Sioux Falls Team Competes on Newest Jeopardy! Spin-Off Show

(WARNING! THIS STORY CONTAINS THE FINAL RESULTS OF THE EPISODE)

Jeopardy! has been an American TV institution for the past 50 years and along the way has seen a handful of different versions the classic game show, which first aired in March of 1964:

• Celebrity Jeopardy!
• College Jeopardy!
• Rock & Roll Jeopardy!
• Sports Jeopardy!

Recently, the franchise launched its newest incarnation, Pop Culture Jeopardy! hosted by Saturday Night Live’s Colon Jost, on Amazon Prime. This version switches things up a bit as teams of three compete in a knockout format, which will see one team walk away with a $300,000 grand prize at the end of the season.

One of the first teams to battle for the big money was from Sioux Falls.

Team ‘What is…South Dakota’, made up of siblings Emily and Asher Deinken along their friend Chris Hartmann, flew to Los Angeles in August to appear on Episode Five of the first season.

That episode aired this week.

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(SPOILER ALERT! FULL EPISODE RECAP)

Team 'What is...South Dakota' got off to a slow start in the 'Jeopardy!' round, before stringing together some correct responses to jump into the lead at the first commercial break with 2,600 points

After the break the Sioux Falls trio would manage just one more correct response in the round, while team 'The Stage Names' surged into first place with a 5,000 point advantage over 'What is...South Dakota' heading into the 'Double Jeopardy!' round.

That's where Mount Rushmore State trio quickly narrowed the gap by successfully stealing a question and answer about Dr. Hannibal Lecter in the 'Fine Young Cannibals' category.

Moments later they lost 1,200 points with an incorrect response in the 'How Long?' category.

But right before the end of 'Double Jeopardy!', team 'What is...South Dakota' tacked on 2,000 points with a correct response in the 'Floral Films' category, eventually finishing with 6,000 points heading into 'Final Jeopardy!'. Unfortunately, 'The Stage Names' had built an insurmountable lead at that point with 22,200 points.

'What is...South Dakota' did finish strong in 'Final Jeopardy!' in the 'Reality TV Hosts' category, correctly identifying Tyra Banks as the answer to the question about the person who, on a  2020 episode of The Drew Barrymore Show demonstrated how to 'convey a smile without removing her mask'.

Not only did they have the correct response, they also rolled the dice and wagered all 6,000 of their points, doubling their final tally to 12,000. That was good enough for a second place finish, 10,200 points behind 'The Stage Names'.

For their efforts, Emily, Asher, and Chris are bringing home $1,500 in prize money and no doubt some unforgettable memories after playing a part in the enduring legacy of one of television's most iconic franchises.