‘Jeopardy!’ Contestant gets Second Chance from Taylor Swift Album

The first Jeopardy! tournament of the year has brought a fateful opportunity to one beloved contestant. At his initial turn on Jeopardy!, Drew Goins left without the win, without the prize money, and with a losing soundtrack by way of one of the world’s biggest pop stars. Returning for the ‘Second Chance Tournament,’ Goins exemplified the competition’s theme by redeeming himself with newfound knowledge of Taylor Swift lore.

Drew Goins, a journalist from Honolulu, became a fan favorite contestant in September of last year, fans pointing out his stellar record of correct responses despite his loss. In his original appearance, a clue in the “Grammy Album of the Year” category was not correctly responded to by any contestant: “The first of Taylor Swift’s record 4 AOTY Grammys was for this album in 2010.” (Swifties will know it’s “Fearless.” I had to check the J-Archive).

Returning now for the tournament, which started in 2022, Goins seemed poised to take on the newest Jeopardy! gauntlet. In the break during the first round, Goins shared his interview anecdote with host, Ken Jennings. “I got a Taylor Swift question wrong, went home worried that the Swifties would come rip me out of my bed one night, but it turns out the angry Swiftie was my brother, who’s here today,” Goins spoke, the camera landing on his smiling brother (who roasted him online leading up to tonight) in the studio audience. “The night before taping, he had prepared an entire practice board for me … It was entirely Taylor Swift.”

As the contestants made their way through the rest of the round, Goins threw out a handful of correct responses, earning him the privilege of selecting the last clue. Realizing it was the last clue on the board, Goins excitedly blurted Sam Buttrey’s catchphrase, “Bring it!”

His exuberance didn’t end there, however. A palpable excited energy washed over … me on my couch and presumably the entire studio audience, the contestants, THE WORLD, when the final clue was revealed. The $200 clue in the “Albums” category was, “In 2014 Taylor Swift gave us this album named for a different year.” Quickly striking his buzzer with the precision of an archer, Goins rang in and correctly delivered the response worthy of the greatest of second chances, “WHAT IS NINETEEN EIGHTY-NINE!?”

TAYLOR SWIFT REDEMPTION!!!! #Jeopardy #DrewRound2 pic.twitter.com/z8OAe7DZeQ

— Zach Goins (@zach_goins) January 7, 2025

Drew went on to enter Final Jeopardy with a commanding lead, and despite all the contestants jotting the correct response, a crafty wager left Drew with a mathematical win. Finishing the game with a score of $36,801, Goins will head to the tournament finals with no more fear of angry Swifties and hopefully an idea for a generous gift for his brother.