St. Paul woman has a 'grand' time on 'Jeopardy!'

A St. Paul woman's previously recorded appearance on television's "Jeopardy!" aired Friday, and she came away with cash winnings in the four figures, albeit barely.

Claudia Hochstein finished third among the three contestants with $3,797, but she explained on Twitter that "third place only takes home $1,000."

The 28-year-old, who works for the Minnesota Zoo as a legislative affairs liaison, tweeted that "even though I didn't win, 'Jeopardy!' is one of the best things that's ever happened to me. The saddest part is that I never get to play again."

Hochstein, who graduated from the University of Minnesota with degrees in Latin and environmental science, took it on the social media chin for her Final Jeopardy! answer to this question posed by host Alex Trebek: "In 1946, MLJ Mags. changed its name to this "Comics," incorporating the first name of its popular teenage hero."

Hochstein wrote "Jeff." The correct answer was "What is Archie Comics?"

Her reply alluded to the popular "Jeffpardy" video on YouTube that satirizes the show by making "Jeff" all the contestants' names, categories, clues and responses. Trebek asked Hochstein whether her reply was in reference to the "Mutt and Jeff" comic strip, and she said, "Jeffpardy."

Paul Walsh • 612-673-4482