Warning: This page contains spoilers for the July 20, 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 19th Century British Poems) for Thursday, July 20, 2023 (Season 39, Game 224):
The author of this unfinished epic poem was unsure if he wanted the title character to “end in hell—or in an unhappy marriage”
(correct response beneath the contestants)
Today’s Jeopardy! contestants:
Toula Ballas, a publishing consultant from New York, New York |
Nik Berry, a social studies teacher from Baltimore, Maryland |
David Bederman, an attorney from Los Angeles, California (2-day total: $52,802) |
Andy’s Pregame Thoughts:
Yesterday, David Bederman of LA picked up victory number two; today, he goes for win #3 against Nik Berry and Toula Ballas. I have noticed that David has generally strong gameplay for 2023; this gives him an advantage over those who are playing a more traditional style.
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 Don Juan?
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.)
When Lord Byron died in 1824, the seventeenth and final canto of his epic poem Don Juan (pronounced in Byron’s case to rhyme with “true one”) was unfinished. The work had painted the Spanish folk figure as a victim, easily seduced by women, instead of the womanizer that Don Juan was usually portrayed as. The work also satirized significant swaths of English public society of the time, to the point that the work was widely criticized as immoral. Byron was quoted before his death as saying that he didn’t know what would be a severer punishment for Don Juan—ending in hell or an unhappy marriage.
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Game Recap & Tonight’s Game Stats:
Looking to find out who won Jeopardy! today? Here’s the Thursday, July 20, 2023 Jeopardy! by the numbers, along with a recap:
Jeopardy! Round:
(Categories: A By-The-Book How To; Coffee, Now; Spiders & Snakes; Crossword Clues “W”; You’ve Got Some Baggage; John Lennon)
Toula got off to a strong start, but was derailed slightly by a missed Daily Double. David held the lead at both commercial breaks.
Statistics at the first break (15 clues):
David 4 correct 1 incorrect
Toula 4 correct 2 incorrect
Nik 1 correct 1 incorrect
Today’s interviews:
Toula got her “Jeopardy! Club” in her high school yearbook.
Nik was named after an IKEA shelf.
David comes from a long line of Jewish cantors.
Statistics after the Jeopardy round:
David 10 correct 2 incorrect
Toula 7 correct 3 incorrect
Nik 4 correct 2 incorrect
Scores after the Jeopardy! Round:
David $4,000
Toula $2,000
Nik $1,400
Double Jeopardy! Round:
(Categories: B.C.-ing You; Before & After; Senators; A Vacation From Pop Culture; A Deep Dive Into…; The Danube)
David got both Daily Doubles correct to ensure he led going into Final; Nik had a much better Double Jeopardy! round, while Toula had a good run at the end of the round.
Statistics after Double Jeopardy:
David 21 correct 4 incorrect
Nik 11 correct 2 incorrect
Toula 12 correct 5 incorrect
Total number of unplayed clues this season: 43 (2 today).
Scores going into Final:
David $14,800
Nik $10,200
Toula $4,800
Only Toula was correct in Final, but Nik made a very savvy wager, ended up with the most money, and is your new Jeopardy! Champion! He’ll return tomorrow to defend.
Tonight’s results:
Toula $4,800 + $4,790 = $9,590 (What is Don Juan?)
Nik $10,200 – $599 = $9,601 (What R Ode to a Gre Rime of the Ancient Mariner) (1-day total: $9,601)
David $14,800 – $5,601 = $9,199 (What is Leviathan?)
Other Miscellaneous Game Statistics:
Daily Double locations:
1) COFFEE, NOW $1000 (clue #12)
Toula 2800 -1800 (David 1800 Nik 0)
2) B.C.-ING YOU $1200 (clue #5)
David 5600 +2000 (Nik 3000 Toula 3200)
3) THE DANUBE $1600 (clue #15, $13600 left on board)
David 13200 +2000 (Nik 9400 Toula 2000)
Overall Daily Double Efficiency for this game: -13
Clue Selection by Row, Before Daily Doubles Found:
J! Round:
David 4 4 3 5 4
Nik 5
Toula 4 5 3 2 1 5*
DJ! Round:
David 3* 3 5 5† 3 4 4*
Nik 5 4 3 4 4 3 2
Toula 4
† – selection in same category as Daily Double
Average Row of Clue Selection, Before Daily Doubles Found:
Nik 3.75
Toula 3.43
David 3.92
Unplayed clues:
J! Round: None!
