Warning: This page contains spoilers for the July 17, 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 Government Officials) for Monday, July 17, 2023 (Season 39, Game 221):
In 1867 he wrote to General Rousseau, “On arriving at Sitka…you will receive from the Russian commissioner the formal transfer”
(correct response beneath the contestants)
Today’s Jeopardy! contestants:
Leann Craumer, a librarian from Catonsville, Maryland |
Jerry Powers, a retired elementary teacher originally from Fanwood, New Jersey |
Daniel Moore, a contract compliance analyst from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (1-day total: $25,000) |
Andy’s Pregame Thoughts:
We’re down to ten regular-play episodes in Season 39; Daniel Moore is your defending champion after he picked up $25,000 in his win on Friday. Your challengers today are retired teacher Jerry Powers and librarian Leann Cramer.
Meanwhile, game show insider Randy West caused a stir yesterday when he posted to Facebook, “Jeopardy! is prepping the new season without writers, with the plan to reuse past A&Q material”. This morning, that sentence had been changed to “Jeopardy! is prepping the new season without writers, with options that include reusing past A&Q material.” (I do really enjoy how Facebook allows people to view the edit history.) My Thoughts from May 2 echo this: “I would highly recommend going back about five to ten years and memorizing as much of J! Archive as you can. During the last strike in 2008, there were instances where Jeopardy! would essentially lift past categories wholesale from about a decade earlier.”
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 William H. Seward?
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.)
The Library of Congress has the various letters that were sent between Secretary of State William H. Seward and Lovell Harrison Rousseau, the general who went to Sitka, Alaska, to officially represent the United States at the ceremony with the Russian Empire to transfer Alaska from Russia to the United States in 1867.
Russia sold Alaska because Czar Alexander II decided that in the aftermath of the Crimean War, the land would be incredibly difficult to defend from the British Empire if Britain wanted the land badly enough. So, the United States purchased the land for $7.2 million.
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Game Recap & Tonight’s Game Stats:
Looking to find out who won Jeopardy! today? Here’s the Monday, July 17, 2023 Jeopardy! by the numbers, along with a recap:
Jeopardy! Round:
(Categories: Tom Swift Tales; World Royalty; 6-Letter Words; Fish People; State Flags; What’S The Name Of That Tv Show?)
Daniel had the best opening round and led at both breaks, but a miss on the first Dailly Double, and two other incorrect responses, kept Jerry and Leann close.
Statistics at the first break (15 clues):
Daniel 6 correct 3 incorrect
Jerry 2 correct 1 incorrect
Leann 3 correct 1 incorrect
Today’s interviews:
Leann has a 524-day Wordle streak.
Jerry auditioned for the Art Fleming version of Jeopardy!
Daniel got a suit from a customer at a coffee shop.
Statistics after the Jeopardy round:
Daniel 12 correct 3 incorrect
Leann 7 correct 2 incorrect
Jerry 5 correct 3 incorrect
Scores after the Jeopardy! Round:
Daniel $4,600
Leann $2,000
Jerry $1,600
Double Jeopardy! Round:
(Categories: The National Recording Registry; Double Talk; Who’S That Poet?; I’Ll “B” There; With Bells On; Oppenheimer)
Both challengers missed a Daily Double in Double Jeopardy, as Daniel looked to find his stride. Unfortunately, another five incorrect—including four at the $1,600 and $2,000 levels—meant that he did not have a runaway going into Final.
Statistics after Double Jeopardy:
Daniel 21 correct 8 incorrect
Jerry 14 correct 4 incorrect
Leann 12 correct 3 incorrect
Total number of unplayed clues this season: 41 (0 today).
Scores going into Final:
Daniel $9,800
Jerry $7,400
Leann $4,200
Both Daniel and Jerry got Final correct—Daniel is now a 2-day champion!
Tonight’s results:
Leann $4,200 – $602 = $3,598 (Who is Napoleon?)
Jerry $7,400 + $2,401 = $9,801 (Who is Seward?)
