Warning: This page contains spoilers for the May 25, 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 Asia) for Thursday, May 25, 2023 (Season 39, Game 184):
Trained as an engineer, premier Li Peng championed this in 1992; it would ultimately displace over a million people
(correct response beneath the contestants)
Today’s Jeopardy! contestants:
Megan Braught, a library assistant from Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania |
Jesse Chin, an accounting director from Bayside, New York |
Ed Petersen, a planning technician from Orlando, Florida (1-day total: $7,999) |
Andy’s Pregame Thoughts:
Today sees the 39th individual game of Jeopardy! airing this month; I’ve alluded to this earlier in the month, but this officially sets the record for the busiest month in the history of the show, at least in terms of episodes airing, surpassing the record set in February 2022, when the prime-time Jeopardy! National College Championship aired alongside the regular syndicated episodes. Ed Petersen is your champion after surviving a game that went 0-for-6 on the betting clues. Today’s challengers are Bayside, New York’s Jesse Chin and Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania’s Megan Braught.
One thing about the show that is important to keep in perspective: one of the things that made the show so great under Harry Friedman was the realization that not every single episode had to be an all-time great episode in order to make a good show. In fact, it’s a very good way to make the better ones stand out more. My advice to the fans who weren’t as happy about yesterday’s game would be to understand that sometimes games are like that, that it doesn’t make the contestants any less valid, and to savor the good moments more when they come.
Another important thing that I think the show has really improved on recently: we have only seen 30 unplayed clues all season; yesterday was May 24—episode number 183. In Season 37, we reached 30 unplayed clues on September 29—episode number 12. The show has done an excellent job of realizing that the viewers want to see all of the clues played as often as possible.
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 the Three Gorges Dam?
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.)
Situated on the Yangtze River in central China, the Three Gorges Dam is the world’s largest power-producing facility, with a capacity of 22,500 megawatts; it produced 111.8 billion kilowatt-hours in 2020. Opened in 2003, the dam is seen as controversial due to its size (in spite of the hydroelectric power produced) due to an increased risk of landslides in the area; moreover, there are worries in some areas that Shanghai might be negatively affected by less sediment being carried along the Yangtze towards the city. Additionally, 1.24 million residents needed to be relocated due to the massive reservoir needed upstream from the dam.
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Game Recap & Tonight’s Game Stats:
Looking to find out who won Jeopardy! today? Here’s the Thursday, May 25, 2023 Jeopardy! by the numbers, along with a recap:
Jeopardy! Round:
(Categories: Coastal Waters; Flag Terminology; Up In The Airline; Numerical Words & Phrases; Our Returning Champion; A Doctor From Chicago, Illinois)
Ed was absolutely dominating on the signalling device, but 6 incorrect responses in the round meant that while he was leading, it was not as large of a lead as it might have been at the midway point of the match.
Statistics at the first break (15 clues):
Ed 8 correct 4 incorrect
Jesse 4 correct 1 incorrect
Megan 1 correct 0 incorrect
Today’s interviews:
Megan is a huge fan of movies, and likes to try to predict Oscar nominations.
Jesse had a Disney wedding.
Ed collects magnets from his travels.
Statistics after the Jeopardy round:
Ed 14 correct 6 incorrect
Megan 6 correct 1 incorrect
Jesse 6 correct 1 incorrect
Scores after the Jeopardy! Round:
Ed $5,600
Megan $3,000
Jesse $2,800
Double Jeopardy! Round:
(Categories: Galactic Vacations; Shakespeare & His World; Euro Coins; Music Of The Month; Politicians; Crossword Clues “V”)
Jesse and Megan were trying harder to find Daily Doubles, and they each found one! Jesse pulled himself back into the game, nearly doubling his score on DD3! Jesse, despite being outbuzzed 31-10 by Ed, had the lead going into Final!
Statistics after Double Jeopardy:
Jesse 13 correct 2 incorrect
Ed 24 correct 7 incorrect
Megan 14 correct 4 incorrect
Total number of unplayed clues this season: 30 (0 today).
Scores going into Final:
Jesse $14,800
Ed $12,400
Megan $6,200
Everybody got Final correct today; Jesse is your new Jeopardy! Champion! He’ll return tomorrow to defend.
Tonight’s results:
Megan $6,200 + $1,200 = $7,400 (What is the 3 Gorges River Dam?)
Ed $12,400 + $2,401 = $14,801 (What is Three Gorges Dam?)
