Jeopardy! recap for Tue., Jan. 16 – Here are today’s contestants:

-David, a lawyer from Syosset, NY who composed a limerick about Trebek;

-Olivia, an arts administrator from Seattle, WA who saw a lot of plays in London; and

-Gilbert, a university administrator from Princeton, NJ, who owns five grills. He’s a four-day champ with winnings of $51,400.

This was the best game in a long time, in which a judge’s reversal on DD3 put Gilbert on top going into FJ with $16,800 vs. $16,400 for David and $6,200 for Olivia.

DD1 – GETTING POSSESSIVE – In the 120s A.D. the Romans built this structure that extended from Solway Firth to the river Tyne (Olivia won $1,000)

DD2 – ETYMOLOGY – This adjective meaning angry may come from the name of 3 avenging goddesses of ancient myth (Gilbert won $2,000)

DD3 – DOC TALK – I’ve got tinea pedis, this condition, so stop calling me a couch potato (Gilbert won $2,000)

FJ – NOVELS OF THE 1960s – The line “Once when you are born and once you look death in the face” follows this title of a 1964 novel and an action-packed 1967 film

Gilbert and David were correct on FJ, so that change in scoring before FJ almost certainly cost David a huge payday. Instead, the money went to Gilbert, who pointed to Trebek as if to say “This one’s for you”, since Alex begged for a big win at the top of the show. Gilbert’s fifth win (one for every grill) brought him up to $84,201 and earned him an invite to the next Tournament of Champions.

Musical miscues: No one remembered that “Ferry Cross the Mersey” was a hit for Gerry and the Pacemakers or that the most famous version of “I Only Want to Be with You” is by Dusty Springfield.

TV troubles: The players didn’t know Gerald McRaney got an Emmy nomination for “This Is Us” or recognized a quote that responded to the term for a show on the downhill slide, “jumping the shark”.

Correct Qs: DD1 – What is Hadrian’s Wall? DD2 – What is furious? DD3 – What is athlete’s foot/ringworm? (The judges rejected ringworm at first but later reversed themselves.) FJ – What is “You Only Live Twice”? (Olivia wrote “You Only Live Once”.)