So now like the previous two entries, my phone won’t let me send pictures of the contestants to myself. (If anyone wants to send ’em to me, I won’t say no!) It’s too bad because I have something to say about each contestant’s intro: Buddy Wright drew a laugh from Tom Nissley and the audience as his total from yesterday was revealed: he shrugged. Tom shrugged too, and the crowd laughed. (Good sports, these guys.) As for Roger Craig, he was wearing a white suit, which may now be his trademark!
Roger answered the first two clues of the round correctly, in USDA Forest Service. He lost that 600 when he gave an incorrect response on this third clue, though, a triple-stumper: “The shape of the Union Pacific Railroad Logo was used, and this tree in the pine family was added to create the Forest Service logo.”
Roger smiled anyway. I’ve never, ever seen someone as relaxed as he is behind the Jeopardy! lectern. He is confidence personified. He knows that he knows his stuff.
Soon, it seemed that Roger wanted the Daily Double, and he found it right away. Tom and Buddy laughed and talked to each other. Mr. Trebek noticed, too. He said that Tom and Buddy were smiling even more than Roger! Roger looked over at his fellow contestants. I’d have dropped dead on the spot if Roger didn’t wager all of his 3200. I’m typing right now, so you know he did. Tom had 1000 and Buddy had 600. This was the clue, in You Must Remember Casablanca (the movie): “After Nazi major Strasser has been shot, the command goes out to ’round up’ this group, the title of another film.” Roger and I got it right. At the first break, Roger had 6800, Tom had 200, and Buddy had 1000. At the end of the round, Roger had 10000, Tom had 3800, and Buddy had 1600.
I got this triple-stumper in I Married This Sports Star: “Ashley Judd, in 2001.” Tom knew it was a racecar driver: He made a driving motion as time ran out for that clue. I almost swept this category (and I got the clue in this category that Jeopardy! tweeted today). I didn’t get this triple-stumper at the bottom of the category, though I could see the guy’s face: “Carrie Underwood, in 2010.”
I got this triple-stumper in Tough Bodies of Water: “The Amana Colonies were settled on this ‘stately’ river in the 1850s.” The correct response crossed my mind first, but I said “Ohio.” I knew better and changed it before Roger gave his response.
Buddy found the first Daily Double! He had 4800, Tom had 11000, and Roger had 11600. Buddy wagered everything on this toughie in 17-Letter Words: This adjective means ‘thwarting an intended goal,’ like living on credit while trying to save money.” Buddy and I didn’t get it. But hey, Buddy found the next Daily Double, too! This time he had 3600, Tom had 14200, and Roger had 13600. Buddy said he wanted to be around for Final Jeopardy, and wagered just 600. How could he have known this would be the clue, in Have You Heard the “News”?: “Its Nov. 22, 1963 front-page headline read: ‘Storm of political controversy swirls around Kennedy on visit.'” Buddy lives in Fort Worth. He crumpled down on the lectern before standing up and giving the correct response.
Roger got the last clue in the round, and hung up his buzzer as he said it. He had 15600, Tom had 14600, and Buddy had 4600. The Final Jeopardy category was 19th Century Poetry. This was the tough clue: “He wrote, ‘He looked upon the garish day with such a wistful eye; the man had killed the thing he loved, and so he had to die.'” Roger and Buddy guessed the same thing, and were wrong. Tom was wrong, too. Buddy didn’t lose anything, and had 6000 yesterday. Tom lost it all, but I like his wager. His total yesterday was 18800. Roger lost 14400 today, giving him a two-day total of 51200 and making him the champion. Vamos, Roger! Tomorrow night, Emily Gifford is back.
My Coryat today was 20600, but it would’ve been 26400 without…7 NEGS!!!! I need to fix that. Suggestions? Roger‘s Coryat was 13000, Tom’s was 14600, and Buddy’s was 10800.