Introducing today’s contestants:
– Lau, a youth substance abuse prevention worker from British Columbia, is on her honeymoon;
– John, a slot floor person from California, is a fan of solar eclipses; and
– Dennis, a bartender from Maine, understands the impact of the opioid crisis. Dennis entered the game as a three-day champ with winnings of $51,203.
Dennis scored on both DDs in DJ, but he didn’t bet enough to secure first place going into FJ, which belonged to John with $15,200 vs. Dennis at $14,500 and Lau with $200.
DD1, $800 – LAYING THINGS M TO M – I declare this Latin word to mean a suspension of activity (John won $1,200 on a true DD.)
DD2 (video), $2,000 – A HIGHER ROYALTY – Take a look – that’s the Pope putting the crown on Charles V, so this must be the title he’s receiving in 1530 (Dennis won $2,000 from his total of $4,400 vs. $8,000 for John.)
DD3, $1,200 – WAYS TO SAY GO AWAY – In this 2017 horror film, Lakeith Stanfield delivers the 2-word title line (Dennis won $2,500 from his score of $9,600 vs. $11,000 for John.)
FJ – U.S. TERRITORIES – Of the 5 inhabited U.S. territories, this is the only one where cars drive on the left
John and Lau were correct on FJ, with John adding $13,801 to win with $29,001. Dennis wagered $14,101, which not only removed any chance of him winning if both he and John missed, it put Dennis into third place by a dollar when Lau doubled up to $400.
Triple Stumpers of the day: No one knew that Jack Kemp was the running mate of Bob Dole, that the “charmed” city referred to in a clue is Baltimore, or that a villain’s minion is a henchman.
TV troubles: ABC is no doubt depressed that the players didn’t know “Station 19” is a spinoff of “Grey’s Anatomy”, or that the parent show of “Schooled” is “The Goldbergs”.
One more thing: Going into the first break, people in the audience were spotted wearing shirts with the images of Alex and James, in a Jeopardy! version of the kind of attire you see on Price Is Right contestants.
Correct Qs:
DD1 – What is moratorium?
DD2 – What is Holy Roman Emperor?
DD3 – What is “Get Out”?
FJ – What are the U.S. Virgin Islands?