TV

Jeopardy! recap for Wed., Dec. 31

Here are today’s Second Chance contestants:

  • Dan Puma, a salesperson from Chicago, Illinois;
  • Jenna Hayes, an attorney from New York City;
  • Ryan Sharpe, a recent graduate from Oakville, Ontario.

Jeopardy!

PRESIDENTIAL FIRSTS // ANIMALS IN HISTORY & LEGEND // HOBBIES & PASTIMES // POTPOURRI // THE TV CITY // LOSE A LETTER…

DD1 – 600 – PRESIDENTIAL FIRSTS – Calvin Coolidge was the first & so far only president born on this date; 3 have died on it (Dan added 1,000.)

Scores at first break: Ryan 2,800, Jenna 2,600, Dan 4,600.

Scores entering DJ: Ryan 4,800, Jenna 4,800, Dan 6,600.

Double Jeopardy!

HAPPY NEW YEAR! MOVIE EDITION // “L” ON EARTH // PHOTO: FINNISH // SPOT ON // NONFICTION // WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?

DD2 – 1,200 – “L” ON EARTH – This Himalayan city situated at an elevation of a about 12,000 feet has a name meaning “God’s place” (On the first clue of the round, Jenna added $3,000.)

DD3 – 1,600 – NONFICTION – The L.A. Times said images & ideas in this Tom Wolfe book glistened “like a rocket screaming to the heavens” (On the second clue, Jenna improved by 3,800 to 11,600.)

On the first two clues of DJ, Jenna scored on both DDs to take then expand her lead, but she wound up back in third entering FJ at 12,000 vs. 15,800 for Dan and 12,400 for Ryan.

Final Jeopardy!

MEDICAL HISTORY – Now associated with women in labor, it was first used by French doctors in 1901 to treat sciatica with cocaine

Ryan and Jenna were correct on FJ, so Ryan’s late rally in DJ to secure second made all the difference, as he added 11,601 to advance with 24,001.

Final scores: Ryan 24,001, Jenna 15,801, Dan 6,799.

Wagering strategy: This game was a good example of needing to make an honest assessment of where one stands in relation to their opponents. If you feel that your rivals are very strong, then it makes sense to try and take full advantage of your DD opportunities, and not doing so can prove costly.

Ken’s Korner: When Dan found DD1 with 800 and was told he could bet up to 1,000, he said “Let’s do it all”. Ken didn’t ask for clarification, but took that to mean the 1,000 maximum rather than a true DD.

Clue selection strategy: The players found all three DDs with just five selections. If that’s not a record, it’s gotta be close.

Correct Qs: DD1 – What is July 4th? DD2 – What is Lhasa? DD3 – What is “The Right Stuff”? FJ – What is an epidural?