Daniel $9,800 + $5,000 = $14,800 (Who is Seward?) (2-day total: $39,800)
Other Miscellaneous Game Statistics:
Daily Double locations:
1) 6-LETTER WORDS $1000 (clue #13)
Daniel 3400 -1200 (Jerry 1600 Leann 600)
2) OPPENHEIMER $1200 (clue #1)
Jerry 1600 -1000 (Daniel 4600 Leann 2000)
3) I’LL “B” THERE $2000 (clue #9, $24400 left on board)
Leann 4400 -2200 (Daniel 600 Jerry 3400)
Overall Daily Double Efficiency for this game: -135
Clue Selection by Row, Before Daily Doubles Found:
J! Round:
Daniel 5 4 3 2 1 5 4 5 5*
Jerry 5 3
Leann 4 3
DJ! Round:
Daniel
Jerry 3* 1 2 3 4 5 2
Leann 4 5*
Average Row of Clue Selection, Before Daily Doubles Found:
Daniel 3.78
Jerry 3.11
Leann 4.00
Unplayed clues:
J! Round: None!
DJ! Round: None!
Total Left On Board: $0
Number of clues left unrevealed this season: 41 (0.19 per episode average), 0 Daily Doubles
Game Stats:
Daniel $11,000 Coryat, 21 correct, 8 incorrect, 45.61% in first on buzzer (26/57), 2/2 on rebound attempts (on 4 rebound opportunities)
Jerry $8,400 Coryat, 14 correct, 4 incorrect, 26.32% in first on buzzer (15/57), 2/2 on rebound attempts (on 8 rebound opportunities)
Leann $6,400 Coryat, 12 correct, 3 incorrect, 21.05% in first on buzzer (12/57), 1/2 on rebound attempts (on 10 rebound opportunities)
Combined Coryat Score: $25,800
Lach Trash: $12,600 (on 10 Triple Stumpers)
Coryat lost to incorrect responses (less double-correct responses): $15,600
Player Statistics:
Daniel Moore, career statistics:
52 correct, 11 incorrect
2/2 on rebound attempts (on 8 rebound opportunities)
48.25% in first on buzzer (55/114)
3/4 on Daily Doubles (Net Earned: $10,800)
1/2 in Final Jeopardy
Average Coryat: $16,000
Jerry Powers, career statistics:
15 correct, 4 incorrect
2/2 on rebound attempts (on 8 rebound opportunities)
26.32% in first on buzzer (15/57)
0/1 on Daily Doubles (Net Earned: -$1,000)
1/1 in Final Jeopardy
Average Coryat: $8,400
Leann Craumer, career statistics:
12 correct, 4 incorrect
1/2 on rebound attempts (on 10 rebound opportunities)
21.05% in first on buzzer (12/57)
0/1 on Daily Doubles (Net Earned: -$2,200)
0/1 in Final Jeopardy
Average Coryat: $6,400
Daniel Moore, to win:
3 games: 63.462%
4: 40.275%
5: 25.559%
6: 16.221%
7: 10.294%
Avg. streak: 3.737 games.
Andy’s Thoughts:
- Today’s game was taped back in mid-May, before the SAG-AFTRA strike, explaining why Matt Damon and Emily Blunt were able to do the clues about the film Oppenheimer.
- Today’s box score: July 17, 2023 Box Score.
Final Jeopardy! wagering suggestions:
(Scores: Daniel $9,800 Jerry $7,400 Leann $4,200)
Daniel: Standard cover bet over Jerry is $5,001. (Actual bet: $5,000)
Jerry: Bet between $1,001 and $2,599. (Actual bet: $2,401)
Leann: Being that you have to be correct to win, go all-in to maximize potential winnings. That said, you should probably bet at least $2,201, to defend against the possibility that Jerry makes the minimum cover bet on you. (Actual bet: $602)
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Sitka, plus “Russian commissioner”, plus 1867–had to be “Seward’s folly”—“Folly”, huh?!—what a bargain he got for us in Alaska! P.S. The indigenous meaning of the word “Alaska” is “Beautiful Land”! P.P.S. I always like to start off the week with a win. It makes the upcoming week’s whole prospect look promising.
