Warning: This page contains spoilers for the November 7, 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 Phrases from the Ancient World) for Monday, November 7, 2022 (Season 39, Game 41):
Cicero wrote that a tyrant ordered this to be hung from the ceiling “by a horse-hair”; his guest begged to leave
(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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Jessica Stephens, a statistical research specialist from Nashville, Tennessee
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Zach Newkirk, an attorney from Arlington, Virginia
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Andy’s Pregame Thoughts:
I have a favor to ask of everyone reading this. Be kind towards others. Be kind towards contestants. I have seen way too much unkindness towards people over the past few months on the Internet towards contestants in general. If you’re going to come into my comments section, or Twitter, or Facebook, or Reddit, to sound off about how much you dislike a certain player—civilian or celebrity—you need to do some deep personal introspection. I’m, quite frankly, tired of the open season on contestants, only amplified by the vox Twittuli reporting by the tabloids. Every single contestant is a human being, just like you or me. How would you feel if you were on the show and everyone decided to take to social media to say bad things about you based on what they saw on television? Be better. Do better.
Now, the Tournament of Champions continues today with our last of six quarterfinals. (And yes, “six quarterfinals” is acceptable terminology; “quarterfinal” only means the round before the semifinal.) Zach Newkirk—who, because of COVID restrictions, began his run with Alex Trebek still hosting in June 2020—gets to take on Professors Tournament winner Sam Buttrey and Week 1 Second Chance qualifier Jessica Stephens. The prediction model thinks that Sam is the favorite in this game because of his strong performance in the Professors Tournament, especially at the bottom of the board. I’m not expecting to see fireworks today, but I also think today’s game will be a solid game of Jeopardy. A number of fans believe that Jessica has been underrated by the prediction model; it wouldn’t surprise me to see her have a good game today.
Tomorrow’s episode, the exhibition match between Amy Schneider, Matt Amodio, and Mattea Roach won’t be an elimination match, as many markets will be preempting the show for election coverage.
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.
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(Content continues below)
Correct response: What is the Sword of Damocles?
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.)
According to legend, courtier Damocles agreed to switch places with the King of Syracuse, Dionysius II—however, to evoke the sense that a king or leader always needs to watch out for their enemies, arranged for a sword to be hung over Damocles. Damocles then realized that “with great power comes great responsibility”.
Do I think just a generic “sword” will be accepted by the judges? I could see them ruling either way on this—I believe that the generic fails to fit a “Phrases from the Ancient World” category; many fans fail to remember that responses generally do need to fit the constraints of both clue and category.
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: Valleys; That ’70s Or ’80s Show; Dance; “D” In Science; Get A Handle On It; In The Nato Phonetic Alphabet)
Sam got off to a great start and was unfazed by dropping $3,400 on the first Daily Double. Meanwhile, Zach and Jessica struggled to get in edgewise.
Statistics at the first break (15 clues):
Sam 10 correct 2 incorrect
Zach 1 correct 0 incorrect
Jessica 2 correct 3 incorrect
Statistics after the Jeopardy round:
Sam 20 correct 3 incorrect
Zach 5 correct 0 incorrect
Jessica 3 correct 3 incorrect
Double Jeopardy! Round:
(Categories: Vice Presidents; A Crash Of Symbols; Brit Bits; 13-Letter Words; In That Novel; Herbal & Spicy Names)
Sam’s dominance continued, with Sam getting another 14 correct in this round, forcing Zach to attempt a big move on the last Daily Double. Unfortunately, it didn’t work out, and Sam cruised to a runaway. Meanwhile, Jessica had to take some chances to get out of the red, and it didn’t work out for her today.
Statistics after Double Jeopardy:
Sam 34 correct 5 incorrect
Zach 14 correct 3 incorrect
Jessica 4 correct 7 incorrect
Total number of unplayed clues this season: 8 (0 today).
Sam and Zach both got Final correct (with the full name); Sam is now a semifinalist!
Tonight’s Game Stats:
Looking to find out who won Jeopardy! today? Here’s the Monday, November 7, 2022 Jeopardy! by the numbers:
Scores going into Final:
Sam $19,600
Zach $5,200
Jessica -$5,800
Tonight’s results:
Jessica -$5,800 (By rule, did not participate in Final Jeopardy)
Zach $5,200 + $528 = $5,728 (What the Sword of Damocles?)
