Warning: This page contains spoilers for the April 4, 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 Novelists) for Tuesday, April 4, 2023 (Season 39, Game 147):
A 2012 book review noted subjects that “sparked his ire”: capital punishment, big tobacco & “the plight of the unjustly convicted”
(correct response beneath the contestants)
Today’s Jeopardy! contestants:
Amanda Bain Wysocki, a social worker from Kansas City, Missouri |
Brian Henegar, a guest services agent from La Follette, Tennessee |
Crystal Zhao, a tech consultant from Bloomington, Minnesota (1-day total: $4,199) |
Andy’s Pregame Thoughts:
We have a new champion on Jeopardy! this morning: Crystal Zhao survived a Final Jeopardy clue yesterday that played difficult for the players in-studio and gets to return again today. One thing I would like to say about last night’s Final: I thought it was a perfectly fair and straightforward clue, and any issues would have been more reflective on the individual viewer and not the show. Certainly, there were no complaints from anyone at all on this website about the clue. To me, this shows that 90% of articles about the show today are written by people who have no business writing about the show. In fact, the tabloidization of Jeopardy! is probably the biggest overall headache from the past 18 months.
Crystal’s challengers today are Kansas City social worker Amanda Bain Wysocki and Tennessee’s Brian Henegar—who has certainly dressed the part in a Tennessee orange tie. (I just know that Lilly will absolutely love it!) One thing I’ve noticed in the run-up to today’s game: Several people that Brian practiced with in preparation for his appearance on the show have taken to social media to hype his appearance. I certainly hope that he lives up to this hype; I know that my expectations of Brian are certainly higher due to all of this!
I also have some good news in case anybody missed the hubbub yesterday on JBoard, Twitter, or Reddit: The redesigned and improved search function over at J! Archive is finally complete and publicly available again! There are some new features to the search function that are documented as well.
Meanwhile, the spring Gamers vs. MS Twitch live-stream charity relay will start on Friday! As always, many Twitch streamers—I’ll be joining the relay for the fifth time—will collectively raise money for MS Canada from April 7–17. Canada has some of the highest rates of multiple sclerosis in the world, with an estimated 1 in 385 Canadians living with MS. MS is an autoimmune disease of the central nervous system that attacks myelin, the protective covering over the nerves. If the damage is bad enough, nerve impulses can be completely disrupted. There is no cure; however, researchers are learning more daily.
Chag Pesach Sameach! The Unofficial Jeopardy! Haggadah supplement, written by many former contestants, is again available for the Passover Seder for Jeopardy! fans worldwide.
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 John Grisham?
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.)
John Grisham is a famed American novelist known for his numerous bestselling legal thrillers.
Today’s Final Jeopardy! clue refers to Bill Sheehan’s October 22, 2012 review of John Grisham’s The Racketeer, which appeared in many newspapers nationwide, including The Washington Post. Per the review, John Grisham’s “ire” for capital punishment was one of the inspirations for 1994’s The Chamber, his “ire” for Big Tobacco for 1996’s The Runaway Jury, and “most notably”, per Sheehan, “the plight of the unjustly convicted”, with that providing inspiration for many of Grisham’s later works, including 2006’s An Innocent Man and 2012’s The Racketeer.
Grisham also is on the Board of Directors for the Innocence Project, an independent nonprofit founded at Yeshiva University that works to restore freedom to and exonerate those who have been wrongly convicted.
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: Looks Good Enough To Eat; Remember Reruns?; The World Of Middle-Earth; Goodness & Mercy; Shall Follow Me; All The Days Of My Life)
Brian had a few incorrect responses early, especially in the Middle-Earth category, but the first Daily Double helped catapult him into the lead after 30 clues. It was a lively game, though, with only $1400 separating all three players through the opening round.
