Warning: This page contains spoilers for the January 10, 2023, 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 Classic Tale Characters) for Tuesday, January 10, 2023 (Season 39, Game 87):
In one 19th century translation, she “perceived the dawn of day and ceased” speaking nearly 1,000 times
(correct response beneath the contestants)
Today’s Jeopardy! contestants:
Suzanne Zgraggen, a zoo educator from West Valley, Utah
|
Max Davison, a writer from Studio City, California
|
Connor Sears, a copy editor from Queens, New York (1-day total: $28,000)
|
Andy’s Pregame Thoughts:
Connor Sears picked up a pair of Daily Doubles en route to a very strong first victory on last night’s Jeopardy!. Today, he gets a chance to defend his title against Max Davison and Suzanne Zgraggen.
Those of you who listen to Inside Jeopardy! might have heard that Michael Davies’ plans going forward include some sort of prime-time Masters league. To that, I say: I’ll get excited about it once a network confirms they’re airing it. Until and unless that happens, it’s just rumor and conjecture—albeit from a different source than normal.
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: Who is Scheherazade?
More information about Final Jeopardy:
(The following write-up is original content and is copyright 2023 The Jeopardy! Fan. It may not be copied without linked attribution back to this page.)
This clue refers to the 1888 Sir Richard Burton (no relation to the actor) translation of the Arabian Nights stories, titled The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night. In it, Scheherazade, having volunteered to marry a king (who was beheading wives before they could become unfaithful to him) would tell a story each night. However, Scheherazade stopped telling the story—just before its conclusion—as dawn broke, and the king spared her life so that she could finish the story the next night. Over time, the king fell in love with Scheherazade and made her his queen.
However: I don’t know if asking the contestants to spell “Scheherazade” is a good idea, considering the fact that the show sent home a five-time champion seven and a half years ago for a misspelling that probably should have been accepted, considering that Richard Burton’s translations spell the name “Shahrazad”.
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: Sports Trophies; Nyc Subway Stops; Potpourri; Animal, Vegetable Or Mineral Anagrams; On The Scientist’s Resume; The Bottom Line)
In spite of dropping $2,200 on the first Daily Double, Connor still led after 30 clues! Max played well and was in a close second after the opening round.
Statistics at the first break (15 clues):
Connor 6 correct 0 incorrect
Suzanne 2 correct 0 incorrect
Max 4 correct 3 incorrect
Statistics after the Jeopardy round:
Connor 12 correct 1 incorrect
Max 9 correct 3 incorrect
Suzanne 4 correct 0 incorrect
Double Jeopardy! Round:
(Categories: Around The Globe; Business Partners; Lead Vocalist Of The Band; 4th & Goal; The Attorney General; Between 2 “C”s)
Proving just how important the Daily Doubles are, Connor doubled up through his, while Max lost $4,000 to his. This meant that Connor was flirting with runaway territory for most of the round, in spite of the fact that Max ran both LEAD VOCALIST OF THE BAND and THE ATTORNEY GENERAL! Unfortunately, Suzanne only got in once in the entire round. Scores going into Final were Connor at $20,400, Max at $12,400, and Suzanne at $3,600.
Statistics after Double Jeopardy:
Connor 23 correct 3 incorrect
Max 22 correct 5 incorrect
Suzanne 5 correct 0 incorrect
Total number of unplayed clues this season: 12 (0 today).
Final today was a Triple Stumper, which meant that any sort of spelling judgements didn’t come into play! Connor had enough of a buffer to win his second straight game! He’ll be back tomorrow to defend!
Tonight’s Game Stats:
Looking to find out who won Jeopardy! today? Here’s the Tuesday, January 10, 2023 Jeopardy! by the numbers:
Scores going into Final:
Connor $20,400
Max $12,400
Suzanne $3,600
Tonight’s results:
Suzanne $3,600 – $3,600 = $0 (Who is the Little mermaid?)
Max $12,400 – $8,001 = $4,399 (Who is Sleeping Beauty?)
