Warning: This page contains spoilers for the July 12, 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 Name’s The Same) for Wednesday, July 12, 2023 (Season 39, Game 218):
A 1931 Charlie Chaplin film & a West Coast bookstore open since 1953 both bear this name
(correct response beneath the contestants)
Today’s Jeopardy! contestants:
Mia McGill, a communications specialist from Minneapolis, Minnesota |
Ittai Sopher, a digital journalist & news producer from New Orleans, Louisiana |
Justin White, a director of orchestra personnel from Overland Park, Kansas (1-day total: $14,701) |
Andy’s Pregame Thoughts:
Yesterday, Justin White became the 70th person to win a regular-play game of Jeopardy! this season, after being the only person to get a Final Jeopardy correct about the Olympics. Today he faces off against New Orleans’s Ittai Sopher and Minneapolis’s Mia McGill.
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 City Lights?
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.)
Considered by many to be Charlie Chaplin’s best film, City Lights was a 1931 silent romantic comedy starring Chaplin’s Tramp character as he falls in love with a blind girl (Virginia Cherrill). Peter D. Martin then used the name for a literary magazine in the early-’50s, publishing poetry from Bay Area writers such as Lawrence Ferlinghetti. When Martin wished to open an all-paperback bookstore, he used the same name; Martin and Ferlinghetti jointly owned the bookstore until 1955, when Ferlinghetti purchased Martin’s share of the business. The bookstore has become famous for contributing to San Francisco culture and its literary scene, and was in the national spotlight in the late 1950s after Allen Ginsberg’s poem Howl was brought up on obscenity charges. (Judge Clayton W. Horn ruled that any book with “the slightest redeeming social importance” should be given First Amendment protection.)
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Game Recap & Tonight’s Game Stats:
Looking to find out who won Jeopardy! today? Here’s the Wednesday, July 12, 2023 Jeopardy! by the numbers, along with a recap:
Jeopardy! Round:
(Categories: State Insects; The ____ Of Canada; Revival; Tv Quick Takes; Slang; Reading With Jenna Bush Hager)
All three players had a strong opening round, with Ittai holding the lead at both commercial breaks, courtesy his three $1,000 correct responses.
Statistics at the first break (15 clues):
Ittai 5 correct 0 incorrect
Justin 5 correct 0 incorrect
Mia 3 correct 0 incorrect
Today’s interviews:
Mia likes to read the plot summary of Wikipedia before watching movies.
Ittai studied abroad in Ecuador.
Justin got to slice bagels with George Brett after the 2015 World Series.
Statistics after the Jeopardy round:
Ittai 7 correct 0 incorrect
Mia 9 correct 1 incorrect
Justin 9 correct 1 incorrect
Scores after the Jeopardy! Round:
Ittai $5,800
Mia $4,200
Justin $3,400
Double Jeopardy! Round:
(Categories: Roman Emperors; Double-Vowel Places; “High” There; Kevin Sent; Walking & Talking; Taking A Ride)
Justin got the first Daily Double correct in this round; unfortunately, Ittai got his incorrect to make things much closer. Mia made a strong run near the end of the round, but time ran out with her score $400 short of Ittai’s lead.
Statistics after Double Jeopardy:
Ittai 11 correct 2 incorrect
Mia 14 correct 2 incorrect
Justin 14 correct 4 incorrect
Total number of unplayed clues this season: 39 (3 today).
Scores going into Final:
Ittai $6,600
Mia $6,200
Justin $4,800
Final Jeopardy! today was a triple get, and Ittai is our new champion!
Tonight’s results:
Justin $4,800 + $4,514 = $9,314 (What is City Lights?)
Mia $6,200 + $6,000 = $12,200 (What is City Lights!)
