Warning: This page contains spoilers for the February 22, 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 On Vacation In Italy) for Thursday, February 22, 2024 (Season 40, Game 119):
About 30 miles from Florence, a little hill gives this tiny Tuscan town its name, familiar to American visitors
(correct response beneath the contestants)
Today’s Jeopardy! contestants:
Mira Hayward, a podcast host from Portland, Oregon (Yesterday’s total: $2,800)
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Jesse Matheny, a customer success specialist originally from Huntington, Indiana (Yesterday’s total: $2,800)
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Deb Bilodeau, a restaurant server from San Francisco, California (Yesterday’s total: $21,600)
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Andy’s Pregame Thoughts:
Deb Bilodeau, courtesy of a correct response in Final Jeopardy yesterday, has a big lead over Jesse Matheny and Mira Hayward. It should be noted that the leader after Day 1 does win more than half the time, but that comebacks are still very much possible. Either trailer will need to overtake Deb’s score by $9,400 in order to have the betting advantage in Final Jeopardy today.
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: What is Monticello?
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.)
It’s been brought to my attention that my initial response of “Vinci” is likely incorrect, and that “Monticello” is a better response. There is a hamlet in Tuscany about 30 miles southeast of Florence named “Monticello”, which is said to translate to “little hill”. It would also be well-known to Americans as the name of Thomas Jefferson’s homestead.
I don’t know why the writers have felt the need to be “trickier” as of late, but these sorts of clues where you can’t be 100% sure of a correct response are not appropriate for important Final Jeopardy clues like today’s match. Having to guess and drill down on a map of Italy to a massively zoomed-in scale is not appropriate for fans in order to potentially discern the correct responses to Final Jeopardy clues. Michael Davies has a writing team with decades worth of experience. Let them do the work they’re known for, because the quality of their work is suffering under whatever conditions they’re working under.
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Game Recap & Tonight’s Game Stats:
Looking to find out who won Jeopardy! today? Here’s the Thursday, February 22, 2024 Jeopardy! by the numbers, along with a recap:
Jeopardy! Round:
(Categories: World Capitals; The Key Word In The Literary Subtitle; 40 Years Ago: 1984; Advertising Slogans; Tv Characters; Building A New Word)
Mira got off to a good start in this one, picking up six correct responses before the interviews.
Statistics at the first break (15 clues):
Mira 6 correct 0 incorrect
Jesse 3 correct 0 incorrect
Deb 3 correct 1 incorrect
Today’s interviews:
Mira would like to thank her fellow contestants, the crew, her friends & family, and her partner Thomas.
Jesse would like to thank his family, friends, coworkers, fellow contestants, the crew, and all of his teachers.
Deb would like to thank their boyfriend and wants to apologize to Scott Hamilton.
The Daily Double came out very late in this one, and Deb used it to propel themself back into the lead of the game. Everyone’s score was within $1300 through 30 clues today.
Statistics after the Jeopardy round:
Deb 8 correct 1 incorrect
Mira 10 correct 1 incorrect
Jesse 8 correct 0 incorrect
Scores after the Jeopardy! Round:
Deb $5,900
Mira $5,800
Jesse $4,600
Double Jeopardy! Round:
(Categories: From Page To Scream; Brit Speak; How Many Times?; Shall The People Dance; Before The First World War; Blowin’ In The Wind)
Jesse and Mira got to Daily Doubles in this one. Jesse got his right to propel himself into the lead, while Mira missed hers. Advantage in Final Jeopardy came down to the last clue, and that ended up going to Jesse!
Statistics after Double Jeopardy:
Jesse 17 correct 0 incorrect
Deb 15 correct 3 incorrect
Mira 16 correct 3 incorrect
Total number of unplayed clues this season: 0 (0 today).
Scores going into Final:
Jesse $20,400
Deb $10,300
Mira $5,600
Final Jeopardy was a Triple Stumper. Jesse had to go big to cover Deb’s bet, so that sends Deb to the Tournament of Champions!
