Here’s today’s Final Jeopardy (in the category Phrases from Literature) for Monday, October 19, 2020 (Season 37, Game 26):
This 2-word phrase in “The Arabian Nights” may have come from an herb bearing seed pods that burst when ripe
(correct response beneath the contestants)
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Today’s contestants:
Joe Aquino, an analyst from Chula Vista, California
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Nancy Bosecker, a software engineer originally from Peoria, Illinois
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Kristin Hucek, an attorney from San Francisco, California (2-day total: $8,000)
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Correct response: What is “open sesame”?
More information about Final Jeopardy: (The following write-up is original content and is copyright 2020 The Jeopardy! Fan. It may not be copied without linked attribution back to this page.)
The phrases “open sesame” and “shut sesame” were used to open and close the cave of vast riches in “Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves” from Arabian Nights. Sesame seeds come from larger pods, which open when the pod matures, revealing the edible seeds inside. This took a bit for me to research this morning here at The Jeopardy! Fan, but the phrase appears to come from the Arabic “iftah ya-simsim”; the word “simsim” most commonly means “sesame”, but there is a more obscure meaning to “simsim”: “gate”. Even so, it may have even been possible that this definition of “gate” was metaphorical due to the similarity between opening a gate and the opening of a sesame pod.
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Looking to find out who won Jeopardy! today? Tonight’s results are below!
Scores going into Final:
Kristin $8,800
Nancy $8,000
Joe $3,200
Tonight’s results:
Joe $3,200 + $3,200 = $6,400 (What is “open sesame”?)
Nancy $8,000 + $8,000 = $16,000 (What is open sesame?)
Kristin $8,800 + $8,008 = $16,808 (What is open sesame?) (3-day total: $24,808)
Scores after the Jeopardy! Round:
Joe $3,600
Kristin $3,600
Nancy $1,600
Opening break taken after: 15 clues
Daily Double locations:
1) MILITARY RANK LANGUAGE $1000 (clue #14)
Joe 1600 +1000 (Kristin 1400 Nancy -200)
2) FIRST LADIES $1200 (clue #3)
Kristin 4400 +1200 (Nancy 2000 Joe 3600)
3) PRIMATES $2000 (clue #14)
Joe 3200 -3200 (Kristin 8400 Nancy 2000)
Overall Daily Double Efficiency for this game: -10
Unplayed clues:
J! Round: None!
DJ! Round: TRIANGULAR $1600 $2000
Total Left On Board: $3,600
Number of clues left unrevealed this season: 55 (2.12 per episode average), 1 Daily Double
Game Stats:
Kristin $8,800 Coryat, 15 correct, 2 incorrect, 29.09% in first on buzzer (16/55), 0/0 on rebound attempts (on 5 rebound opportunities)
Nancy $8,000 Coryat, 14 correct, 3 incorrect, 29.09% in first on buzzer (16/55), 1/1 on rebound attempts (on 4 rebound opportunities)
Joe $6,400 Coryat, 12 correct, 3 incorrect, 21.82% in first on buzzer (12/55), 1/1 on rebound attempts (on 5 rebound opportunities)
Combined Coryat Score: $23,200
Lach Trash: $17,400 (on 16 Triple Stumpers)
Coryat lost to incorrect responses (less double-correct responses): $9,800
Kristin Hucek, career statistics:
50 correct, 11 incorrect
1/1 on rebound attempts (on 17 rebound opportunities)
33.54% in first on buzzer (55/164)
1/2 on Daily Doubles (Net Earned: -$800)
1/3 in Final Jeopardy
Average Coryat: $10,067
Nancy Bosecker, career statistics:
15 correct, 3 incorrect
1/1 on rebound attempts (on 4 rebound opportunities)
29.09% in first on buzzer (16/55)
0/0 on Daily Doubles
1/1 in Final Jeopardy
Average Coryat: $8,000
Joe Aquino, career statistics:
13 correct, 3 incorrect
1/1 on rebound attempts (on 5 rebound opportunities)
21.82% in first on buzzer (12/55)
1/2 on Daily Doubles (Net Earned: -$2,200)
1/1 in Final Jeopardy
Average Coryat: $6,400
Kristin Hucek, to win:
4 games: 27.676%
5: 7.660%
6: 2.120%
7: 0.587%
8: 0.162%
Avg. streak: 3.383 games.
Andy’s Thoughts:
- Kristin’s 3-day total of $24,808 is the lowest since Kristin Morgan won $17,498 in her first three wins on January 9-11, 2013.
- Unfortunately, it appears as though the difference was when Nancy said “Murder” and not “Murders” in the title of “The Murders in the Rue Morgue”. (Yes, it is “Murders”. I was just as surprised and I looked it up).
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Any news on when Zach Newkirk will be back on?
When the new season started Alex told us that Zach would be back in a few weeks’ time. It’s now been 5 weeks. Since Jeopardy likes to tape shows at least 2 months in advance, my guess would sometime in mid-November.
I hear you Brian. But when I heard Alex say “in a few weeks time” I assumed that he meant from a few weeks from when he was speaking. So in my mind Zach’s arrival is now overdue.
Andy, thank you for all your daily research on the FJ topics – it is fascinating.
Just want you to know your efforts are appreciated.
Just wondering how long ago it was since there was a 3 day champion with such a low amount.
Sorry – I didn’t see Andy’s thoughts where he answered just this thing above.
Sorry – I didn’t see Andy’s thoughts where he answered just this thing above.
Yes, Kristin’s 3 day total isn’t historically high, but in comparison to her first two day haul, her third day is epic percentage wise! Her $16,000 plus today is over twice the total won ($8,000) her first two days! I’m pretty sure no one else has ever tripled their total winnings from day 2 to day 3.
Hope she wins a fourth, but regardless she’s done very well for herself!
While Andy notes Kristin’s 3 day total is the lowest since January 2013 when another Kristin (Morgan) won $17,498 her first 3 days, but kept improving, becoming a 5 day champ and a 2013 TOC finalist!
The trend continues once again.
A zoom lens is not a variable focus lens. It is a variable focal length lens. Focus and focal length are two different things.
A cursory Google shows that enough reputable sources that call “variable focus” lenses “zoom” lenses that the show would need to accept that as correct.
I agree with RadioMattM. All lenses are variable focus, so by implication they are asking for “focal length” which would be unique to Zoom lenses and “focus” would not be unique.