Warning: This page contains spoilers for the October 2, 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 Presidential Proclamations) for Monday, October 2, 2023 (Season 40, Game 16):
Both issued in April, 80 years apart, the first proclamations by these 2 Presidents each declared natl. days of mourning
(correct response beneath the contestants)
Today’s Jeopardy! contestants:
Dane Reighard, a writer & editor from Los Angeles, California |
Emily Seaman Hoy, an attorney from Houston, Texas |
Burt Thakur, a project engineer from Palm Springs, California |
Andy’s Pregame Thoughts:
Today sees the first quarterfinal of the first-ever Champions Wildcard competition. This time, each competition sees 27 players competing through quarterfinals, semifinals, and a 2-game final for 1 spot in the next Tournament of Champions. Today’s quarterfinal features Burt Thakur, Emily Seaman Hoy, and Dane Reighard. Of the three, Dane is probably the favorite; he lost his third game in Andrew He’s debut in November 2021 with one of the highest losing scores ever.
Another important note: as soon as the contestants for this competition were announced, questions were raised regarding Burt Thakur’s eligibility for the event, as he’s been gearing up for another run in a Republican Congressional primary. A statement provided last week from Jeopardy! to The Jeopardy! Fan stated, “Burt Thakur’s participation is within the parameters of the official rules of the show.”
If you’re looking for a quick rundown of what happened last week, I write a weekly recap column for Geeks Who Drink’s Questionist, released every Sunday. Yesterday’s column was titled “Palace Intrigue“. Questionist also has a newsletter that you can sign up for!
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Correct response: Who are Andrew Johnson and Harry Truman?
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.)
Both of these proclamations (in April 1865 by Andrew Johnson and in April 1945 by Harry Truman) were issued to announce the death of their respective predecessors (Lincoln in 1865 and Franklin Roosevelt in 1945)
One thing to watch out for today: Ken has been prompting for contestants to “be more specific” more often this season; I am very curious to know if the show will accept just “Johnson” on this one. Regardless, if someone does answer just “Johnson”, I fear that the tabloid media will unnecessarily use the situation to attack the show. It should be mentioned that there has been an intervening offseason and it is possible for the show to have adjusted its policies on prompting. It should also be mentioned that if this is the case the show is not obligated to inform fans if it does choose this—though, if it wants to be taken seriously as a sport, it probably should, as it would be unfathomable for MLB to change the balk rule or the strike zone without informing the public.
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Game Recap & Tonight’s Game Stats:
Looking to find out who won Jeopardy! today? Here’s the Monday, October 2, 2023 Jeopardy! by the numbers, along with a recap:
Jeopardy! Round:
(Categories: Geography “B”; Fighters; Are You Shakespearienced?; A Bug’s Life; Native Americans; A Category About Nothing)
Burt struggled early with incorrect responses, a theme which continued throughout the match. Dane held a lead after 15 thanks to the Daily Double, but Emily led after 30.
Statistics at the first break (15 clues):
Dane 7 correct 1 incorrect
Emily 5 correct 0 incorrect
Burt 1 correct 2 incorrect
Today’s interviews:
Dane was upset by how FAMOUS RUSSIANS went in his original appearance.
Emily likes to make human pyramids with her family.
Burt was on the last show aired before Alex Trebek died.
Statistics after the Jeopardy round:
Emily 10 correct 2 incorrect
Dane 8 correct 2 incorrect
Burt 7 correct 3 incorrect
Scores after the Jeopardy! Round:
Emily $4,800
Dane $3,200
Burt $1,600
Double Jeopardy! Round:
(Categories: South Africa; They Played Wyatt Earp; Signs & Symbols; Egyptian Mythology; Hodge Podge; Proverb Vs. Proverb)
The Daily Doubles had a negative effect on the scores; Burt and Dane both lost $2,000 on Daily Doubles! Things were close two-thirds of the way through the round, but Dane had a good finish to hold a lead going into Final!
Statistics after Double Jeopardy:
Dane 19 correct 4 incorrect
Burt 15 correct 7 incorrect
Emily 12 correct 5 incorrect
Total number of unplayed clues this season: 0 (0 today).
Scores going into Final:
Dane $10,800
Burt $7,200
Emily $3,600
Final Jeopardy today was a Triple Stumper, with the “Johnson” question being left unanswered! Burt’s overly aggressive bet led to Dane taking the victory and a spot in the semifinals!
Tonight’s results:
Emily $3,600 – $0 = $3,600 (Who is Abraham Lincoln?)
