Warning: This page contains spoilers for the February 27, 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 African Countries) for Monday, February 27, 2023 (Season 39, Game 121):
Once Africa’s largest country in area, it dropped to third in 2011 when a portion of it declared independence
(correct response beneath the contestants)
Today’s Jeopardy! contestants:
Rhea Sinha, a Cornell University graduate from Chatman, New Jersey
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Claire Sattler, a senior at Yale University from Bonita Springs, Florida
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Rohan Kapileshwari, a senior at the University of Texas at Austin from Winston-Salem, North Carolina
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Andy’s Pregame Thoughts:
Week 2 of the High School Reunion Tournament begins today with Quarterfinal #6. Today’s quarterfinal features Claire Sattler, who won the November 2018 Teen Tournament. Her opponents today are Rohan Kapileshwari and Rhea Sinha, two of her fellow competitors from that event. Rohan was a semifinalist who lost to Emma Arnold, while Rhea finished third in her quarterfinal against Tim Cho and Jack Izzo.
One thing that would be interesting to see: Both Claire and Mayim Bialik have had very negative experiences when it comes to online trolls; that shared experience could make for a poignant interview topic. Considering some of the trash that gets weeded out even here that goes straight into the trash section of the comments — there are a lot of so-called “fans” who need a great deal of help when it comes to their mental state.
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: What is Sudan?
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.)
To me, who was in his heyday writing pub trivia in 2011 when this happened, this is a straightforward Final Jeopardy clue. South Sudan’s independence in 2011 from Sudan caused Sudan to fall below Algeria and the Democratic Republic of the Congo on the list of Africa’s largest countries by area. (South Sudan itself is 19th of Africa’s 54 countries.)
Want to feel old, though? These players would have been around 8 or 9 years old when South Sudan declared independence. This is going to be a much easier clue for those viewers at home with more life experience. That being said: as much as Michael Davies has gone on record saying that he prefers to see Finals with a 1-for-3 get rate, easier Final Jeopardy! clues are incredibly important, as it keeps players betting aggressively in Final. If Final Jeopardy! is perceived to be too difficult—and I would say that aiming for 1-for-3 is even too difficult—then players will start making strategic adjustments, playing more conservatively to the overall detriment of the show itself.
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: Home From College; What’s That Sci. Abbrev.?; Nonpotent Potables; Describing The Musical Instrument; Begins & Ends With “L”; Daniel Radcliffe On Harry Potter)
Oh, there was a game today? See my “Andy’s Thoughts” section for my outlined complete disappointment in what happened in the opening segment of today’s game. Rohan catapulted into a lead, buoyed by a True Daily Double right after the interviews.
Statistics at the first break (15 clues):
Rohan 5 correct 0 incorrect
Claire 5 correct 0 incorrect
Rhea 4 correct 1 incorrect
Statistics after the Jeopardy round:
Rohan 10 correct 0 incorrect
Claire 9 correct 0 incorrect
Rhea 8 correct 1 incorrect
Double Jeopardy! Round:
(Categories: The Golden Age; Companies In History; Southerners; Pure Poetry; Social Science; Before & After)
I’m still having difficulty getting over my disappointment as I write this. Rhea lost $3,000 on the first Daily Double, while Rohan chose to bet only $5 on the last one—and then proceeded to get the clue correct. That conservative bet meant that Claire was leading going into Final at $11,400, Rohan at $9,205, and Rhea at $5,600.
Statistics after Double Jeopardy:
Claire 17 correct 3 incorrect
Rohan 19 correct 4 incorrect
Rhea 13 correct 4 incorrect
Total number of unplayed clues this season: 16 (0 today).
Claire and Rohan both got Final correct; Claire is a semi-finalist!
Tonight’s Game Stats:
Looking to find out who won Jeopardy! today? Here’s the Monday, February 27, 2023 Jeopardy! by the numbers:
Scores going into Final:
Claire $11,400
Rohan $9,205
Rhea $5,600
Tonight’s results:
Rhea $5,600 – $3,606 = $1,994 ($5,000) (What is the Republic of the Congo?)
Rohan $9,205 + $0 = $9,205 ($5,000) (What is Sudan?)
Claire $11,400 + $7,011 = $18,411 (What is Sudan? 🙂 Thanks Mrs. Knox!) (Semi-Finalist)
Scores after the Jeopardy! Round:
Rohan $9,200
Claire $4,600
Rhea $3,800
Opening break taken after: 15 clues
Daily Double locations:
1) HOME FROM COLLEGE $800 (clue #16)
Rohan 4000 +4000 (Claire 3200 Rhea 2200)
2) SOCIAL SCIENCE $1600 (clue #11)
Rhea 5000 -3000 (Rohan 8400 Claire 8600)
3) PURE POETRY $1600 (clue #19, $8000 left on board)
Rohan 10000 +5 (Claire 11400 Rhea 3200)
Overall Daily Double Efficiency for this game: 40
Clue Selection by Row, Before Daily Doubles Found:
J! Round:
Rohan 1 5 4 5 4 4*
Claire 5 4 2 3 4 5
Rhea 3 4 5 3
DJ! Round:
Rohan 4 4 5 5 5 3 2 4*
Claire 3 4 5 3 5† 3†
Rhea 3 4 4* 2 2
† – selection in same category as Daily Double
Average Row of Clue Selection, Before Daily Doubles Found:
Claire 3.83
Rohan 3.93
Rhea 3.33
Unplayed clues:
J! Round: None!
