What were the Jeopardy! Masters Final Jeopardy clues, May 15?

Jeopardy! Masters 2024 continues with its second-ever tournament, testing the six contestants with some of the toughest trivia questions they can come up with. Though how the overall winner of Jeopardy! Masters will be determined is unique for the game show, the format of the games are identical to regular Jeopardy! (save for swapping out dollar amounts for point totals), meaning each game will come down to a Final Jeopardy category.

You don't have to be one of the contestants (defending champ James Holzhauer, Mattea Roach, Matt Amodio, Amy Schneider, Victoria Groce and Yogesh Raut) to have some fun. Racking your brain to come up with the answer at home is a big part of the viewing experience. But if you missed the latest episode Jeopardy! Masters live, we're here to help you play along with the Final Jeopardy category and clue, as well as a quick recap of both games from the episode.

Read on to find out what the Final Jeopardy categories, clues and answers were for the May 15 episode of Jeopardy! Masters.

Jeopardy! Masters game 1 Final Jeopardy

Even though Holzhauer was the only one who had things at stake in this game (Yogesh Raut was already locked in to move past the quarterfinals and Matt Amodio was unfortunately already eliminated), it was a tense and a bit sloppy of a game from all players. But that also sets up one of the most exciting Final Jeopardy rounds of the tournament so far as all three players were within about 6,000 points of each other. And the category for the pivotal clue was "Military People." Here's the clue:

"In April 2020, Chief Master Sergeant Roger Towberman became the first enlisted member of this." 

Before we reveal the answer, take a few moments to see if you can figure it out…

And the answer is...

What is Space Force?

Space Force was created by then President Donald Trump in December 2019 with the goal of securing the US's interests "in, from and to space." The military branch is almost as famous for the Netflix TV show based around it, Space Force starring Steve Carell.

Raut incorrectly guessed Officers Club, so after risking it all dropped down to zero points. Both Amodio and Holzhauer were correct with there responses, and with Holzhauer betting just enough to edge his fellow Jeopardy! Masters finalist from last year and clinch his spot in the semifinals. Amodio, sadly, leaves the tournament in sixth place.

Jeopardy! Masters game 2 Final Jeopardy

The final spot in the semifinals was a battle between Amy Schneider and Mattea Roach; Victoria Groce had already easily assured herself a spot. Even so, Groce dominated again as she has all tournament and was easily on her way to another win heading into Final Jeopardy. That made the battle for second the important one. But despite a final push by Roach, Schneider seemed safe to get the critical point heading into Final Jeopardy (barring some unwise betting).

With the category for Final Jeopardy "Short Stories," here's the clue:

"'Down — steadily down it crept… downward with its lateral velocity. To the right — to the left' is in this 1842 tale."

Think about it for yourself before find out the answer below…

And the answer is...

What is The Pendulum?

The famous Edgar Allen Poe short story stumped all the contestants (though Schneider and Groce guessed other Poe stories), but with the outcomes determined, no one bet anything with their wagers. So, Victoria Groce added another three points to build her lead on the rest of the field, and Schneider secured the point to best Roach and move to the semifinals.

The next episode of Jeopardy! Masters airs on Friday, May 17. Here's how you can watch Jeopardy! Masters live or on-demand.