Today’s Final Jeopardy – Thursday, December 29, 2022


Warning: This page contains spoilers for the December 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 Gods & Goddesses) for Thursday, December 29, 2022 (Season 39, Game 79):

Each morning she began her ride in her chariot across the sky ahead of her brother Sol, or Helios

(correct response beneath the contestants)

Today’s Jeopardy! contestants:

Rachel Cohen, a consultant from Denver, Colorado
Rachel Cohen on Jeopardy!
Emily Kawaler, a bioinformatician from New York, New York
Emily Kawaler on Jeopardy!
Ray Lalonde, a scenic artist from Toronto, Ontario, Canada (10-day total: $285,100)
Ray Lalonde on Jeopardy!

Andy’s Pregame Thoughts:

Yesterday, Ray Lalonde became the 16th player in Jeopardy! history to win at least ten games. All of the previous fifteen won game #11. On the one hand, that’s not a particularly promising statistic for Emily Kawaler or Rachel Cohen. On the other, it’s a chance to make history.

I would also like to take this time to remind Jeopardy! viewers: comments regarding a contestant’s mannerisms that they have no control over are completely inappropriate in any forum. It has been reported on that Ray has suffered spinal cord damage that often prevents him from being able to stand still. By commenting on (and mocking) him, you only serve to paint Jeopardy! fans as a whole as a callous, insensitive group that lacks compassion towards others—and it needs to stop.


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Correct response: Who is Aurora (or Eos)?


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.)

The Roman Aurora (Greek Eos) is the Greco-Roman personification of the dawn; her daily chariot ride across the sky was said to bring the dawn.

One important point here: the fact that both Sol and Helios were mentioned in the clue leads me to believe that the show is prepared to accept either the Roman name Aurora or the Greek name Eos on this Final. If you said either name at home, give yourself credit!


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Game Recap:

Jeopardy! Round:

(Categories: Along The Mississippi; Classic Flute Rock; You’Re Wearing Your Food; 3-Named Writers; Sheer Misery; Don’t Get…)

For the first time in his entire run, Ray missed a Daily Double! That put him behind the eight ball through most of the opening round; meanwhile, both Emily and Rachel played very well!

Statistics at the first break (15 clues):

Rachel 5 correct 1 incorrect
Emily 2 correct 0 incorrect
Ray 6 correct 1 incorrect

Statistics after the Jeopardy round:

Emily 10 correct 1 incorrect
Rachel 9 correct 1 incorrect
Ray 8 correct 1 incorrect

Double Jeopardy! Round:

(Categories: The Comedy Of Eras; Break The “Code”; State Of The Heart; TV To See In 2022; The House Of Power; Rings Of Dragons)

Rachel got to the first Daily Double; unfortunately, she dropped $4,000. Then, she didn’t seem to want to find the third—Emily eventually found it and took a small lead! While Ray did re-take the lead for a couple of clues, Emily battled back to take a slim lead going into clue #61! Scores going into Final were Emily at $14,200, Ray at $13,200, and Rachel at $11,800.

Statistics after Double Jeopardy:

Emily 19 correct 2 incorrect
Ray 18 correct 2 incorrect
Rachel 19 correct 4 incorrect
Total number of unplayed clues this season: 12 (0 today).

Rachel and Ray both went for Eos. Unfortunately, Emily went for Luna—and that means Ray is now an 11-day champion! He goes for win #12 tomorrow after surviving a scare.

Tonight’s Game Stats:

Looking to find out who won Jeopardy! today? Here’s the Thursday, December 29, 2022 Jeopardy! by the numbers:

Scores going into Final:

Emily $14,200
Ray $13,200
Rachel $11,800

Tonight’s results:

Rachel $11,800 + $11,000 = $22,800 (Who is Eos?)
Ray $13,200 + $13,200 = $26,400 (Who is Eos?) (11-day total: $311,500)
Emily $14,200 – $12,201 = $1,999 (Who is Luna?)


Ray Lalonde, today's Jeopardy! winner (for the December 29, 2022 game.)


Scores after the Jeopardy! Round:

Emily $5,200
Rachel $4,600
Ray $1,200


Opening break taken after: 15 clues

Daily Double locations:

1) 3-NAMED WRITERS $800 (clue #9)
Ray 3000 -3000 (Emily 200 Rachel 0)
2) STATE OF THE HEART $1600 (clue #16)
Rachel 13000 -4000 (Ray 8000 Emily 8000)
3) THE HOUSE OF POWER $800 (clue #24, $5200 left on board)
Emily 9600 +3000 (Ray 11200 Rachel 10200)
Overall Daily Double Efficiency for this game: -100

Clue Selection by Row, Before Daily Doubles Found:

J! Round:
Ray 3 4 5 2 1 4*
Emily 3
Rachel 1 2

DJ! Round:
Ray 3 4 5 3 4 5 5 4 5 2
Emily 3 5 2 3 2*
Rachel 1 2 3 4 4 4* 1 2 1†

† – selection in same category as Daily Double

Average Row of Clue Selection, Before Daily Doubles Found:

Ray 3.69
Rachel 2.27
Emily 3.00

Unplayed clues:

