Warning: This page contains spoilers for the December 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 Those Zany Ancient Romans) for Thursday, December 28, 2023 (Season 40, Game 79):
In the 20s B.C. the Emperor’s sister Octavia had a sitcom-worthy home including the boy & girl twin children of this man & woman
(correct response beneath the contestants)
Today’s Jeopardy! contestants:
Xanni Brown, a post-doc researcher originally from Cincinnati, Ohio
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Mitch Cutter, a salmon conservation associate from Boise, Idaho
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Raquel Matta, a copy editor from San Pablo, California
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Andy’s Pregame Thoughts:
Today’s third semifinal of Week 2 of Winter 2024’s Second Chance competition is an interesting matchup. All three players in this game lost to very highly regarded opposition. Raquel Matta came within a Final Jeopardy wager from beating Hannah Wilson. Mitch Cutter gave Ray Lalonde a very strong match back in December. And, unlike what some people would have had you try to believe last November when she lost in runaway fashion to Cris Pannullo, Xanni Brown is back because she had the highest-ever second-place score going into Final Jeopardy on the receiving end of a runaway game. Whoever wins this will face off against Christopher Pennant and Greg Czaja on Friday and Monday.
Another reminder that I have started a Sunday mailbag column where I answer fan & viewer questions regarding the show. If you have a question, feel free to send it to mailbag@thejeopardyfan.com!
(Content continues below)
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Correct response: Who are (Marc) Antony & Cleopatra?
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 love affair between Antony & Cleopatra has become the stuff of legend, certainly aided by the Shakespeare play about the couple. However, what is lesser known is that they produced offspring: Cleopatra Selene and Alexander Helios were born in the autumn of 40 B.C. Things went well for Antony in the 30s B.C.; however, his actual wife, Octavia, was the sister of Octavian (perhaps better known today as Augustus Caesar). When an alleged copy of Mark Antony’s will was discovered in which Antony stated his wishes to be buried with Cleopatra in Alexandria and not Octavia in Rome, the Emperor had had enough of this familial insult, and military action ensued. By 30 B.C., defeat for Antony and Cleopatra were inevitable, and they died together (rather than surrender).
Now that the children had been orphaned, responsibility for the children fell upon Octavia; the large extended family lived on Palatine Hill with all of Antony’s and Octavia’s other children, and a number of other children of various leaders of conquered empires. One of those children was the son of King Juba of Numidia, who became known as Juba II, who became both a noted Roman scholar and Cleopatra Selene’s first husband.
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Game Recap & Tonight’s Game Stats:
Looking to find out who won Jeopardy! today? Here’s the Thursday, December 28, 2023 Jeopardy! by the numbers, along with a recap:
Jeopardy! Round:
(Categories: NBA Nicknames; Hey, Where’s That?; For The Gram; Speed Dating; Touch Type; Hunt & Peck)
It was Mitch who got to the first Daily Double, but an incorrect response brought him back to $0. By the end of the opening round, all three players were separated by just $400.
Statistics at the first break (15 clues):
Raquel 4 correct 1 incorrect
Xanni 5 correct 3 incorrect
Mitch 3 correct 2 incorrect
Today’s interviews:
Xanni clearly does not read this website as she was unaware of her record.
Mitch is still working with salmon.
Raquel realized she made a mistake in Final Jeopardy the last time she played.
Statistics after the Jeopardy round:
Raquel 6 correct 1 incorrect
Mitch 11 correct 2 incorrect
Xanni 10 correct 3 incorrect
Scores after the Jeopardy! Round:
Raquel $3,200
Mitch $3,000
Xanni $2,800
Double Jeopardy! Round:
(Categories: World Capitals; Women On Trial; Triple Initial Writers; Measurement; Amazing Armenians; I’d Like To Change A Vowel, Pat)
Xanni got to both Daily Doubles within the first five clues, which propelled her to a massive lead! However, both Raquel and Mitch battled back, and things were very interesting score-wise going into Final, with Mitch, Raquel, and Xanni all on multiples of $5,800!
