Today’s Final Jeopardy – Thursday, December 22, 2022


Warning: This page contains spoilers for the December 22, 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 Famous Names) for Thursday, December 22, 2022 (Season 39, Game 74):

In 2001 he published a book called “Banging Your Head Against a Brick Wall”; in 2002, “Existencilism”

(correct response beneath the contestants)

Today’s Jeopardy! contestants:

Kathy Boelter, an administrator from Sunnyvale, California
Kathy Boelter on Jeopardy!
Mitch Cutter, a salmon conservation associate from Boise, Idaho
Mitch Cutter on Jeopardy!
Ray Lalonde, a scenic artist from Toronto, Ontario, Canada (5-day total: $132,200)
Ray Lalonde on Jeopardy!

Andy’s Pregame Thoughts:

Yesterday on Jeopardy!, Ray Lalonde won a very close battle to win game #5. Today, he looks to join Mattea Roach as only the second Canadian to win 6 (Though, to be fair, most of the previous Canadian 5-time champions appeared prior to 2003.) Today’s challengers are Sunnyvale, California’s Kathy Boelter and Boise, Idaho’s Mitch Cutter.


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!

I recently updated my tournament wildcard models with as much tournament data as I’ve been able to find! If you’re playing in a tournament, you’ll want to check this out!

(Content continues below)

Do you appreciate the work I do here on The Jeopardy! Fan? Would you like to make a one-time contribution to the site? You may do so here!


Correct response: Who is Banksy?


You can find game-by-game stats here at The Jeopardy! Fan of all 15 players, including Matt Amodio, Jonathan Fisher, Amy Schneider, Mattea Roach, Ryan Long, and Cris Pannullo, that have won 10 or more games on Jeopardy!


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.)

Active since the 1990s, Banksy is a famous British street artist whose identity remains the subject of great speculation. He is also a film director, whose documentary Exit Through the Gift Shop was Oscar-nominated. One 2018 incident became worldwide news when immediately following the sale of Balloon Girl, it was partially shredded; the work was renamed Love is in the Bin.


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:


You can now listen to Alex Trebek-hosted Jeopardy! episodes from TuneIn Radio without leaving The Jeopardy! Fan — listen now!


Game Recap:

Jeopardy! Round:

(Categories: Technology History; Change The Vowel; A Bit Of Everything; We Come To This Place For…; Magic; Nicole Kidman Says)

Mitch and Kathy got off to a strong start, but Ray found his groove after the interviews; Ray picked up 9 correct and a $3,000 Daily Double to take a commanding lead after 30 clues!

Statistics at the first break (15 clues):

Ray 5 correct 0 incorrect
Kathy 3 correct 0 incorrect
Mitch 5 correct 1 incorrect

Statistics after the Jeopardy round:

Ray 14 correct 0 incorrect
Kathy 6 correct 0 incorrect
Mitch 8 correct 2 incorrect

Double Jeopardy! Round:

(Categories: Climate; Big Battles; The Bottom 10; Atlantic Islands; There’s A Book In That Book; Crossword Clues “N”)

Both challengers found the Daily Doubles in this round. Mitch doubled up, but Kathy missed hers to fall back to $4,800. From there, it was pretty much the Mitch and Ray show; Mitch picked up 3 consecutive $2,000 clues to take the lead, but Ray battled back to hold the lead going into Final. Scores going into clue #61 were Ray at $24,200, Mitch at $16,800, and Kathy at $5,200.

Statistics after Double Jeopardy:

Ray 25 correct 0 incorrect
Mitch 19 correct 3 incorrect
Kathy 10 correct 1 incorrect
Total number of unplayed clues this season: 12 (0 today).

Ray and Mitch were correct today—Ray is now only the second Canadian ever to win six games! He’ll try for win #7 tomorrow!

Tonight’s Game Stats:

Looking to find out who won Jeopardy! today? Here’s the Thursday, December 22, 2022 Jeopardy! by the numbers:

Scores going into Final:

Ray $24,200
Mitch $16,800
Kathy $5,200

Tonight’s results:

Kathy $5,200 – $5,000 = $200 (Who is Brech Bradbury)
Mitch $16,800 + $1,999 = $18,799 (Who is Banksy?)
Ray $24,200 + $9,800 = $34,000 (Who is Banksy?) (6-day total: $166,200)


Ray Lalonde, today's Jeopardy! winner (for the December 22, 2022 game.)


