Warning: This page contains spoilers for the November 16, 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 The New Testament) for Wednesday, November 16, 2022 (Season 39, Game 48):
Paul’s letter to them is the New Testament epistle with the most Old Testament quotations
(correct response beneath the contestants)
Today’s Jeopardy! contestants:
Sam Buttrey, an associate professor of operations research at the Naval Postgraduate School from Pacific Grove, California
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Andrew He, a software developer from San Francisco, California
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Amy Schneider, a writer from Oakland, California
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Andy’s Pregame Thoughts:
In all three meetings between Amy Schneider and Andrew He, Andrew He has led going into Final Jeopardy. However, in two of those meetings, Amy Schneider has come out as the victor. Andrew’s stronger strategy over the first two rounds—namely, being better at both finding and taking advantage of the Daily Doubles—has resulted in having the upper hand twice. One thing to consider: there was an overnight taping break in between Game 2 and Game 3 of this series; will Amy have adapted her strategy as we go into Game 3? Or, will she feel that her current strategy is working? Amy has been dominating on the signaling device and Andrew is only in this series because of the Daily Doubles. If Amy and Sam stop selecting top-row clues and start an all-out hunt for the Daily Doubles, this might be a different series going forward, because starving Andrew of those big-money opportunities is the best way to keep him from winning.
I should also point out that I come at this from a perspective of hoping that all the players play their best game possible, and I feel disappointed when I don’t see that happen.
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(Content continues below)
Correct response: Who are Hebrews (as per the show)?
More information about Final Jeopardy:
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There are a couple of problems with this clue: I can’t tell whether the intended correct response is “Romans” or “Hebrews”. Firstly, I have found conflicting sources as to whether Romans or Hebrews contains more quotations. Secondly, there’s the more pressing question of authorship—specifically of Hebrews. There’s no dispute that Paul wrote Romans. While Ken’s church—the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints—claims Paul wrote Hebrews, this is certainly disputed—even a clue by the show from June 2021 says that Barnabas has sometimes been credited with authorship—and even Britannica itself says it is “now widely believed to be the work of another Jewish Christian”.
These combined problems make this clue completely inappropriate for a Tournament of Champions final. The show needs to improve—all this will do is cause unnecessary angst online, especially amongst Biblical scholars.
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Game Recap:
Jeopardy! Round:
(Categories: A Bouquet Of Flowers; American History; Better Call Saul; Rappers Who Act; Beastly Book Titles; Making An Assonance Of Yourself)
Amy had control of the board for most of the opening of today’s game, but it was Andrew who found the Daily Double—because he was searching for it. Andrew led after 15 clues, but all three players stayed very close—Amy and Andrew were tied at $3,800, with Sam just $200 behind going into Double Jeopardy.
Statistics at the first break (15 clues):
Andrew 4 correct 1 incorrect
Amy 4 correct 1 incorrect
Sam 2 correct 0 incorrect
Statistics after the Jeopardy round:
Andrew 8 correct 1 incorrect
Amy 9 correct 1 incorrect
Sam 7 correct 0 incorrect
Double Jeopardy! Round:
(Categories: 4 Weddings & A Funeral; Opera Characters; Compound Words; Cold Around The Globe; Heard In The Movie; Spelementary)
The hunting happened, and I am happy. Unfortunately, the Daily Doubles still worked out better for Andrew. Amy dropped $5,000 on hers, whereas Andrew pulled back significantly to Sam by doubling up through his! Sam had zero unforced errors today, though, and this led to our professor leading going into Final with $14,800; Andrew had $13,200 and Amy $2,400.
Statistics after Double Jeopardy:
Sam 18 correct 0 incorrect
Andrew 15 correct 3 incorrect
Amy 15 correct 4 incorrect
Total number of unplayed clues this season: 12 (0 today).
Controversy will abound as Sam’s response was not accepted, in spite of potential evidence that it maybe should have been. As a result, Andrew has been awarded a crucial second victory towards the championship; Game 4 is tomorrow!
