Here’s today’s Final Jeopardy (in the category Innovations) for Friday, December 18, 2020 (Season 37, Game 70):
This co. takes credit for inventing modern gift wrap, dating to its sale of fancy decorated envelope linings at Christmas in 1917
(correct response beneath the contestants)
We may have lost Alex, but the show must go on. Alex wouldn’t want it any other way. Please, let’s remember him over the next few weeks of banked episodes, and then afford him the same respect to his successors that we afforded Alex when he replaced Art Fleming in 1984. Alex’s last episode airs Friday, January 8, 2021; Ken Jennings’ first episode as guest host airs on January 11.
The winner of today’s game will defend their title on January 4. In order to avoid widespread pre-emptions of Alex’s final week, Jeopardy! is airing two weeks of Alex’s favorite episodes, featuring him traveling around the world presenting clues from December 21 to January 1.
Today’s contestants:
Devon Cromwell, a voice over actor & Realtor from Tarzana, California
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Amanda Barkley-Levenson, a behavioral genetics researcher originally from Portland, Oregon
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Brayden Smith, a policy intern from Las Vegas, Nevada (3-day total: $93,800)
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(Content continues below)
Correct response: What is Hallmark?
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.)
According to Hallmark’s website, modern decorated gift wrap was “invented” by Hallmark in 1917 when the Hall Brothers ran out of solid-colored gift wrap. Realizing that they still had fancy decorated French envelope linings, the brothers improvised and began selling the linings as gift paper. It proved to be popular enough that they began printing their own decorated wrapping paper for future holiday seasons.
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Looking to find out who won Jeopardy! today? Tonight’s results are below!
Scores going into Final:
Brayden $16,200
Amanda $14,200
Devon $1,200
Tonight’s results:
Devon $1,200 + $0 = $1,200 (What is Hallmark?)
Amanda $14,200 – $11,000 = $3,200 (What is 3M?)
Brayden $16,200 – $12,201 = $3,999 (What is Western Union?) (4-day total: $97,799)
Scores after the Jeopardy! Round:
Brayden $7,600
Devon $2,400
Amanda $1,600
Opening break taken after: 15 clues
Daily Double locations:
1) RUTH BADER GINSBURG $800 (clue #2)
Brayden 1000 +1000 (Amanda 0 Devon 0)
2) BIOLOGY $800 (clue #11)
Amanda 6400 +3000 (Brayden 12400 Devon 1600)
3) MONEY MAKES THE WORLD GO ‘ROUND $1200 (clue #18, $10000 left on board)
Brayden 16400 -5000 (Amanda 11000 Devon 0)
Overall Daily Double Efficiency for this game: 116
Unplayed clues:
J! Round: None!
DJ! Round: None!
Total Left On Board: $0
Number of clues left unrevealed this season: 125 (1.79 per episode average), 2 Daily Doubles
Game Stats:
Brayden $21,000 Coryat, 26 correct, 4 incorrect, 45.61% in first on buzzer (26/57), 1/2 on rebound attempts (on 3 rebound opportunities)
Amanda $12,000 Coryat, 15 correct, 1 incorrect, 22.81% in first on buzzer (13/57), 1/2 on rebound attempts (on 5 rebound opportunities)
Devon $1,200 Coryat, 9 correct, 3 incorrect, 19.30% in first on buzzer (11/57), 1/1 on rebound attempts (on 2 rebound opportunities)
Combined Coryat Score: $34,200
Lach Trash: $9,600 (on 9 Triple Stumpers)
Coryat lost to incorrect responses (less double-correct responses): $10,200
Brayden Smith, career statistics:
121 correct, 10 incorrect
4/5 on rebound attempts (on 13 rebound opportunities)
50.23% in first on buzzer (111/221)
10/11 on Daily Doubles (Net Earned: $21,400)
2/4 in Final Jeopardy
Average Coryat: $25,600
Amanda Barkley-Levenson, career statistics:
15 correct, 2 incorrect
1/2 on rebound attempts (on 5 rebound opportunities)
22.81% in first on buzzer (13/57)
1/1 on Daily Doubles (Net Earned: $3,000)
0/1 in Final Jeopardy
Average Coryat: $12,000
Devon Cromwell, career statistics:
10 correct, 3 incorrect
1/1 on rebound attempts (on 2 rebound opportunities)
19.30% in first on buzzer (11/57)
0/0 on Daily Doubles
1/1 in Final Jeopardy
Average Coryat: $1,200
Brayden Smith, to win:
5 games: 83.296%
6: 69.382%
7: 57.792%
8: 48.138%
9: 40.097%
Avg. streak: 8.986 games.
Andy’s Thoughts:
- Had I been in Amanda’s position, I would have bet somewhere between $4,001 and $10,199. Let’s be kind to her, though. She knows her wager wasn’t ideal. (If her Reddit username is any indication.)
- This episode taped very shortly (within two weeks, I believe) after Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s death.
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I was thinking either Reynolds (the foil people) or Mead (makers of envelopes and much more). I didn’t think ‘the obvious’.
MarkO: As a rule, do not overthink FJs. Good FJ questions are designed so that the best contestants (e.g., TOC-worthy) will get 80%+ right (some years, like this one, the FJs are very easy, which I have no problem with; other years, they are too hard, which is unfair to the leader in a 3/4 scenario). If an answer seems obvious to you, it’s probably right.
