Larissa Kelly
Encyclopedia
Larissa Kelly is a Jeopardy!
contestant who resides in El Cerrito, California
. During her regular run on Jeopardy!, she won a total of $222,597 over six games and $1,000 3rd place consolation prize in her seventh, with her last appearance airing May 28, 2008. Excluding tournament winnings, Kelly is the highest-winning female contest and ranks fifth in all-time in Jeopardy! earnings. In addition to being the highest-winning female contestant in regular play, while she was champion Kelly broke Ken Jennings
record for most money won in a contestant's first five days by winning $179,797; this record was one of two Roger Craig
broke during his reign as champion, as he won $195,801 in his first five games (Craig also topped Jennings' single-game record of $77,000).These figures came after Jeopardy! doubled its clue values; if earlier scores are doubled to account for this, Kelly and Jennings both trail Frank Spangenberg
, whose adjusted total is $205,194, and Jerome Vered
, whose adjusted total is $193,602. Kelly is also the second-highest winning female contestant in any single game in Jeopardy!
's history. Kelly's $45,200 performance narrowly trails Maria Wenglinsky, who won $46,600 on November 1, 2005.
and attended Newton North High School
where she helped lead the science bowl
team to national competition. She graduated from Princeton University
in 2002 and is now a graduate student at the University of California, Berkeley
, studying the history of archaeology
in 19th century Mexico
. She played quiz bowl at both Princeton and Berkeley. On August 3, 2002, she married her quiz bowl teammate Jeff Hoppes.
She is one of three members of her family to have played on Jeopardy!, all between 2004 and 2008, and the only winner of the three. Her husband was defeated by Jennings in Jennings' 70th game as champion. Her sister Arianna was defeated in her initial Jeopardy! appearance, in part due to questionable calls that prompted Standards and Practices to bring her back for a second appearance; in her second appearance, Arianna was defeated by Aaron Schroeder, who later faced Larissa in the 2009 Jeopardy! Tournament of Champions
finals.
In the 2009 Jeopardy! Tournament of Champions
in Las Vegas
, Kelly won her quarterfinal and semifinal matches and led after the first game of the two-game finals, with $24,400 to Dan Pawson's $22,301. She lost to Pawson in the second game after she missed the Final Jeopardy! clue, which required identifying George II of Great Britain
as the last British ruler to be born outside the United Kingdom
. She won $100,000 for finishing second.
author, who has had one story published at Strange Horizons
.
records:
The following record, previously held by Kelly, has now been broken:
Jeopardy!
Griffin's first conception of the game used a board comprising ten categories with ten clues each, but after finding that this board could not be shown on camera easily, he reduced it to two rounds of thirty clues each, with five clues in each of six categories...
contestant who resides in El Cerrito, California
El Cerrito, Contra Costa County, California
-Transportation:The city's primary transportation infrastructure consists of the El Cerrito Plaza and El Cerrito del Norte BART stations along with several local bus lines, operated by AC Transit, providing access to the surrounding area and the nearby cities of Albany, Berkeley and Richmond...
. During her regular run on Jeopardy!, she won a total of $222,597 over six games and $1,000 3rd place consolation prize in her seventh, with her last appearance airing May 28, 2008. Excluding tournament winnings, Kelly is the highest-winning female contest and ranks fifth in all-time in Jeopardy! earnings. In addition to being the highest-winning female contestant in regular play, while she was champion Kelly broke Ken Jennings
Ken Jennings
Kenneth Wayne "Ken" Jennings III is an American game show contestant and author. Jennings is noted for holding the record for the longest winning streak on the U.S. syndicated game show Jeopardy! and as being the all-time leading money winner on American game shows...
record for most money won in a contestant's first five days by winning $179,797; this record was one of two Roger Craig
Roger Craig (Jeopardy! contestant)
Roger Alan Craig is an American game show contestant who holds the all-time record for single-day winnings on the quiz show Jeopardy! In 2011, Craig returned to Jeopardy, winning the Jeopardy! Tournament of Champions.-Early life and non-game-show career:...
broke during his reign as champion, as he won $195,801 in his first five games (Craig also topped Jennings' single-game record of $77,000).These figures came after Jeopardy! doubled its clue values; if earlier scores are doubled to account for this, Kelly and Jennings both trail Frank Spangenberg
Frank Spangenberg
Lieutenant Frank Spangenberg garnered fame in 1990 when he set the five-day cumulative winnings record on the game show Jeopardy!, becoming the first person to win more than $100,000 in five days on the show...
, whose adjusted total is $205,194, and Jerome Vered
Jerome Vered
Jerome Vered is a Studio City, California writer, publicly known for his record-setting success as a contestant on the U.S. television game show Jeopardy!-Biography:...
, whose adjusted total is $193,602. Kelly is also the second-highest winning female contestant in any single game in Jeopardy!