Ittai $6,600 + $5,801 = $12,401 (What is City Lights?) (1-day total: $12,401)
Other Miscellaneous Game Statistics:
Daily Double locations:
1) STATE INSECTS $800 (clue #10)
Ittai 1000 +1000 (Justin 1200 Mia 2000)
2) DOUBLE-VOWEL PLACES $1200 (clue #3)
Justin 1800 +1800 (Ittai 4200 Mia 4200)
3) ROMAN EMPERORS $1200 (clue #11, $20000 left on board)
Ittai 7000 -2000 (Justin 4400 Mia 3400)
Overall Daily Double Efficiency for this game: 161
Clue Selection by Row, Before Daily Doubles Found:
J! Round:
Justin 1 2 1 3
Ittai 4 4*
Mia 5 4 3 2
DJ! Round:
Justin 4 5 3* 3 4
Ittai 3 4 3*
Mia 4 5 2
Average Row of Clue Selection, Before Daily Doubles Found:
Ittai 3.60
Mia 3.57
Justin 2.89
Unplayed clues:
J! Round: None!
DJ! Round: KEVIN SENT $400 WALKING & TALKING $400 TAKING A RIDE $400
Total Left On Board: $1,200
Number of clues left unrevealed this season: 39 (0.18 per episode average), 0 Daily Doubles
Game Stats:
Ittai $8,400 Coryat, 11 correct, 2 incorrect, 18.52% in first on buzzer (10/54), 0/1 on rebound attempts (on 6 rebound opportunities)
Mia $6,200 Coryat, 14 correct, 2 incorrect, 29.63% in first on buzzer (16/54), 0/0 on rebound attempts (on 4 rebound opportunities)
Justin $4,200 Coryat, 14 correct, 4 incorrect, 29.63% in first on buzzer (16/54), 1/1 on rebound attempts (on 2 rebound opportunities)
Combined Coryat Score: $18,800
Lach Trash: $22,800 (on 17 Triple Stumpers)
Coryat lost to incorrect responses (less double-correct responses): $11,200
Player Statistics:
Justin White, career statistics:
33 correct, 9 incorrect
2/2 on rebound attempts (on 4 rebound opportunities)
31.53% in first on buzzer (35/111)
2/3 on Daily Doubles (Net Earned: $1,200)
2/2 in Final Jeopardy
Average Coryat: $7,600
Ittai Sopher, career statistics:
12 correct, 2 incorrect
0/1 on rebound attempts (on 6 rebound opportunities)
18.52% in first on buzzer (10/54)
1/2 on Daily Doubles (Net Earned: -$1,000)
1/1 in Final Jeopardy
Average Coryat: $8,400
Mia McGill, career statistics:
15 correct, 2 incorrect
0/0 on rebound attempts (on 4 rebound opportunities)
29.63% in first on buzzer (16/54)
0/0 on Daily Doubles
1/1 in Final Jeopardy
Average Coryat: $6,200
Ittai Sopher, to win:
2 games: 26.792%
3: 7.178%
4: 1.923%
5: 0.515%
6: 0.138%
Avg. streak: 1.366 games.
Andy’s Thoughts:
- It’s only fair I point it out when Ken misses it—he should have pointed out that Justin was allowed to bet up to $2,000.
- I’m quite surprised that Justin was permitted to make the wager he did in Final; I would posit that this should fall under the subset of wagers not permitted for reasons of broadcast standards.
- Today’s box score: July 12, 2023 Box Score.
Final Jeopardy! wagering suggestions:
(Scores: Ittai $6,600 Mia $6,200 Justin $4,800)
Justin: Bet between $1,801 and $2,000 and play for the Triple Stumper. (Actual bet: $4,514)
Ittai: Standard cover bet over Mia is $5,801. (Actual bet: $5,801)
Mia: Standard cover bet over Justin is $3,401. (Actual bet: $6,000)
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Hard to gauge the difficulty of this FJ. Easy for me, because I’ve been to San Francisco and once bought a couple of books at City Lights. If you’ve never visited there, however, or aren’t really into book stores, you’d have to rely on your knowledge of Charlie Chaplin films.
Whee! I surprised myself by guessing correctly! The only Charlie Chaplin film I could think of that might also be the name of a book store is City Lights!
I knew it had “Lights” in it. But I couldn’t come up with the “City” part within 30 seconds.
Well, it took me about a minute to come up with “City Lights”. Being that I live near SF I should have gotten the answer sooner.
An easy get for me but I too wonder how many contestants will get it. City Lights does have a good reputation and used to have a wonderful mail order service back in the day. Probably still does online.
Related to this, I sometimes wonder about these clues that mostly or only locals would get. Recently there was a clue about the Port Authority Bus Terminal and even the New Yorker (from Long Island if I recall) didn’t get it.