Connor $20,400 – $4,401 = $15,999 (Who is Echo?) (2-day total: $43,999)
Scores after the Jeopardy! Round:
Connor $4,600
Max $4,400
Suzanne $2,800
Opening break taken after: 15 clues
Daily Double locations:
1) ON THE SCIENTIST’S RESUME $600 (clue #24)
Connor 5800 -2200 (Max 4000 Suzanne 2800)
2) AROUND THE GLOBE $1600 (clue #8)
Connor 7400 +7400 (Max 2800 Suzanne 2800)
3) BUSINESS PARTNERS $1200 (clue #15, $14400 left on board)
Max 8800 -4000 (Connor 14400 Suzanne 2800)
Overall Daily Double Efficiency for this game: 17
Clue Selection by Row, Before Daily Doubles Found:
J! Round:
Connor 5 4 3 2 1 4 3 5 2 5 3*
Max 5 4 4 2 4 4 3 2
Suzanne 5 3 5 3 1
DJ! Round:
Connor 3 5 4 3 5 4* 3† 5
Max 4 3 2 1 3*
Suzanne 5 4
† – selection in same category as Daily Double
Average Row of Clue Selection, Before Daily Doubles Found:
Connor 3.63
Max 3.15
Suzanne 3.71
Unplayed clues:
J! Round: None!
DJ! Round: None!
Total Left On Board: $0
Number of clues left unrevealed this season: 12 (0.14 per episode average), 0 Daily Doubles
Game Stats:
Connor $16,800 Coryat, 23 correct, 3 incorrect, 40.35% in first on buzzer (23/57), 1/1 on rebound attempts (on 4 rebound opportunities)
Max $16,400 Coryat, 22 correct, 5 incorrect, 43.86% in first on buzzer (25/57), 1/1 on rebound attempts (on 2 rebound opportunities)
Suzanne $3,600 Coryat, 5 correct, 0 incorrect, 8.77% in first on buzzer (5/57), 0/0 on rebound attempts (on 6 rebound opportunities)
Combined Coryat Score: $36,800
Lach Trash: $8,800 (on 8 Triple Stumpers)
Coryat lost to incorrect responses (less double-correct responses): $8,400
Connor Sears, career statistics:
45 correct, 7 incorrect
2/2 on rebound attempts (on 8 rebound opportunities)
38.60% in first on buzzer (44/114)
3/4 on Daily Doubles (Net Earned: $17,800)
1/2 in Final Jeopardy
Average Coryat: $17,000
Max Davison, career statistics:
22 correct, 6 incorrect
1/1 on rebound attempts (on 2 rebound opportunities)
43.86% in first on buzzer (25/57)
0/1 on Daily Doubles (Net Earned: -$4,000)
0/1 in Final Jeopardy
Average Coryat: $16,400
Suzanne Zgraggen, career statistics:
5 correct, 1 incorrect
0/0 on rebound attempts (on 6 rebound opportunities)
8.77% in first on buzzer (5/57)
0/0 on Daily Doubles
0/1 in Final Jeopardy
Average Coryat: $3,600
Connor Sears, to win:
3 games: 77.565%
4: 60.164%
5: 46.667%
6: 36.197%
7: 28.076%
Avg. streak: 5.457 games.
Today’s interviews:
Suzanne got to bottle-feed an orangutan.
Max has a father who had a runaway game on the show in 1997.
Connor did multitrack singing with himself during the pandemic.
Andy’s Thoughts:
- In a rather ironic twist, Max’s father Mike Davison’s victory on March 11, 1997 is the third most–recent game not in J! Archive (and the most recent that wasn’t widely pre-empted)
- The fact that SPORTS TROPHIES $400 was a Triple Stumper (about the Borg-Warner Trophy and the Indianapolis 500) just points to the increasing irrelevance of IndyCar and the Indianapolis 500 in the American consciousness. And, no, IndyCar’s recent exclusive partnership with the Russian company Motorsports Games—at the expense of iRacing, to the extreme anger of many in the auto racing community—is not going to help with IndyCar’s future relevance.
- Today’s box score: January 10, 2023 Box Score.
Final Jeopardy! wagering suggestions:
(Scores: Connor $20,400 Max $12,400 Suzanne $3,600)
Connor: Standard cover bet over Max is $4,401. (Actual bet: $4,401)
Max: Betting between $3,601 and $5,199 gives you a chance at victory while also keeping Suzanne locked out for second place. However, if second place vs. third doesn’t matter as much to you, being that you’re local, you can go all in to increase your winnings in case you do win. (Actual bet: $8,001)
Suzanne: I would probably bet most of my score here (but not all, just in case Max goes all in.) (Actual bet: $3,600)
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.
