(CULVER CITY, CA, March 16, 2007) – “I’ll take surprise finishes for $16,000, Alex.” For the first time in Jeopardy! history, a three-way winning tie concluded Friday night’s episode after a nail-biting, surprise “Final Jeopardy!” round. All three contestants ended the show with $16,000 and all three were declared winners.

“We’ve had a lot of crazy things happen on Jeopardy! but in 23 years I’ve never seen anything like this before!” said an amused host Alex Trebek.

Jeopardy! officials contacted Game Theory expert Dr. David Levine at Washington University in St. Louis, who said the odds of such a three-way tie happening on the show were 1 in 25 million.

Neck-and-neck (-and-neck) throughout the majority of the game, the three contestants faced this clue in “Final Jeopardy!”:

The clue:
WOMEN OF THE 1930s

The answer:
“1 OF THE MEN WHO SHOT HER REALIZED WHEN HE SAW HER BODY THAT SHE’D OFTEN WAITED ON HIM AT A CAFÉ IN DALLAS.”

The correct question:
“WHO IS BONNIE PARKER?"
(of the notorious Bonnie & Clyde duo)

Millions of fans tuned in as all three players correctly answered the “Final Jeopardy!” clue and wagered just enough of their earnings to finish dead even with $16,000 each.

“It was such a surprising and amazing moment! I am honored to be associated with 'Jeopardy!' history,” said returning champion Scott Weiss, an assistant professor of computer science from Walkersville, Md. “Jamey, Anders and I have all remained really close after this experience."

Jamey Kirby, a humanities teacher from Gainesville, Fla. said, “It was a one-of-a-kind experience that I was thrilled to be a part of.”

“When we all got the 'Final Jeopardy!' clue right and saw the $16,000 across the boards, I was utterly speechless,” said Anders Martinson, a software engineer from Union City, Calif. “It was really something special."

Weiss, Kirby and Martinson will return Monday, March 19, for another showdown of “Jeopardy!” It will be the first time in the history of the show that all three contestants return the next day to face off again. (Check your local listings for airtime).

Jeopardy!, a winner of 27 Emmy awards since its debut in 1984, was recently inducted into the Guinness Book of World Records for the most awards won by a TV Game Show. The series is the #1-rated quiz show in syndication, and has held that title for over 1,000 weeks.

Jeopardy! is produced by Sony Pictures Television, a Sony Pictures Entertainment Company. It is distributed domestically and internationally by CBS Television Distribution, a unit of CBS Corp.

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