It’s the final day of the 2019 Tournament of Champions! Here’s today’s Final Jeopardy (in the category International Disputes) for Friday, November 15, 2019 (Season 36, Episode 50):
A dispute over Etorofu, Habomai, Kunashiri & Shikotan has kept these 2 countries from ever signing a WWII peace treaty
(correct response beneath the contestants)
Today’s contestants:
Emma Boettcher, a user experience librarian from Chicago, Illinois (Yesterday’s score: $26,400)
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James Holzhauer, a professional sports gambler from Las Vegas, Nevada (Yesterday’s score: $49,326)
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Francois Barcomb, an 11th grade physics teacher from New Paltz, New York (Yesterday’s score: $1,800)
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Remember, today’s scores get added to yesterday’s to determine the champion! The winner gets $250,000, second gets $100,000, and third gets $50,000.
Semifinalist Steven Grade is organizing a charity play-along for the Tournament of Champions finals. In order to recognize Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month, support Alex in his fight, and remember Larry Martin, who died of pancreatic cancer in January, viewers are invited to donate $1 to the Lustgarten Foundation for every answer they get correct while playing along at home during the Finals. You can find more information at the Lustgarten website.
Here are my predictions for the finals!
Are you looking for the answers for the October 1 or October 7 College online test? Find them here!
Are you going on the show and looking for information about how to bet in Final Jeopardy? Check out my new Betting Strategy 101 page!
(Content continues below)
Correct response: What are Japan and Russia?
More information about Final Jeopardy:
While the formal state of war between Japan and Russia (then the Soviet Union) ended in 1956 with the Soviet–Japanese Joint Declaration of 1956, it did not end the territorial dispute between the two countries over Etorofu, Habomai, Kunashiri & Shikotan, as there were apparent ambiguities in the Yalta Agreement, the Potsdam Declaration, and the Treaty of San Francisco. The Russians believed those four islands were part of the Kuril Islands (an island chain between Hokkaido and Kamchatka) and occupied them, while the Japanese believed they were part of their Northern Territories (and not the Kurils) and refused to agree to this. (During the 1956 negotiations, Japan was offered the opportunity to renounce claims to the two larger islands (Etorofu and Kunashir), but refused to do so under U.S. pressure.) The two countries have been unable to reach an agreement (and then sign a peace treaty) since.
I also anticipate that the earliest TV markets will be pre-empting today’s game for impeachment hearing coverage; check local listings.
Since Alex Trebek’s diagnosis of stage 4 pancreatic cancer, many community members have been raising money. The Jeopardy! Fan Online Store is as well! All proceeds from any “Keep The Faith And We’ll Win” shirt sold will be donated to the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network. To date, over $440 has been raised.)
Looking to find out who won Jeopardy! today? Tonight’s results are below!
Scores going into Final:
Emma $21,600
James $17,785
Francois $1,600
Tonight’s results:
Francois $1,600 + $1,600 = $3,200 + $1,800 = $5,000 ($50,000)
James $17,785 + $9,812 = $27,597 + $49,326 = $76,923 ($250,000)
Emma $21,600 + $17,000 = $38,600 + $26,400 = $65,000 ($100,000)
Scores after the Jeopardy! Round:
James $8,800
Emma $6,600
Francois $1,200
Opening break taken after: 15 clues
Daily Double locations:
1) THE NIFTY ’50s $1000 (8th pick)
James 2600 +2600 (Emma 2200 Francois 0)
2) FEMALE FIRSTS $800 (9th pick)
Emma 8600 +8600 (James 16000 Francois 1200)
3) “R”CHITECTURE $1600 (14th pick)
James 19200 -8615 (Emma 19600 Francois 1200)
Overall Daily Double Efficiency for this game: 155
Unplayed clues:
J! round: None!
DJ! Round: None!
