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James Denison, a college professor and museum curator originally from Alexandria, won four consecutive games of Jeopardy! this week, accumulating $99,400 before losing Thursday to Luke Henson, a grocer from East Moline, Ill.
Denison, a graduate of Bowdoin College, completed his doctorate in art history at the University of Michigan. He currently serves as a postdoctoral curatorial fellow at the Kalamazoo Institute of Arts in Michigan and as a visiting professor of art history at Kalamazoo College.
His first episode aired March 6. The Kalamazoo Institute of Arts screened the episode in its auditorium during a public event, inviting community members to watch.
Denison won $36,199 on his first day, then $45,599 on Monday, $9,001 on Tuesday and $8,601 on Wednesday. Jeopardy! fans took notice of his aggressive wagering strategy throughout the run.
He entered Thursday's Final Jeopardy round leading Henson by $6,000 but answered incorrectly for the third consecutive day. The category was "21st Century Women." The clue referenced an Iowa legislative resolution passed Feb. 22, 2004. The correct response was Caitlin Clark. Henson was the only contestant to answer correctly, wagering nearly all of his $8,400 to win.
Thursday's episode carried an extra wrinkle. Among Denison's challengers was Lydia Cawley, a director of product from Arlington, Virginia. Cawley finished in third place.
Denison has been added to Jeopardy!'s Tournament of Champions tracker. He is currently second among eligible champions with four wins and $99,400 in earnings, behind Harrison Whitaker of Terre Haute, Ind., who won 14 games and $373,999. The show notes that placement on the tracker does not guarantee an invitation, with final selection at the producers' discretion.