Jeopardy!
Griffin's first conception of the game used a board comprising ten categories with ten clues each, but after finding that this board could not be shown on camera easily, he reduced it to two rounds of thirty clues each, with five clues in each of six categories...
's history. Kelly's $45,200 performance narrowly trails Maria Wenglinsky, who won $46,600 on November 1, 2005.
Background and education
Kelly grew up in Newton, MassachusettsNewton, Massachusetts
Newton is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States bordered to the east by Boston. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the population of Newton was 85,146, making it the eleventh largest city in the state.-Villages:...
and attended Newton North High School
Newton North High School
Newton North High School, formerly Newton High School, is the larger and longer-established of two public high schools in Newton, Massachusetts, with about 2,000 students, the other being Newton South High School. It is located in the village of Newtonville...
where she helped lead the science bowl
Science Bowl
Science Bowl is a high school and middle school academic competition, similar to Quiz Bowl, held in the United States. Two teams of four students each compete to answer various science-related questions. In order to determine which student has the right to answer the question, a buzzer system is...
team to national competition. She graduated from Princeton University
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
in 2002 and is now a graduate student at the University of California, Berkeley
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
, studying the history of archaeology
Archaeology
Archaeology, or archeology , is the study of human society, primarily through the recovery and analysis of the material culture and environmental data that they have left behind, which includes artifacts, architecture, biofacts and cultural landscapes...
in 19th century Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
. She played quiz bowl at both Princeton and Berkeley. On August 3, 2002, she married her quiz bowl teammate Jeff Hoppes.
She is one of three members of her family to have played on Jeopardy!, all between 2004 and 2008, and the only winner of the three. Her husband was defeated by Jennings in Jennings' 70th game as champion. Her sister Arianna was defeated in her initial Jeopardy! appearance, in part due to questionable calls that prompted Standards and Practices to bring her back for a second appearance; in her second appearance, Arianna was defeated by Aaron Schroeder, who later faced Larissa in the 2009 Jeopardy! Tournament of Champions
Jeopardy! Tournament of Champions
The Jeopardy! Tournament of Champions is an annual tournament featuring the longest-running champions from the past season or seasons of the TV quiz show Jeopardy! The tournament began in the show's first season in 1964 during Art Fleming's tenure as host, and continued into the Alex Trebek era of...
finals.
In the 2009 Jeopardy! Tournament of Champions
Jeopardy! Tournament of Champions
The Jeopardy! Tournament of Champions is an annual tournament featuring the longest-running champions from the past season or seasons of the TV quiz show Jeopardy! The tournament began in the show's first season in 1964 during Art Fleming's tenure as host, and continued into the Alex Trebek era of...
in Las Vegas
Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...
, Kelly won her quarterfinal and semifinal matches and led after the first game of the two-game finals, with $24,400 to Dan Pawson's $22,301. She lost to Pawson in the second game after she missed the Final Jeopardy! clue, which required identifying George II of Great Britain
George II of Great Britain
George II was King of Great Britain and Ireland, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg and Archtreasurer and Prince-elector of the Holy Roman Empire from 11 June 1727 until his death.George was the last British monarch born outside Great Britain. He was born and brought up in Northern Germany...
as the last British ruler to be born outside the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. She won $100,000 for finishing second.
As author
Larissa Kelly is also a science fictionScience fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
author, who has had one story published at Strange Horizons
Strange Horizons
Strange Horizons is an online speculative fiction magazine. It also features speculative poetry in every issue....
.
Records
During her streak, Kelly broke the following Jeopardy!Jeopardy!
Griffin's first conception of the game used a board comprising ten categories with ten clues each, but after finding that this board could not be shown on camera easily, he reduced it to two rounds of thirty clues each, with five clues in each of six categories...
records:
| Description | Current Record | Previous Record |
|---|---|---|
| Highest total winnings on Jeopardy! by a female player in non-tournament play | US$222,597 by Larissa Kelly | US$122,300 by Maria Wenglinsky, 2005 |
| Longest winning streak on Jeopardy! by a female player in non-tournament play | 6 games by Larissa Kelly | 5 games by various contestants |
| Longest streak (from first appearance) of correct Final Jeopardy! responses on Jeopardy! | 10 games by Larissa Kelly | 9 games by Leah Greenwald and Dave Abbott |
The following record, previously held by Kelly, has now been broken:
| Description | Current Record | Kelly's Record | Previous Record |
|---|---|---|---|
| Highest 5-game total on Jeopardy!, first 5 games (unadjusted) | US$195,801 by Roger Craig | US$179,797 by Larissa Kelly | US$156,000 by Ken Jennings Ken Jennings Kenneth Wayne "Ken" Jennings III is an American game show contestant and author. Jennings is noted for holding the record for the longest winning streak on the U.S. syndicated game show Jeopardy! and as being the all-time leading money winner on American game shows... |