Sam $19,600 + $0 = $19,600 (What is the Sword of Damocles?) (Semi-Finalist)
Scores after the Jeopardy! Round:
Sam $8,000
Zach $2,200
Jessica -$1,400
Opening break taken after: 15 clues
Daily Double locations:
1) “D” IN SCIENCE $600 (clue #10)
Sam 3400 -3400 (Zach 200 Jessica -1200)
2) BRIT BITS $1600 (clue #8)
Sam 8400 +2000 (Zach 6600 Jessica -1800)
3) IN THAT NOVEL $2000 (clue #12, $21200 left on board)
Zach 9000 -7000 (Jessica -1800 Sam 10000)
Overall Daily Double Efficiency for this game: -154
Unplayed clues:
J! Round: None!
DJ! Round: None!
Total Left On Board: $0
Number of clues left unrevealed this season: 8 (0.20 per episode average), 0 Daily Doubles
Game Stats:
Sam $22,600 Coryat, 34 correct, 5 incorrect, 59.65% in first on buzzer (34/57), 3/3 on rebound attempts (on 6 rebound opportunities)
Zach $12,200 Coryat, 14 correct, 3 incorrect, 22.81% in first on buzzer (13/57), 3/3 on rebound attempts (on 8 rebound opportunities)
Jessica -$5,800 Coryat, 4 correct, 7 incorrect, 12.28% in first on buzzer (7/57), 1/4 on rebound attempts (on 6 rebound opportunities)
Combined Coryat Score: $29,000
Lach Trash: $5,400 (on 5 Triple Stumpers)
Coryat lost to incorrect responses (less double-correct responses): $17,600
Zach Newkirk, career statistics:
148 correct, 23 incorrect
14/17 on rebound attempts (on 44 rebound opportunities)
29.86% in first on buzzer (132/442)
8/14 on Daily Doubles (Net Earned: $6,500)
5/8 in Final Jeopardy
Average Coryat: $15,475
Jessica Stephens, career statistics:
77 correct, 12 incorrect
8/12 on rebound attempts (on 25 rebound opportunities)
24.56% in first on buzzer (70/285)
3/3 on Daily Doubles (Net Earned: $7,000)
3/4 in Final Jeopardy
Average Coryat: $10,680
Sam Buttrey, career statistics:
136 correct, 11 incorrect
8/9 on rebound attempts (on 22 rebound opportunities)
45.26% in first on buzzer (129/285)
3/4 on Daily Doubles (Net Earned: $3,000)
3/5 in Final Jeopardy
Average Coryat: $19,920
Remaining Players’ Tournament of Champions Chances (after 100,000 Simulations)
Amy Schneider: 15.963%
Matt Amodio: 25.501%
Mattea Roach: 9.292%
Maureen O’Neil: 0.585%
Andrew He: 13.807%
Tyler Rhode: 3.413%
John Focht: 9.238%
Eric Ahasic: 14.388%
Sam Buttrey: 7.813%
Today’s interviews:
Sam started a scholarship with some of his winnings.
Jessica surprised her guests by running a phobias category in Second Chance.
Zach bought a house with two treehouses connected by zip line.
Andy’s Thoughts:
- While I knew Sam was good, I was not expecting 34 correct. He’s certainly got a puncher’s chance in the semifinals.
- Today’s box score: November 7, 2022 Box Score.
Final Jeopardy! wagering suggestions:
(Scores: Sam $19,600 Zach $5,200 Jessica -$5,800)
Zach: Bet whatever you like. (Actual bet: $528)
Sam: No reason to bet anything here, just bet $0. (Actual bet: $0)
Contestant photo credit: jeopardy.com
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Great match today involving three worthy contestants. Too bad only one can advance to the semifinals.
Be aware that tomorrow’s episode may be preempted by election results. That’s true here in South Florida, where it will be broadcast next Sunday afternoon. Better late than never.
that’s specifically why tomorrow’s match is just an exhibition
I think personally tomorrows game is just an exhibition as they don’t want to start the finals on a Friday.
Our Charleston SC local station listings claim that Jeopardy! will run tomorrow as usual, but they’ve been known to pre-empt it at the last minute and never re-run it. So keeping fingers crossed for everyone in a similar situation. This has the potential to be one of the beat matches ever to watch (Sorry Ken!), even if it’s only an exhibition.
One of the BEST matches . . . 🙄
There was a trail we’d run that for some time had this large branch hanging precariously over the trail – seemingly just waiting to fall on one of us. One of our runners dubbed it the branch of Damocles. So, yes, I got this one right away (though would not have known it before that time).