Total $ Left On Board: $0
Number of clues left unrevealed this season: 88 (1.76 per episode average), 1 Daily Double
Game Stats:
James $24,800 Coryat, 30 correct, 3 incorrect, 54.39% in first on buzzer, 0/0 on rebound attempts (on 1 rebound opportunity)
Emma $13,800 Coryat, 18 correct, 0 incorrect, 29.82% in first on buzzer, 0/0 on rebound attempts (on 3 rebound opportunities)
Francois $1,600 Coryat, 6 correct, 1 incorrect, 12.28% in first on buzzer, 0/0 on rebound attempts (on 2 rebound opportunities)
Combined Coryat Score: $40,200
Lach Trash: $7,600 (on 5 Triple Stumpers)
Coryat lost to incorrect responses (less double-correct responses): $6,200
James Holzhauer, stats to date:
1,307 correct, 45 incorrect
38/41 on rebound attempts (on 76 rebound opportunities)
56.91% in first on buzzer (1190/2091)
78/84 on Daily Doubles (Net Earned: $676,988)
35/37 in Final Jeopardy
Average Coryat: $30,000
Emma Boettcher, stats to date:
183 correct, 9 incorrect
5/5 on rebound attempts (on 25 rebound opportunities)
35.46% in first on buzzer (161/454)
8/8 on Daily Doubles (Net Earned: $37,800)
6/8 in Final Jeopardy
Average Coryat: $17,775
Francois Barcomb, stats to date:
159 correct, 15 incorrect
10/11 on rebound attempts (on 32 rebound opportunities)
31.79% in first on buzzer (144/453)
6/10 on Daily Doubles (Net Earned: $15,500)
6/8 in Final Jeopardy
Average Coryat: $17,175
Andy’s Thoughts:
- Kudos to Emma for the fact that James was unable to make this tournament a runaway. (Emma’s maximum possible total was $69,600, whereas James had only accumulated $67,111 before Final Jeopardy.)
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I’m hoping that the impeachment hearing won’t be too long with just one person being questioned.
The country of birth of James Holzhauer’s grandmother.
Japan
I would be very surprised if any of the three missed this question, seems pretty logical to me. Having not seen the show yet, while James has a substantial lead, I would bet it will come down to who finds the DD’s and if course whether they answer them correctly. That’s how James lost to Emma to begin with, but he also didn’t have the in the pocket lead then either.
Anyway, hurry up and finish the testimony! Enjoy everybody!
This has to be one of the most competitive Finals to a tournament I’ve ever seen! Congrats to James for winning it all!
What an exciting finish…congratulations to James. He really had to work for it towards the end because of the last DD it looks like. Emma was close to making up his lead after that with half the round left. Can’t wait to watch.
I cannot believe that Channel 13, KTRK Houston, ABC, has preempted the last 3 days of Jeopardy ToC!?!? I am livid!!! At this point, I want to delete that channel off my tv!
I was a little disappointed by Francois’ performance. I guess Emma and James were just too overwhelming. Still, congratulations to all to get that far and of course to James!
Have a great and safe weekend everybody and I hope there is not too much cold and snow where you are!!
“See” you next week , back to the “normal” games.
ABC should show the Jeopardy episodes on 11/14 and 11/15 again since no one in Houston got to see them.
Jeopardy announced the episodes are on YouTube for a week.
In hindsight James $8615 DD wager was unnecessarily risky and by missing gave Emma a chance to win in FJ had she made a larger bet and James missed FJ. Fortunately for him, he’s the GOAT in FJ!
With the score about even then and no more DDs James by betting the Coryat of $1600 or less could have guaranteed a win by merely by continuing doing what he did all tournament, and all 33 regular season games, by Coryat dominance.
Like their regular season matchup, DDs helped Emma once again, though James’s Coryat was $4,600 better then, and a combined $20,000 over the 2 final TOC games. James’s 2-day Coryat of $47,000 was also a staggering $37,600 better than Francois’s combined $9,400.
These three are all brilliant but one triple stumper yesterday showed why I love Jeopardy! and these contestants. They couldn’t identify who porn star Stormy Daniel’s self-promoting lawyer was (Michael Avennetti). Too much media negativity and partisan politics is dividing this great country in my view, but Jeopardy! is a positive media influence!
Yes. I agree. I cringed when he bet that amount.
