“What is ‘Watership Down‘?”
Carol S. Oppenheim got the “Final Jeopardy” question correct — the answer in the 20th-century lit category was, indeed, the title of Richard Adams’ 1972 adventure novel. But alas, but the longtime Owings Mills resident came in second on the July 6 broadcast of the popular TV game show, “Jeopardy!”
A retired computer programmer who attends Pikesville’s Beth Tfiloh Congregation, Oppenheim, 72, lost to Alex Gordon, a medical student from Somers, New York. Gordon won $25,000 in his first appearance on the show and will return to compete again.
During the schmoozy introductory portion of the show, Oppenheim — who is married to local dentist Dr. Carl J. Oppenheim — told host Ken Jennings about her honeymoon nearly 50 years ago when she and her husband accidentally locked their keys in a rental car and used a coat hanger to pry open the lock.
Oppenheim’s appearance came only a few months after a successful three-show run on “Jeopardy!” by another Baltimorean, Dr. Melissa R. Klapper, a Bais Yaakov School for Girls graduate. Dr. Klapper, who lives in Merion Station, Pennsylvania, appeared on “Jeopardy!” from Mar. 20-23, with winnings of $59,100.
Oppenheim is a volunteer for the local nonprofit Central Scholarship, which benefits local college students, and serves as a media and publicity coordinator for the Baltimore chapter of the Brandeis National Committee, in support of Brandeis University.
Besides Gordon, Oppenheim competed against Anji Nyquist, a social media coordinator from Minneapolis, who won $8,800 on the July 5 broadcast of “Jeopardy!” Nyquist ended the July 6 show earning not a single dollar, while Oppenheim reached $14,001.
Locally, “Jeopardy!” airs nightly at 7 on WBFF FOX 45.
