Here are today’s contestants:
- Spencer, a store operations associate, has a big library, the contents of which he aspires to read;
- Courtney, a community college instructor, got 2 birthdays by crossing the International Date Line; and
- Austin, a pediatrician, helped people overseas. Austin is a one-day champ with winnings of $12,900.
Austin trailed in the early going, but moved up with the help of both DDs in DJ to lead into FJ with $20,400 vs. $15,000 for Spencer and $11,400 for Courtney.
DD1 – $800 – JOURNEY – An epic poem that begins by talking about a hero’s travels gave us this word for a journey (Courtney lost $1,400 from her score of $2,200.)
DD2 – $1,600 – JAMES BEARD CHEF OF THE YEAR – Alice Waters, the first woman to win the award, won for Chez Panisse in this California college town (Austin won $3,800 on a true DD vs. $6,600 for Spencer.)
DD3 – $2,000 – SCIENCE – This physicist’s effect is the change in a wave’s frequency based on relative motion between observer and source (Austin won $4,000 from his total of $14,400 vs. $15,000 for Spencer.)
FJ – MONARCHIES – The future Charles I suddenly became next in line to the throne of Austria in this year
Only Courtney was correct on FJ, adding $4,000 to win with $15,400.
Clue selection strategy: Late in DJ, Courtney had control of the board when out of two remaining clues in the SCIENCE category, she chose the $400 one. Austin got it, then immediately found DD3 under the $2,000 clue, which allowed him to take first place.
Triple Stumpers of the day: No one got a top-row clue about an instant noodle dish (ramen), and “Simpsons” fans might know that the manufacturer of the old-time Bearcat car model was Stutz.
Correct Qs: DD1 – What is Odyssey? DD2 – What is Berkeley? DD3 – Who was Doppler? FJ – What is 1914?