Statistics at the first break (15 clues):
Crystal 5 correct 1 incorrect
Amanda 2 correct 1 incorrect
Brian 5 correct 3 incorrect
Statistics after the Jeopardy round:
Brian 10 correct 3 incorrect
Crystal 8 correct 1 incorrect
Amanda 7 correct 1 incorrect
Double Jeopardy! Round:
(Categories: Waterfront Property; Paint Me A Picture; Sports Medicine; Turtles All The Way Down; Tarantino Films; “Odd”s & “End”s)
This game turned into a back-and-forth battle between Crystal and Bryan, helped significantly by the Daily Doubles. Crystal did what she had to do, doubling up through the first one, but she stayed too long in PAINT ME A PICTURE, and Brian’s smart hunting paid off when he found the last Daily Double. Unfortunately, he gave the wrong Italian river and his score fell down. However, Brian didn’t let it get to him, as his strong play continued through the end of the round to hold a good-sized lead going into Final! Scores going into Final were Brian at $13,800, Crystal at $11,600, and Amanda at $5,400.
Statistics after Double Jeopardy:
Brian 26 correct 6 incorrect
Crystal 14 correct 3 incorrect
Amanda 9 correct 2 incorrect
Total number of unplayed clues this season: 23 (0 today).
Brian was the only player correct in Final—a fact that seemed to very much surprise him! That made him the champion, and he’ll be back tomorrow to defend!
Tonight’s Game Stats:
Looking to find out who won Jeopardy! today? Here’s the Tuesday, April 4, 2023 Jeopardy! by the numbers:
Scores going into Final:
Brian $13,800
Crystal $11,600
Amanda $5,400
Tonight’s results:
Amanda $5,400 – $4,000 = $1,400 (Who is Upton Sinclair?)
Crystal $11,600 – $7,201 = $4,399 (Who is Who is Lewis?)
Brian $13,800 + $9,401 = $23,201 (Who is John Grisham?) (1-day total: $23,201)
Scores after the Jeopardy! Round:
Brian $4,400
Crystal $4,000
Amanda $3,000
Opening break taken after: 15 clues
Daily Double locations:
1) ALL THE DAYS OF MY LIFE $600 (clue #16)
Brian 1000 +1000 (Crystal 2400 Amanda 1000)
2) PAINT ME A PICTURE $1200 (clue #10)
Crystal 4400 +4400 (Brian 9200 Amanda 6200)
3) WATERFRONT PROPERTY $1200 (clue #16, $15200 left on board)
Brian 11200 -3800 (Crystal 9600 Amanda 6200)
Overall Daily Double Efficiency for this game: 166
Clue Selection by Row, Before Daily Doubles Found:
J! Round:
Crystal 3 4 2 1 3 2 4 1
Brian 4 5 3 4 3 3*
Amanda 5 3
DJ! Round:
Crystal 4 3* 4† 2† 1†
Brian 2 3 3 4 3 4 5 3*
Amanda 1 5 5
† – selection in same category as Daily Double
Average Row of Clue Selection, Before Daily Doubles Found:
Brian 3.50
Crystal 2.62
Amanda 3.80
Unplayed clues:
J! Round: None!
DJ! Round: None!
Total Left On Board: $0
Number of clues left unrevealed this season: 23 (0.16 per episode average), 0 Daily Doubles
Game Stats:
Brian $17,200 Coryat, 26 correct, 6 incorrect, 49.12% in first on buzzer (28/57), 1/2 on rebound attempts (on 4 rebound opportunities)
Crystal $8,400 Coryat, 14 correct, 3 incorrect, 26.32% in first on buzzer (15/57), 1/1 on rebound attempts (on 5 rebound opportunities)
Amanda $5,400 Coryat, 9 correct, 2 incorrect, 14.04% in first on buzzer (8/57), 2/3 on rebound attempts (on 7 rebound opportunities)
Combined Coryat Score: $31,000
Lach Trash: $12,000 (on 10 Triple Stumpers)
Coryat lost to incorrect responses (less double-correct responses): $11,000
Crystal Zhao, career statistics:
35 correct, 8 incorrect
2/3 on rebound attempts (on 9 rebound opportunities)
31.58% in first on buzzer (36/114)
1/2 on Daily Doubles (Net Earned: $2,400)
0/2 in Final Jeopardy
Average Coryat: $10,700
Brian Henegar, career statistics:
27 correct, 6 incorrect
1/2 on rebound attempts (on 4 rebound opportunities)
49.12% in first on buzzer (28/57)
1/2 on Daily Doubles (Net Earned: -$2,800)
1/1 in Final Jeopardy
Average Coryat: $17,200
Amanda Bain Wysocki, career statistics:
9 correct, 3 incorrect
2/3 on rebound attempts (on 7 rebound opportunities)
14.04% in first on buzzer (8/57)
0/0 on Daily Doubles
0/1 in Final Jeopardy
Average Coryat: $5,400
Brian Henegar, to win:
2 games: 45.809%
3: 20.985%
4: 9.613%
5: 4.404%
6: 2.017%
Avg. streak: 1.845 games.
