Warning: This page contains spoilers for the June 16, 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 American Geography) for Friday, June 16, 2023 (Season 39, Game 200):
Native Americans called it Okwa-ta, or “wide water”; Pierre Le Moyne d’Iberville would rename it for a countryman
(correct response beneath the contestants)
Today’s Jeopardy! contestants:
Erica Rapheal, an epidemiologist from St. Paul, Minnesota |
Ben Goldstein, a content marketing specialist from Dexter, Michigan |
Suzanne Goldlust, a marketing manager from Reston, Virginia (1-day total: $18,700) |
Andy’s Pregame Thoughts:
People representing Reston, Virginia, have traditionally done very well on Jeopardy!; three players from Battle of the Decades—Mark Lowenthal, Leslie Miller, and Eddie Timanus—all represented that part of Fairfax County during their initial runs. Suzanne Goldlust joined that line of champions with a decisive victory in last night’s game. Will she be able to continue? Minnesota’s Erica Rapheal and Michigan’s Ben Goldstein will have something to say about that, I’m sure.
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 Lake Pontchartrain?
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.)
Lake Pontchartrain is the wide estuary near New Orleans, Louisiana; it’s also crossed by the longest continuous bridge over water in the world, the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway. Pierre Le Moyne d’Iberville named the lake after a French government official during the reign of Louis XIV, Louis Phélypeaux, the comte de Pontchartrain.
I personally found this to be a very difficult Final Jeopardy clue, though, that might just be because I’m Canadian. However, it does become easier if you know that Pierre Le Moyne d’Iberville is the founder of Louisiana. I just don’t know how many home viewers or contestants will know who founded Louisiana. (I know, for one, guessed Lake Champlain; it would not surprise me if my guess was matched by at least one player on stage.)
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Game Recap & Tonight’s Game Stats:
Looking to find out who won Jeopardy! today? Here’s the Friday, June 16, 2023 Jeopardy! by the numbers, along with a recap:
Jeopardy! Round:
(Categories: Continental Geography; Birthstones; 3-Letter Words Ending In X; Grease & Roam; Night Skies; Finish Last)
Missing a True Daily Double early on didn’t faze Suzanne; she rebounded to $400 off the lead within six clues! The second half of the round went well for Ben, but a late incorrect response brought him back to Suzanne and Erica.
Statistics at the first break (15 clues):
Ben 4 correct 1 incorrect
Erica 3 correct 2 incorrect
Suzanne 5 correct 1 incorrect
Today’s interviews:
Erica got to meet Barack & Michelle Obama as part of an acapella group.
Ben went to the ER the day after his wedding.
Suzanne has three cats and a parrot.
Statistics after the Jeopardy round:
Ben 10 correct 2 incorrect
Erica 5 correct 3 incorrect
Suzanne 8 correct 2 incorrect
Scores after the Jeopardy! Round:
Ben $3,800
Erica $2,000
Suzanne $1,400
Double Jeopardy! Round:
(Categories: Historic Groups; Oppositional Book Titles; Go Tell It On The Fountain; That European Language; Cuffing Season; This Is All A Bit Much)
Double Jeopardy! saw both challengers play well, but Ben dropped $4,000 on his Daily Double. Erica, on the other hand, got hers correct to jump into the lead going into Final!
Statistics after Double Jeopardy:
Erica 12 correct 3 incorrect
Ben 21 correct 4 incorrect
Suzanne 11 correct 3 incorrect
Total number of unplayed clues this season: 34 (0 today).
Scores going into Final:
Erica $11,000
Ben $8,600
Suzanne $3,000
As expected, Final Jeopardy was a Triple Stumper; Ben made a small bet and ended up champion! He’ll return Monday to defend.
Tonight’s results:
Suzanne $3,000 – $0 = $3,000 (What is Lake Huron?)