Jesse $14,800 + $10,001 = $24,801 (What’s the Three Gorges Dam) (1-day total: $24,801)
Other Miscellaneous Game Statistics:
Daily Double locations:
1) OUR RETURNING CHAMPION $1000 (clue #13)
Jesse 2600 -1000 (Ed 2000 Megan 0)
2) SHAKESPEARE & HIS WORLD $2000 (clue #12)
Megan 3400 -2000 (Ed 9200 Jesse 4400)
3) POLITICIANS $2000 (clue #17, $14400 left on board)
Jesse 5600 +4000 (Ed 9200 Megan 3800)
Overall Daily Double Efficiency for this game: -26
Clue Selection by Row, Before Daily Doubles Found:
J! Round:
Ed 1 2 3 4 5 4 2 1 2
Jesse 5 3 1 5*
Megan
DJ! Round:
Ed 1 4 1 2 3 5
Jesse 3 2 5 4 5*
Megan 4 5* 1 2 3 4
Average Row of Clue Selection, Before Daily Doubles Found:
Jesse 3.67
Ed 2.67
Megan 3.17
Unplayed clues:
J! Round: None!
DJ! Round: None!
Total Left On Board: $0
Number of clues left unrevealed this season: 30 (0.16 per episode average), 0 Daily Doubles
Game Stats:
Jesse $13,800 Coryat, 13 correct, 2 incorrect, 17.54% in first on buzzer (10/57), 3/3 on rebound attempts (on 8 rebound opportunities)
Ed $12,400 Coryat, 24 correct, 7 incorrect, 54.39% in first on buzzer (31/57), 0/0 on rebound attempts (on 2 rebound opportunities)
Megan $8,200 Coryat, 14 correct, 4 incorrect, 21.05% in first on buzzer (12/57), 3/5 on rebound attempts (on 8 rebound opportunities)
Combined Coryat Score: $34,400
Lach Trash: $7,800 (on 7 Triple Stumpers)
Coryat lost to incorrect responses (less double-correct responses): $11,800
Player Statistics:
Ed Petersen, career statistics:
39 correct, 13 incorrect
0/0 on rebound attempts (on 3 rebound opportunities)
43.75% in first on buzzer (49/112)
0/1 on Daily Doubles (Net Earned: -$1,600)
1/2 in Final Jeopardy
Average Coryat: $12,200
Jesse Chin, career statistics:
14 correct, 2 incorrect
3/3 on rebound attempts (on 8 rebound opportunities)
17.54% in first on buzzer (10/57)
1/2 on Daily Doubles (Net Earned: $3,000)
1/1 in Final Jeopardy
Average Coryat: $13,800
Megan Braught, career statistics:
15 correct, 4 incorrect
3/5 on rebound attempts (on 8 rebound opportunities)
21.05% in first on buzzer (12/57)
0/1 on Daily Doubles (Net Earned: -$2,000)
1/1 in Final Jeopardy
Average Coryat: $8,200
Jesse Chin, to win:
2 games: 48.823%
3: 23.837%
4: 11.638%
5: 5.682%
6: 2.774%
Avg. streak: 1.954 games.
Andy’s Thoughts:
- I think today’s game was very illustrative in demonstrating just how much the game’s strategy has changed, and how much more difficult it is to win if you’re not hunting Daily Doubles. Jesse was outbuzzed 31-10 today, but won because he found 2 Daily Doubles, and took very much advantage of DD3.
- Today’s box score will be linked to when posted by the show.
Final Jeopardy! wagering suggestions:
(Scores: Jesse $14,800 Ed $12,400 Megan $6,200)
Ed: You could bet just $1 here to cover Megan, or you could bet $4,801 to defend against Jesse’s low range. (Actual bet: $2,401)
Jesse: Standard cover bet over Ed is $10,001. (Actual bet: $10,001)
Megan: You’re definitely stuck here; you can either hope Ed makes a big bet (in which case, I’d suggest betting less than $1,399 to stay ahead of Jesse if he’s incorrect), or go all-in, to force Ed to be correct and make a bet to beat you if you’re correct. (Actual bet: $1,200)
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I had heard of the controversy about this dam back when it was a news item, but didn’t really pay much attention to it even then. Other than that and the name, I knew nothing about it, nor about Li Peng and what he had to do with it. It was the combination of the time, Chinese name, engineering, and disaster that gave it to me. I count this one as a “lucky guess”.
I guessed ‘some random canal’. At least I knew it had to do with water.
