How did State College native Kendra Westerhaus fare on Monday’s ‘Jeopardy!’ episode?

Kendra Westerhaus knew “Native Son.” She knew Lenny Bruce. Finally, she knew that the correct word from World War I was tank. With that response, and a wise wager, the State College native became the new “Jeopardy!” champ on Monday’s episode.

That moment brought “a mix of elation and relief,” Westerhaus said in an email after the show aired. “I knew that I could always say I had won on Jeopardy!, regardless of what happened next. Then I started thinking about who I would be up against in the next game. ...”

At the end of the first round, Westerhaus led with $5,800 over returning champion Mira Hayward, who had $5,600, and retired Army officer Jeff Paine, who had $5,000.

Westerhaus, a 2000 State High graduate and licensed psychologist who now lives in Pocatello, Idaho, landed on both Daily Doubles in the Double Jeopardy round. The first asked asked which of Richard Wright’s novels inspired a 1951 film in which he played the role of Bigger Thomas. Westerhaus added $2,000 to her $7,000 lead after answering “Native Son.”

The second Daily Double came late in the game and asked who Bob Dylan was singing about when he referenced a comic who died in 1966 with the lyrics, “He didn’t commit any crime, he just had the insight to rip the lid off before its time.” Westerhaus bumped up her $15,000 score by $3,000 with the correct response of Lenny Bruce.

That set up a close game heading into Final Jeopardy. Westerhaus had $18,000, Hayward had $14,800 and Paine had $13,000.

In the category Words from World War I, the clue was: “Cistern” and “reservoir” were suggested names for a secret invention, but the British preferred this less clumsy monosyllable.

Westerhaus and Paine both knew the answer was tank. Westerhaus bet $11,601 and won with $29,601. Paine finished with $26,000.

She held a watch party with family and friends at a local brewpup to view Monday’s episode, which was taped in mid-December.

“It was great to be surrounded by a team cheering me on while watching,” she said.

Westerhaus said being chosen as a contestant fulfilled a dream after she had spent years trying to get on the show.

Her fellow contestants and the “Jeopardy!” team created an incredibly positive atmosphere at taping, she said: “It truly felt like everyone wanted you to do your best. The Jeopardy! team did a great job preparing us for our actual game play — enough so that my nerves were significantly reduced just before they called my name to play. I was still nervous, but much less so than I would have been without the preparation they offered.”

During the game, Westerhaus said, she wasn’t always sure she was going to win, “but I was certain that I was having the time of my life.”

She encouraged anyone interested in trying out for “Jeopardy!” to take the Anytime Test online.

“It’s definitely worth it, you might get to go, and the experience is incredible,” she said.

Westerhaus will return as the champion on Tuesday’s episode.

This story was originally published February 14, 2023 at 1:00 PM.