Claudia Stucke's 'Jeopardy!' Run Ends

DECATUR, GA -- Final Jeopardy couldn't save Decatur's Claudia Stucke for a third night in a row.

After a two-day run that netted her $30,600, the writer and retired school teacher lost on Thursday's episode of "Jeopardy!"

The loss, to Sarah Thompson, an art history professor from Rochester, New York, came after Stucke had used Final Jeopardy two episodes in a row to come from second place to take the win.

No such luck Thursday. In fact, that's how Thompson won.

This time, Stucke was in third place with $9,000 entering Final Jeopardy, trailing Thompson's $13,000 and $15,200 for Vivek Srikrishnan, a graduate student from State College, Pennsylvania.

The Final Jeopardy clue: "In 1872 he wrote his thesis 'Diseases of the Teeth' & soon after moved west to a drier climate for his health."

Stucke guessed "Colgate" and Srikrishnan tried "Walter Reed." But Thompson, who wagered $3,999, knew it was Old West icon "Doc" Holliday, a Griffin, Georgia, native who grew up in Valdosta before heading west.

Thompson finished with $16,999, Stucke with $4,999 and Srikrishnan with $4,399.

Stucke was the third DeKalb County resident to win at least once on "Jeopardy!" in the past couple of weeks.

Brookhaven professor Phillip Tiu won almost $100,000 during a three-game streak on the show last week and Decatur leadership trainer Steve Stoffle won $17,599 last Friday.