Statistics after Double Jeopardy:
Xanni 21 correct 5 incorrect
Raquel 13 correct 1 incorrect
Mitch 18 correct 5 incorrect
Total number of unplayed clues this season: 0 (0 today).
Scores going into Final:
Xanni $17,400
Raquel $11,600
Mitch $5,800
All three players were given credit for a correct response, with Xanni adding an H to her response also being accepted! That advances Xanni to the final!
Tonight’s results:
Mitch $5,800 + $5,800 = $11,600 (Who are Antony & Cleopatra?)
Raquel $11,600 + $0 = $11,600 (Who are Antony & Cleopatra)
Xanni $17,400 + $6,000 = $23,400 (Who are Anthony + Cleopatra?) (Finalist)
Other Miscellaneous Game Statistics:
Daily Double locations:
1) TOUCH TYPE $800 (clue #12)
Mitch 1800 -1800 (Raquel 1000 Xanni 800)
2) WORLD CAPITALS $2000 (clue #2)
Xanni 2800 +2800 (Raquel 3200 Mitch 1400)
3) TRIPLE INITIAL WRITERS $1600 (clue #5, $28000 left on board)
Xanni 7200 +5000 (Raquel 4400 Mitch 1400)
Overall Daily Double Efficiency for this game: 69
Clue Selection by Row, Before Daily Doubles Found:
J! Round:
Raquel 3 4 5 2 2
Mitch 5 4 4*
Xanni 3 4 5 3
DJ! Round:
Raquel 4
Mitch
Xanni 4 5* 3 4*
Average Row of Clue Selection, Before Daily Doubles Found:
Xanni 3.88
Mitch 4.33
Raquel 3.33
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:
Xanni $13,200 Coryat, 21 correct, 5 incorrect, 38.60% in first on buzzer (22/57), 2/2 on rebound attempts (on 4 rebound opportunities)
Mitch $7,600 Coryat, 18 correct, 5 incorrect, 33.33% in first on buzzer (19/57), 3/3 on rebound attempts (on 5 rebound opportunities)
Raquel $11,600 Coryat, 13 correct, 1 incorrect, 21.05% in first on buzzer (12/57), 1/2 on rebound attempts (on 9 rebound opportunities)
Combined Coryat Score: $32,400
Lach Trash: $10,000 (on 7 Triple Stumpers)
Coryat lost to incorrect responses (less double-correct responses): $11,600
Lead Changes: 4
Times Tied: 1
Player Statistics:
Raquel Matta, career statistics:
30 correct, 2 incorrect
2/3 on rebound attempts (on 13 rebound opportunities)
21.93% in first on buzzer (25/114)
1/2 on Daily Doubles (Net Earned: $1,600)
2/2 in Final Jeopardy
Average Coryat: $13,200
Mitch Cutter, career statistics:
39 correct, 8 incorrect
3/3 on rebound attempts (on 5 rebound opportunities)
35.09% in first on buzzer (40/114)
1/2 on Daily Doubles (Net Earned: $1,800)
2/2 in Final Jeopardy
Average Coryat: $11,200
Xanni Brown, career statistics:
42 correct, 6 incorrect
3/3 on rebound attempts (on 6 rebound opportunities)
35.09% in first on buzzer (40/114)
3/3 on Daily Doubles (Net Earned: $10,000)
1/2 in Final Jeopardy
Average Coryat: $15,700
Andy’s Thoughts:
- A previous statement here compared this ruling to one that was made regarding Shakespeare play Antony and Cleopatra, and upon further reflection, the two situations are not close enough to be analogous. I wish to retract my previous statement. When it refers to the person Mark Antony (and not the Shakespeare play character), it should be noted that both “Antony” and “Anthony” are acceptable Anglicizations of Marcus Antonius, and upon further reflection, I do now think the judges made the correct call today. (I would like to credit user david-saint-hubbins on Reddit for his finding this information and posting it to Reddit’s game thread. It was certainly enough to change my mind!)
