ken ($800 over Brad's $400) bets the maximum of $1000 early. The clue: this ex-sailor published 3 early sea plays in the magazine, including "The Long Voyage Home". Ken's guess: "Who is Eugene O'Neill?" Correct for $1800.

End of Round:
Jerome - $3200
Brad - $2200
Ken - $8200

So far, it's like riding a bike for Ken, but we're still in the half of only one game.

Double Jeopardy! categories: Let's Get Biblical, Take Me To the River, State the Chemical Element, My Category with Andre, It Changed the World; Before, During & After

Daily Double #1: $800 My Category with Andre. Brad ($9000 to Ken's $10,600 and Jerome's $3200) fronts $2000. Clue for the lead: this French Minister of War lent his name to an ineffective fortification on the border with Germany. Brad's guess: "Who is Maginot?" Correct for $11,000 and the lead.

Daily Double #2: $2000 It Changed the World. Brad ($14,600 over Ken's $13,000 and Jerome's $12,400) bets to tie, $1600. Clue: the papers that revolutionized modern physics were published in 1905 by a clerk of this city's patent office. Brad's guess: "What is Zurich?" Right country, wrong city. Correct response: What is Bern? Brad and Ken are tied with $13,000 a piece, but only Ken would leave the show with that much as...

End of Round:
Jerome - $12,400
Brad - $14,200
Ken - $13,000

Remember, this is a three-day affair. Scores from the Monday game, the Tuesday game, and the Wednesday game will be cumulatively added to yield a winner. That person will go home with $2,000,000.

Final Jeopardy! Category: Images of America. Answer: citing John Winthrop, who said "The eyes of all people are on us", Ronald Reagan liked to compare the US to this. Correct response: What is "a city on a hill"?

Jerome's question: What is a shining city on a hill? (RIGHT) Wager: $4000. Final score: $16,400.
Ken's question: What is a city on a hill? (RIGHT) Wager: $3000. Final score: $16,000.
Brad's question: What is a city on a hill? (RIGHT) Wager: $4200. Final score: $18,400.

$16,400	$18,400	$16,000

At the end of day one, we have three superchamps still beginning to feel each other out. Brad and Ken are at war with each other, and Jerome is gunning for both of them. Ken finds himself at an unfamiliar position - last place. But the night is young, and anything can still happen.

And to think, this is just day one. Imagine what days two and three will be like. See you tomorrow!