Warning: This page contains spoilers for the September 13, 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 Artists) for Wednesday, September 13, 2023 (Season 40, Game 3):
On Oct. 26, 1886, he said, “The dream of my life is accomplished… I see the symbol of unity & friendship between 2 nations”
(correct response beneath the contestants)
Today’s Jeopardy! contestants:
| Matt Wierman, an aerospace engineer from La Palma, California Matt’s past appearance: March 8, 2021  |
| Donna Vorreyer, a writer & retired educator from Willowbrook, Illinois Donna’s past appearance: April 19, 2021  |
| Hari Parameswaran, a hardware engineer from Cupertino, California Hari’s past appearance: April 28, 2021  |
Andy’s Pregame Thoughts:
Jeopardy! has a problem brewing—and I’m not talking about the writers’ strike. The average television viewer still believes the show is in reruns right now, largely due to the choice of encore presentations the show made. The only amount of “normal” search traffic that the show has received over the past month came on Tuesday, September 5, when viewers saw the season premiere of Season 39 replayed—viewers who immediately tuned back out when they realized that it was a rerun. Social media billing of this tournament using the nomenclature “Season 37” when most people know it’s Season 40 has not helped alleviate this thought. The show needs to immediately pivot its promos to make it abundantly clear to the average American that the episodes airing are new; otherwise, ratings will tank.
Moving on to today’s game, Hari Parameswaran, Donna Vorreyer, and Matt Wierman make their respective returns to the Alex Trebek Stage. I think most people who follow quiz bowl believe that Hari is the favorite to win today; however, I should reiterate once again that quiz bowl is not Jeopardy! Hari is excellent at quiz bowl—he won a national championship in 2019—but that skill doesn’t necessarily always translate over to Jeopardy! Donna and Matt are also very good; anything can happen on that stage. Any of these three players can absolutely join Jill Tucker and David Maybury tomorrow and Friday in this week’s final.
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Correct response: Who is Frédéric-Auguste Bartholdi?
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.)
Frédéric-Auguste Bartholdi said those quoted words in New York City on October 26, 1886, at the opening ceremony unveiling the Statue of Liberty. The statue was seen as a symbol of liberty between France and the United States of America. You can find more information about the Statue’s unveiling and opening ceremony at the National Park Service website.
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Game Recap & Tonight’s Game Stats:
Looking to find out who won Jeopardy! today? Here’s the Wednesday, September 13, 2023 Jeopardy! by the numbers, along with a recap:
Jeopardy! Round:
(Categories: Mammals; “I”s In Your Stars; The State Of Congress; I’m Just A Bill, Billy Or William; Straight Fire; 3 Consecutive Consonants)
Hari got out to a quick start, but Donna, buoyed by the Daily Double, found some confidence later in the round and jumped out to a lead after 30 clues!
Statistics at the first break (15 clues):
Donna 7 correct 0 incorrect
Hari 4 correct 0 incorrect
Matt 3 correct 2 incorrect
Today’s interviews:
Matt sent a rocket to space two days before taping.
Donna grew up watching Art Fleming.
Hari was disappointed at losing his first game.
Statistics after the Jeopardy round:
Donna 11 correct 0 incorrect
Hari 9 correct 0 incorrect
Matt 8 correct 2 incorrect
Scores after the Jeopardy! Round:
Donna $7,000
Hari $5,000
Matt $3,000
Double Jeopardy! Round:
(Categories: To Sir Paul, With Love; “C”s The Day; Also A Candy; Pueblos Mágicos; & We Have A Novel Title; 15-Letter Words)
Matt sat third at the break, but seemed to have very little interest in the Daily Doubles, as evidenced by his four top-row selections before they were both found! Unfortunately for Donna, she lost $8,000 on the pair of them! This meant that while Matt led going into Final, it wasn’t a runaway—and everyone still had a chance!
Statistics after Double Jeopardy:
Matt 19 correct 2 incorrect
Donna 20 correct 3 incorrect
Hari 14 correct 2 incorrect
Total number of unplayed clues this season: 0 (0 today).
Scores going into Final:
Matt $15,000
Donna $8,200
Hari $7,800
All three players knew it was the Statue of Liberty guy—but only one player, the former quiz bowl national champion, knew that his name was Bartholdi! Thus, Hari moves from third to first and into tomorrow and Friday’s weekly final!
Tonight’s results:
Hari $7,800 + $7,800 = $15,600 (Who is Bartholdi?) (Finalist)
Donna $8,200 – $7,401 = $799 (Who is (Statue of Liberty guy?)
Matt $15,000 – $1,701 = $13,299 (Who is Laboule)
Other Miscellaneous Game Statistics:
Daily Double locations:
1) I’M JUST A BILL, BILLY OR WILLIAM $800 (clue #7)
Donna 600 +800 (Hari 2400 Matt -800)
2) ALSO A CANDY $2000 (clue #10)
Donna 11800 -3000 (Hari 5000 Matt 7000)
3) & WE HAVE A NOVEL TITLE $1200 (clue #20, $12000 left on board)
Donna 12800 -5000 (Hari 6200 Matt 11000)
Overall Daily Double Efficiency for this game: 16
Clue Selection by Row, Before Daily Doubles Found:
J! Round:
Hari 2 3 4 5 2 3
Donna 4*
Matt
DJ! Round:
Hari 5 4
Donna 3 4 5 5* 4 5 3 2 3*
Matt 1 2 1 2 3 4 1 2 1
Average Row of Clue Selection, Before Daily Doubles Found:
Hari 3.50
Matt 1.89
Donna 3.80
Unplayed clues:
J! Round: None!
DJ! Round: None!