- I should also make it abundantly clear that in light of this further information, the fact that both are Anglicizations means that this outcome will not be re-litigated in the comment section tonight.
- In case there is any confusion here, when Ken says “we’re going to accept it”—that is not his call. The call was made by the judges offstage, likely after significant deliberation, and Ken is simply communicating that decision to the viewing audience.
- Today’s box score: December 28, 2023 Box Score.
Final Jeopardy! wagering suggestions:
(Scores: Xanni $17,400 Raquel $11,600 Mitch $5,800)
Raquel: I’d probably bet on myself here and bet $1—but $0 is certainly defensible to if you dislike the category. (Actual bet: $0)
Mitch: You have one choice here: go all in. (Actual bet: $5,800)
Xanni: Standard cover bet over Raquel is $5,801. Because it’s a special betting scenario, don’t bet any more than that. (Actual bet: $6,000)
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“Now that their parents had been orphaned…”—Andy, surely you meant that “they…” (the children) “had been orphaned…”?
seems to have been corrected – says ‘children’ now.
I actually worked this out in thirty seconds: Octavia = sister of Octavian = Augustus –> defeated Antony & Cleopatra. It might be harder for the contestants to do this under pressure.
Cleopatra Selene’s first wife?? Those Romans were certainly ahead of their time!
Thank you both for your notes and I hope my errors this morning gave everyone some amusement.
I got this Final Jeopardy when I worked out that they keywords “this man and woman” seemed to refer to famous lovers. The only famous lovers from the age of the Roman Empire were Anthony and Cleopatra. Still wasn’t sure, was glad to find out I was right. So, I’ll take the get.
This man and woman famous lovers hint got me to Anthony and Cleopatra even after reading about the play of this in school. Happy to see everyone getting this one.
Just an “aside” about the Anglicizations of the name Antonius is that not only have I seen it spelled both ways and pronounced either way, I’ve heard (more than once) each pronounced the opposite way (by family members who presumably know) than how the so-named person spells it.
If I had to give my stance on the ruling, I’d probably go with an opinion I saw seven months ago. (Which probably speaks more to how unoriginal I am than anything else, lol)
Following the whole Benedict/Benedick ruling situation, Vaughn Winchell tweeted that while he agreed with the ruling, he didn’t like the clue itself, because the way it was worded invited the kind of error that Ben Chan made. The more I think over both that and this ruling, the more I agree with him. I’m fine with the ruling, but I don’t really like the clue.
Now, do I think the show should stop asking about Antony and Cleopatra? No. Ancient Roman history (and Shakespeare, I guess) is just as important a part of the J! canon as architecture, or world capitals, or sports, or even gasp opera. But asking to name the pair of them should, in my opinion, be mostly limited to the first 60 clues – putting something like that as a Final Jeopardy, where contestants have to worry about spelling and pronunciation, is just asking for a situation to happen like what happened with Xanni today. And with all the information floating around about Mayim’s firing/being let go, I think a rulings controversy is the absolute last thing the show needs right now.
The Beatrice and Benedick clue was great material in my opinion, but they should’ve asked for the name of the play rather than the name of the characters.
Maybe I’m missing something obvious, but what was the theme for the category “for the gram”? It’s driving me crazy.
It was a category about Instagram.
So, I guess in the event of a tie between the second and third place contestants the winnings are based on their positions going into FJ, or is there some kind of offscreen thumb-wrestling or Rochambeau or…?
That is correct; ties for second and third place are broken in favor of whoever leads going into Final Jeopardy.
I’m not so good at the BC Roman stuff, so I had no clue. Alas, I have heard of these 2 though. Might have had more of a chance in High School, as opposed to at 55 years old. LOL.
Looking forward to an exciting 2 game Finals. I’ll go with Greg for the win, as he seems most likely to go for it with huge DD bets (if he finds them).