DJ! Round: SENATORS $400 A DEEP DIVE INTO… $400
Total Left On Board: $800
Number of clues left unrevealed this season: 43 (0.19 per episode average), 0 Daily Doubles
Game Stats:
Nik $10,200 Coryat, 11 correct, 2 incorrect, 23.64% in first on buzzer (13/55), 0/0 on rebound attempts (on 7 rebound opportunities)
Toula $6,600 Coryat, 12 correct, 5 incorrect, 25.45% in first on buzzer (14/55), 1/2 on rebound attempts (on 6 rebound opportunities)
David $13,600 Coryat, 21 correct, 4 incorrect, 40.00% in first on buzzer (22/55), 1/1 on rebound attempts (on 5 rebound opportunities)
Combined Coryat Score: $30,400
Lach Trash: $13,000 (on 13 Triple Stumpers)
Coryat lost to incorrect responses (less double-correct responses): $9,800
Player Statistics:
David Bederman, career statistics:
61 correct, 7 incorrect
6/6 on rebound attempts (on 14 rebound opportunities)
31.95% in first on buzzer (54/169)
4/5 on Daily Doubles (Net Earned: $9,000)
2/3 in Final Jeopardy
Average Coryat: $14,467
Nik Berry, career statistics:
11 correct, 3 incorrect
0/0 on rebound attempts (on 7 rebound opportunities)
23.64% in first on buzzer (13/55)
0/0 on Daily Doubles
0/1 in Final Jeopardy
Average Coryat: $10,200
Toula Ballas, career statistics:
13 correct, 5 incorrect
1/2 on rebound attempts (on 6 rebound opportunities)
25.45% in first on buzzer (14/55)
0/1 on Daily Doubles (Net Earned: -$1,800)
1/1 in Final Jeopardy
Average Coryat: $6,600
Nik Berry, to win:
2 games: 35.496%
3: 12.599%
4: 4.472%
5: 1.587%
6: 0.563%
Avg. streak: 1.550 games.
Andy’s Thoughts:
- Because this is somehow still lost on some fans: The winner of a game of Jeopardy! is the player who finishes with the most money, not the player who gets Final correct.
- Today’s box score: July 20, 2023 Box Score.
Final Jeopardy! wagering suggestions:
(Scores: David $14,800 Nik $10,200 Toula $4,800)
David: Standard cover bet over Nik is $5,601. If you really think Nik will make a small bet to keep Toula locked out, though, you could try a bet of $4,000 or less—but it is risky.(Actual bet: $5,601)
Nik: A bet of $599 or less does keep Toula locked out. (Actual bet: $599)
Toula: Bet at least $4,401 to have the best chance of passing David if David is incorrect in Final. (Actual bet: $4,790)
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I’m back on track after yesterday’s miss. I wasn’t familiar with this particular iteration of the Don Juan story—but “end in hell—or in an unhappy marriage” was a dead giveaway to me, and I suspect to anyone familiar with any of its many versions. I predict a triple get.
Unfinished poem got me stuck on Kubla Khan.
I got hung up thinking about unfinished poems generally rather than one in specific :/
Current FJ streak: 1L
Knew it was Don Juan but wasted time worrying about who wrote it.
I got Final wrong but I did learn the correct way to spell *The Rime of the Ancient Mariner”.
A very entertaining game. It was lovely to see Toula rally the way she did.
Today’s Final Jeopardy category is not an area in which that i can say that it is an area that I have a lot of knowledge in. So when the “answer” was revealed, it meant nothing to me, so no way could I come up with the correct response.
Andy, my reply to those who somehow think that just getting Final Jeopardy right wins the game, if getting FInal Jeopardy right wins the game, why do the players wager on if they can get Final Jeopardy right?