An Early Summer Night's Dream

Julie Zukowski, a public librarian from Crystal Lake, IL

Ursula Rodgers, a homemaker and visual artist from Denver, CO

Joel Pool, a real estate developer from Oakland, CA

Joel is a three-time champion coming into today, and by the way, with that win yesterday he moved ahead of Beau Henson on the list of potential Tournament of Champions contestants:
Jason Keller/9 wins/$215900
Dave Leach/6 wins/$100054
David Gard/4 wins/$85700
Dan McShane/4 wins/$64001
Patrick Morrison/3 wins/$82701
Francis Lansangan/3 wins/$80401
Joel Pool/3 wins/$69600
Joey Falco/3 wins/$55999
Beau Henson/3 wins/$53203
Dan Adkison/3 wins/$38400
Jacob Silverman/3 wins/37998
Jessamine Price/3 wins/$28803
The Jeopardy round featured a Shakespeare theme. Ursula tripped on the first hurdle, this clue in This Band of Brothers: “Last name of brothers Barry, Robin & Maurice of Bee Gees fame.” I noticed Ursula said “Gibbs” and knew it was incorrect, but I didn’t hear anyone tell her it was wrong, even after a few listens! Julie, who resembles contestant coordinator Maggie, rang in though and got it right. Ursula was back on the plus side with a correct response on this next clue in the same category: “Brothers Johnny & Colin Greenwood formed this band with Thom Yorke while students at Oxford.” I got this triple-stumper, the next clue in the same category: “Mike Kroeger & this half-brother of his are in the post-grunge group Nickelback.”
Ursula was in the lead going into the first break, with 2800! She’d had 1 neg and 5 correct responses. Julie was on her heels with 2600 (6 correct), and Joel trailed with 1200 (1 neg and 3 right).
I said “necrosis” and am counting it on this clue in Winter of Our Discount Tent: “Winds rushed in & Billy lost some frostbitten toes due to the ‘dry’ type of this localized death of tissue.” I also got this next clue at the last second, a triple-stumper in the same category: “It said ‘flame resistant,’ but a bit of this, AKA paraffin oil, got on the tent & a spark lit it up like a Roman candle.” I swept the category, then.
Mr. Trebek gave the less-than-a-minute warning then, with 7 clues left. There were 2 clues left at the end of the round. Ursula still led, with 6400 (4 right since the break)! Joel had 3400 (5 right), and Julie, who looks too young to be married 18 years!, had 2400 (1 neg and 1 right).
I was very surprised this was a triple-stumper (and with 2 negs!) in 50 Years Ago–1962: “Month in 1962 when the Cuban Missile Crisis brought the U.S. & the Soviet Union to the brink of war.” I also got this triple-stumper in Newspaper Towns: “Baltimore, Maryland.”
I swept Animal Verbs before Joel found the first Daily Double of the game, in Roman the Roads. He had 9000 (2 negs and 7 right since the round began). Ursula had 9200 (1 neg and 5 right), and Julie had 5200 (2 negs and 5 right). Joel wagered 3000 on this clue: “These stones bearing a dedication to the emperor were set every 1,000 paces along Roman roads.” I would’ve needed another few seconds, but Joel got it in time. Mr. Trebek gave the one-minute warning then, with 6 clues left.
Ursula had gotten 2 right since the last Daily Double when she found the next one, in Opera Characters. She had 10400. Joel, who’d gotten 1 right, had 14000, and Julie had 5200. Ursula wagered 2000 on this clue: “In a Franz Lehar opera, Hanna Glawari, who recently lost her banker-husband, is this title character.” I took a lucky guess on this one. Ursula, unfortunately, did not have a response. This was the last clue of the round. She didn’t wager so much that the game was a runaway for Joel.
The Final Jeopardy category was Biographies, a category I’d think was in Ursula’s wheelhouse since she is an avid reader. This was the clue: “‘The Man Who Invented the Twentieth Century’ is a biography of this scientist born in the Balkans.” I had no hope on this one. Julie got it right! She added 5100. Ursula had only a question mark written. 🙁 She lost 3800. I’d have wagered just the same way. Joel got it right and added 3000. Ursula would’ve won, then, if she’d gotten it right and Joel had gotten it wrong. (See this for Ursula’s blog entry on practicing her wagers!) Well done today, Ursula.
My Coryat, like yesterday, was 25K.