Warning: This page contains spoilers for the July 17, 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 Literary Characters) for Wednesday, July 17, 2024 (Season 40, Game 223):
In a 1980 National Book Award Winner, we learn this title character gets his name from the rank of his late Dad–Technical Sergeant
(correct response beneath the contestants)
Today’s Jeopardy! contestants:
Zach Eckstein, a law clerk from New York, New York
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Nella Ballauer, a church secretary from Amarillo, Texas
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Jay Fisher, a government relations manager from Lisle, Illinois (1-day total: $1,799)
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Andy’s Pregame Thoughts:
Jay Fisher is your new champion on Jeopardy!, having won yesterday with just $1,799 after a Triple Stumper Final Jeopardy and a math error from 9-time champion Isaac Hirsch, who bet too much on yesterday’s final category. Today, Jay faces off against Amarillo church secretary Nella Ballauer and New York law clerk Zach Eckstein.
Today’s game will see a continuation of pre-emptions in many locations, especially on the West Coast, due to coverage of the Republican National Convention. You should check your local listings (or, Matt Carberry has put together a spreadsheet of pre-emptions.)
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(Content continues below)
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Correct response: Who is (T.S.) Garp?
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.)
T.S. Garp, the title character of John Irving’s The World According to Garp, was a character born out of wedlock to a mother who wanted a child but not a husband—in the book, the initials T.S. had no meaning, and they were inspired by the rank of Garp’s father—technical sergeant in the Army (Garp’s mother had been nursing the father after a war combat injury and Garp was conceived under circumstances that I have deliberately chosen not write here in this section. The character’s creation by Irving was inspired by the fact that Irving himself did not know who his biological father was at the time of the book’s writing and told his mother that unless his mother gave him information about his father, he would invent the father for the book and the circumstances of how he was conceived. The work won a 1980 National Book Award as a paperback after its hardcover was a finalist in 1979.
Depending on if literature (or potentially even early ’80s film) is a strong point for our players, I could see this Final playing anywhere from 0-for-3 to 3-for-3.
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Game Recap & Tonight’s Game Stats:
Looking to find out who won Jeopardy! today? Here’s the Wednesday, July 17, 2024 Jeopardy! by the numbers, along with a recap:
Jeopardy! Round:
(Categories: Cybertalk; The Folkie Era; States By Super-Senator; Arresting Literature; 2 X 3; 6-Pourri)
In a well-paced opening 15 clues, Jay got off to the best start, picking up the first 4 correct. However, Zach charged back with seven correct of his own. At the interviews, Jay and Zach both had $3,800, while Nella had $600.
Statistics at the first break (15 clues):
Zach 7 correct 0 incorrect
Jay 6 correct 0 incorrect
Nella 2 correct 0 incorrect
Today’s interviews:
Zach attempted to become a beer brewer in college but It did not go well.
Nella is a hockey league statistician.
Jay has a father & grandfather who both worked at Graceland.
The “Cybertalk” category did not go well; Nella missed the Daily Double in it, while Zach gave a pair of high-valued incorrect responses. Meawnhile, Jay kept up his record of zero unforced errors and led after 30 clues.
Statistics after the Jeopardy round:
Jay 9 correct 0 incorrect
Zach 10 correct 2 incorrect
Nella 5 correct 2 incorrect
Scores after the Jeopardy! Round:
Jay $6,400
Zach $3,800
Nella $0
Double Jeopardy! Round:
(Categories: U.S. Place Nicknames; Le Cinéma; Education; 3 Consecutive Letters; World History; Opera Heroines)
In a round that saw a number of Triple Stumpers, Jay got both Daily Doubles and cruised to a runaway.
Statistics after Double Jeopardy:
Jay 18 correct 0 incorrect
Nella 8 correct 2 incorrect
Zach 12 correct 4 incorrect
Total number of unplayed clues this season: 21 (0 today).
Scores going into Final:
Jay $19,700
Nella $3,600
Zach $1,800
This Final was a Triple Stumper; Jay is now a 2-day champion!
Tonight’s results:
Zach $1,800 – $1,800 = $0 (Who is Smith?)
Nella $3,600 – $3,599 = $1 (Who is ?)
Jay $19,700 – $5,300 = $14,400 (Who is ????) (2-day total: $16,199)
Other Miscellaneous Game Statistics:
Daily Double locations:
1) CYBERTALK $600 (clue #21)
Nella 0 -1000 (Jay 3800 Zach 4400)
2) U.S. PLACE NICKNAMES $1200 (clue #4)
Jay 7600 +3000 (Nella 0 Zach 4200)
3) EDUCATION $1600 (clue #12, $23600 left on board)
Jay 12200 +3500 (Nella 800 Zach 3400)
Overall Daily Double Efficiency for this game: -32
Clue Selection by Row, Before Daily Doubles Found:
J! Round:
Jay 5 4 3 2 1 2 5 2 3
Nella 3 1 3*
Zach 1 4 5 1 2 3 4 1 2
DJ! Round:
Jay 2 3* 2 3 4 5 2 3 4*
Nella 1 1
Zach 1
Average Row of Clue Selection, Before Daily Doubles Found:
Jay 3.06
Nella 1.80
Zach 2.40
Unplayed clues:
J! Round: None!
