Oakland Spirit Tunnel wins Jeopardy again in Season 2, Game 9
Oakland Spirit Tunnel is now in jeopardy no longer after winning Pop Culture Jeopardy! Season 2, Game 9 on May 21, 2026 and becoming 2-time champions. The team beat The Big Ducks and Losers, In Other Words, then turned that result into a chance to play again the next day.
After 30 clues, The Big Ducks led with 3,800 points, Oakland Spirit Tunnel had 3,200, and Losers, In Other Words sat at 3,000. That margin disappeared in Double Jeopardy, where Oakland Spirit Tunnel found Daily Doubles on back-to-back clues and finished with 21,200 points, far ahead of Losers, In Other Words at 15,000 and The Big Ducks at 4,600.
Warren Buffett cameo in final clue
The Final Jeopardy category was TV Show Cameos, and the clue pointed to Warren Buffett’s appearance as a job candidate in the Season 7 finale of The Office episode “Search Committee.” The answer had to track a very specific TV moment, not a broad pop-culture reference, which is why the category left little room for a half-guess.
Buffett’s cameo lines were the giveaway: “Can you do any better on salary?” “What about mileage when I use my car? I mean, gas ain’t cheap, you know” and “When I make long distance calls, will they be monitored or is it on the honor system?” Oakland Spirit Tunnel and The Big Ducks were correct, while Losers, In Other Words missed.
Oakland Spirit Tunnel’s back-to-back run
Oakland Spirit Tunnel’s win mattered because it was not a one-off upset. The team had already won the previous game, and the May 21 result extended that run to a second straight victory. The name itself came from fans of the Jennifer Hudson Spirit Tunnel, which gave the team a built-in pop-culture reference before the game even started.
Losers, In Other Words brought in Drew Goins and his brother Zach, a pairing that gave the matchup extra visibility, but the team’s 15,000-point finish still left it behind the champions once Double Jeopardy ended. The Big Ducks, named after a Long Island tourist attraction, stayed alive longer than their opening-round score suggested, yet their 4,600-point finish could not keep pace once Oakland Spirit Tunnel surged.
Win #3 set for Friday
Oakland Spirit Tunnel was scheduled to go for win #3 the next day, which is the real business of the streak now: whether the group turns one strong night into a longer run. With 21,200 points on the board and another appearance already lined up, the team left Season 2, Game 9 with momentum, not just a title.