Today’s interviews:
Amanda is a big Oscars fan.
Brian hosts a Christmas-themed Jeopardy! at his house.
Crystal has a passion for building IKEA furniture.
Andy’s Thoughts:
- As I said in my pregame thoughts, my expectations were high of Brian, and I’d say he’s met those expectations, at least so far! We’ll see how tomorrow (and potentially more) pans out!
- Today’s box score: April 4, 2023 Box Score.
Final Jeopardy! wagering suggestions:
(Scores: Brian $13,800 Crystal $11,600 Amanda $5,400)
Crystal: Limit your bet to $799, thereby keeping Amanda locked out. (Actual bet: $7,201)
Brian: Standard cover bet over Crystal is $9,401. If you think your chances on this category are terrible, consider limiting your bet to $1,399, which stays ahead of Crystal’s small range. (Actual bet: $9,401)
Amanda: Limit your bet to $999; that way, you stay ahead of Brian if he misses Final. (Actual bet: $4,000)
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Anyone who has read Grisham’s novels religiously like me should find this a no brainer.
A huge Grisham fan, I was able to come up with the answer, though not in 30 seconds. I considered one other author, but went with Grisham based on the themes in his books.
Let me just say that was the best winning reaction ever 🙂
Well, I’ve heard of him, but don’t expect me to be able to answer any questions about him :/ 😅
Current FJ streak: 1L
Looked like Crystal was trying to wager to win a double stumper with Brian – and her math went a dollar the wrong way. If Brian had missed FJ, they would have had a tie breaker.
Even though I knew the catefory was novelists, my thoughts ran to the documentary producer, who did “Roger, and, Me,” and, more. Obviously wrong answer, wrong category.
I think your guess was a good one. I have certainly heard of Grisham and his book titles, and MAY have even seen a movie of one of the books (if there even have been any), but know nothing about him and had never read any reviews of his books.
Your guess was way better than my guess which had no basis other than that I thought his most famous book was from around that time [turns out to have been 2 years later] and I could see him as having “ire” — J. D. Vance.
He’s had 17 stories made into movies.
I was pretty sure many had, but did not want to word it as if I was saying for sure, because I wasn’t certain I was not getting him mixed up with another author. As I look through the list of his movies, many are very familiar from advertising for them, but I cannot remember watching any of them.
That was….interesting.
I don’t know what you mean by that.
Got hung up on “big tobacco” and all I could think of was Christopher Buckley. I suppose Grisham should be the default guess for legal-themed novelists in absence of better information.
I don’t think Ken should’ve made that “only three left” comment on the Buffalo clue. The clue didn’t say anything about the Great Lakes. Even if it had, I would prefer nothing beyond a generic “don’t care to hazard a guess”-type comment.
I don’t have any problem with Ken’s comment. The other two contestants had guessed two Great Lakes, so that would have been an apt and funny comment even if the correct answer was NOT one of the Great Lakes. (BTW, I live less than 100 miles from Brian and I was pretty sure the correct response was Lake Erie, but also was quite surprised which two lakes were guessed, though the first was a much better guess than the second. Huron is further north than Erie or Ontario [which I think would have been a better wrong guess than Huron], but Huron IS named for an indigenous tribe in an area that would include Buffalo. Superior is much further north AND west.)
I straight-up WRACKED my brains today on the Final Jeopardy! clue. I just couldn’t come up with anyone’s name who fit the bill. Drat!
I have never seen so much good, honest, infectious enthusiasm after a win. Good going, Brian!