Warning: This page contains spoilers for the July 28, 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 Word Origins) for Friday, July 28, 2023 (Season 39, Game 230):
Theories on the origin of this, a style of journalism, include Cajun slang for unhinged jazz & Boston slang for a person on a bender
(correct response beneath the contestants)
Today’s Jeopardy! contestants:
Monika Chavez, a career education librarian from Alhambra, California |
Sharon Bishop, a high school Spanish teacher from Pawtucket, Rhode Island |
Lucas Partridge, a school counselor from Las Vegas, Nevada (2-day total: $42,200) |
Andy’s Pregame Thoughts:
Lucas Partridge, after another strong win on yesterday’s episode, comes into this game as a 2-day champion, as he faces off today against Sharon Bishop and Monika Chavez.
Today is the final original game of Season 39. Over the next six weeks, Jeopardy! will be airing encore presentations of some of its best moments from the past season, starting off with the Second Chance Competition and the Tournament of Champions. I will continue to cover these encore presentations, as not every Jeopardy! fan realizes that these episodes are not the first airing of these games. I would encourage my regular readers to stop by over the summer as well, as I may be looking for input as to how I make additions to my coverage in Season 40.
Over the past week, I have been promoting a fundraising live-stream on my Twitch channel (twitch.tv/thejeopardyfan/) to raise money for MS Canada‘s Gamers vs. MS “Boss Battles” July campaign that was scheduled to take place tomorrow. Unfortunately, due to my own health not being where I think it needs to be in order to do that live stream, I have to cancel the live stream portion of the event. If you still wish to donate to the cause, donations are being handled by Tiltify; you can donate here!
Canada has one of the highest rates of multiple sclerosis (MS) in the world, with an estimated 90,000 Canadians living with the disease. MS is a chronic autoimmune disease of the central nervous system. Since that includes the brain, spinal cord and optic nerve, MS can affect vision, memory, balance and mobility. The disease attacks myelin, the protective covering of the nerves, causing inflammation and often damaging the myelin. Myelin is necessary for the transmission of nerve impulses through nerve fibres. Currently there is no cure, but each day researchers are learning more about what causes MS and are zeroing in on ways to prevent it.
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 gonzo?
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 etymology of the term “gonzo”, especially as it pertains to Hunter S. Thompson’s famous style of journalism, has been discussed in a few works, including William Stephenson’s Gonzo Republic: Hunter S. Thompson’s America. The term was first used to describe Thompson’s journalism by Boston Globe magazine editor Bill Cardoso; in Boston, it was South Boston slang for “the last man standing after an all-night drinking marathon”. Stephenson cites Doug Brinkley from the Hunter S. Thompson estate as the source for the Cajun etymology; the term meaning “to play unhinged” gave its name to a James Booker jazz instrumental that Thompson loved to play.
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Game Recap & Tonight’s Game Stats:
Looking to find out who won Jeopardy! today? Here’s the Friday, July 28, 2023 Jeopardy! by the numbers, along with a recap:
Jeopardy! Round:
(Categories: Talking About Women; Working Words; Breeds Of Sheep; Messin’ With Texas; It Gets Old; Real Fast)
Lucas got off to a hot start, but dropped $2,400 on a Daily Double to sit second at the break. No worries, though, he clawed his score back over $5,000 after the Jeopardy! round!
Statistics at the first break (15 clues):
Monika 3 correct 0 incorrect
Lucas 6 correct 1 incorrect
Sharon 3 correct 2 incorrect
Today’s interviews:
Monika was on TV seeing Santa Claus at the mall…30 years ago.
Sharon once sang backup for Barry Manilow.
Lucas also enjoys cooking.
Statistics after the Jeopardy round:
Lucas 13 correct 1 incorrect
Sharon 8 correct 2 incorrect
Monika 4 correct 1 incorrect
Scores after the Jeopardy! Round:
Lucas $5,200
Sharon $5,000
Monika $1,200
Double Jeopardy! Round:
(Categories: On The Money; British Literature; National Anthems; If You Know What’s Good For You; Actors; “CC” Me)
Sharon had an excellent Double Jeopardy! round, picking up 11 correct, but the Daily Doubles coming out late made things very interesting! Unfortunately, she wasn’t able to put the game away with a correct response on a 29th-clue last Daily Double, and Lucas picked up the $2,000 to improve his position going into Final (pulling to within two-thirds of Sharon’s score).
Statistics after Double Jeopardy:
Sharon 19 correct 3 incorrect
Lucas 22 correct 3 incorrect
Monika 5 correct 3 incorrect
Total number of unplayed clues this season: 43 (0 today).
Scores going into Final:
Sharon $17,000
Lucas $12,000
Monika $1,200
Lucas was the only player correct in Final; he’s now the first 3-day champion since June! He’ll return to start Season 40 as champion and go for win #4!
Tonight’s results:
Monika $1,200 – $1,200 = $0 (What is gotcha?)
Lucas $12,000 + $12,000 = $24,000 (What is Gonzo?) (3-day total: $66,200)
Sharon $17,000 – $7,001 = $9,999 (What is mudslinging?)