I normally love it when he goes all in or risks a lot, but at that stage of that round, with the current scores as they were, and with the amount he had won the day before, I didn’t think risking the amount he did was ideal or proper at all!
And then when he missed the question, I thought, “I knew it!” It opened up the door for Emma, when he didn’t need to do so at all.
I CANNOT FIND THE TV AIRING OF THE FINAL CHAMPIONSHIP SHOW TONIGHT. THE USUAL CHANNEL IS AIRING A FOOTBALL TALK SHOW.
Contact your local station.
James made a stupid bet in the second final jeopardy. He should have only bet enough to win the tournament. If he missed the final jeopardy, Emma would have won. But with the minimum bet he would win
You are incorrect, Al. If James had made the minimum bet ($2,490) and been incorrect, he would have finished at $64,621, which is less than Emma’s $65,000.
I totally agree. I have very mixed feelings about Emma’s bet in FJ. She didn’t bet enough to cover, if he bet 0 (it’s a low probability event, but still — if he goes super meta).
I didn’t do the math to see the exact number he needed to cover her score to win 100% if they’re both right, but I suspect she could’ve covered a $0 bet and still won the tournament, had she done that and they both missed and James bet enough to cover her possible max.
If James gets that DJ, he puts it away.
Will:
Emma’s bet would not have materially affected her chances of winning. There is a 0% chance of James betting less than his minimum cover bet of $2,490. Emma’s bet of $17,000 wins if she is right and James is wrong, even if James had bet just $2,490.
That was my point though — is it a 0% chance he bets to cover or not, and that I’m not so sure about. If James got super meta recognizing that she has emulated his strategy, knowing she only wins if she gets it right and he gets it wrong is there a difference between her betting $1 over his current score vs what she bet? I suspect no.
I think it’s about the 4th level. James’ decision is binary — she bets max or $0. She’s most likely to bet max(-ish), so I need to bet to cover. But she’s seen me in her shoes, and I didn’t do that, and she’s emulated how I’ve bet maybe she just does that? If she does, what I did, I shouldn’t bet much maybe a small low bday, but under the 2+k I need to cover.
Further, her bet loses if she gets it right and he gets it wrong if he bets $0 going along with that line of thinking.
We’re debating what is, in practice, a completely moot point. I have a greater chance of being called by the show next week to be a contestant than James had of betting $0 on this Final Jeopardy.
I agree with Andy that’s there’s no chance that James makes a 0 wager on that FJ. The Thursday scores and the Friday pre-FJ scores meant Emma was guaranteed 2nd place if she misses the question, so the 4600 she would’ve retained had she missed the question had no value. Consequently there was no risk to her wagering everything. James wagering 0 and exposing himself to losing despite getting the question right would’ve ranked as one of the biggest blunders in the history of the program.
As Andy noted, Emma by going “all in” In FJ would have made $69,600. James, having a combined $67,111, and betting the minimum $2,490 in FJ to win by $1 if correct, would have left him $64,621 if incorrect, losing even to her actual bet which left her with $65,000.
However, if his final DD wager was at least $2490 less ($8615 – $2490 = $6125), he would have been guaranteed a win entering FJ. If he had to do it again, not knowing the clue, doubtlessly he would have wagered much less. But hard to figure these things out in real-time!
There was still 15,600 remaining on the board after the last DD. James consistently wagered large until the game was out of reach and only then wagered modestly if he needed to protect a lock game. With the amount that remained on the board I don’t believe there’s any reason to think James would change his strategy. I think he had a sense of where he wanted to wager to all but close out the match with a correct answer, but not put himself in too large a deficit with a miss and then picked his preferred date in that range.
Time for a Ken versus Brad versus James 2-day GOAT matchup?
I agree it’s time, but two games is too short for me.
I suggest a format, with each day counting, and first to win 3 games wins the big prize, meaning it could be over in as little as 3 games or last up to 7 games.
Perhaps $1,000,000 for first, $500,000 for second and $250,000 for third. Or $500k/$250k/$100k, plus $ won.
Not without Brad Rutter. I would want a 3 day affair with no DDs!
Such a matchup deserves the whole week.