DJ! Round: None!
Total Left On Board: $0
Number of clues left unrevealed this season: 16 (0.13 per episode average), 0 Daily Doubles
Game Stats:
Claire $11,400 Coryat, 17 correct, 3 incorrect, 33.33% in first on buzzer (19/57), 1/1 on rebound attempts (on 6 rebound opportunities)
Rohan $7,600 Coryat, 19 correct, 4 incorrect, 33.33% in first on buzzer (19/57), 2/2 on rebound attempts (on 5 rebound opportunities)
Rhea $8,600 Coryat, 13 correct, 4 incorrect, 24.56% in first on buzzer (14/57), 1/2 on rebound attempts (on 7 rebound opportunities)
Combined Coryat Score: $27,600
Lach Trash: $13,000 (on 10 Triple Stumpers)
Coryat lost to incorrect responses (less double-correct responses): $13,400
Rohan Kapileshwari, career statistics:
60 correct, 11 incorrect
2/3 on rebound attempts (on 8 rebound opportunities)
36.84% in first on buzzer (63/171)
2/2 on Daily Doubles (Net Earned: $4,005)
2/3 in Final Jeopardy
Average Coryat: $10,800
Claire Sattler, career statistics:
99 correct, 15 incorrect
8/9 on rebound attempts (on 21 rebound opportunities)
33.45% in first on buzzer (94/281)
5/6 on Daily Doubles (Net Earned: $8,000)
4/5 in Final Jeopardy
Average Coryat: $14,720
Rhea Sinha, career statistics:
28 correct, 8 incorrect
1/4 on rebound attempts (on 11 rebound opportunities)
25.44% in first on buzzer (29/114)
0/1 on Daily Doubles (Net Earned: -$3,000)
0/2 in Final Jeopardy
Average Coryat: $10,200
Remaining Players’ Chances of Winning Tournament:
Maya Wright: 10.978%
Avi Gupta: 16.911%
Stephanie Pierson: 7.905%
Justin Bolsen: 15.155%
Jackson Jones: 15.662%
Claire Sattler: 10.976%
Lucas Miner: 2.938%
Anish Maddipoti: 1.116%
Audrey Satchivi: 3.198%
Tim Cho: 5.092%
Dan Oxman: 0.274%
Eesha Sohail: 2.485%
Hannah Nekritz: 2.378%
Caleb Richmond: 2.609%
Maggie Brown: 2.323%
Today’s interviews:
Rhea sings both Indian classical and rock a capella.
Claire is very grateful for the friendships she made during her first appearance.
Rohan wants to work on drafting environmental legislation.
Andy’s Thoughts:
- Considering that J.K. Rowling feels she receives justification for her continued hatred of the trans community from the continued relevance of Harry Potter, I am incredibly disappointed that Jeopardy! saw fit to run a category on the series today, and I feel it reflects badly on all involved—production staff, host, and contestants included—to have been excited for the category, beginning to end. Do better. Your collective nostalgia does not trump the rights of a group of people.
- Today’s box score: February 27, 2023 Box Score.
Final Jeopardy! wagering suggestions:
(Scores: Claire $11,400 Rohan $9,205 Rhea $5,600)
Rohan: Standard cover bet over Rhea is $1,996. You should do this, as Rhea has occasion to go all in. (Actual bet: $0)
Claire: Standard cover bet over Rohan is $7,011. (Actual bet: $7,011)
Rhea: If Rohan and Claire make standard cover bets, you can’t pass Rohan and stay ahead of Claire. Thus, you do have reason to go all in, so as to force Rohan to cover. (Actual bet: $3,606)
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For the benefit of those asking about the vitriol and bullying directed toward Claire following her 2018 Teen Tournament victory, here is an article from her local Jeopardy! affiliate from a few months after the tournament:
https://nbc-2.com/nbc-2-wbbh/2019/01/31/bonita-teen-jeopardy-champ-perseveres-past-online-bullies/
I don’t know what was up with Rohan’s bets, but Claire played strongly too, and you win with correct answers and good betting strategy. I don’t know anything about the history of the Claire trolling, but the trolls can suck it. Claire, relish in your win and know you have a fanbase….smart and enthusiastic contestants like you are what make the game fun to watch.