Yeah, plenty of hints to point to Seward. Hopefully this win bodes well for the rest of the week!
It was obvious to be as well, said Seward VERBALLY. Just might have spelled it as “Stewart,” which might sound similar, but is obviously wrong when you see it written.
As for the “Oppenheimer” category, since most people know that Jeopardy is taped weeks before it’s air dates, and, and, category like Oppenheimer where people read clues, and, so must be prepared BEFORE a taping session, it was obvious to me that because of all the above, it had to have been done BEFORE SAG-AFTRA went on strike against the AMPTP.
Hi RedRose, I didn’t know that you’re an Alaskan! My best friend from childhood lives there, now. Yes, I also got today’s Final! correct, having remembered “Seward’s Folly.”
Hi Judith P.! No, I’m not Alaskan. By “What a bargain he got for us in Alaska”, I meant “What a bargain Alaska was for us Americans”. Sorry for the confusing wording! P.S. You might be interested to know that I have a cousin who is a teacher and a tour guide in Japan in what he calls “my beloved Kansai (the Kyoto-Osaka-Kobe area)”. P.P.S. To avoid more confusion, neither he nor I are Japanese!
If I knew Sitka was in Alaska, I may have gotten this 🙂 Happy Monday.
I visited Sitka way back in 1979 while on a cruise…it was one of our ports-of-call. So that is how I knew about Sitka.
I thought it sounded like something a Secretary of State, who was involved with purchasing Alaska, would write.
Interesting development re the plans for a continuing writers’ strike. Mayim walked off the set in solidarity with the WGA but Ken did not. Now that SAG-AFTRA is also on strike, Mayim will certainly not be on set how does that affect Ken’s participation?
Side note: It would not surprise me if the AMPTP (the producers) settled with SAG but continued to play hardball with WGA. (For the record, I am on the WGA’s side.)
Jeopardy is not affected by the SAG-AFTRA strike as it is under a different contract (the Network Code.)
The WGA and AMPTP could issue a waiver (aka interim agreement) to Jeopardy!’s parent Sony. Also, WGA and AMPTP fell short of a deal back on May 1st, but time ran out on them. Finally, AMPTP could also settle with both WGA and SAG within days of one another (BTB, this is the first time since 1960 that WGA and SAG striking at the same time; when that happened SAG’s strike ended before WGAs).
SAG-AFTRA has stated that they will not strike (give “interm agreements,”) to “trully independent productions.” Which seems to be defined as not being associated with a member of the AMPTP. So far, only the Chosen, which, according to an online article I read is “crowdfunded,” is the only production identified as meeting that criteria, so far. However at the time of the writing of that online article, SAG-AFTRA had not posted an “interm agreement” for the Chosen on it’s website.
Just imagine how huge Russia would be if it had kept Alaska.
About 10% bigger 😉
So, yeah, I had to check your numbers….didn’t realize Alaska was just slightly over 10% the area of Russia.
The Mercator Projection will do that.
The best I could do was Andrew Johnson, President at the time.
I am thinking of a cruise to Alaska and to check out Sitka. Seward was definitely something i should check out on maybe in August of this year after leaving Vancouver. Maybe there is a statue of him in Alaska somewhere.
Hoping that Daniel will keep going and going. It would be nice to have a multiple game winner to end the season.
Aha! Gotta be “Sewards Folly”! So of course Secretary of State Seward who suffered ridicule after the purchase.
Seward kind of had the last laugh!
My dad was stationed on Sitka as a US Navy pilot in WWII.
That’s so cool, Mary Lou! My Dad was stationed in the South Pacific in WWII. He was an officer on a U.S. Navy destroyer ship, fighting the Japanese navy. Ironically, 40 years later, I moved to Japan for my job!