Andy here again! Sadly, I won’t be able to get pictures today, but we should be fine for a recap!
Today’s second group of semifinalists: Evan Eschliman, Anshika Niraj, and Elyse Mancuso. Who will join Catherine in the finals?
J! Round categories: WASHINGTON TODAY, A RELIGIOUS CATEGORY, START IT “UP”, THE MOVIES, WE MAKE THAT!, and OPERA PEOPLE & PLACES
One thing I always notice during these tournaments (especially the ones on location): The “current events” clues seem a lot more current than they would for a regular show. I guess that they likely taped this tournament less than a month ago…
While Elyse and Anshika got off to the best start in THE MOVIES, some negs in START IT “UP” and WE MAKE THAT! opened the door for Evan to jump out to what we thought was a commanding lead at the first break. Elyse’s interview brought good news that one of her negs was deemed acceptable, making the scores after 15 clues Evan $4,000 Elyse $3,800 Anshika $1,800.
Of course Alex made reference to Friday’s tiebreaker in his interview with Evan; it was a bit of a crazy finish, considering his opponent did probably bet a little too much! However, if I hear one more contestant mention Michelle Obama’s arugula…
Evan got to the round’s Daily Double on the 23rd clue, under WASHINGTON TODAY $600. He had $5,800 to Elyse’s $4,000 and Anshika’s $3,200. Betting $2,600, his clue: She’s the mother of 5, grandmother of 9, and minority leader of 192 in the House of Representatives. His correct response brought him up to $8,400.
Even though the contestants seemed afraid of OPERA PEOPLE AND PLACES, they still made it through the clues without harm. The scores after the J! round: Evan $9,800 Elyse $5,800 Anshika $4,000.
DJ! round categories: WASHINGTON YESTERDAY, THEY’RE IN THE BAND, SCIENCE & NATURE, WHO WROTE THE LINE?, AFRICAN GEOGRAPHY, 8-LETTER WORDS
All 3 contestants got off to a good rhythm in the Double Jeopardy! round before Elyse found the round’s first Daily Double under WHO WROTE THE LINE? $1200. Holding $11,400 to Evan’s $14,600 and Anshika’s $7,200, she only wagered $3,000 and saw the following clue: “Somewhere in La Mancha, in a place whose name I do not care to remember, a gentleman lived not long ago” Her correct response brought her to within $200 of the lead.
Anshika got to the game’s final Daily Double in African Geography ($1600). In a distant third with $6,400 to Evan’s $15,000 and Elyse’s $16,800, she went conservative, betting only $2,000. The clue: Port cities on this sea include Massawa in Eritrea and Hurghada in Egypt. Sadly, her incorrect response put her down to $4,400.
Elyse went on a late roll and in spite of a pair of Triple Stumpers (THEY’RE IN THE BAND $1600: Ad-Rock and MCA; & $2000: Pat Monahan and Rob Hotchkiss), she held a small lead going into Final.
Scores going into Final:
Elyse $20,800
Evan $19,800
Anshika $5,600
FJ category: ANCIENT LANDMARKS
Clue: It’s believed that its nose was about 3 feet wide when it was first constructed around 2500 B.C.
Anshika 5600 + 5600 = 11200
Evan 19800 + 19800 = 39600
Elyse 20800 + 20000 = 40800
And once again, Jeanie will be happy, as the Nebraskan, Elyse Mancuso, is your second finalist!
I’ll be back tomorrow with the recap blog of the third semifinal!