Other Miscellaneous Game Statistics:
Daily Double locations:
1) WORKING WORDS $600 (clue #11)
Lucas 2400 -2400 (Sharon 400 Monika 1400)
2) NATIONAL ANTHEMS $1600 (clue #22)
Sharon 13400 +2000 (Lucas 9600 Monika 1200)
3) BRITISH LITERATURE $1600 (clue #29, $2000 left on board)
Sharon 19000 -2000 (Lucas 10000 Monika 1200)
Overall Daily Double Efficiency for this game: -96
Clue Selection by Row, Before Daily Doubles Found:
J! Round:
Lucas 1 2 3 3 4 3*
Sharon 2 3
Monika 1 1 2
DJ! Round:
Lucas 4 5 1 4 5 1 2 3 2 3 5
Sharon 1 2 3 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4* 1 4 5† 4*
Monika 2 3
† – selection in same category as Daily Double
Average Row of Clue Selection, Before Daily Doubles Found:
Lucas 3.00
Sharon 2.78
Monika 1.80
Unplayed clues:
J! Round: None!
DJ! Round: None!
Total Left On Board: $0
Number of clues left unrevealed this season: 43 (0.19 per episode average), 0 Daily Doubles
Game Stats:
Lucas $14,400 Coryat, 22 correct, 3 incorrect, 38.60% in first on buzzer (22/57), 2/2 on rebound attempts (on 5 rebound opportunities)
Sharon $18,600 Coryat, 19 correct, 3 incorrect, 31.58% in first on buzzer (18/57), 2/2 on rebound attempts (on 5 rebound opportunities)
Monika $1,200 Coryat, 5 correct, 3 incorrect, 14.04% in first on buzzer (8/57), 0/0 on rebound attempts (on 4 rebound opportunities)
Combined Coryat Score: $34,200
Lach Trash: $12,400 (on 12 Triple Stumpers)
Coryat lost to incorrect responses (less double-correct responses): $7,400
Player Statistics:
Lucas Partridge, career statistics:
68 correct, 8 incorrect
5/6 on rebound attempts (on 13 rebound opportunities)
37.43% in first on buzzer (64/171)
1/3 on Daily Doubles (Net Earned: -$500)
3/3 in Final Jeopardy
Average Coryat: $15,667
Sharon Bishop, career statistics:
19 correct, 4 incorrect
2/2 on rebound attempts (on 5 rebound opportunities)
31.58% in first on buzzer (18/57)
1/2 on Daily Doubles (Net Earned: $0)
0/1 in Final Jeopardy
Average Coryat: $18,600
Monika Chavez, career statistics:
5 correct, 4 incorrect
0/0 on rebound attempts (on 4 rebound opportunities)
14.04% in first on buzzer (8/57)
0/0 on Daily Doubles
0/1 in Final Jeopardy
Average Coryat: $1,200
Lucas Partridge, to win:
4 games: 50.103%
5: 25.103%
6: 12.577%
7: 6.302%
8: 3.157%
Avg. streak: 4.004 games.
Andy’s Thoughts:
- Regarding the 15th clue of the Jeopardy! Round, the women’s mile world record was broken between taping and airing (in fact, the record was broken earlier this week).
- Regarding Sharon going to $400 in BRITISH LITERATURE: From a strategic point of view, I don’t mind it as much as I might otherwise. Oftentimes the last week of the season will see a Daily Double in the $400 box in Double Jeopardy, and BRITISH LITERATURE is a “you know what you’re going to see here without looking at the $400 box” category.
- I also don’t have any major objections to Lucas going all-in in Final Jeopardy; Sharon was clearly incredibly nervous throughout the game, and that’s certainly a prime situation where a leader might get “cold feet” and choose a more conservative wager.
- Today’s box score: July 28, 2023 Box Score.
Final Jeopardy! wagering suggestions:
(Scores: Sharon $17,000 Lucas $12,000 Monika $1,200)
Lucas: You have two choices here: you could limit your bet to $1,999 or less in case Sharon covers, or if you really don’t think she will, you could go all in. (Actual bet: $12,000)
Sharon: Standard cover bet over Lucas is $7,001. If you think Lucas will bet small, you can keep your own bet to $2,998 or less and stay ahead of Lucas’s small range. (Actual bet: $7,001)
Monika: Honestly, bet whatever you like, but I’d leave myself something just in case Lucas goes all in. (Actual bet: $1,200)
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yep, nope. wouldn’t have gotten that one in a dozen guesses.
Me neither😕 I’ve heard the term before, but I would not have come up with it. That stops a nice little win streak I had going to end the week, month and season on a slight downer. Still, I can’t complain. I’ll post my final stats after tonight’s game.
How I did with FJ!
