I was not expecting to have the chance to blog tonight when I watched today’s Jeopardy!, but now I can! So I’ll take it!
Here are my scores for Tuesday through today:
Stephanie Bethel 8300 Jon Golbe 6800 Matt deTura 23000 me 18600
Going into the final that day, Matt had 18000 (a runaway) and I had the 18600 that I finished with. I didn’t know whether Matt would wager anything since he didn’t have to, so I didn’t wager anything, and I wound up losing. Like all the contestants, I did know the answer to this super-easy final, though, in Holiday History: “Cuba removed Christmas from its list of national holidays in 1969 & restored it in 1997 in anticipation of a visit by this man.” Actually I am three for four on finals this week, only missing that toughie about currency on Monday.
Tommy Jordan 200 Megan Griffiths (from Omaha!) 8800 Matt deTura 16401 me 16800
The highlight of this episode (for me) was Matt saying that he was a bachelor and that he was going to utilize his status as a Jeopardy! champion in a pick-up line. That’s my cue to say: I am single, too, I too am a “sports nut” (as his Twitter profile says, although I would stop just short of saying I am a “TV addict”), and I love Jeopardy! and its champions!
This episode featured a super-easy final, too, in Country Demographics: “Because of a policy adopted in 1979, this country’s young people are collectively referred to as ‘little emperors.'”*
Kathleen Mikulis 25201 Mike Wilson 0 Matt deTura 12399 me 8200
Today my favorite part was getting this Daily Double right on my best guess, while Matt missed it. The category was Just the “Facts on File,” Please, and this was the clue: “April 27, 2010: After 2 decades in U.S. prisons, this Central American ex-leader arrives in France to face charges.”* At the time, Matt had more than twice his nearest opponent and there was just one clue left in the Jeopardy round, so unfortunately missing it hurt him quite a bit.
By the way, what’s up with Mike not knowing who Chuck Forrest is, never mind that they are from the same town?! He must not be a follower of the show.
I had 8000-some going into the final, while Kathleen and Matt were neck-and-neck with 12800 and 12600, respectively. The category was Art and Artists. I wagered nothing. I perceived that as a weak category for me, while even if I got it right I was unlikely to win. This was the clue: “They are the 2 artists associated with the 1888 work seen here; one is the artist and the other is the subject.”*
Matt and Mike missed it while Kathleen got it right. She wagered enough to win if Matt got it right and wagered everything, so even though I got it right (kind of a wild guess), I could not have won even if I’d wagered everything. I hate to see Matt go. I really liked him and I think he’s got the chops to have at least been a contender in the Tournament of Champions. How far do you think Kathleen go?
*Pope John Paul II, China, Manuel Noriega, van Gogh and Gauguin