J! Round: None!
DJ! Round: None!
Total Left On Board: $0
Number of clues left unrevealed this season: 12 (0.15 per episode average), 0 Daily Doubles

Game Stats:

Ray $16,200 Coryat, 18 correct, 2 incorrect, 28.07% in first on buzzer (16/57), 3/3 on rebound attempts (on 5 rebound opportunities)
Rachel $15,800 Coryat, 19 correct, 4 incorrect, 36.84% in first on buzzer (21/57), 1/1 on rebound attempts (on 3 rebound opportunities)
Emily $12,000 Coryat, 19 correct, 2 incorrect, 33.33% in first on buzzer (19/57), 1/1 on rebound attempts (on 4 rebound opportunities)
Combined Coryat Score: $44,000
Lach Trash: $1,400 (on 2 Triple Stumpers)
Coryat lost to incorrect responses (less double-correct responses): $8,600

Ray Lalonde, career statistics:

280 correct, 32 incorrect
23/26 on rebound attempts (on 41 rebound opportunities)
41.31% in first on buzzer (259/627)
15/16 on Daily Doubles (Net Earned: $41,100)
9/11 in Final Jeopardy
Average Coryat: $20,273

Emily Kawaler, career statistics:

19 correct, 3 incorrect
1/1 on rebound attempts (on 4 rebound opportunities)
33.33% in first on buzzer (19/57)
1/1 on Daily Doubles (Net Earned: $3,000)
0/1 in Final Jeopardy
Average Coryat: $12,000

Rachel Cohen, career statistics:

20 correct, 4 incorrect
1/1 on rebound attempts (on 3 rebound opportunities)
36.84% in first on buzzer (21/57)
0/1 on Daily Doubles (Net Earned: -$4,000)
1/1 in Final Jeopardy
Average Coryat: $15,800

Ray Lalonde, to win:

12 games: 80.056%
13: 64.090%
14: 51.308%
15: 41.076%
16: 32.884%
Avg. streak: 15.014 games.

Today’s interviews:

Rachel does triathlons.
Emily really enjoys watching niche sports.
Ray remembers watching the Art Fleming version with his mother.

Andy’s Thoughts:

Final Jeopardy! wagering suggestions:

(Scores: Emily $14,200 Ray $13,200 Rachel $11,800)

Ray: Standard cover bet over Rachel is $10,401. (Actual bet: $13,200)

Emily: Standard cover bet over Ray is $12,201. (Actual bet: $12,201)

Rachel: If Ray and Emily make cover bets, they’ll fall to $1,999 and $2,799, respectively. Limit your bet to $8,999. (Actual bet: $11,000)


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14 Comments on "Today’s Final Jeopardy – Thursday, December 29, 2022"

  1. Mythology a weakness of mine. I guessed Luna thinking maybe he followed the moon.

    • I always feel at least a little validated when one of the contestants (especially the one in the lead) gives the same incorrect answer as me.

      • I do, too, though in this case (because I know almost nothing about gods and goddesses except a few random names — and have no desire to learn them), I did not guess the same as anyone. Well, remotely so, since I felt like it was probably whichever goddess is “the personification of the dawn” but had no idea that was one of the random goddess names I do know, Aurora (who I only identify as a Disney princess, but even getting mixed up which one).

  2. Michael Johnston | December 29, 2022 at 9:53 am |

    Eh, I forgot the Greek Eos, but I remembered Aurora. That gives me a chance to eke out a winning week tomorrow!

  3. On the All Time Jeopardy! Winnings, regular play only list, so far not a single champion has won between $300,000 to $399,999 when they finally lost. Ryan Long came the closest when he won $299,400, then lost his next game. Ray has $15,000 more to win to get to that level. But will he win today? We shall all see soon.

    Just an observation to share.

  4. I am exceptionally weak on the FJ topic – so I would not have gotten the correct answer in a million years.

    Nice to see fellow Canuck Ray rolling along.

    Best wishes to all for a happy & healthy 2023.

  5. Yeah for Ray. He certainly has a broad knowledge base. Would love to watch him continue to win.

  6. Don’t know how Ray does it, but he always managed to squeak out a win, which I am very happy for. I’m hoping he at least makes it to 15, though even that isn’t certain!

  7. I hope ray can tie with Ryan long at least. I read mythology in middle school and got Aurora. I am sure Rachel is coming back for the second chance next year. Eos was something I heard of but never got a chance to be read back then

  8. Marty Cunningham | December 29, 2022 at 2:47 pm |

    I immediately guessed Aurora, and am slightly surprised that Rachel did not get it, since Aurora is the major city on the eastern edge of Denver, and they use a helio-centric logo for the city seal.
    And, as Andy points out, if the writers used Greek and Roman names in the clue, they should accept a Greek OR Roman name for the answer, too. Oh, well.

  9. I almost went with Iris, thinking of the rainbow!

  10. In college a few of us published (for one year) a newsletter entitled “Eos”; the idea being that we were all young and in the dawn of our lives. I’ve long since lost the last copy, but this FJ brought back memories that I had almost forgotten.

  11. That was a close game but a very good one,too

  12. Fantastic game by all three contestants. Pretty rare to see as few as two triple stumpers. I don’t think the material was particularly easy today, either.

Comments are closed.