I sure hope they’re lenient with the spelling THIS time. Otherwise, it looks like a routine get.
I had just finished a production of an original play called “Scheherazade, Again” which was a one act inspired by the epic of Scheherazade, so her story was right in the front of my brain.
To me, Scheherazade, is a piece of music by Rimsky-Korsakov. I would never get this (but do now the proper spelling).
As far as proper spelling goes, that first C and the last E are most likely to trip up someone going on straight phonetics.
A Masters League prime time tournament on ABC would coincide nicely with the daily syndicated show’s 40th Anniversary season next year.
1000 was the biggest clue for me and as long as the spelling is phonetically correct it should be accepted
Totally agree, Judy. Seeing 1,000 immediately triggered Scheherazade in my mind. I have to say, I was surprised this was a triple stumper as I thought, at least, one contestant would get it even if they misspelled it. As someone else mentioned, though, responding correctly may be age related in some way. Older folks (myself included) seem to have had a better shot at this one.
1000 arabian nights pointed me to scherazede. This wasnt that hard at all. Happy to see connor winning again. I remember this book being found in bookstores and local libraries.
I read of Scheherazade in my teens—not the complete stories, though. Still, this was an easy get for me. Also, I had no trouble with the spelling, although that question didn’t come up, as this was a triple stumper. That it was not a triple get, as I had expected from the clue, was a shock to me. I had thought that the “1001 Nights” stories, characters, and premise were much more widely known!
I am guessing that it is partly their age (though perhaps you fall into their range), but they may have interpreted the “ceased speaking” as some sort of enchantment or danger avoidance and just couldn’t think of any ‘Classic Tale Characters’ that fit that.
Also, the “nearly 1,000 times” may have thrown them off because that sounds like 999 times or less and the general understanding is that the Arabian Nights had 1,000 or 1,001 stories which would presumably be more likely to be referred to as “about 1,000 times”.
At least Conner’s response had a little relation to the clue as Hera partially deprived Echo of speech and it may also demonstrate my supposition that they were trying to think of a “not speaking due to enchantment” sort of thing instead of her CHOOSING to quit speaking at dawn.
I suspect that ‘The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night’ and other versions have become less referenced over the last twenty years or so because of accusations of racism, orientalism, stereotyping and cultural appropriation. I assume this is why older people are more apt to think of it (because we heard more about it in the past than people do now).
I thought Scheherazade right away and was able to spell it, but I was not 100% sure as I remembered similar elements [speaking only at night] from the Hans Christian Andersen tale ‘The Wild Swans’. There were two things that kept me from really considering changing my mind from Scheherazade — the main one being that I could not remember the princess’ name from ‘The Wild Swans’, but also I could not exactly remember the details concerning speaking/mute, day/night, and amount of time.
I would imagine ~44% first on buzzer, 22 correct responses, $16,400 Coryat, and two category runs should make an extremely strong argument for SCC. But once again, the Daily Doubles giveth and the Daily Doubles taketh away. If I’m not making a math error, Connor missing his DD and Max getting his would’ve resulted in swings of -$14,800 for Connor ($5,600), $8,000 for Max ($20,400) and a runaway. Even in the bizarro world where Connor gets his first Daily Double correct, $9,800 still wouldn’t have been enough to break a $20,400 runaway. On the flip side, if Max got his Daily Double correct, he would’ve been tied with Connor for the lead going into Final. And since the clue was a Triple Stumper, that would mean either a triple-0 finish or a $1 win for Suzanne. All these “what if’s” are making my brain hurt!
Pretty harsh words about IndyCar racing. Relevance is relative.
Deservedly so, in my opinion—I can’t run a virtual Indy 500 any more, and it’s one of my favourite races of the season. So IndyCar deserves all of the criticism it gets at this point.
I was quite surprised that final was a triple stumper. It seemed to be a very easy response. But then, I am old and back when I was growing up, they still taught this. Sinbad used to mean a sailor, not a comedian.
I’m 40 and I knew it, but there was a resurgence of interest because I would’ve been around 10 when the animated Aladdin movie came out.