Burt $7,200 – $7,200 = $0 (Who are Lincoln and Truman)
Dane $10,800 – $5,000 = $5,800 (Who are Lincoln & FD) (Semi-Finalist)
Other Miscellaneous Game Statistics:
Daily Double locations:
1) ARE YOU SHAKESPEARIENCED? $800 (clue #11)
Dane 1800 +1200 (Burt 0 Emily 3000)
2) SOUTH AFRICA $1600 (clue #2)
Burt 1600 -2000 (Emily 4800 Dane 3200)
3) HODGE PODGE $1600 (clue #14, $14400 left on board)
Dane 6000 -2000 (Burt 3200 Emily 3200)
Overall Daily Double Efficiency for this game: -67
Clue Selection by Row, Before Daily Doubles Found:
J! Round:
Burt 5 5 5
Emily 3 3 3 4
Dane 4 5 2 4*
DJ! Round:
Burt 5 4* 5† 5 3 3† 3 3 3
Emily
Dane 4 5 4 3 4*
† – selection in same category as Daily Double
Average Row of Clue Selection, Before Daily Doubles Found:
Dane 3.89
Emily 3.25
Burt 4.08
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:
Dane $12,400 Coryat, 19 correct, 4 incorrect, 33.33% in first on buzzer (19/57), 2/2 on rebound attempts (on 9 rebound opportunities)
Emily $3,600 Coryat, 12 correct, 5 incorrect, 29.82% in first on buzzer (17/57), 0/0 on rebound attempts (on 7 rebound opportunities)
Burt $9,200 Coryat, 15 correct, 7 incorrect, 29.82% in first on buzzer (17/57), 2/4 on rebound attempts (on 8 rebound opportunities)
Combined Coryat Score: $25,200
Lach Trash: $13,200 (on 12 Triple Stumpers)
Coryat lost to incorrect responses (less double-correct responses): $15,600
Player Statistics:
Burt Thakur, career statistics:
44 correct, 16 incorrect
2/6 on rebound attempts (on 13 rebound opportunities)
27.65% in first on buzzer (47/170)
3/4 on Daily Doubles (Net Earned: $5,000)
1/3 in Final Jeopardy
Average Coryat: $9,333
Emily Seaman Hoy, career statistics:
47 correct, 10 incorrect
3/5 on rebound attempts (on 18 rebound opportunities)
28.65% in first on buzzer (49/171)
1/1 on Daily Doubles (Net Earned: $2,000)
0/3 in Final Jeopardy
Average Coryat: $9,067
Dane Reighard, career statistics:
86 correct, 14 incorrect
3/3 on rebound attempts (on 19 rebound opportunities)
38.16% in first on buzzer (87/228)
4/6 on Daily Doubles (Net Earned: $17,000)
2/4 in Final Jeopardy
Average Coryat: $15,000
Andy’s Thoughts:
- Ken certainly noticed and implied the special betting situation. It’s a shame none of the contestants seemed to notice.
- It was clear that the show had Johnny’s opening redubbed; Ken said that Burt was from Frisco, Texas in the interview, but he was introduced as being from Palm Springs.
- If you are in the Dallas area, I’m curious to hear if the show airs as planned there tonight.
- In case you missed the ending, the end credits did show Emily and her family do a human pyramid on the Jeopardy! set with Ken.
- Today’s box score: October 2, 2023 Box Score.
Final Jeopardy! wagering suggestions:
(Scores: Dane $10,800 Burt $7,200 Emily $3,600)
Burt: Bet $0 or $1. (Actual bet: $7,200)
Emily: Your best chance at victory comes if you go all in. (Actual bet: $0)
Dane: Standard cover bet over Burt is $3,601. I would highly suggest not betting any more than this, because it’s a special betting situation here. (Actual bet: $5,000)
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My first thought was LBJ, regarding the death of JFK. However, I knew that that was wrong, because Kennedy was assassinated in November, ON MY BIRTHDAY, which is why the events of that day are forever burned into my brain. Secondly, I thought of Andrew Johnson, regarding Lincoln’s death. But, the 80-year timeline was wrong. Unfortunately, I didn’t remember the date of FDR’s passing. I think that this was a difficult-enough Final! clue for the contestants not to get it correctly in 30 seconds. Hence, the Triple Stumper outcome.
I can always remember that Lincoln was shot in April because of the ‘Civil War’ book “Across Five Aprils” that we had to read in Junior High, so I expected Andrew Johnson to be easily thought of first, then everyone have to go through what possibilities would be 80 years later because Washington took office less than 80 years before Johnson. Yet there would probably be suspicious minds who thought Jeopardy could be trying to make it very hard by picking a totally different 80 year span (but I would have then “2nd thought” that there was no way that they would expect anyone to sort through other possibilities in less than 30 seconds [plus writing time] so I would have then just gone for the obvious).
I would presume Burt being an announced candidate, would mean the producers checked with the FCC with regards to his participation and it’s “Equal Time” rule. I vaugely seem to recall that the FCC ruled that in the candidacies of Ronald Reagan, his appearances as an actor did not fall under this rule. So I’d presume that Burt playing Jeopardy would follow that ruling.
The Final Jeopardy, I’d originally was thinking 9/11, and, whichever President Bush. But realized that wouldn’t fit the answer. So, I was with out a reponse