Northwestern senior Yejun Kim competed in the quarterfinals of the Jeopardy National College Championship, aired Wednesday evening on ABC. She locked horns with Mitch Macek of Villanova and Joey Kornman of Brandeis.

In a well-played, back-and-forth game, Kim finished second to Kornman, correctly guessing Final Jeopardy but falling short.

Kim found herself in an early hole, losing 200 on the first question about plutonium. She nailed a question about cosmetics to get back to zero, but Macek and Kornman both cleaned up on science questions. Kornman inched into the lead near the conclusion of the Jeopardy round, but Kim got the round’s final question by correctly guessing Gossip Girl as the 2007 CW show starring Blake Lively and Leighton Meester.

Kornman happened upon the first Daily Double, missing it to give Kim an opening. A tricky prefix category shifted momentum toward Macek, but Kornman mounted a comeback. Correctly guessing Taylor Swift’s Reputation gave Kim a boost in a category dealing with year-end Billboard no. 1 albums. 

Unfortunately for Kim, Kornman hit the second Daily Double shortly thereafter, also receiving a boost from a late judges’ reversal. A question about Salvador Dali put separation between him and his opponents, although a late Kim flurry brought her within $2600 of second-place Macek.

Kim successfully guessed Final Jeopardy, identifying Winston Churchill as an honorary US citizen; she wagered $0 and finished in second place. Macek went bankrupt, and Kornman held serve to advance to the semifinals.

Related stories:

• Q&A: NU senior Yejun Kim participates in Jeopardy! National College Championship Quarterfinal
• After semi-finals loss, McCormick freshman reflects on his “Jeopardy!” run
• Northwestern freshman advances to semifinals of “Jeopardy!” College Championship, guaranteed wildcard spot

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