How about the Beijing Olympics as an alternate response? It eventually displaced 1.5 million people, and from 1991-93, Li Peng was championing their bid for the 2000 Games.
Since Beijing did not receive the 2000 Olympics, I do not believe that response could be considered correct.
All I said was Beijing Olympics though. The bid for 2008 was a contuinuation of the effort that produced the bid for 2000.
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Yeah, got it. Three Gorges Dam is an impressive feat of engineering, and easy to remember as a fairly recent structure.
I would maybe more attest to the fact we are seeing more clues to the contestants being quick on the draw and smart but yes I love seeing more clues.
I answered Five Gorges Dam – so an incorrect answer! 🙁
What’s two gorges between friends? 🙂
I answered Yangtze dam. Would they have accepted that ?
I’d think they would need it to be more specific since there’s at least one other dam operating on the Yangtze river.
Three Gorges was easy for me. Also, the reservoir is reported to be so big that the weight of all the water has tilted the earth slightly on its access.
The fact of unplayed clues still is largely dependent on time. Any extraneous comments, or pauses, eat into the time contestants have. One of the former producers was known for what I called the “Planes” speech, paraphrased, -“If the category is “planes trains and automobiles” don’t say, “I think i’ll take (full clue name) for six hundred dollars please” – just say “Planes for 6” which would eliminate a couple seconds per clue which could mean at least an extra minute of play time in a round. Also, i feel Ken has been much better in ruling on a response; sometimes Mayim has a pause and then hesitantly answers, which also affects the pacing. It might be interesting if they could post how much time was left in a round if all the clues do get played and the timer did not run out. James is one of the best i have seen at keeping the pacing moving; i don’t think there was an unplayed clue in any of his games.
There were 18 unplayed clues throughout James’ run.
I, for one, welcome our new Jeopardy! overlords who manage to keep the number of unplayed clues to a minimum. Also, judging by the average number of clues remaining at the moment of the one minute warning when none remained unplayed at the end of the round, the producers are now a bit more lenient toward playing the last clue if it would overrun the time by just a few seconds, which could be easily corrected in post-production by trimming a few seconds of pauses between words here and there.
Drat! I guessed the largest dam in China for Final J! today. I forgot the name of the 3 Gorges Dam. Today’s pacing was much better than yesterday’s. No unplayed clues today.
A little surprised 3 Gorges River dam was acceptable since it’s on the Yangtze river.
It’s a dam on a river—ergo, it’s a river dam.
I was inclined to agree with you, Johnk. What can a dam be on except a river? [OK, a stream, but that’s not newsworthy or historical and Li Peng was not a beaver.] Do you ever hear “river dam” UNLESS it is part of the dam’s name BECAUSE that is the name of the river it is on? It really seemed like Megan thought the dam was ON “The 3 Gorges River”.
However, research has shown me that naming a dam for the river it is on seems to be rare, so ruling her wrong would have been more controversial than ruling her correct. Yet, it makes me wonder if they would have allowed that ruling to stand had she won when at least one of the other two wrote it exactly correctly (especially if one of the other two had written “Yangtze River Dam”). [This scenario would also have necessitated that the amount already won and the bets be different than they actually were, but I’m being entirely hypothetical anyway.]
I was thinking along the lines of the Olympics too, but seeing the correct answer was a real forehead slapper.
What was wrong with Ed’s response in the “Up in the Airline” category with the Intuit representation, I THOUGHT I heard both Ed, and, Jesse say “What is Alska Air?” But Ed was ruled wrong, and, Jesse right I presume that it has to with the rule concerning specifics
Final Jeopardy, trained as an engineer, displaced many people, all told me that the “answer” refered to a dam, but didn’t remember the Three Gorges Dam, though I believe I’ve heard about it (But not the controversies associated with it.)
Ed said “Alaskan Air”—the extra N is not in the name of the company, which made it incorrect.
OK, I missed the extra letter in Ed’s response. And, I understand the WHY he was ruled wrong. As you at least implied, the category called for the EXACT name of each company in the “answer.” Like if some had responded “What is SouthwestERN, instead of “what is Southwest’ on the $10 fare “answer>’
I have always been amazed that they named it Alaska Air instead of Alaskan Air because of the difficulty in appropriately pronouncing the two words with their ‘A’s coming together, but I have no difficulty remembering that it is just ‘Alaska’ because of seeing it written way more than hearing it said. [But it does make me think of the sound of the drug name Aliskiren.]
I also thought it was probably that dam, but couldn’t remember the name of it (nor even whether it was on the Yangtze or Yellow River).