Today’s contestants are:

• Leanne, a law clerk, makes watermelon curd;
• Marciano, a bartender, caused a “security breach”; and
• Courtney, a community college instructor, did an internet scavenger hunt. Courtney is a three-day champ with winnings of $58,100.

All three DDs were missed, including two by Courtney in DJ, but a critical $4,000 swing late in the game helped her score a runaway at $14,000 vs. $4,800 for Marciano and $4,600 for Leanne.

DD1 – $1,000 – NONFICTION – This author’s first major book was 1742’s “A Short Treatise on the Game of Whist” (Marciano lost $1,000 on a true DD.)

DD2 – $800 – INNOVATIVE WOMEN – In the early 1900s Melitta Bentz used a piece of blotting paper to create this & then a company to make them (Courtney lost $2,800 from her total of $5,800 vs. $3,800 for Leanne.)

DD3 – $2,000 – ‘TIS SHAKESPEARE – “Give me my robe, put on my crown; I have immortal longings in me” declares this character before taking her own life (Courtney lost $1,000 from her score of $9,400 vs. $6,600 for Leanne.)

FJ – RIVERS – In “Notes on the State of Virginia”, Thomas Jefferson said the most beautiful river on Earth is this one no longer in Virginia

Everyone was incorrect, as Courtney finally missed a FJ clue. She only dropped $42 to win with $13,958 for a four-day total of $72,058.

That’s before our time: No one could provide the final word in the 1977 Richard Pryor movie title “Which Way Is Up?”

Judging the writers: I actually think DD1 would have been a good FJ clue.

Cluereader corner: Dr. Gupta ended today’s interview segment with an impressive “Good for you!”

Correct Qs: DD1 – Who was Hoyle? DD2 – What are coffee filters? DD3 – Who was Cleopatra? FJ – What is the Ohio River?