Here’s tonight’s Final Jeopardy for Friday, October 21, 2016:
Final Jeopardy! category: EUROPEAN ANNIVERSARIES
Final Jeopardy! clue: In 2006 for the 500th anniversary of this group, members trekked from the canton of Ticino to St. Peter’s Square
(correct response beneath the contestants)
Today’s contestants:
Lani Gonzalez, a managing director of an art bazaar from Austin, Texas |
Katie Landers, a copywriter from Los Angeles, California |
Doug Hartman, a consulting engineer from Virginia Beach, Virginia (1-day total: $12,400) |
[spoiler title=’Click/Tap Here for Correct Response’]What is the Swiss Guard?[/spoiler]
The Swiss Guard is the unit that famously protects the Pope. It’s a legacy of the time where Switzerland wasn’t as prosperous as it is now, and young men would go abroad to work as mercenaries.
Their most famous engagement came in 1527; 190 guards died protecting Clement VII, and allowing the pope to flee from the Vatican through a stone passageway.
 Alex & Johnny & Sarah & Kelly & Jimmy! |
 Trebek/Gilbert 16 (Support the #Jeoparty this year!) |
(contestant photo credit: jeopardy.com)
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Scores going into Final Jeopardy:
Lani $16,800
Katie $7,700
Doug $6,800
Final Results:
Doug $6,800 – $6,800 = $0
Katie $7,700 – $0 = $7,700 (no response)
Lani $16,800 + $0 = $16,800 (1-day total: $16,800)
Opening break taken after: 15 clues
Scores after the opening round:
Lani $6,800
Doug $5,400
Katie $2,200
Daily Double locations:
1) HISTORIC OOPSIES $600 (25th pick)
Doug 3400 +2000 (Lani 6800 Katie 400)
—
2) A LITERARY MATTER OF LIFE & DEATH $800 (8th pick)
Katie 5000 -500 (Lani 10400 Doug 5400)
3) McPEOPLE $1200 (25th pick; $7,600 left on board, minute-to-go signal given)
Doug 11800 -5000 (Lani 16800 Katie 6100)
Unplayed clues:
J! round: A BLANK EXPRESSION $200; MR. BOSTON $200 & $400
DJ! round: A LITERARY MATTER OF LIFE & DEATH $1600 & $2000
Game Stats:
Lani $16,800 Coryat, 22 correct, 2 incorrect, 40.38% in first on buzzer
Katie $8,200 Coryat, 11 correct, 3 incorrect, 23.08% in first on buzzer
Doug $10,400 Coryat, 14 correct, 1 incorrect, 23.08% in first on buzzer
Doug Hartman, final stats:
29 correct
3 incorrect
2/3 on Daily Doubles (Net Earned: $0)
1/2 in Final Jeopardy
22.64% in first on buzzer (24/106)
Average Coryat: $10,400
Lani Gonzalez, stats to date:
23 correct
2 incorrect
0/0 on Daily Doubles
1/1 in Final Jeopardy
40.38% in first on buzzer (21/52)
Average Coryat: $16,800
Lani Gonzalez, to win:
2 games: 59.46%
3: 35.36%
4: 21.03%
5: 12.50%
6: 7.43%
Avg. streak: 2.467 games. #Jeopardy
Two days in a row when a player wins the game after crossing off the wrong response and write down the correct response. Lani shouldn’t cross off the wrong response.
If she left the wrong response there, she still would’ve won, as the other players also got it wrong.
Her lead was also rather insurmountable.
Awesome stuff!!!
Thanks for visiting!
I didn’t want to derail last night’s Live Panel from coming to a natural conclusion – but right there at the end, it did engage one of may favourite topics… the timing of the next Tournament of Champions.
In the 185 games since the 2015 ToC, the champions are distributed thusly:
1+ (i.e. all champs): 96
3+ (i.e. minimum ToC eligibility): 21
4+: 8
5+ (i.e. de facto qualification): 5
Back in the hiatus, I speculated that if a ToC were called in February, the winter 2017 special-play period would commence on February 1. That would yield a qualification period of 247 games. Projecting the above distributions linearly:
1+: 128.2
3+: 28.0
4+: 10.7
5+: 6.7
The 4 and 5 game champs are what we really need to look at here. How the 4+ number bears on the question is obvious – that’s how much room Philip, Laurie, and Susan (assuming none of them are passed in the next 62 games) have to breathe. Regardless of the order of ToC and College in February, that would see Philip safely in (and dangerous), Laurie possibly, and Susan as the alternate or not making the trip at all.
But the 5+ number has an indirect effect on the question as well. If that number gets too low, it raises the possibility that TPTB delay the calling of the ToC to May, exactly as you suggested back in August might happen (that they’d tape to the end of January and make the call then). The 2003 ToC provides some historical context here. There were two retired 5-time champs held over from the previous ToC – but between Brad Rutter’s win and the February 2003 Teen Tournament, only THREE other players reached the wins limit then in place. It’s entirely possible that production reached that point, didn’t like the field they had (which would not have included Brian Weikle), and deferred. Entirely possible (though unlikely to my mind) that they do so again.
When you first broached the chances of Philip Tiu making the ToC shortly after his loss, my gut reaction was blunt – “five percent.” While I stand by that assessment based on the information then available, I’m happy to concede that your call then was right. As much as I’d love to see Susan make a return trip to Culver City, I’m not quite so hopeful.
I’m crushed (since I’m the one behind Susan!). 😉
But I agree, Matt. Your analysis is spot on, though painful.
Did anyone notice the odd handshake between Alex and Katie after final jeopardy?