Warning: This page contains spoilers for the October 23, 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 Music Men) for Monday, October 23, 2023 (Season 40, Game 31):
Before creating this record label in 1959, its founder worked on a Lincoln-Mercury assembly line
(correct response beneath the contestants)
Today’s Jeopardy! contestants:
Leah Wiegand, a stay-at-home mom from Austin, Texas
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Pasquale Palumbo, a financial advisor from Hawthorne, New York
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Isaac Applebaum, a corporate development analyst from Mountain View, California
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Andy’s Pre-Game Thoughts:
Welcome to the start of Week 7 of Season 40 of Jeopardy!; as it turns out, as of today, we’re now 31 episodes into the 71 episodes of strike replacement programming, with today being Game #2 of the Diamonds bracket of Champions Wildcard.
Have you noticed the changed logo for Champions Wildcard for the brackets? Underneath Champions Wildcard, there was two stars and a spade for the Spades bracket, and now there is two stars and a diamond for the Diamonds bracket.
Today’s game features a pair of 1-day champions in Leah Wiegand and Pasquale Palumbo, along with Isaac Applebaum, who finished fourth in the 2022 Jeopardy National College Championship but did not have a high enough score in the semifinal in order to qualify for the final. Isaac was also scheduled to be a part of last season’s Second Chance competition as a result, but when he was unable to play there, he was moved to Champions Wildcard, as that is probably a more apt placement for a player who has two wins under his belt. One thing to note is that Pasquale’s buzzer stats were strong in his original stint compared to Isaac and Leah; it would not surprise me if Pasquale did the best on the signalling device in this one.
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 “Avoiding Daily Doubles For Fun and Profit”. Questionist also has a newsletter that you can sign up for!
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Correct response: What is Motown Records?
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.)
I have a few thoughts about this Final Jeopardy. Most of them are good, though!
Firstly, I do think that this is a much better way to ask about Motown founder Berry Gordy than the debacle of September 15, 2020. There aren’t any “but no, this isn’t actually a sound-alike even though it actually does sound alike” traps today.
Secondly, I’m surprised that we’re seeing this Final in this stage of the competition, being that Cory Burns Barger—who you’ll be seeing on Friday—was one of the players in that aforementioned September 15, 2020 game.
On to this Final: aspiring songwriter Berry Gordy, Jr. (And don’t you dare think it’s spelled Barry!) began working on a Lincoln-Mercury assembly line, making $86.40 a week upholstering the cars. He only lasted two years at Lincoln-Mercury, leaving to pursue his dream and founding Tamla Records, soon to become Motown Records, by the end of the 1950s.
As Gordy put it in To Be Loved, his autobiography:
My own dream for a hit factory was quickly taking form, a concept that had been shaped by principles I had learned on the Lincoln-Mercury assembly line. At the plant, the cars started out as just a frame, pulled along on conveyor belts until they emerged at the end of the line… I wanted the same concept for my company, only with artists and songs and records. I wanted a place where a kid off the street could walk in one door an unknown and come out another a recording artist—a star.
With this formula, Motown churned out dozens of hit songs for artists ranging from Mary Wells, The Supremes, The Temptations, Smokey Robinson & The Miracles, Thelma Houston, Marvin Gaye, the Jackson 5, and Boyz II Men.
This is going to be an incredibly straightforward Final Jeopardy for most of the show’s viewing audience, who do tend to be older than the contestants—many viewers may have had Motown artists among the very first records they bought as children. Will it be as straightforward for younger contestants or viewers? That remains to be seen.
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Game Recap & Tonight’s Game Stats:
Looking to find out who won Jeopardy! today? Here’s the Monday, October 23, 2023 Jeopardy! by the numbers, along with a recap:
Jeopardy! Round:
(Categories: The Really Old College Try; Just Kidding; A Woman Of The World; The Name Of The Game; Always Say Never; Stupid Proverbs)
All three players got off to a good start, but Isaac was at $0 at the opening break following a missed True Daily Double. However, he did bounce back well with six correct responses after the break to re-take the lead!
Statistics at the first break (15 clues):
Pasquale 4 correct 1 incorrect
Leah 5 correct 0 incorrect
Isaac 4 correct 1 incorrect
Today’s interviews:
Leah took her daughter on a trip to Disney World with some of her winnings.
Pasquale got to talk football with Aaron Rodgers.
