Warning: This page contains spoilers for the September 29, 2022 game of Jeopardy! — please do not scroll down if you wish to avoid being spoiled. Please note that the game airs as early as noon Eastern in some U.S. television markets.
Here’s today’s Final Jeopardy (in the category Innovations) for Thursday, September 29, 2022 (Season 39, Game 14):
Seen by a worldwide audience in 1970, black pentagons were added to these to help viewers follow them better on TV
(correct response beneath the contestants)
Today’s Jeopardy! contestants:
Sonalee Rau, a life sciences consultant from New York, New York
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Moira Smith, an accountant from Washington, D.C.
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David Sibley, an Episcopal priest from Walla Walla, Washington (3-day total: $55,799)
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Andy’s Pregame Thoughts:
If there was any worry about Jeopardy! not being able to fill a whole Tournament of Champions with strong players after the decision to move to a yearly postseason, I think those worries can be quashed. The first three weeks of the 2022-23 season (Season 39) already have had three players win at least three games! (And yes, a new Tournament of Champions tracker will be coming very soon for the 31st Tournament of Champions.) David Sibley is the third player, after Luigi de Guzman and Emmett Stanton, to win three; he goes for his fourth victory today against Sonalee Rau and Moira Smith.
One thing I really like about David: he appears to be one of the kindest and most genuinely affirming people I have met in my years covering the program. He went as far yesterday to write a Twitter thread, worried that members of the LGBTQIA+ community might be triggered by his occupation as an Episcopal priest, explicitly stated, “This priest loves you. But more than that? God loves you. Exactly as you are.” And that was excellent and very affirming to see from a Jeopardy! contestant.
Also, while I’m on the Jeopardy! news round-up: The Jeopardy! Fan would like to sincerely congratulate Amy Schneider and her new wife Genevieve on their recently-announced nuptials; the wedding, including pictures, was recently announced on Amy’s Twitter account.
PSA: The best way to keep COVID-19 at bay (and keep Jeopardy! producing new episodes) is for everybody to get their vaccinations as soon as they can, including any boosters as recommended. When wearing a mask, please ensure that your mask covers both your nose and your mouth.
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 soccer balls?
More information about Final Jeopardy:
(The following write-up is original content and is copyright 2022 The Jeopardy! Fan. It may not be copied without linked attribution back to this page.)
I get the sense that today’s Final Jeopardy! was definitely Michael Davies-inspired, with the executive producer being a massive soccer fan. The now-iconic soccer ball design, with 32 panels—20 white hexagons and 12 black pentagons—has the official name of the Adidas Telstar, named after the famous satellite of the early 1960s. It was designated as the official match ball of the 1970 FIFA World Cup in Mexico; at the time, most television systems around the world had yet to begin broadcasting in color, and the black-and-white ball provided excellent contrast for the black-and-white television broadcasts of the era.
We have many new offerings at The Jeopardy! Fan Online Store! Proceeds from the sale of the “Doctor Oz’s Fast-Acting Snake Oil Elixir” T-shirt are being donated to The Trevor Project:
Game Recap:
Jeopardy! Round:
(Categories: The Ex-Country; Stay Healthy; Making The Rounds; Religion; Characters On The TV Show; Beastly Talk)
Buoyed by finding the Daily Double very early, Moira got out to a cracking start to today’s game. David did claw back in the second half of the round to take the lead after Single Jeopardy!
Statistics at the first break (15 clues):
Moira 5 correct 0 incorrect
David 8 correct 1 incorrect
Sonalee 1 correct 1 incorrect
Statistics after the Jeopardy round:
David 14 correct 2 incorrect
Moira 5 correct 0 incorrect
Sonalee 9 correct 2 incorrect
Double Jeopardy! Round:
(Categories: Reading Rainbow; The Beatle’s Non-Beatles Hit; U.S. Counties; From Dawn To Dusk; Pirates!; There’s A Price On My Head)
David continued his strong play in Double Jeopardy! today, picking up another 14 correct, including 4 at the $2,000 level! That—and a missed Daily Double late from Sonalee—was enough to give David another runaway going into Final! Scores going into Final were David at $22,300, with Moira and Sonalee tied at $4,800.
