I’ve noticed a sudden increase in hits related to Jeopardy! contestant Larissa Kelly, and now I see why. The Tournament of Champions from March is being rerun. Tomorrow they’ll have the show with Larissa’s loss to Dan Pawson.
2 comments September 3rd, 2009
Wrapping up my series on Jeopardy! contestant Larissa Kelly, she talked with a reporter in her hometown, Newton, Massachusetts. Click here.
When asked about a possible return to Boston, Larissa said, “It will depend on what the job market is like,” Kelly said. “But I’d love to end up back in Massachusetts.”
By Shannon Thomas
Wicked Local Newton
Posted Mar 25, 2009 @ 06:07 PM
Last update Mar 25, 2009 @ 10:39 PMNewton —
Answer: With winnings of nearly $323,000, she is the highest earning female winner in the history of the popular game show Jeopardy!
Question: Who is Newton native Larissa Kelly?Kelly, a Princeton alum, won second place in Jeopardy!’s Tournament of Champions this week, winning six times during the tournament and coming away with a $100,000 prize. In total, she walked away with $322,597.
Competing on the show and appearing on TV was “a lot of fun and a little surreal,” Kelly said.
Both Kelly’s husband and sister were in past Jeopardy! competitions, paving the way for her to do the same. She watched Jeopardy! frequently when she was growing up.
As a competitor, Kelly was hailed as soft-spoken and calm, yet her wagers were aggressive and gutsy.
“My husband and my sister had said they wished they had made larger wages,” said Kelly, explaining that this was her influence in taking such monetary risks.
When asked which questions or categories were most memorable or frustrating, she admitted the ones she got wrong were the most unforgettable. The baseball category in the final round was the topic that gave her the most trouble, but having literature and history topics created a good balance of questions.
Rumors floated among blogging sites and viewer forums questioning whether Alex Trebek saw Kelly as a favorite. Dan Pawson, the first place winner of the tournament said there was no such tension at all between Trebek and Kelly.
“Alex roots for everyone,” Pawson said.Kelly plans on “stockpiling” her winnings, setting aside money to buy a home and possibly fund a research trip to Mexico to continue working on her degree.
The show was filmed in Las Vegas, frequently late at night. Contestants hailing from the east coast were challenged by the time difference and unusual schedule, said Kelly.
She expects to graduate next spring, but is unsure whether she will return to Newton after completing her degree.
“It will depend on what the job market is like,” Kelly said. “But I’d love to end up back in Massachusetts.”
Kelly will be unable to compete again on Jeopardy! unless the show creates a new competition for previous tournament winners.
Shannon Thomas can be reached at sthomas@cnc.com.
Add comment March 26th, 2009
The Contra Costa Times has an item about Larissa Kelly’s stunning loss in Final Jeopardy! in the deciding game of the Tournament of Champions. Click here. Larissa says, “It’s such a weird, surreal experience. It’s so detached from any part of your regular life. It’s fun, but it’s kind of a blip.”
2 comments March 25th, 2009
Larissa Kelly played an excellent game in the finale of the Jeopardy! Tournament of Champions, but at the end she lost to Dan Pawson, who played an even better game. Larissa has had a couple of months to get over her disappointment, but for her fans the loss still stings.
Every so often an ordinary person appears out of nowhere and catches the public’s fancy. One example is Joe the would-be plumber, who turned out to be a fake in the first degree. Another example — a smaller and quieter one, who is no fake — is Larissa Kelly. A genuine American Sweetheart, Larissa is instantly likable, charming and disarming, and she’s somebody who most people just naturally want to root for. Larissa is the ultimate girl you want to bring home to meet your mother.
Congratulations to Dan Pawson for his victory, and congratulations once again to Larissa Kelly, whose place in Jeopardy! history is assured. Thank you, Larissa, for the inspiration of setting such high standards for yourself, and for meeting them. You’re obviously headed for further success, but everybody needs a little luck too, so best of luck to you, Larissa.
I live near Boston, and since Dan and Larissa are both from the Boston area, in this video of the deciding game in the tournament I’ve left in a commercial for Massachusetts tourism.
7 comments March 24th, 2009
What a stressful game. But at least it’s over. Dan Pawson is the winner of the Jeopardy! Tournament of Champions. Video of the finale coming up…
8 comments March 24th, 2009