DJ! Round: None!
Total Left On Board: $0
Number of clues left unrevealed this season: 21 (0.09 per episode average), 0 Daily Doubles
Game Stats:
Jay $16,000 Coryat, 18 correct, 0 incorrect, 28.07% in first on buzzer (16/57), 0/0 on rebound attempts (on 5 rebound opportunities)
Nella $4,600 Coryat, 8 correct, 2 incorrect, 15.79% in first on buzzer (9/57), 0/0 on rebound attempts (on 4 rebound opportunities)
Zach $1,800 Coryat, 12 correct, 4 incorrect, 28.07% in first on buzzer (16/57), 0/0 on rebound attempts (on 1 rebound opportunity)
Combined Coryat Score: $22,400
Lach Trash: $25,400 (on 21 Triple Stumpers)
Coryat lost to incorrect responses (less double-correct responses): $6,200
Lead Changes: 2
Times Tied: 3
Player Statistics:
Jay Fisher, career statistics:
37 correct, 2 incorrect
5/5 on rebound attempts (on 14 rebound opportunities)
26.32% in first on buzzer (30/114)
2/2 on Daily Doubles (Net Earned: $6,500)
0/2 in Final Jeopardy
Average Coryat: $16,100
Nella Ballauer, career statistics:
8 correct, 3 incorrect
0/0 on rebound attempts (on 4 rebound opportunities)
15.79% in first on buzzer (9/57)
0/1 on Daily Doubles (Net Earned: -$1,000)
0/1 in Final Jeopardy
Average Coryat: $4,600
Zach Eckstein, career statistics:
12 correct, 5 incorrect
0/0 on rebound attempts (on 1 rebound opportunity)
28.07% in first on buzzer (16/57)
0/0 on Daily Doubles
0/1 in Final Jeopardy
Average Coryat: $1,800
Jay Fisher, to win:
3 games: 55.042%
4: 30.296%
5: 16.676%
6: 9.179%
7: 5.052%
Avg. streak: 3.224 games.
Andy’s Thoughts:
- As we learned last year, the record for most Triple Stumpers in a game is 24, set back in 2005.
- Today’s box score will be linked to when posted by the show.
Final Jeopardy! wagering suggestions:
(Scores: Jay $19,700 Nella $3,600 Zach $1,800)
Jay: Bet no more than $12,499. (Actual bet: $5,300)
Nella: If you bet $0 here, you’re guaranteed second place (and the extra $1,000) by virtue of having led going into Final. (Actual bet: $3,599)
Zach: I would go all in here, just in case Nella makes a bet. (Actual bet: $1,800)
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It’s one of my favorite books (and movies). I got it instantly.
I was unable to venture a guesss. I had heard of “The World According to Garp”, but had not read it, and did not know that the title character’s initials were “T.S.”, for “Technical Sergeant”. I am reminded of “Major Major”, from “Catch-22”.
I had read ‘The World According to Garp’, liked it very much, and liked the movie, but that was over 40 years ago and I don’t remember it in enough detail to remember the “T.S.” name [just the “Garp”]. Andy’s write-up only “rang a bell” for me.
I guessed Sargent Shriver, just hoping there had been some book in 1980 (when he was 65) about him [so, title character] due to the Kennedy extended family, the Peace Corps or the Special Olympics that happened to mention how he got his name (though I did not know how he got his name). [“T.S.” was not directly mentioned in the clue and “Technical Sergeant” could inspire the name ‘Sargent’ even if it is not spelled the same.] At least it’s a better guess than “????”, though I think even “Smith” is a better guess than “????”.
This was a popular book and popular movie for a certain age demographic of which I am a member. Therefore, easy pickings for me. The contestants do not look like they are in the right age range for this final clue. Therefore, I am not surprised that it was a triple stumper for this episode’s contestants. Of course, if one of them were a John Irving fan (or big Robin Williams fan), they might get it right.
Maybe if I has read the “World According to Garp, or, seen the movie, I would have gotten this Final.Jeopardy. But I didn’t, so 0 for 3 this week. But there’s always tomorrow.
I both read the book and watched the movie so I figured this out after initially thinking about a Pat Conroy novel.
Yesterday’s game was interrupted here by the RNC so I only say the first half and didn’t even know Isaac had lost until introductions today.
Jay has gotten every question he has tried for except for Final Jeopardy both times. What is the record for most consecutive correct answers (not including final jeopardy)?