Tonight’s results:
Mira $5,600 – $5,600 = $0 + $2,800 = $2,800 ($25,000)
Deb $10,300 – $10,300 = $0 + $21,600 = $21,600 (What sorry I forgot… thanks mom + Dad) ($100,000)
Jesse $20,400 – $19,800 = $600 + $2,800 = $3,400 ($50,000) (What is Washington?)
Other Miscellaneous Game Statistics:
Daily Double locations:
1) THE KEY WORD IN THE LITERARY SUBTITLE $400 (clue #24)
Deb 3200 +2500 (Jesse 4200 Mira 5200)
2) BEFORE THE FIRST WORLD WAR $1200 (clue #5)
Jesse 7400 +7400 (Deb 5900 Mira 3800)
3) BRIT SPEAK $1600 (clue #12, $18000 left on board)
Mira 5000 -5000 (Deb 6700 Jesse 18400)
Overall Daily Double Efficiency for this game: 78
Clue Selection by Row, Before Daily Doubles Found:
J! Round:
Deb 4 5 5 4 3 2 2*
Jesse 4 5 4 4 3 3 2 2 2
Mira 5 5 5 4 3 3 2 3
DJ! Round:
Deb 5 4
Jesse 5 4 3 4 3* 4 3 3 3
Mira 4*
Average Row of Clue Selection, Before Daily Doubles Found:
Deb 3.78
Jesse 3.39
Mira 3.78
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:
Deb $8,200 Coryat, 15 correct, 3 incorrect, 29.82% in first on buzzer (17/57), 0/0 on rebound attempts (on 2 rebound opportunities)
Jesse $14,200 Coryat, 17 correct, 0 incorrect, 28.07% in first on buzzer (16/57), 0/0 on rebound attempts (on 5 rebound opportunities)
Mira $10,600 Coryat, 16 correct, 3 incorrect, 31.58% in first on buzzer (18/57), 0/0 on rebound attempts (on 3 rebound opportunities)
Combined Coryat Score: $33,000
Lach Trash: $13,800 (on 11 Triple Stumpers)
Coryat lost to incorrect responses (less double-correct responses): $7,200
Player Statistics:
Deb Bilodeau, career statistics:
124 correct, 20 incorrect
6/7 on rebound attempts (on 16 rebound opportunities)
36.36% in first on buzzer (124/341)
6/7 on Daily Doubles (Net Earned: $9,100)
3/6 in Final Jeopardy
Average Coryat: $13,867
Jesse Matheny, career statistics:
114 correct, 19 incorrect
2/2 on rebound attempts (on 18 rebound opportunities)
32.84% in first on buzzer (112/341)
7/13 on Daily Doubles (Net Earned: $4,400)
1/6 in Final Jeopardy
Average Coryat: $13,300
Mira Hayward, career statistics:
136 correct, 25 incorrect
6/7 on rebound attempts (on 23 rebound opportunities)
35.34% in first on buzzer (141/399)
3/6 on Daily Doubles (Net Earned: -$2,600)
4/7 in Final Jeopardy
Average Coryat: $13,543
Andy’s Thoughts:
- Today’s box score will be linked to when posted by the show.
Final Jeopardy! wagering suggestions:
(Scores: Jesse $20,400 ($2,800) Deb $10,300 ($20,400) Mira $5,600 ($2,800))
Jesse’s current score: $23,200
Jesse’s maximum possible score: $43,600
Deb’s current score: $31,900
Deb’s maximum possible score: $42,200
Mira’s current score: $8,400
Mira’s maximum possible score: $14,000
Deb: If Jesse is correct, he wins. If he is incorrect, you win. If you want to, you could bet about $8,699 to defend against him maybe trying to go small, but it’s more than okay to go all in here to force a cover bet from Jesse. (Actual bet: $10,300)
Jesse: Standard cover bet over Deb is $19,001. (Actual bet: $19,800)
Mira: You can’t win, but the difference between second and third is a good chunk of money. If Jesse makes the cover bet and is wrong, his two-day score will be $4,199. Bet no more than $4,200 yourself to make sure you stay ahead of that and get second if he misses Final. (Actual bet: $5,600)
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Vinci was my guess, too.