Isaac is still applying for medical school in honor of his mother who is five years cancer free.
Statistics after the Jeopardy round:
Isaac 10 correct 1 incorrect
Pasquale 7 correct 4 incorrect
Leah 5 correct 2 incorrect
Scores after the Jeopardy! Round:
Isaac $3,800
Pasquale $2,200
Leah $800
Double Jeopardy! Round:
(Categories: A River Runs To It; “Baby” Movies; The History Channel; People With Muppet Names; No, I Don’t Need A Doctor; Smart Answers)
Seven incorrect responses (and two missed Daily Doubles) kept the scores in four figures today in Double Jeopardy; Leah held a slim lead going into Final.
Statistics after Double Jeopardy:
Leah 10 correct 3 incorrect
Isaac 16 correct 4 incorrect
Pasquale 17 correct 7 incorrect
Total number of unplayed clues this season: 0 (0 today).
Scores going into Final:
Leah $7,600
Isaac $6,700
Pasquale $4,900
Leah and Isaac got Final correct; while she didn’t bet to cover, she did bet enough to take the win today! She’s now a semifinalist!
Tonight’s results:
Pasquale $4,900 – $0 = $4,900 (What is 8 Mile?)
Isaac $6,700 + $3,101 = $9,801 (What is Motown)
Leah $7,600 + $5,000 = $12,600 (What is Motown?) (Semi-Finalist)
Other Miscellaneous Game Statistics:
Daily Double locations:
1) A WOMAN OF THE WORLD $800 (clue #10)
Isaac 1600 -1600 (Pasquale 1200 Leah 1600)
2) PEOPLE WITH MUPPET NAMES $1600 (clue #16)
Pasquale 4600 -2500 (Isaac 3000 Leah 3600)
3) A RIVER RUNS TO IT $2000 (clue #29, $1200 left on board)
Isaac 7000 -1500 (Pasquale 4900 Leah 7600)
Overall Daily Double Efficiency for this game: -176
Clue Selection by Row, Before Daily Doubles Found:
J! Round:
Isaac 2 3 2 3 4*
Pasquale 5 1
Leah 2 3 4
DJ! Round:
Isaac 3 4 5 1 2 1 3 1 4 5*
Pasquale 2 3 4 2 2 4* 5† 2 2 3 4
Leah 1 5 1 3 4 5 1 5
† – selection in same category as Daily Double
Average Row of Clue Selection, Before Daily Doubles Found:
Leah 3.09
Isaac 2.87
Pasquale 3.00
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:
Leah $7,600 Coryat, 10 correct, 3 incorrect, 21.05% in first on buzzer (12/57), 1/1 on rebound attempts (on 6 rebound opportunities)
Isaac $9,800 Coryat, 16 correct, 4 incorrect, 29.82% in first on buzzer (17/57), 1/1 on rebound attempts (on 7 rebound opportunities)
Pasquale $7,400 Coryat, 17 correct, 7 incorrect, 36.84% in first on buzzer (21/57), 0/2 on rebound attempts (on 5 rebound opportunities)
Combined Coryat Score: $24,800
Lach Trash: $14,800 (on 14 Triple Stumpers)
Coryat lost to incorrect responses (less double-correct responses): $14,400
Lead Changes: 10
Times Tied: 3
Player Statistics:
Isaac Applebaum, career statistics:
53 correct, 10 incorrect
4/6 on rebound attempts (on 18 rebound opportunities)
28.07% in first on buzzer (48/171)
4/6 on Daily Doubles (Net Earned: $3,700)
3/3 in Final Jeopardy
Average Coryat: $11,133
Pasquale Palumbo, career statistics:
60 correct, 16 incorrect
1/4 on rebound attempts (on 13 rebound opportunities)
39.41% in first on buzzer (67/170)
0/2 on Daily Doubles (Net Earned: -$7,500)
1/3 in Final Jeopardy
Average Coryat: $12,933
Leah Wiegand, career statistics:
33 correct, 6 incorrect
3/3 on rebound attempts (on 15 rebound opportunities)
18.71% in first on buzzer (32/171)
1/1 on Daily Doubles (Net Earned: $4,000)
1/3 in Final Jeopardy
Average Coryat: $9,600
Andy’s Thoughts:
- I certainly hope that the remaining semifinalists noticed Leah’s lack of a cover bet in this one. In Isaac’s defense, there was certainly nothing broadcast that might give the home viewer an indication that Leah wouldn’t make the standard cover bet.
