Larissa in Jeopardy!

My friend SamJay is a lifelong fan of Jeopardy! and last week he suggested that I tune in. The last time he told me to do that was early in Ken Jennings’ record sweep. This time the contestant who’s creating a sensation is Larissa Kelly. She’s originally from Newton, MA, and The Boston Globe had an item about her a couple of days ago at this link.

Her winning way
Grad student Larissa Kelly, who grew up in Newton, made some history on “Jeopardy!” this week. Kelly, 28, became the highest-money-winning woman in the game show’s long history, tallying $146,197 in just four games. Kelly, who attends UC-Berkeley, will try to extend her winning streak next week.

Jeopardy! insiders are saying Larissa will be around for a while. Exactly how long is unknown, but for now she seems to be on a roll. Here’s a heavily-edited video of Larissa’s appearance in last Friday’s show. Double Jeopardy had an Alfred Hitchcock theme, and I got all of the Hitchcock answers. The clip is chopped-up, so not all of the answers and questions match. Larissa was up against some excellent competitors, and it was only a bit of luck that saved her in Final Jeopardy. It will be interesting to see how long Larissa’s luck holds.

[flv:/Video/2008/MAY/jeopardy.flv 480 360]

37 thoughts on “Larissa in Jeopardy!”

  4. She is an inspiration. There are so few women like her. Im counting the days to the Tournament.I hope we can see her on some talk shows or something. It would be interesting to learn about her growing up and the influences in her life. How did she come to learn so many things

  6. I agree with Ab. This young woman is pretty, shy and smart; to me, a very attractive combination. I’ve got a big crush on this girl!

  8. Great job. You were polite and well present during the whole time. All the best in you studies

  9. Hmm. We’ll ignore SicPup’s “good for a blond” comment, which could apply equally to men, and agree with B-Rad that it’s a sad loss. We look forward to seeing Larissa again in the Tournament of Champions!

  10. Well I suppose that’s that… It’d be nice to see her back in the Tournament of Champions! Sad loss tonight!

  11. Mike,
    She’s girl-next-door hot. Kinda Winny Cooper hot form the Wonder Years.
    Real heat is Jennah Durant who appeared on Jeopardy in January and did pretty good for a blonde. Check her out on google images

  13. How many books did she say her father had at his house? She said she didn’t read them, though.

    What a woman!

  14. I also love Larissa, she makes the game extra fun to watch. Hope she makes a name for herself like Ken Jennings. Go for it Larissa!!

  15. Anonymous claims that she’s cold. What he/she foolishly doesn’t realize is that Larissa is preciously bashful. She starts to bring out a smile and then tucks it away. I bet she’d rather be playing board games than be on televison (but the money helps). Her husband is so lucky to have that hidden treasure every day. Go Larissa!

  16. I hope I’m wrong but I have to agree with Andy’s comments in that I don’t think Larissa will last out the week. She is nowhere near as dominating as Ken Jennings was. She needs to be leading going into Final Jeopardy or she will get burnt when it’s a relatively easy FJ compared to the ones on the last few shows. It’ll be nice if she can keep her streak going up to the summer hiatus which can’t be far away.

    But we can take solace in knowing she will almost certainly be back on the next Tournament of Champions.

  17. I dunno about “total hotness”, but she is as cute as can be.

    Me and the guys at work are cheering her on the way we cheer our favorite sports teams. GO LARISSA!

  18. I admit I thought Larissa would be done tonight, but once again she bet it all at the end and won. That’s one advantage somebody with significant winnings has over challengers — they can afford to lose $20 grand.

    I’m no Jeopardy! expert. I merely follow my friend SamJay’s lead, and he too has said he would prefer to see Larissa dominate the games, rather than get her wins in Final Jeopardy. He also has explained the importance of the buzzer timing. Do you know if they test the buzzers regularly? I wonder what sort of mechanism they have, and how long they’re used before replacement?

  19. Thanks for that bit from the Post, Doug — I’d hardly call the NY Post a Jeopardy! insider, though. They probably just saw that she was racking up money and felt people might want to watch.

    None of my J! Archive team have heard anything — including a person who runs a major trivia website and was tipped off about both Ken Jennings and David Madden before their runs started.

    I’ll be cheering for her for sure, but I have my doubts that she’ll make it past 9 games. She just hasn’t been dominant enough, and she looked really tired at the end of her 4th game last week. Additionally, the J! production staff have made changes since Ken’s run finished — namely, giving challengers significantly more rehearsal time on the buzzer, in an effort to neutralize the advantage that a returning champion might have on the buzzer — an advantage that is a near-necessity to building a long run on the show.

  20. Yeah, that was quite a finish tonight. That’s the second 50’s movie question I’ve seen Larissa come up with. The other was about “Rear Window,” last Friday.

  22. The NY Post had an item, hinting she’d be around a while. I don’t have the link in front of me at the moment. SamJay, you have that handy?

    Ah. Found it. Link

    * “Jeopardy!” fans should keep their eye on current winner Larissa Kelly – who’s racking up beaucoup bucks. There’s more where that came from (7 p.m./ Ch. 7).

    It’s not much to go on, but it’s something.

  24. Sorry, Anonymous, but you’re outvoted. If you want histrionics, as Matt H points out there are Lindsay, Paris, and Britney.

  25. I’m in love. I can’t help but fall for attractive girls who are also smart (my wife is one of them). Way To Go, Larissa. I hope you go a long way in this challenge.

  26. It’s about time someone nice got as much attention as Lindsay and Paris etc……….Larissa’s legacy will be much more lasting and impressive than either of the two aforementioned young ladies I am sure.

  28. It’s remarkable how much good will and excitement is being generated for this quiet, intelligent young woman. I have a teenage son, and not a daughter, but I’ve got to believe that what Kelly Clarkson is to girls who want to sing, Larissa Kelly is to girls who are academically inclined — an inspiration.

  29. Kelly is doing great. Let us see if she will beat Ken Jennings record. She has a long way to go, but I am sure she can do it if she keeps it up. Lets Go Kelly Lets Go.

  32. Did Larissa Kelly appear on “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?” a few years ago and win $500,000?

  33. I’ve never been particularly good at knowledge games, or any games, for that matter. I suppose I’m best at playing along with “Wheel of Fortune.”

    On the video I almost inserted an overlay with the words, “Sorry boys, she’s married.” If you don’t know where that idea came from, then a lot of what’s on this Web site besides Larissa won’t be of interest to you!

  36. I assume that when her husband brought her home for the first time to meet his parents, their reaction was “our son has hit the jackpot!” So whatever he won on Jeopardy is extra.

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