Tonight’s Game Stats:
Looking to find out who won Jeopardy! today? Here’s the Wednesday, November 16, 2022 Jeopardy! by the numbers:
Scores going into Final:
Sam $14,800
Andrew $13,200
Amy $2,400
Tonight’s results:
Amy $2,400 + $1,000 = $3,400 (Who are the Hebrews?) (1 win)
Andrew $13,200 – $3,201 = $9,999 (Who are Philippiaes?) (2 wins)
Sam $14,800 – $11,601 = $3,199 (Who are the Romans?) (0 wins)
Scores after the Jeopardy! Round:
Andrew $3,800
Amy $3,800
Sam $3,600
Opening break taken after: 15 clues
Daily Double locations:
1) AMERICAN HISTORY $1000 (clue #11)
Andrew 400 +1000 (Amy 2000 Sam 200)
2) COMPOUND WORDS $2000 (clue #6)
Amy 5800 -5000 (Andrew 5000 Sam 5200)
3) 4 WEDDINGS & A FUNERAL $800 (clue #20, $5600 left on board)
Andrew 5800 +5800 (Amy 1600 Sam 12400)
Overall Daily Double Efficiency for this game: 114
Average Row of Clue Selection, Before Daily Doubles Found:
Andrew 4.00
Amy 3.31
Sam 3.91
Unplayed clues:
J! Round: None!
DJ! Round: None!
Total Left On Board: $0
Number of clues left unrevealed this season: 12 (0.25 per episode average), 0 Daily Doubles
Game Stats:
Andrew $8,200 Coryat, 15 correct, 3 incorrect, 28.07% in first on buzzer (16/57), 0/0 on rebound attempts (on 2 rebound opportunities)
Amy $7,400 Coryat, 15 correct, 4 incorrect, 29.82% in first on buzzer (17/57), 0/1 on rebound attempts (on 3 rebound opportunities)
Sam $14,800 Coryat, 18 correct, 0 incorrect, 29.82% in first on buzzer (17/57), 1/1 on rebound attempts (on 5 rebound opportunities)
Combined Coryat Score: $30,400
Lach Trash: $12,800 (on 11 Triple Stumpers)
Coryat lost to incorrect responses (less double-correct responses): $10,800
Amy Schneider, career statistics:
1434 correct, 95 incorrect
67/82 on rebound attempts (on 178 rebound opportunities)
50.57% in first on buzzer (1321/2612)
69/80 on Daily Doubles (Net Earned: $214,200)
30/46 in Final Jeopardy
Average Coryat: $25,422
Andrew He, career statistics:
254 correct, 35 incorrect
15/17 on rebound attempts (on 38 rebound opportunities)
38.12% in first on buzzer (239/627)
17/22 on Daily Doubles (Net Earned: $87,800)
4/11 in Final Jeopardy
Average Coryat: $18,018
Sam Buttrey, career statistics:
211 correct, 20 incorrect
12/14 on rebound attempts (on 36 rebound opportunities)
39.18% in first on buzzer (201/513)
5/7 on Daily Doubles (Net Earned: $4,600)
5/9 in Final Jeopardy
Average Coryat: $17,667
Remaining Players’ Tournament of Champions Chances (after 100,000 Simulations)
Amy 24.475%
Andrew 72.368%
Sam 3.157%
Chances of 4 games: 37.157%
Chances of 5 games: 38.069%
Chances of 6 games: 17.841%
Chances of 7 games: 6.933%
Today’s interviews:
Sam went skydiving for a friend’s bachelor party.
Andrew received feedback that he was “visibly aging” from his mother after his shows.
Amy was at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner.
Andy’s Thoughts:
- As highlighted above, I believe Sam has a significant protest case, and I don’t know how the show can rectify it. The fact that the show claims the epistle was written by Paul when most Biblical scholars now believe he didn’t, means that, at best, I believe this was a Final Jeopardy! clue with no correct response—an untenable situation considering the stakes of this match.
- Today’s box score: November 16, 2022 Box Score.
Final Jeopardy! wagering suggestions:
(Scores: Sam $14,800 Andrew $13,200 Amy $2,400)
Amy: If Sam covers Andrew and is incorrect, he falls to $3,199. Thus, you need to bet at least $801 to have the best chance of winning. (Actual bet: $1,000)
Andrew: Bet between $3,201 (covering Sam’s very small range) and $8,399 (thereby keeping Amy locked out). (Actual bet: $3,201)
Sam: Standard cover bet over Andrew is $11,601. (Actual bet: $11,601)
Contestant photo credit: jeopardy.com
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Jeopardy got it wrong! There is no Biblical proof that Paul wrote the book of Hebrews. Scholars have debated the issue for years and no one can prove Paul wrote it.