Hah! Thanks for that 🙂 I think I learned that story in grade school Latin, even though I’m pretty sure we never did translations of the Disputations.
Thank you, “Rocky Horror Picture Show,” for embedding this phrase in my memory 🙂
Me too! Oh no, Meatloaf again!
Are you running summary pages for the Celebrity Jeopardy programs?
The sword of damocles was something that I learned in grade school. Still though all that mythology reading helped me greatly in this game. Great to see Zach and Sam getting the final right.
Holy moly Sam! None of the big 3 want to run into this guy.
You’re not wrong, Brad, but. frankly, just about everyone in the tournament is a tough out. As good as Sam is (and like I wrote above, never underestimate a Navy man), the simulator only ranks him as 7th out of 9. That shows how strong this field is, IMHO. So, who would anyone want to run into?
Never underestimate a Navy man! With nearly 60% in first on buzzer, it would have been difficult for anyone to beat Sam, although, Zach would have had a real chance had he gotten that last DD correct. Congratulations to Sam!
Inasmuch as my grandfather was from Syracuse in Sicily, I’ve always had a fondness for the story of the Sword of Damocles. Therefore, this one came to me instantly.
Found it: https://andysaunders.link/2022/11/celebrity-jeopardy-11-6-2022.html
I wonder if Zach’s 881 days between the airing of his first J! game and the airing of his ToC game is a record (in terms of regular ToC, not special tournaments like the Ultimate ToC or Battle of Decades)
Ken made a comment towards the end of today’s game that was something about there being “no wagering” for tomorrow’s exhibition/practice game. Does that mean there will be no Daily Doubles or Final? Or was it just a joke about people betting on the results? (which doesn’t really make any sense, since people are just as capable of wagering on that as they are of any regular J! game)
I have no idea and I hope someone from the show explains.
if there are special rules/format for the exhibition airing tomorrow, I’m sure they’ll explain it. If it was just a joke (or perhaps I simply misheard it), then I doubt there will be any explanation.
Jay,
I believe this was more or less a throwback to the old David Letterman Show. Letterman had a bit called Stupid Pet Tricks. He always reminded the audience that it was just an exhibition and there would be no wagering. My guess is that Ken was just make an allusion to that since Jeopardy! has been emphasizing this is just an exhibition.
Ken confirmed in a Tweet that he was referring to the Stupid Pet Tricks bit, and that the game will feature normal wagering by the contestants.
https://twitter.com/KenJennings/status/1589834368369184769
Answer for”what is Canada’s western most province
The clue said “westernmost Prairie province”, not westernmost province.
Which is Alberta.
Remember this maxim: if you think Jeopardy has made that big of a mistake, you’ve misheard something.
When will semifinal match-ups be announced?
they aren’t going to announce anything until today’s episode airs in all markets.
so my guess will be that the semifinals will be announced tomorrow (Tues)
though I could see them not announce them in advance at all.
did they ever announce the semifinal seedings ahead of time in the classic tournament format? I know they announced who got the wildcard spots at the end of the QF friday game, but I don’t recall them announcing the actual matchups
The matchups were released at 12:30 am NST / 11:00 pm EST / 8:00 pm PST, immediately after the last quarterfinal finished airing in all markets.
Wednesday, November 9: Amy, Maureen, Tyler
Thursday, November 10: Matt, John, Sam
Friday, November 11: Mattea, Eric, Andrew
Thanks!
Maybe there’s some recency bias on my part, but that looks like a tough draw for Matt. John and Sam put up the two highest Coryat scores in the quarters, and only Andrew was anywhere close to them.
What Andy said 👏🏻
I think Mattea got a tough draw. If the remaining players are re-seeded 1 to 9, with Sam between the 5 and 4 game winners, Mattea-Eric-Andrew is basically 3-4-5 game.
I dpn’t where I first I heard about today’s correct response, but as soon as I heard/reead the clue I imediately thought “Sword of Damocles.” A simple straight forward Final for a good quarterfinal T of C game.
Finally watched this episode today. It was the last chance I had to save myself from a “skunk” week.” The answer came easily to me. Now for a really funny (or not) story: My memory of the sword was that it was used to cut the Gordian Knot, though I doubt the two are related. I’m too lazy to research it. Onward and upward! (This comment may be subject to moderation.)