Warning: This page contains spoilers for the January 29, 2024, 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 Historical Fiction) for Monday, January 29, 2024 (Season 40, Game 101):
Stan Lee said the alias-using title character of this novel set during the French Revolution “was the 1st super hero I… read about”
(correct response beneath the contestants)
Today’s Jeopardy! contestants:
Martha Bath, a retired CPA from Seattle, Washington
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Andy Tirrell, a political science & international relations professor from San Diego, California
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Lloyd Sy, a professor of American literature originally from Rockford, Illinois
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Andy’s Pregame Thoughts:
In our first of three semifinals of Group 1 of Winter 2024 Champions Wildcard, we have Lloyd Sy, Andy Tirrell, and Martha Bath. Lloyd dominated on the buzzer in the quarters, successfully getting in on a nearly-unheard-of 81% of his attempts. If that keeps up in the semis, I think you can put Lloyd into the final right now. However, they don’t play the games on paper. Lloyd could just as easily lose buzzer timing, and both Andy and Martha are strong enough players to be able to find themselves in the winner’s circle.
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Correct response: What is The Scarlet Pimpernel?
More information about Final Jeopardy:
(The following write-up is original content and is copyright 2024 The Jeopardy! Fan. It may not be copied without linked attribution back to this page.)
An early 20th-century work by Baroness Orczy, The Scarlet Pimpernel originated as a London stage play before becoming a novel. In it, the title Scarlet Pimpernel was the alter ego of Sir Percy Blakely, who would travel across the English Channel saving French aristocrats from “Madame Guillotine”.
It certainly originated the trope of a hero behind a secret identity who would perform “good deeds”, serving as later inspiration for superheroes such as Superman and Batman, especially as Stan Lee often cited the work as personal inspiration for him.
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Game Recap & Tonight’s Game Stats:
Looking to find out who won Jeopardy! today? Here’s the Monday, January 29, 2024 Jeopardy! by the numbers, along with a recap:
Jeopardy! Round:
(Categories: The Country That Borders Both; Where There’S A Will; Women In Sports; 19Th Century Authors; Going To The Dogs; It Ends With “U”)
Lloyd certainly had a good time on the buzzer early. However, he also had a bit of a problem with incorrect responses! This gave Martha the lead after 15 clues. The Daily Double took a very long time to come out, and Andy found it when the game was in a three-way tie! Andy broke that three-way decisively with a True Daily Double and had a big lead after 30 clues.
Statistics at the first break (15 clues):
Martha 5 correct 0 incorrect
Andy 5 correct 2 incorrect
Lloyd 4 correct 2 incorrect
Today’s interviews:
Martha thought her win last September was redemption 50 years in the making.
Andy was surprised he even got to be on the show in the first place.
Lloyd had to cancel a talk at a conference to compete at Champions Wildcard.
Statistics after the Jeopardy round:
Andy 14 correct 3 incorrect
Martha 6 correct 0 incorrect
Lloyd 8 correct 3 incorrect
Scores after the Jeopardy! Round:
Andy $8,400
Martha $4,200
Lloyd $3,400
Double Jeopardy! Round:
(Categories: Myth Around & Find Out; Tv Theme Songs; Lost In Space; “D.D.”; Historic Names; Booze Clues)
Unlike the opening round, the first Daily Double came out very early in this round. Martha’s correct response here tied her with Andy for the lead! However, Lloyd got his incorrect responses under control and went on a major charge in the middle part of the Double Jeopardy round, reeling in both Andy and Martha. By the time the last Daily Double was found, everyone was over $10,000! Lloyd went for a small wager on that Daily Double, though, and while he led going into Final, everyone was still very much in contention!
Statistics after Double Jeopardy:
Lloyd 20 correct 4 incorrect
Andy 24 correct 3 incorrect
Martha 11 correct 0 incorrect
Total number of unplayed clues this season: 0 (0 today).
Scores going into Final:
Lloyd $19,800
Andy $16,800
Martha $11,200
Only Andy came up with the correct response in Final—that makes him a finalist!
Tonight’s results:
Martha $11,200 – $4,000 = $7,200 (What is Sidney Carton?)
