A ‘Jeopardy!’ Contestant Returned To The Game Show After 50 Years — And Did Pretty Dang Well

A certain section of Jeopardy! fans will find a reason to complain about anything, whether it’s a host’s outfit or winning streaks or supposedly inconsistent rules. But no one had better grumble about Martha Bath, the contestant who appeared on the game show in 1972 — and again in 2022, and won.

“This is not your first rodeo,” host host Ken Jennings prompted Bath, a retired CPA from Seattle, Washington, during the Q&A segment of Wednesday’s episode. “That is correct,” she said. “Fifty years ago this spring, I was on the original daytime show with Art Fleming in New York.” She won $40 “and a set of encyclopedias,” Bath added, “and I still have them.” She took home more than 40 bucks and dusty old books this time.

Bath beat out returning champion Emmett Stanton and sports journalist Christopher Pennant to snatch the victory. Despite going into Final Jeopardy! with just $15,400 compared to Stanton’s $22,000, Bath nailed the correct answer and wagered her entire prize pot, giving her a winning total of $30,800.

“Or, if we count 1972, $30,840,” Jennings joked. Unfortunately, Bath’s reign was short-lived. She returned during Thursday’s episode and did well for himself, finishing with $26,100 after Final Jeopardy! (the clue: “In 2011, Leland, Mississippi, where Jim Henson grew up, honored Henson & his Muppets by renaming a bridge this, also a song title”). But fellow contestant Michael Menkhus, a data analyst from Kansas City, Missouri, also got it right (“What is Rainbow Connection”) for a one-day total of $31,201.

What’s so amazing that keeps us stargazing Stories like Martha Bath’s.