Interesting comment. I just assumed that whoever your source was for the daily FJ clue also provided you with the correct solution.
The source (Clue of the Day in The New York Times) does not provide a solution.
It is up to me to do the requisite research.
I guessed “What is Siena?” A friend of mine visited Tuscany last year and sent me a lovely picture of Siena on a hill, among other views. Tuscany is beautiful.
I considered Siena as well; unfortunately, it’s a touch too far from 30 miles, I think.
One thing I definitely did this morning was went to Google Maps and overlaid a 30 mile circle centered around the middle of Florence.
To me, “Vinci” best fits all aspects of the clue—most importantly, distance.
Siena’s also far from tiny.
Hi RedRose, I sent you a small note for the game which aired on Monday, February 19th. I’m behind in my Jeopardy! viewing & am trying to catch up. I visited Tuscany about 30 years ago on a vacation. It was lovely. Take care.
Andy, I was never sure if you had some secret source for the answers or how you were getting them. Now that I know, I’m even more impressed. I salute your knowledge and research.
I totally agree, although I’m a little disappointed that he doesn’t have a mole among the Jeopardy! staff.
I believe the correct answer is Monticello. A small hill town about 30 miles from Florence and it would be particularly familiar to Americans, more so than Vinci, which would be more international. Besides, Vinci doesn’t mean little hill, but Monticello does.
I think you’re right here. Thank you for mentioning this.
when it said ‘familiar to Americans’, I assumed that it would have the same name as a place in the United States. I assumed wrong.
and now that I see the answer is Monticello and not Vinci, I was correct in thinking it had the same name as a place in the United States (not that I would’ve gotten it).
I agree completely with your comments concerning the tenor of the clue writing. There seems to be an intentional effort lately to eschew clarity and to be overly clever and convoluted instead.
Based on the category, I would have assumed it would be difficult. That’s why I am surprised nobody bet $0. With a $0 bet, Mira would have won an extra $25k and Jesse would have finished in first. Deb would have obviously stayed in first.
I think you’re judging this too much off the actual result.
I guessed Pisa because of the tower being familiar to American visitors. Although it is a hill town in Tuscany, it’s actually about 50 miles from Florence.
Jesse’s response to the Capitol One question: “What’s in your wallet?” Shouldn’t it have been: “What’s ‘What’s in your wallet?'”?
No.
If the correct response is already in question form, it is considered to be “in the form of a question” and a second question word is not required.
(Admin note: In response to a deleted comment from a different user, but on the same topic: The rules of the show are not up for debate and not a matter of opinion.)
Thank you for your response; that’s a rule I didn’t know. It’ll be helpful as I continue to watch the show.
Much appreciated!
From the little bit of Italian that I know, I thought this was easy. You didn’t need a map or need to know any geography. The response was in the clue. Monticello means little hill plus Thomas Jefferson’s home, Monticello, is very familiar to people in my area, the DMV.
I don’t feel qualified to comment on the quality of game material. To me, it as usual, some thing I know, others I may guess, and, and, there are plenty of time times I don’t know.
Obviously the key element in today’s Final Jeopardy was “little hill.” If one knew the towns of Tuscany, or, how the name of Jefferson’s estatw traanslates into English, you got this one. Unfortunately, the only thing I know about Tuscany is that it’s a region in Italy. And, if I knew that Monticello translates as “little hill,” I forgot it.
According to one source I read today, the population of this Monticello is smaller than the contestant pool of the Champions Wildcard tournament that we just had.
So, knowing the towns of Tuscany will get you nowhere.