As a resident of the Great Lakes area, I’m not familiar with west coast book stores, but I knew that City Lights was a Chaplin film from the era.
Speaking of clues out of ones geographical area, I am shocked when a contestant connects Niagara Falls with Lake Superior!
To clarify, the Great Lakes from West to East are: Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie and Ontario. The mnemonic we all learned as kids, is HOMES.
A contestant from Long Island missed it, but contestants from NYC and DC got it right.
City lights was my response as well because I remember seeing the movie on this. I am not sure when it was but still happy to see the triple solve
Oops – Another loss for me, never heard of that bookstore (unsurprisingly) nor that Chaplin film (which is kind of a shame😔)
I knew it was City Lights.
Limelight was 1951 and the great Dictator was 1940.also a book store with those titles..nah!
Andy! I don’t understand your comment re Justin’s wager. Could you elaborate?
The last two digits of the wager are on the show’s “banned wager” list because of its white supremacist symbolism; I am contending that as there should generally be no strategic reason to wager any number ending in those digits, that the entire list of them should be banned.
Where is this “banned wager” list?
A little research notes that 69 is hate speech and vulgar , 666 is satanic,12 , 14 and 88 or any combination of these numbers is a secret code for racists. Not sure who decided to ban these numbers but it must be from the very top.
If someone goes looking for stuff to be offended by, they’re surely going to find it!
It’s bad enough that we ban certain words but now numbers, too. Sheesh, SMH. I suggest that people read “Brave New World” and “Fahrenheit 451.”
If that comment gets me banned, so be it.
Your beef should be with the hate groups who have decided to turn numbers into dog whistles.
While I agree with your point, Andy, my point is not to let the hate groups co-opt words and numbers in the first place. If we continue to view them just as numbers and use them as such, the hate groups won’t have any power of those who view them just as what they are…numbers.
But that then gives the hate groups further plausible deniability when they use them as dog whistles.
You did not similarly object during the first game of the Masters final.
I think your readership would benefit from a fuller explanation of how your thinking on this matter has evolved over the intervening seven weeks, or what otherwise distinguishes that case from this one.
I would consider this a corollary to my Addendum to my Wagering Strategy 101 guide.
I should also make it abundantly clear that nowhere in my post above, or this comment section, did I ever cast personal aspersion on a contestant; I simply contended that the show should expand its current ban list.
No, it’s not a corollary. Your postgame Thoughts on January 3 regarding Lloyd Sy’s wager in Final are a corollary; Wagering Strategy 101 is a suggestion to contestants. What you want here are new restrictions. Quite a different thing.
And I never accused you of disparaging a contestant. I’m simply pointing out that forty-nine days ago, when the very same thing that you now find so objectionable was done (and on a more visible stage, I’d argue), you seemed not to have a problem with it. I don’t see why Justin White should not be accorded the same deference as James Holzhauer.
Thanks to Andy and other posters… I did not know any of this info.
We were also told 420 is an invalid wager due to the drug reference
Tape date: 11/30/2021
The 14 in my wager is a reference to my daughter’s birthday so you’ve made a completely incorrect assumption and thanks to those who backed me up. I assumed the game was out of reach for me so made a wager that had significance to my family. Have a great day all.
Justin:
Thank you for your comment and explanation.
I must reiterate, in my defense, that I did not make any assumptions regarding you whatsoever. This is not your fault, and I apologize that white supremacists have co-opted a number of personal importance to you as a dog whistle.
The point—which everyone seems to have missed—is that the show, knowing that the number in question does have negative connotations (because there was an incident that promoted the “banned wagers list” in the first place), should have politely explained to you on-set that the number has negative connotations that you might not be aware of, and disallowed the wager.
Justin, I just wanted to say how happy I was for your win on Tuesday’s show. I could see you deflate after your first incorrect answers and I could feel your disappointment. But you came roaring back and now you will always be a Jeopardy! champ. Bravo, sir!
Thanks for clearing that up Justin. I’m glad you’re not like the infamous #3 guy! One of my sons was born in 2014 and I wonder what would’ve happened if I had wagered that instead of my mom’s birthday.