Statistics after Double Jeopardy:
David 28 correct 4 incorrect
Moira 10 correct 3 incorrect
Sonalee 13 correct 3 incorrect
Total number of unplayed clues this season: 5 (0 today).
Today was a Triple Stumper in Final, but David bet an unusual amount—$1. He’s a 4-day champion regardless, though—as disappointed as I was that the bets were $1 and not $0. He’ll go for win #5 tomorrow!
Tonight’s Game Stats:
Looking to find out who won Jeopardy! today? Here’s the Thursday, September 29, 2022 Jeopardy! by the numbers:
Scores going into Final:
David $22,300
Moira $4,800
Sonalee $4,800
Tonight’s results:
Sonalee $4,800 – $1 = $4,799 (What are closed captions?)
Moira $4,800 – $0 = $4,800 (What are ?)
David $22,300 – $1 = $22,299 (What are hockey pucks?) (4-day total: $78,098)
Scores after the Jeopardy! Round:
David $6,400
Moira $4,400
Sonalee $2,000
Opening break taken after: 15 clues
Daily Double locations:
1) THE EX-COUNTRY $1000 (clue #2)
Moira 1000 +1000 (David 0 Sonalee 0)
2) U.S. COUNTIES $1200 (clue #17)
David 11600 +3500 (Moira 5200 Sonalee 4400)
3) READING RAINBOW $800 (clue #24, $6400 left on board)
Sonalee 5200 -2000 (David 19900 Moira 5200)
Overall Daily Double Efficiency for this game: 92
Unplayed clues:
J! Round: None!
DJ! Round: None!
Total Left On Board: $0
Number of clues left unrevealed this season: 5 (0.36 per episode average), 0 Daily Doubles
Game Stats:
David $20,000 Coryat, 28 correct, 4 incorrect, 50.88% in first on buzzer (29/57), 2/2 on rebound attempts (on 5 rebound opportunities)
Moira $4,800 Coryat, 10 correct, 3 incorrect, 21.05% in first on buzzer (12/57), 0/0 on rebound attempts (on 6 rebound opportunities)
Sonalee $6,800 Coryat, 13 correct, 3 incorrect, 24.56% in first on buzzer (14/57), 1/1 on rebound attempts (on 7 rebound opportunities)
Combined Coryat Score: $31,600
Lach Trash: $10,000 (on 8 Triple Stumpers)
Coryat lost to incorrect responses (less double-correct responses): $12,400
David Sibley, career statistics:
95 correct, 15 incorrect
10/11 on rebound attempts (on 22 rebound opportunities)
38.77% in first on buzzer (88/227)
7/7 on Daily Doubles (Net Earned: $18,300)
1/4 in Final Jeopardy
Average Coryat: $18,000
Moira Smith, career statistics:
10 correct, 4 incorrect
0/0 on rebound attempts (on 6 rebound opportunities)
21.05% in first on buzzer (12/57)
1/1 on Daily Doubles (Net Earned: $1,000)
0/1 in Final Jeopardy
Average Coryat: $4,800
Sonalee Rau, career statistics:
13 correct, 4 incorrect
1/1 on rebound attempts (on 7 rebound opportunities)
24.56% in first on buzzer (14/57)
0/1 on Daily Doubles (Net Earned: -$2,000)
0/1 in Final Jeopardy
Average Coryat: $6,800
David Sibley, to win:
5 games: 69.599%
6: 48.441%
7: 33.714%
8: 23.465%
9: 16.331%
Avg. streak: 6.289 games.
Today’s interviews:
Sonalee learned to read by reading cookbooks.
Moira had a mother who finished third on Jeopardy! in the early 1990s.
David has an 11-month-old daughter and wants to start a college fund with his winnings.
Andy’s Thoughts:
- Today’s game sets the known record for the least amount wagered in a 3-player Final Jeopardy! in regular play. The previous record was $80, set on December 19, 2007.