Scores after the Jeopardy! Round:

Ray $11,000
Kathy $4,200
Mitch $2,400


Opening break taken after: 15 clues

Daily Double locations:

1) MAGIC $600 (clue #21)
Ray 5200 +3000 (Mitch 2200 Kathy 3600)
2) THERE’S A BOOK IN THAT BOOK $1600 (clue #2)
Mitch 3600 +3600 (Ray 11000 Kathy 4200)
3) BIG BATTLES $2000 (clue #9, $23600 left on board)
Kathy 7800 -3000 (Ray 13400 Mitch 7200)
Overall Daily Double Efficiency for this game: 119

Clue Selection by Row, Before Daily Doubles Found:

J! Round:
Ray 2 3 5 2 4 5 5 3*
Mitch 4 4 4 3 1 4 4 5 5
Kathy 3 2 1 3

DJ! Round:
Ray 3 4
Mitch 3 4* 4 3
Kathy 2 3 5*

Average Row of Clue Selection, Before Daily Doubles Found:

Ray 3.60
Mitch 3.69
Kathy 2.71

Unplayed clues:

J! Round: None!
DJ! Round: None!
Total Left On Board: $0
Number of clues left unrevealed this season: 12 (0.16 per episode average), 0 Daily Doubles

Game Stats:

Ray $21,800 Coryat, 25 correct, 0 incorrect, 40.35% in first on buzzer (23/57), 1/1 on rebound attempts (on 3 rebound opportunities)
Mitch $14,800 Coryat, 19 correct, 3 incorrect, 36.84% in first on buzzer (21/57), 0/0 on rebound attempts (on 0 rebound opportunities)
Kathy $8,200 Coryat, 10 correct, 1 incorrect, 14.04% in first on buzzer (8/57), 2/2 on rebound attempts (on 3 rebound opportunities)
Combined Coryat Score: $44,800
Lach Trash: $4,600 (on 5 Triple Stumpers)
Coryat lost to incorrect responses (less double-correct responses): $4,600

Ray Lalonde, career statistics:

159 correct, 19 incorrect
10/11 on rebound attempts (on 19 rebound opportunities)
44.44% in first on buzzer (152/342)
9/9 on Daily Doubles (Net Earned: $28,100)
4/6 in Final Jeopardy
Average Coryat: $20,667

Mitch Cutter, career statistics:

20 correct, 3 incorrect
0/0 on rebound attempts (on 0 rebound opportunities)
36.84% in first on buzzer (21/57)
1/1 on Daily Doubles (Net Earned: $3,600)
1/1 in Final Jeopardy
Average Coryat: $14,800

Kathy Boelter, career statistics:

10 correct, 2 incorrect
2/2 on rebound attempts (on 3 rebound opportunities)
14.04% in first on buzzer (8/57)
0/1 on Daily Doubles (Net Earned: -$3,000)
0/1 in Final Jeopardy
Average Coryat: $8,200

Ray Lalonde, to win:

7 games: 80.937%
8: 65.508%
9: 53.020%
10: 42.913%
11: 34.732%
Avg. streak: 10.246 games.

Today’s interviews:

Kathy has a husband who expresses himself via notes; he hid love notes around their apartment 15 years ago.
Mitch works for the Idaho Conservation League.
Ray is still getting used to the idea of Tournament of Champions qualification.

Andy’s Thoughts:

Final Jeopardy! wagering suggestions:

(Scores: Ray $24,200 Mitch $16,800 Kathy $5,200)

Ray: Standard cover bet over Mitch is $9,401. (Actual bet: $9,800)

Mitch: If Ray makes a cover bet and is incorrect, he falls to $14,799. Limit your bet to $1,999. (Actual bet: $1,999)

Kathy: Bet whatever you like. (Actual bet: $5,000)


Become a Supporter now! Make a monthly contribution to the site on Patreon!


Contestant photo credit: jeopardy.com

When commenting, please note that all comments on The Jeopardy! Fan must be in compliance with the Site Comment Policy.

If you are going to quote any information from this page or this website, attribution is required.


Have you had a chance to listen to our podcast game show, Complete The List, yet? Check it out! It’s also available on Apple Podcasts.



10 Comments on "Today’s Final Jeopardy – Thursday, December 22, 2022"

  1. This is so funny; I was joking on a social app a moment back about something being a Bansky installation. Then I come here are find this clue.

    Telepathy!

  2. Michael Johnston | December 22, 2022 at 10:12 am |


    I don’t recall hearing the name Banksy before and the book titles were likewise unfamiliar, so I couldn’t even come up with a guess :/

    Current FJ streak: 1L

    • You are not alone there. I literally went “WHO?” aloud. I’d think this is a very obscure clue for a Millennial like myself. “Famous Name” yeah… right.

      • He’s the most famous contemporary artist right now.

        He is 100% a famous name.

        • I suppose so, but this stretches the definition of “famous name’ beyond the bounds of common knowledge. I’d never heard of Banksy in my life before seeing FJ.

          • Your complaint is akin to not having heard of Picasso–in 1925.

          • Andy, well said. (My son and daughter are Millennials and they both know who Banksy is.) ‘Banksy’ was my guess, though I had not heard of the books so was not sure it was not going to be some home rehab/refurbish TV personality (which I am aware of many of them but familiar with few of them).

  3. Bansky’s 2010 documentary “Exit Through the Gift Shop” is excellent viewing.

  4. Exit Through the Gift Shop should be something I should take a look at in the future. I also managed to get this one as well. Congrats once again to Ray winning and to Mitch getting the final.

  5. Love that Ray keeps winning!

Comments are closed.