Andy $16,800 + $6,001 = $22,801 (What is The Scarlett Pimpernel) (Finalist)
Lloyd $19,800 – $14,000 = $5,800 (What is The Count of Monte Cristo?)
Other Miscellaneous Game Statistics:
Daily Double locations:
1) 19th CENTURY AUTHORS $400 (clue #25)
Andy 3800 +3800 (Lloyd 3800 Martha 3800)
2) BOOZE CLUES $2000 (clue #3)
Martha 5400 +3000 (Lloyd 3400 Andy 8400)
3) LOST IN SPACE $1600 (clue #18, $10000 left on board)
Lloyd 14200 +2000 (Andy 11600 Martha 10000)
Overall Daily Double Efficiency for this game: 170
Clue Selection by Row, Before Daily Doubles Found:
J! Round:
Lloyd 2 4 3 5 4 5 3 4 5 3
Andy 5 4 3 2 1 3 4 2 5 2*
Martha 3 4 5 2 1
DJ! Round:
Lloyd 4 3 2 3 4 5 3 4 5 4 2 4*
Andy 3 4 3
Martha 5* 2† 5
† – selection in same category as Daily Double
Average Row of Clue Selection, Before Daily Doubles Found:
Andy 3.15
Martha 3.38
Lloyd 3.68
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:
Andy $13,400 Coryat, 24 correct, 3 incorrect, 42.11% in first on buzzer (24/57), 1/2 on rebound attempts (on 4 rebound opportunities)
Martha $10,200 Coryat, 11 correct, 0 incorrect, 14.04% in first on buzzer (8/57), 2/2 on rebound attempts (on 6 rebound opportunities)
Lloyd $19,400 Coryat, 20 correct, 4 incorrect, 38.60% in first on buzzer (22/57), 1/1 on rebound attempts (on 2 rebound opportunities)
Combined Coryat Score: $43,000
Lach Trash: $5,800 (on 5 Triple Stumpers)
Coryat lost to incorrect responses (less double-correct responses): $5,200
Lead Changes: 6
Times Tied: 6
Player Statistics:
Lloyd Sy, career statistics:
110 correct, 17 incorrect
4/5 on rebound attempts (on 19 rebound opportunities)
38.60% in first on buzzer (110/285)
4/7 on Daily Doubles (Net Earned: $5,890)
3/5 in Final Jeopardy
Average Coryat: $17,240
Andy Tirrell, career statistics:
79 correct, 11 incorrect
3/5 on rebound attempts (on 20 rebound opportunities)
34.21% in first on buzzer (78/228)
3/3 on Daily Doubles (Net Earned: $12,500)
3/4 in Final Jeopardy
Average Coryat: $12,900
Martha Bath, career statistics:
61 correct, 4 incorrect
13/13 on rebound attempts (on 28 rebound opportunities)
19.30% in first on buzzer (44/228)
4/4 on Daily Doubles (Net Earned: $8,200)
2/4 in Final Jeopardy
Average Coryat: $12,100
Andy’s Thoughts:
- As I said, this tournament is not played on paper. The history of the show is littered with those who dominated a quarterfinal but lost in the semis.
- Because this always seems to come up: to go from a correct response to an incorrect one, you have to deduct twice the value of the clue.
- Today’s box score will be linked to when posted by the show.
Final Jeopardy! wagering suggestions:
(Scores: Lloyd $19,800 Andy $16,800 Martha $11,200)
Lloyd: Standard cover bet over Andy is $13,801. (Actual bet: $14,000)
Andy: Standard cover bet over Martha is $5,601. (Actual bet: $6,001)
Martha: If Andy bets to cover you, he falls to $11,199. Bet $0. (Actual bet: $4,000)
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I knew “The Scarlet Pimpernel” was a fictional alias-using hero active during the French Revolution. That was all, but it was enough.
I did not catch the answer for vodka made in Austin,Texas. (01-29-2024)
Tito’s Vodka.
Learning about the French revolution helped me to get the scarlet pimpernel. I think I can try to find it in the library later
I never heard that quote from Stan Lee, but even with out it, I thought the keywords from this Final Jeopardy, set during the French Revolution, “superhero” made it a seeming straightforward one. It certainly was for me, as soon as I finished hearing Ken read the answer, and, my reading it, I immediately came up with “What is the Scarlet Pimpernel?”
