(This entry is a rerun itself, since I have blogged on today’s episode in the past. Enjoy.)
     Cheech Marin was the winner of the first Celebrity Jeopardy tournament, Mr. Trebek reminded us (twice). So it was surprising to me that he struggled to keep up with Michael McKean and Jane Curtin from the word “Select.” Going into Double Jeopardy on Day One, Michael had 8800, Cheech had 3200, and Jane had 3800. Jane answered the first two clues of Double Jeopardy correct, in Americans in Paris, then nailed the Daily Double in that category: “In March 1971, this rocker closed the door on his band and moved to Paris to focus on his poetry.”* She added 3000 to her 5000. Incidentally, I love Jane’s enthusiasm and look of delight when she gets a tough clue or a Daily Double right, and rightfully so! I love, too, how on Day Two she said she has loved every minute of her experience. You go, girl. Jane then found the other Daily Double in the round, in I Could Use Some Self-Help. She picked up another 3000 on this clue: “‘The Art of Happiness’ was written by this Asian man who was picked out for his present job at the age of 2.”
     Going into Final Jeopardy on Day One, Cheech trailed with 11600. Michael and Jane were neck-and-neck with 21600 and 19000, respectively. The Final Jeopardy category was American Literature. The clue: “A contemporary review of this 1851 novel said, ‘Who would have looked for…poetry in blubber?'” Cheech seemed to misunderstand the clue, as he responded with the author of the correct novel. He lost 5000 of his already-third-place total. Michael and Jane both responded correctly, and both added 10000 to their totals. Remember, their totals from Days One and Two are added together to determine the winner of the tournament. How do you think you’d have wagered in a situation like this? I wonder about that when I’m watching a two-day final. Should contestants be conservative? Should they take a risk? I don’t know what I would do, but I hope to find myself in such a position one day (and have figured it out by then, of course!)

*Jim Morrison, the Dalai Lama, Moby Dick