Total Left On Board: $0
Number of clues left unrevealed this season: 0 (0.00 per episode average), 0 Daily Doubles
Game Stats:
Hari $7,800 Coryat, 14 correct, 2 incorrect, 28.07% in first on buzzer (16/57), 0/0 on rebound attempts (on 3 rebound opportunities)
Matt $15,000 Coryat, 19 correct, 2 incorrect, 36.84% in first on buzzer (21/57), 0/0 on rebound attempts (on 3 rebound opportunities)
Donna $16,200 Coryat, 20 correct, 3 incorrect, 29.82% in first on buzzer (17/57), 3/3 on rebound attempts (on 4 rebound opportunities)
Combined Coryat Score: $39,000
Lach Trash: $5,400 (on 5 Triple Stumpers)
Coryat lost to incorrect responses (less double-correct responses): $9,600
Player Statistics:
Hari Parameswaran, career statistics:
32 correct, 8 incorrect
0/1 on rebound attempts (on 5 rebound opportunities)
31.82% in first on buzzer (35/110)
1/2 on Daily Doubles (Net Earned: -$2,000)
1/2 in Final Jeopardy
Average Coryat: $12,400
Donna Vorreyer, career statistics:
40 correct, 8 incorrect
3/4 on rebound attempts (on 6 rebound opportunities)
34.21% in first on buzzer (39/114)
1/3 on Daily Doubles (Net Earned: -$7,200)
0/2 in Final Jeopardy
Average Coryat: $14,100
Matt Wierman, career statistics:
39 correct, 6 incorrect
0/0 on rebound attempts (on 5 rebound opportunities)
35.96% in first on buzzer (41/114)
0/2 on Daily Doubles (Net Earned: -$7,000)
1/2 in Final Jeopardy
Average Coryat: $16,800
Andy’s Thoughts:
- Hari had long stretches where he was dry on the signalling device. If he finds his timing, Jill and David need to watch out!
- Today’s box score: September 13, 2023 Box Score.
Final Jeopardy! wagering suggestions:
(Scores: Matt $15,000 Donna $8,200 Hari $7,800)
Hari: Bet between $5,801 (thereby passing Matt if he makes a cover bet) and $6,999 (thereby staying ahead of Donna if she covers you and is incorrect. (Actual bet: $7,800)
Donna: Bet at least $7,401 to cover Hari. (Actual bet: $7,401)
Matt: Standard cover bet over Donna is $1,401. (Actual bet: $1,701)
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I knew we were talking about the Statue of Liberty, but I didn’t know the name of the sculptor. 2-1 for the season after a miss today.
Same here. Recognized the date and the significance, but didn’t know the artist.
Make it three. I probably would have filled in Emma Lazarus.
I couldn’t recall his name. I remember it came up in a episode several months ago (in March according to the Archive) as an incorrect response to a clue about the Statue of Liberty, but it just didn’t “stick” 😓 Hopefully this will make it more likely to come to mind in the future.
Me, too. I knew that it was the Statue of Liberty guy. I also knew that Eiffel was in charge of the building of Lady Liberty, but I could not for the life of me recall the French artist’s name. C’est dommage!
I knew from the answer, that it was referring to the Statue of Liberty, and, started to give that as my response. But as soon as I said Statue of Liberty, I know that the correct question would be the artist who created it. Searched my memory, came up with Betholdi. Maybe close, but obviously, no cigar.
During the “I’m Just a Bill, Billy, or, William” category I thought that the answer referring to Hearst, would need “William Randoph Hearst” to be correct, since the correct reponse would be to a specific person. Was only the last name of Hearst accepted because there was only one William Randolph Hearst, or, because the category implied the first name of “Bill, Billy, or, William”?
I was WAY off! I guessed Charles Dickens, thinking of “A Tale Of Two Cities”, but that was much earlier. When I read the answer “Frédéric-Auguste Bartholdi”, my first response was “who?” Only when I read Andy’s write-up and followed his link to the National Park Service was I enlightened that he was the sculptor of that “symbol of unity” between France and the United States., the Statue of Liberty. Incidentally, when I was in Paris, I was surprised to see a quarter-size replica of the Statue of Liberty standing on a small island in the Seine. I later found out that this was a kind of “thank-you gift” from the United States to France!
The most obvious thing the show could have done for this season that they somehow didn’t is have a new opening celebrating season 40. It always baffles me how certain milestone years get glossed over. Heck wheel of fortune had an XL week to celebrate season 40 so why can’t jeopardy celebrate season 40 in some small way?
I think you have some valid points, but I also suspect that references to these games as season 37 and season 38 Second Chance competitions may be confusing some viewers that these are reruns of Second Chance competitions aired in season 37 and season 38 even though those who pay more attention to Jeopardy! (than just watching it) know that season 39 was the first time for a Second Chance competition.
How does my prediction always go wrong for the first time at the third quarterfinal or semifinal of a tournament????
The statue of liberty guy bartholdi. I knew he sculpted the statue of liberty although I don’t remember the year. Stillthough it was a great thank you gift from Paris to the USA.
I had no memory of commemoration of the 100th anniversary [but I had an unscheduled cesarean delivery of twins that week, so maybe that excuses me] so did not think of the Statue of Liberty. I just made a wild guess of ‘Disraeli’, on the theory that I had no idea what symbol (or 2nd nation) that might pertain to, but he was a world leader around that time (but not exactly that time [it turns out] as he died about 5 years earlier).
I thought Final Jeopardy was rather easy, Bartholdi. My question is about a category in the first half: “Straight Fire”. What in the world does that even mean?? The questions (answers) seemed to be a total random mish-mash. I’d love an explanation.
“Straight fire” is recent Gen-Z slang for “something that is really good”, like an outfit/food/happening/etc.
The clues all generally referenced that.