I just went and looked at Jennings’ and Holzhauer’s FJ %ages. Ken got about 68%; James answered 97%. That sort of proves my point about some seasons having FJ questions that are very difficult (like Ken’s), whereas others had FJ questions that were much easier (like James’).
Or it proves that James was a better overall player, as evidenced by his daily scores, even if he didn’t win as many games in a row.
I don’t think anybody expected this ending! Talk about the complete opposite of every other game this week!
I cannot believe that Brayden did not get $100,000 today!
Buzzsaw Brayden is at it again, and he gets to relax for a couple of weeks, because next week they start highlighting episodes in which Alex did categories around the world.
He did not relax, it is just that the airing of his shows is being postponed for two weeks.
I know, Gary.
As a behavioral genetics researcher, I wonder why Amanda didn’t go all-in on the “Biology” Daily Double question. That ended up keeping her behind at the end.
In an ironic twist, not betting bigger put her in a position to win with a conservative bet from behind. And she would’ve still been alive with a missed DD. She just bet big in the Final as if she was in the lead. Like Andy said, let’s take it easy on her, but use it as a teachable moment.
I guess Brayden is beatable. Had Amanda bet 10,200 or less, she would’ve won.
Brayden is no James but he will probably be the first champion of Ken Jennings Jeopardy and play in the ToC.
Everyone is beatable. Especially the way Jeopardy is set up with the Daily Doubles and Final Jeopardy. You don’t necessarily have to outplay someone to win. Amanda didn’t outplay Brayden but would have won if she had made a strategic Final Jeopardy bet. I would have bet $2,001 if I was in her position.
He would have to win ten more shows as the airing of those shows is just being postponed.
There are five Alex-hosted episodes left.
Yes, I realized that subsequently. That just shows how confusing it is to postpone the episodes when only one is pre-empted.
Oh no-o!
Well, I guess Brayden did what he had to do to insure himself another game.
Will he be back Monday or is that when they begin reruns with Alex?
This Final clue reminded me of the one that ended Ken Jenning’s original run. Both clues dealt with a specific company, and I believe both Hallmark and H&R Block are based in Kansas City.
(Admin note: A comment which mis-stated the date of Alex’s final episode has been removed so as not to cause confusion. Alex’s final taped episode airs January 8, 2021.)
That was way too close for comfort. Hopefully Brayden has one more win in him to secure spot in TOC. On another note, hasn’t really hit home that Alex is gone since we’re still watching home. Starting to get sad that his episodes are running out.
The following is bothersome, that if a leader going into FJ, does not have at least 50% more than the second place person, and bets to cover, the second place person can always win if there’s a triple stumper. That’s the problem with a FJ that is too tough for most contestants. For example, the leader entering FJ has $14,999 and wagers $5002 to cover 2nd place, who has $10,000 and might go all-in. If the leader misses, they finish with $9,997 and loses by $2 to the formerly 2nd place person who wagers $0.
Today Braydon’s advantage over Amanda was < 15%, and while a leader can always win by betting to cover by getting FJ correct, it frustrates me no end to get triple stumpers where the champion cannot possibly win if 2nd place bets correctly. The better contestant up to FJ doesn’t win, but the 2nd best always wins if betting correctly. Fortunately for Braydon (but unfortunately for Amanda) he survives to play another day, hopefully making TOC and possibly even an “Ultra Champ” (10 or more)!
Of course today wasn’t the classic triple stumper scenario and over simplistic because 3rd place Devon with $1200 nailed it, though he wagered $0. But had he merely had over $2,000 and went all in, he theoretically could have won.
Bob, I completely agree that “stinker” FJ questions are unfair to the leader after FJ in a three-quarter scenario.
But to the extent you are suggesting that this was one of those FJ questions, I strongly disagree. My 11 year old daughter got this one in about 5 seconds.
Sorry, I meant the leader after DJ in a 3/4 scenario.
It’s irksome to a sense of justice sometimes, but that’s the game. It’s not an SAT test. That’s why there are Daily Doubles and buzzing in and contestants have the ability to dance around the board. It equalizes the chances of winning and every player knows this going in. And sometimes the FJs are giveaways to reward the player leading going into FJ. Players can’t always count on a tough FJ to bail them out. It’s not like the show is picking the questions based on the scores after Double J
In fairness, Amanda played herself into that close 2nd place catbird seat by hitting the DD. Brayden also had a chance to go big ala James to avoid that situation, and both missed the opportunity to put her away on the 2nd DD, but got lucky that he didn’t since he finally missed. That’s the beauty of the game!
@Bob Change – of course, if second place ALWAYS bet that way in that situation, then the leaders might start betting zero – especially if it’s not a category they are comfortable with.
Someone did this earlier this season and it paid off. I believe it was with a Sports category. Leader bet $0 and won.
Has anyone researched the most Daily Doubles that one contestant has found in a row (as in, none of the other contestants managed to find them)? As well as the longest such streak where a contestant has found all of them and answered them all correctly?
Brayden’s streak of 10 (all answered correctly) was neat, though it was broken today by Amanda finding the first DD in Double Jeopardy.