Last Night on Jeopardy!: Anderson Cooper Gets Animated, Wins For Charity

By Alex Weprin 

Last night was the final night of the “Jeopardy!” “Power Players” week, with journalists and Washington DC-types competing for their favorite charities. The final three players were CNN anchor Anderson Cooper, NBC White House correspondent Kelly O’Donnell and New York Times columnist and author Thomas Friedman.

As usual, each player had one category that was a play on their name or profession. One category was “‘A.C.'” with each answer having one word starting with an “A” and a second word starting with a “C.” “Here’s to the Irish,” in honor of Ms. O’Donenll’s heritage, and “Cold, Hilly and Empty,” a play on Friedman’s last book Hot, Flat and Crowded.

Cooper showed the most personality, and was the strongest player. He cracked jokes and literally jumped in the air in mock joy after ending the first segment as the only player not in negatives.

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Going into Final Jeopardy! Cooper had a substantial, but not insurmountable, lead. None of the players were able to get the question correct however (it was Eli Whitney), but smart wagering gave Cooper the win, and $50,000 for his charity.

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