Was anyone else thrown when today’s first contestant (Randall Johnson of WA) was described as an “enologist?”  (That’s how my closed captioning spelled it.)  I was glad Mr. Trebek clarified later that he “works with the wine industry.”  I did look up “enologist” just now, and it can in fact be spelled that way.  I’d only known the prefix “-oen.”  Who knew?
     Speaking of “who knew,” did anyone else get these “triple stumpers” right?  For 400 in Great Danes: “This Texan of Danish heritage, Dukakis’ running mate, also served as treasury secretary under Clinton.”   And this one (which wasn’t technically a triple stumper, because it was a Daily Double and only one person had a shot at it):  In the category Husky: “From the Latin for ‘oaken’ and ‘strong,’ this word is used to describe a rich, strong cup of coffee.”  For1200 in the category Labrador: “In 1965, the Hamilton River, Labrador’s longest, was renamed this after a late British prime minister.”  And I kinda got this one right, although I didn’t say it out loud, which is my usual requirement:  For 1200 in the category Chow: “Chicken is popularly prepared this way, Italian for ‘hunter’s style,’ with mushrooms, onions, and tomatoes.”
     Randall got off to a slow start today.  You could see him trying to ring in, but he wasn’t first until after the first break.  He was still in third place at the end of the Jeopardy round, behind Gabe Hernandez of CA with 9000, and 1-day champ Kathy Kenny of NJ with 7200.  He hit his stride, though, and at the end of Double Jeopardy he was in the lead with 10800.  Gabe had 7400, and Kathy had 8000. 
     I was stumped on today’s Final Jeopardy, and so were all the contestants.  Did you guys know it?  The category was U.S. Presidents: “He’s the only president sworn in on a Catholic missal; it wasn’t his.”  (Hint: It’s not JFK, as everyone guessed.)  Randall lost 5801, but he was left with enough to become the new champion.
     At the top of today’s how, Mr. Trebek said after this week there will be two tournaments: first the Million Dollar Celebrity tournament, and then the Tournament of Champions!  (It’s always nice when we’re warned that regular episodes aren’t going to be on, isn’t it?)
     You have just over a week to get in on my contest.  Become a follower of this blog to be eligible.

*Lloyd Bentsen, robust, Churchill, cacciatore, LBJ