Jeopardy! recap for Thur., Apr. 26 – Here are today’s contestants:
– Carolyn, a software engineer from Brooklyn, NY, who was a maker of salt water taffy;
– Robert, a graduate student from Nashville, TN, who claims Johnny Gilbert was too expensive to announce at his Jeopardy!-themed bachelor party; and
– Jen, a travel marketer from North Bergen, NJ, who wants to volunteer to work with the endangered African penguin. Jen is a one-day champ with winnings of $14,780.
Carolyn appeared to be in trouble when she dropped to $200 on DD2, but immediately made a comeback in an entertainment category with a chance to take the lead on DD3.
But instead of going all-in, Carolyn chose to bet an amount that left her just short, so Robert still was in first going into FJ with $12,800 vs. $10,600 for Carolyn and $5,200 for Jen.
DD1 – POLITICS – In 1913 James Hamilton Lewis became the first Senator in this job of counting votes & rounding up members (Jen lost $2,200 on a true DD.)
DD2 – THE OLD WEST – The source of the old west term for “buckaroo”, it’s Spanish for cowboy (Carolyn lost $4,000)
DD3 – ITALIAN LITERATURE – The 1st known one was written c. 1235 by Giacomo da Lentini; Petrarch wrote several to the unattainable Laura (Carolyn won $4,000)
FJ – SPORTS IN COURT – This athlete lost a 1931 lawsuit against the Curtiss candy company
Only Jen was correct on FJ, but it didn’t put her past Carolyn, who wisely bet $0 and took the win with her $10,600 when Robert missed. Note that Robert’s wager of $8,201 would have left him $200 short of covering a possible double-up by Carolyn.
Triple Stumpers of the day: No one was able to identify 1920s TV pioneer Philo Farnsworth, and they didn’t know the 1850s silver lode named for a prospector is Comstock.
One more thing: There’s been a lot of discussion recently about the type of contestants who make for an entertaining episode, and I’d suggest that those on today’s show were perfect – personable, relatable and intelligent, without going out of their way to call attention to themselves.
Correct Qs:
DD1 – What is a whip?
DD2 – What is vaquero?
DD3 – What is a sonnet?
FJ – Who was Babe Ruth?