A very good season compared to S38, where I ended with a 57.8% correct rate (a partial season record of 115W and 85L). I was hopeful that I could improve on that and I did by a good bit, going 170 and 93 for the Season (counting the Celebrity Jeopardy! Tournament and the Jeopardy! Masters Tournament) for a 64.6% win rate. I had expected May to be a bad month for me because of the JMT and it was, but my worst month was November when I went 13 and 11, the ToC keeping me me close to .500 for the month. I managed to keep my losing streaks shorter this Season, with the longest one being just 5L (in Dec.) compared to a frustrating 7 game L streak in 38. But the biggest surprise was my win streak record. I had a 9W streak in 38 that was starting to look safe as the end of this season approached, until hitting the last FJ! of Jeopardy! Masters started me on a two+ week winning streak of 13 in a row!
Daily Doubles
I started keeping track of how I did with DDs late in the season, beginning on May 8th (coinciding with the beginning of the JMT… bad timing😉). I think I did fairly well overall, going 164 for 243, a 67.5% correct rate. For contrast, my record with the Masters DD clues was an abysmal 22 for 60 (a forgettable 36.7%).
I’m confident my DD rate can improve next season if I can maintain a ratio of correct to incorrect responses similar to what I posted over the non-Masters portion of the end of this season. My FJ! pace? It’s probably a lot to expect it to improve after such a big jump over last season’s record. I’m just hoping I can have similar success next year.
Yep, yep, for me. For a very split second I thought “yellow” until the last two-thirds of the clue. I had never heard of THOSE facts/ideas before, but they IMMEDIATELY made me think of “gonzo journalism” and I felt sure that was correct. Those ideas and Andy’s further explanations of them were very interesting. I can hardly wait to check with my husband (who knew about/of Hunter S. Thompson a little bit before I did, back in the day) to see if he knew about those two things. As a journalism student, I assume he knew of some more gonzo journalists than Thompson, but Hunter is it for me (except Uncle Duke 🙂
As another Jeopardy season comes to a close, thank you Andy for all the brilliant work you do on this site. It is greatly appreciated.
Agreed 100%
Thanks so much.
Yes. Kudos to Andy for another great season of Jeopardy! analysis. All the best!
I’d heard of Hunter S. Thompson’s “gonzo journalism”, but never read any of it, and had no idea where the word came from—this one was mostly just a lucky guess! Great way to end the week.
P.S. Andy, please could you say what the “encore presentations” for the next six weeks will mean in terms of the “Comments” section?
There will be a fresh game post every weekday to get comments on that day’s game, as the comment sections on the original post would have closed months ago.
Got it pretty fast, mainly due to this term coming up in one of the daily questions in the Discord server. So I’m ending the last week of the season on a majority get rate 🙂
Have a great summer, y’all!
Got it immediately.
Tip of the hat to Doonesbury for its gonzo character, Uncle Duke, who was a thinly veiled representation of Hunter S. Thompson.
Yep, Doonesbury is how I got it as well.
Ditto on “tip of the hat”, but the height of HST’s journalism years were my high school and college years (including dating a journalism/poli-sci student and having a subscription to Rolling Stone), so I did not need a familiarity to Uncle Duke for ‘Gonzo’ to immediately come to mind for this clue.
I can relate “gonzo” to Hunter S. Thompson. But the Boston “bender” reference or a relation to Cajun is a complete unknown. “Gonzo” doesn’t sound very French at all. 🤔
I mean, if you consider it as “gonzeaux”…
Ça c’est bon [I think that is saying to you, “Good one”.]
Gonzo came immediately to mind, no thanks to the Cajun or Boston references
Me Too!
I knew there had to be a reason why I read “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas” all those years ago.
I’m kind of surprised that no one seems to have mentioned that the only player that got it right is FROM Las Vegas!
“Gotcha journalism” IS a style of journalism, but clearly has no relation to the two ideas in the clue, so I am wondering if Monika had heard of gonzo journalism but couldn’t quite pull up from memory the exact sound of the term and only got close (sound-wise, not by meaning). That happens to me all the time that if I am trying to think of something specific (even if I know for sure that I know it) and something only a bit related, but with a somewhat similar sound, comes to me first, it totally blocks me coming up with the actual thing even though I KNOW that what I did come up with is WRONG.
I thought that oo about gotcha vs gonzo. And also that perhaps Sharon was trying to think of “muckraking” but came up wiwit”mudslinging” instead
This marks the first season to have all clues in the Jeopardy! round revealed. And this season setted a record for the least amount of clues unrevealed with 43 clues, 40 less than what we had last season.
Are you saying there were zero unrevealed clues in the Jeopardy! round for the entire season?
Yes.
As for the women’s mile record, it wasn’t just beaten, it was shattered. And every finisher in the race set a personal best (there was one DNF). And there were several national records set, including US and GB which had stood since 1985. The US and GB records were previously held by Mary Decker and Zola Budd. Just an interesting tidbit given their history.
The Boston reference led me to Gonzo and that character is also a muppet in sesame street and that guy in Doonesbury. Really thank you Andy for your hard work on this site. Much appreciated. See you in September for season 40
My train of thought was “what style of journalism sounds like it might be a jazz-related word”. I was able to pull “gonzo” from my passive memory, without a clear recollection of its meaning, and I thought it would be spelled with double Zs because of the association with jazz.