- Today’s box score: September 29, 2022 Box Score
Final Jeopardy! wagering suggestions:
(Scores: David $22,300 Moira $4,800 Sonalee $4,800)
David: Bet between $0 and $12,699, and enjoy your 4th victory! (Actual bet: $1)
Moira: You have the advantage here, having had more money than Sonalee after the opening round. Go all in and you’re guaranteed second if you’re correct. (Actual bet: $0)
Sonalee: You don’t have the advantage here in the battle for second—it’s probably worth betting $0 and hoping Moira doesn’t get Final correct. (Actual bet: $1)
Contestant photo credit: jeopardy.com
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In hindsight, it should have been apparent, but I got hung up thinking about a stronger memory of the Apollo 13 mission and trying to connect “pentagons” to it :/
This makes my first extended losing streak of the season, so… blarg😒
Current FJ streak: 2L
I didn’t have a clue, which is pathetic considering that they were introduced just before I moved to the U.S. from a soccer-crazy country . . . 🙄
This too shall pass
Learned something really fascinating today with todays final jeopardy. A big soccer fan myself.
Oddly, I was on the right track, but my thought went to hockey puck (which doesn’t have pentagons on it) because at one point they added a tracker to it on the tv screen to make it easier to follow.
I thought of hockey puck for a moment too. Soccer (or football from childhood) came after that, but I did not know that those pentagons were not there before 1970.
It skipped my mind completely, and I just caved to my kids begging me to buy the latest World Cup ball at Dick’s.
LOL
do the latest World Cup soccer balls even have black pentagons on them anymore?
Had to rule myself incorrect. I went with “Soccer World Cup”, which was the event seen by the world wide audience, rather than the innovation. Right on the essence, but wrong on the actual question.
I bounced back (no pun intended) and got this correct – the “1970” reference did it for me
Will the judges accept “Football” as an answer? Should they?
I can’t say as to whether they would or not, but it seems to me that they shouldn’t without some kind of qualifier, like “association”. For most of the audience of a US gameshow, the word “football” by itself would usually be taken to mean the prolate spheroid used in gridiron football. JMO, of course.
I would assume that being British, Michael Davies would insist upon “football” being accepted.
Given that the nearly everyone watching the event at the time would have been referring to the object as some variation on “football”, it would be completely outrageous if they didn’t accept it.
I was thinking along the same lines as Sonalee. Though I was pretty sure it was not closed captioning, I was still trying to think of something having to do with the broadcasting process itself, not a real object being broadcast.
I am not into sports, so was unlikely to think about soccer even though “Seen by a worldwide audience” would have been an important part of the clue had I been thinking about sports as David (and MarkO) obviously was.
Today’s game sets the known record for the least amount wagered in a 3-player Final Jeopardy! in regular play.
…James Holzhauer wept. 🙂
If I remember correctly, there were three weeks worth of taping the week of August 8th…that day, plus on the 9th and the 10th…of which I sat in the audience for the days of October 13th and 14th. This weeks taping happened on August 8th I presume. David has done a great job so far….a four day champion now.
In 1970, I was not into sports, and even now, 52 years later, I would still not have guessed ‘soccer balls’. So I learned something today.
Having just ended my college soccer career in 1969, this was as easy as an “empty-netter” or “empty net goal,” if you prefer, for me. For those who might be curious, I mostly played “left out.” You might say, I was one of the “drawbacks.” Never played after college.
Ambiguous clue. I thought it was asking for some kind of electronic television screen enhancement like the yellow first-down and blue line-of-scrimmage lines added for football (American football!) games. I saw trails following tennis balls instead of hockey pucks on my guess. Got three of the eight Triple Stumpers tonight . . .
Prolate/Oblate; Subjugation/Declension. Time to hit the pixels! So many words, so little time . . .
Shot in the dark and I got it. Love when that happens!
so close to your dream of all $0 FJ wagers.
would have been totally ironic if the ladies had both wagered $0, but the guy who had a history of wagering $0 had been the only one with the $1 wager.
If I wanted a year’s supply of ice cream, just give me Peanut Butter Pandemonium from Stewart’s!