“Is he in heaven, or is he in hell?/ That damned, elusive, Pimpernel.” That line has stuck with me ever since my youth. Therefore, he did not elude me for this FJ and I was able to come up with the correct response almost immediately.
I thought all of the FJ responses were good alternatives.
As Andy frequently reminds us, Daily Doubles are usually easier than FJ. Lloyd had a chance to put the game away with his DD, but didn’t take the big risk. Andy’s advice would have been helpful here. Of course, that’s easy to say in retrospect, not so easy when you are on the spot during the pressure of the game. Still, what might have been.
If I have this correct, Lloyd could’ve wagered an additional $12200, which would’ve put him at at $32000 if everything played out the same after the DD, and still short of runaway territory. Andy still would’ve won with a correct bet in FJ.
I agree that betting big was the right move, but it doesn’t seem the bid was decisive here.
When they revoked Lloyd’s answer of “Defoe” to the $1600 DD clue, they removed $3200 from his score. Does anyone know why? Did I see it wrong?
Alexandra:
With all due respect, why do I even bother to do any writing at all when people are going to completely ignore it and ask a question explicitly answered by the post above?
LOL, Andy, you anticipated the question and it got asked anyway. It is almost as if you manifested it. Gotta love it.
Yes but was it really an incorrect response. Shouldn’t Ken have asked Lloyd to be more specific. Or, because of the D.D. category is any non dd response automatically incorrect (which seems was the ruling here). I could see a good case for only deducting the clue value here.
I knew that they were going to end up having to rule Lloyd incorrect when I heard give an okay with only 1 D as an answer. I’ve never heard of a situation where you don’t deduct double the clue amount, but perhaps it has happened. I was also thinking Ken might ask “more specific” or perhaps say nothing to Lloyd until time ran out him and he hadn’t given a response with 2 D’s.
Anyone else have an opinion here about this?
When the category requires a particular format, any response that doesn’t meet that format is incorrect and should be ruled as such immediately. This is true even if the response would be ruled correct or elicit a prompt for more specificity if the category was different.
I also can’t think of any situations where a “single deduction” has happened. Sometimes you’ll see the undoubled value of the clue added back in a case where two players respond incorrectly and the first player is later ruled correct. The second player will have the value of the clue only added back.
There is an instance similar to this where only the clue amount was deducted on an overturn; it happened in a 2018 game. Category: THE B.G.s. $1000 clue, intended response: “Button” Gwinnett. “Button” alone is given; initially ruled correct, that $1000 is removed later, but not a further $1000.
The key difference between that and the Defoe ruling: there, no quotation marks in the category title. And a precedent has been found that is exactly on point and was handled exactly the same. In 2015, Matt Jackson similarly relied on “last names only” to state “Turgenev” in a category titled THE “I.T.” GUY; Alex Trebek initially gave it to Matt, but it was reversed to a miss later.
I explain it all here, including Archive links: https://mattcarberry.substack.com/p/on-last-nights-defoe-ruling
Thank you for this site. My TV froze right at the answer!!! I have a lot of trouble with NBC!!!
What was the Lost sin Space question about Heidi losing the $1m tool bag in space.
LOST IN SPACE $800: Working on one of these space station power providers, astronaut Heide Stefanyshyn-Piper lost a tool bag & it floated away
What is a solar panel?
I was watching this on DVR. Our local channel never showed Final Jeopardy! They showed about 7 minutes of commercials instead. Thank you for this web site!
Well well, that was a fun and competitive game. 🙂 3 great players locked in a tight match. Just the way I like em! Retro congratulations to Andy Tirrell on the win and him moving on to the 2 day final that starts on Thursday. Andy has really impressed me. I don’t think he was given enough credit when he defeated Cris Pannullo (I might have been one of those to not give enough credit). I was a Poli Sci major, so it’s nice to see a Poli Sci Professor doing so well.
Like Andy said, this is why the games aren’t played on paper and is why we play the games.
I have Juveria picked to win tomorrow night’s game. Time will tell!
I had not one iota about the FJ answer, but I threw something out there last moment and I was wrong. 🙁