- This game definitely had the same feel as many late Season 39 games.
- Today’s box score: October 23, 2023 Box Score.
Final Jeopardy! wagering suggestions:
(Scores: Leah $7,600 Isaac $6,700 Pasquale $4,900)
Isaac: Standard cover bet over Pasquale is $3,101. (Actual bet: $3,101)
Pasquale: Bet to $1,300 or less for the best chance of winning on the Triple Stumper.(Actual bet: $0)
Leah: Standard cover bet over Isaac is $5,801. (Actual bet: $5,000)
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Car assembly line—“motor town”—records—“Motown”—got it. (But then I am older.)
P.S. Hi Judith P.! This is about what you called your “wild goose chase” on Friday. I looked up some words for you. “Taj Mahal” literally means “Crown of the Palace”. “Mahal” is an Indian word of Persian and Arabic origin. While it can mean “palace” or “mansion”, it can also simply mean “living quarters”. “Abad” is a word also of Persian and Arabic origin. It means “dwelling”. So your guess was really not that far off! (Although since they specifically wanted the Indian word “Mahal”, I still doubt that they would have given it to you. Sigh….)
Hi RedRose, Yes, I did actually read your comment to me which was on the bottom of Page 2 in the Comments Section, regarding last Friday’s game. Thank you. Also, today’s clue was super easy for me, too, as I’ve been a huge Motown Records fan since way back in the 4th grade. Even when I was a kid, I knew that his name was Berry, not Barry, because I noticed how unusual of a name it was, even back then. It’s nice to get the Final! correct to start off a new week. Cheers!
Most of Gordy’s greatest artists grew up together within a few square blocks. Amazing what a concentration of talent! Thanks for all the great tunes, BERRY!
1959 and record label led me to a guess of Motown and the rest of the clue assured me that I most probably was correct.
The ‘record label’ and ‘Lincoln-Mercury’ hints got me to it. I wasn’t sure about the year.
Record label created in 1959 could only lead me to Berry Gordy, Jr.
Also being that I live in the same city as Isaac, no doubt I want him to win.
Also since MNF is on our local ABC station which airs the game and the 49ers are playing, we won’t get to see today’s Jeopardy! game until 10:30 tonight!!!
Irony of the Berry Gordy connection aside (incidentally, in that fateful game back in 2020, I knew the correct response, but would have made the exact same spelling error), I had a brief thought toward Cadillac Records before realizing that A: that was a movie, not an actual label, and B: Motown made much more sense anyway. That I wouldn’t need to worry about spelling Mr. Gordy’s first name wrong this time was a bonus (although a mistake that I will never make again anyway, based on the aforementioned episode).
The record label from 1959 helped me to get Motown. I like their music especially the song War!
As a child of the 1950’s and having come of age in the 1960’s, this was a given for me. That aside, I could see whereby someone might have stumbled over whether they were looking for the label or the founder’s name. I actually read it twice to make sure the clue was looking for the name of the label.
Same here.
A “straightforward” Final Jeopardy? Yes, if one put record label, and, “working on a Lincoln Mercury assembley line” together. I didn’t know the year Berry Gordy founded his label, but the rest was enough for me to say, without much thought, “What is Motown?”
And, yes, two days in to this “suit” of the Wild Card competition, I did note the change from a spade to a diamond, in the logo.
I was wondering if the suit would change come this 2nd round and was pleasantly surprised when it did in last Friday’s show. Good job Jeopardy!
Concerning pronunciation/spelling, a comment on that notorious/controversial day said ““Barry” does NOT have the same sound as the first syllable in “Barbara” unless you’re Thurston Howell III.” Now one could say “unless you’re NoHo Hank”.
However, I have lived my whole life in the South and I can attest that many people “down here” pronounce the name of the delicious little red fruits as strawbarries. [Also libraries as lyberries.] Per the Motown Museum “Like many other African Americans in the early 20th century, Berry Gordy, Sr. and his wife, Bertha Fuller Gordy, came North from Georgia to find a better life for themselves and their family.” As Berry III (professionally known as Berry Jr.) was born in 1929, it would not be surprising if many of their acquaintances (and maybe even relatives) pronounced it Barry and I feel like he would never have taken offense at hearing it said that way.