Do we know how many cases of a protest happening and being successful are? I guess being a tournament it’s a little harder to rectify. Maybe put Sam in next years TOC as well?
With all three scores so close near the end of the 1st round, I wondered if one of the players (specifically Andrew) might try to DELIBERATELY miss a $200 question to ensure they would pick 1st in the DJ round (to try and snipe a Daily Double)
Quite an unusual tactic but certainly worth considering…
I think it really does sound like a good idea, but not sure that it would be worth the embarrassment of getting a $200 clue wrong, much less if you then got your DD wrong 😒.
Sam may not have had any unforced errors in the classic sense, but I do think he made a rookie mistake late in the DJ round that may have cost him the game. Sam controlled the board when the only clues left were the $400 and $800 ones. The second DD had not been found, but Sam went to the Compound Words category where the first DD had been. Andrew got it and on the very next clue hit the second DD. Had Sam gone elsewhere, he may not have chosen the clue with the DD, but he didn’t even give himself a chance.
Thanks for linking to my site as a source putting Romans higher than Hebrews. The reason for the discrepancy between my list (with Romans higher) and blueletterbible (with Hebrews higher) is because I counted only direct quotations or citations of the Old Testament. Blue Letter Bible counts both quotations and allusions.
I left allusions out of consideration because so many of them are disputed and not at all clear. (For example, every time someone uses the phrase “we the people” in common language, are they always self-consciously alluding to the US Constitution?) But direct citations are clear and verifiable.
So, according to the wording of the Final Jeopardy clue (“most quotations”), the correct answer should be Romans, regardless of the dispute over whether Paul wrote Hebrews (which most modern scholars believe he did not). I agree it was not a responsible clue.
Ha! Ha! I totally agree with you about the Bible facts and opinions, but I feel like every time someone says “we the people” they ARE self-consciously (and/or overtly and/or intentionally) alluding to the US Constitution.
I guessed Corinthians . . .
Jeopardy likes to use the King James Version for Bible quote questions. The original KJV title above Hebrews called it “The Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the Hebrews” so I’m guessing that’s what they went by. However there is no excuse for them to not research and realize that most modern translations and scholars do not attribute it to Paul and that’s widely known among those with Bible knowledge.
I think Jeopardy owes its viewership a response before it wastes another minute watching any further episodes.
As unsatisfactory as it is to many of us, in football alone, there are the Franco Harris “immaculate reception” and the Tom Brady “tuck rule” game where a likely incorrect official call swung the game. I feel bad for Sam as he played a solid game.
It is true that the king James Version of the Bible includes Paul in the title, but I still have misgivings about the clue. Sometimes Internet newspapers such as Cnn or Msn write about a “Jeopardy controversy” within a few days after it airs. I will be curious if anything is written about this game.
Older King James Versions may have “The Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the Hebrews” in the title, but most KJV’s sold in the last 30 years or so do not have that. Those say the authorship is disputed. I checked 2 KJV’s I have, along with 6 other versions I have. None say Paul is the author. As mentioned by many above, most credible bible scholars say the author is unknown. I know Ken is LDS and the LDS church believes Paul wrote Hebrews, but whoever does the fact checking, background checking, etc., should have done better, more competent research.
Dear Fellow Show Fans,
You have no idea how glad I am to see that so many people are speaking out about this Final Jeopardy response. I’ve been a Biblical educator for years, and when I saw the response, I called a friend and… well… I basically went off about it. Like so many others have mentioned here, we don’t definitively know who authored the book of Hebrews. In every single one of the other “Pauline” Epistles, Paul clearly identifies himself as the writer.
In addition, the books of the Bible are arranged categorically. As stated before, the books written by Paul are often referred to as the “Pauline Epistles”. And even those are broken down into two sub-categories. Paul’s Church Epistles: Romans, 1st and 2nd Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, and 1st and 2nd Thessalonians. Then Paul’s Personal Epistles: 1st and 2nd Timothy, Titus and Philemon. The book of Hebrews begins the category known as the “General” Epistles: Hebrews; James; 1st and 2nd Peter; 1st, 2nd, and 3rd John; and Jude.
I REALLY hope Jeopardy addresses this error, and awards the game to Sam; which would make the TOC Finals much more interesting, with all contestants having earned one win to their credit.