Here are my scores from Tuesday and Wednesday:
Jesse Cuevas 24000 Laura Spadanuta 0 Pam Jones-Pigott -2400 me 23602
I loved the Final Jeopardy clue that day. The category was Sports Venues, and this was the clue: “In 2000, the Centre Court Arena in Melbourne, Australia was renamed for him.”* Frankly, I was a little surprised that anyone got this right. It reminded me of the episode where the correct response in the final was “Roland Garros” (the venue for the French Open). None of the contestants got that one right. On Tuesday’s episode, Jesse got the final right, and Laura was on the right track, guessing an athlete from the correct sport. She looked anguished as her response was revealed.
I could have won that day if I’d wagered enough. (That sounds so silly once I read it again!) What I mean is, I wagered enough to win if Jesse wagered just enough to win, but he wagered a little more.
Sarah Whitaker 9001 Bert Rubini 26390 Jesse Cuevas 27600 me 26402
The same thing happened today – Jesse wagered more than was necessary to win by a dollar.
These are today’s contestants:
(from left to right; Jesse Cuevas, Barbara Brown, George Villarreal) As for Barbara, I don’t believe I have seen a contestant wear a hat before; have you?
At the end of today’s Jeopardy round, Jesse had 7400, Barbara had 4200, George had 5000, and I had 13200 after an amazing round for me. Jesse had doubled his score with the Daily Double at one point in the round, tying him with George at 4400. The category was Proper Names. This was the clue: “You might remember that this herb with needle-shaped leaves is a traditional seasoning for lamb.”* I got that one, too.
George found the first Daily Double of the Double Jeopardy round, in U.S. Islands. He had 7000 while Jesse had 11400, Barbara had 7400, and I had 21200. George wagered 2500 on this clue: “This 12-mile-by-5-mile South Carolina resort has 24 golf courses.”* George smiled as he read the clue, and he got this one right.
Barbara found the next Daily Double in Unfinished Novels. She had 9800, while Jesse had 12200, George had 14300, and I had 22400. Barbara wagered 3000 on this clue: “Reminiscent of another of his novels, his ‘The Original of Laura’ features a lecher named Hubert H. Hubert.”* She couldn’t remember it.
Like in the Jeopardy round, there were three clues remaining in the Double Jeopardy round. At the end of it, Jesse had 14200, Barbara had 7000, George had 14300, and I had 21200. As you can see, only 100 separated Jesse and George.
The final category was Word Origins. This was the clue: “This 4-letter term for a religious group that holds distinctive beliefs comes from the Latin for ‘follow.'”* I answered this clue before Mr. Trebek was done reading it, but changed my answer at the last second when I reread the words “distinctive beliefs.” I was WRONG to change my response! Jesse and Barbara got it right, while George answered what I did. Jesse wagered a bizarre (and a little annoying) 181. I mean, why? I’ve griped about this before. It just looks to me like you are not taking this seriously with a wager like that! Strangly, though, I wound up beating Jesse then by 17 dollars: I wagered enough to beat everyone if I answered correctly, but I didn’t. George lost a whopping 12300, so Jesse squeaked by with another win. That’s okay with me; Overall, I like him. What’s up with these young lawyers doing well on Jeopardy! these days?
*Rod Laver, rosemary, Hilton Head Island, Nabokov, sect