I feel like in the Dawson/Combs days, tied answers would be sorted alphabetically. On the current show, there appears to be no rhyme or reason as to which among the tied answers is listed first.
For the record, while Dawson may have announced joint top answers before the face-off, on the current version of the show, when there's a tie between #1 and #2, nothing is announced beforehand and the producers treat things the same way as any other tie. Yes, that means that if the contestant who rings in gives the answer listed as #1, then Steve immediately goes to the "play or pass" option, whereas if the contestant who rings in gives the answer listed as #2, then their opponent is given a chance to also give an answer, even though there's no way the opponent can take control.