Ben $8,600 – $2,402 = $6,198 (What’s Lake Champlain?) (1-day total: $6,198)
Erica $11,000 – $6,201 = $4,799 (What is St Lawrence River)
Other Miscellaneous Game Statistics:
Daily Double locations:
1) CONTINENTAL GEOGRAPHY $800 (clue #9)
Suzanne 1600 -1600 (Ben 400 Erica 600)
2) THIS IS ALL A BIT MUCH $1600 (clue #9)
Ben 8600 -4000 (Suzanne 600 Erica 3600)
3) THAT EUROPEAN LANGUAGE $1200 (clue #23, $9600 left on board)
Erica 7600 +2600 (Suzanne 2600 Ben 9000)
Overall Daily Double Efficiency for this game: -112
Clue Selection by Row, Before Daily Doubles Found:
J! Round:
Suzanne 1 4 3 4*
Ben 2 5
Erica 3 1 2
DJ! Round:
Suzanne 1 3 4
Ben 2 3 4 2 3 4* 5† 2 3 5 1† 2 5
Erica 5 1 4 1 1 2 3*
† – selection in same category as Daily Double
Average Row of Clue Selection, Before Daily Doubles Found:
Ben 3.20
Erica 2.30
Suzanne 2.86
Unplayed clues:
J! Round: None!
DJ! Round: None!
Total Left On Board: $0
Number of clues left unrevealed this season: 34 (0.17 per episode average), 0 Daily Doubles
Game Stats:
Ben $12,600 Coryat, 21 correct, 4 incorrect, 38.60% in first on buzzer (22/57), 1/2 on rebound attempts (on 4 rebound opportunities)
Erica $9,600 Coryat, 12 correct, 3 incorrect, 22.81% in first on buzzer (13/57), 0/1 on rebound attempts (on 4 rebound opportunities)
Suzanne $4,600 Coryat, 11 correct, 3 incorrect, 21.05% in first on buzzer (12/57), 1/1 on rebound attempts (on 4 rebound opportunities)
Combined Coryat Score: $26,800
Lach Trash: $17,600 (on 14 Triple Stumpers)
Coryat lost to incorrect responses (less double-correct responses): $9,600
Player Statistics:
Suzanne Goldlust, career statistics:
33 correct, 6 incorrect
1/1 on rebound attempts (on 11 rebound opportunities)
28.07% in first on buzzer (32/114)
3/4 on Daily Doubles (Net Earned: $1,900)
1/2 in Final Jeopardy
Average Coryat: $11,000
Ben Goldstein, career statistics:
21 correct, 5 incorrect
1/2 on rebound attempts (on 4 rebound opportunities)
38.60% in first on buzzer (22/57)
0/1 on Daily Doubles (Net Earned: -$4,000)
0/1 in Final Jeopardy
Average Coryat: $12,600
Erica Rapheal, career statistics:
12 correct, 4 incorrect
0/1 on rebound attempts (on 4 rebound opportunities)
22.81% in first on buzzer (13/57)
1/1 on Daily Doubles (Net Earned: $2,600)
0/1 in Final Jeopardy
Average Coryat: $9,600
Ben Goldstein, to win:
2 games: 31.421%
3: 9.873%
4: 3.102%
5: 0.975%
6: 0.306%
Avg. streak: 1.458 games.
Andy’s Thoughts:
- Ben seemed very happy to have won; I’m happy for him.
- Today’s box score: June 16, 2023 Box Score
Final Jeopardy! wagering suggestions:
(Scores: Erica $11,000 Ben $8,600 Suzanne $3,000)
Suzanne: You need to bet at least $1,801, get Final correct, and hope Erica is incorrect to have any chance of winning. Betting at least $1,801 is step 1 of the process. (Actual bet: $0)
Ben: Limit your bet to $2,599 to stay ahead of anything Suzanne might do. (Actual bet: $2,402)
Erica: Standard cover bet over Ben is $6,201. (Actual bet: $6,201)
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Not only did I not get this Final Jeopardy, but from the answer didn’t even know that the correct response was a lake. And, as for correcting spelling it, the best I could do would be to try doing phonetically, and, hope the producers would be kind. But since the answer refers to a specific place by name, I’d think that in this instance, spelling WOULD count.
Wow! I surprised myself by getting Friday’s Final! correct! The clue steered me to Louisiana. I also thought of Niagara Falls and the Mississippi River for a nano-second. Then I settled on Lake Ponchartain because of its French name. A great way to end the week. Huzzah!
Oops – Spelling error – Lake Pontchartrain!
Tough material overall in this game, I would say.
I also had final down to Champlain and Pontchartrain and guessed wrong.