Syosset teacher Daniel Wohl's 'Jeopardy!' winning streak ends
Syosset High School social studies teacher Daniel Wohl, right, with “Jeopardy!” host Ken Jennings, won Wednesday night's game. He returned for Thursday's episode but lost. Credit: Jeopardy Productions Inc.
Long Island teacher Daniel M. Wohl's one-day "Jeopardy!" winning streak came to an end Thursday when he was defeated by Portland, Oregon, writer Mira Hayward.
Wohl, of Forest Hills, Queens, whose victorious debut on the game show the previous night had netted $26,799 in winnings, came back Thursday to face off against Hayward and St. Petersburg, Florida, history professor Scott Perry.
In the second round, the Syosset High School teacher, 36, overtook Hayward's early lead and finished "Double-Jeopardy!" ahead, with $12,100, after correctly answering the final Daily Double clue: "Cerium & Yttrium are 2 of these elements that despite their name, are abundant on our planet."
Whol's answer: "What are the rare earth elements?"
Host Ken Jennings then revealed the episode's "Final Jeopardy!" category: Theater history.
The final clue: "In 1904, wearing a harness, actress Nina Boucicault became the first to play this character onstage."
Perry finished in third place after wagering $5,598 of his $5,600 total for the final clue. He answered incorrectly: "Who is Mother Courage?"
Hayward got it right with "Who is Peter Pan?" and increased her total winnings by $4,000 to $14,600.
Wohl, who guessed incorrectly ("Who is Pygmalion?"), wagered just over $9,000, leaving his final total at $2,999.
A day earlier, he had defeated four-day champion Matthew Marcus, a software developer also from Portland, Oregon, after success in the "Double-Jeopardy!" round when Wohl doubled his money with a correct Daily Double answer.
Wohl, who began applying for "Jeopardy!" more than two years ago, said in a statement that "each episode feels like a tiny microcosm of the world as it should be — a world where intelligence is rewarded, where curiosity is valued, and where knowledge is celebrated.”
He added, “The opportunity to compete on 'Jeopardy!' is the fulfillment of a lifelong personal goal. I believe my appearance also reflects Syosset’s mission of cultivating intellectual potential and inspiring a lifetime of learning.”
From 2017 to 2021, Wohl had taught social studies at Northwest High School in Montgomery County, Maryland, immediately after earning his master's degree in secondary education at Stanford University, according to his LinkedIn page.
He previously worked for Major League Baseball and as a marketing executive in the San Francisco area.
With Newsday Staff
