Warning: This page contains spoilers for the December 31, 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 10:00 AM Eastern today in some U.S. television markets.
Here’s today’s Final Jeopardy (in the category Theater Etymology) for Tuesday, December 31, 2024 (Season 41, Game 82):
A centuries-old type of performance, this word includes Greek roots meaning “imitator of all”
(correct response beneath the contestants)
Today’s Jeopardy! contestants:
Mike Ferguson, a chemistry professor from Edmond, Oklahoma
|
Kaitlin Tarr, a ceramic artist from Denver, Colorado
|
Scott Tcheng, an ER doctor from San Francisco, California
|
On this New Year’s Eve, Day 2 of Second Chance features Scott Tcheng, who was just $600 behind Ryan Manton going into Final Jeopardy back in October, Kaitlin Tarr, who led Adriana Harmeyer going into Final Jeopardy back in June, and Mike Ferguson, who put up $17,000 going into Final Jeopardy against Isaac Hirsch back in July. The prediction model does like Mike’s chances—but there’s still so much variance in today’s game that things are often quite unpredictable!
One pleasant thing about yesterday is that there were significantly fewer complaints than I was expecting regarding tournaments. I guess most viewers don’t mind tournaments after all!
A few markets today are going to be pre-empted by college football games; the most prominent being Chicago. Check your local listings; Matt Carberry has his usual Google Sheet. This also means that a couple markets are airing the show earlier than usual; thus, we may see results early—depending on of those stations’ listings are correct or not.
Finally, on this New Year’s Eve, it is time for me to announce my singular New Year’s Resolution for 2025: find some way where I do not need to rely on this website’s revenue in order to live so that I no longer feel obligated to operate this website. I am tired of having my work stolen every single day by various other websites and YouTube channels. I am tired of being bullied by members of this community. And I am tired of having my contributions to this show deliberately downplayed by those who are upset that I have dared to stand up for others over the past decade.
(Content continues below)
My friends over at Geeks Who Drink have introduced a daily trivia game—Thrice! Existing to make daily clever trivia content accessible to a wide audience, it's a daily challenge that tries to get you to the answer via three separate clues. It has a shareable score functionality to challenge your friends and new questions every day will give you a new daily social ritual. You can find it at thricegame.com.
Are you going on the show and looking for information about how to bet in Final Jeopardy? Check out my Betting Strategy 101 page. If you want to learn how to bet in two-day finals, check out Betting Strategy 102. In case the show uses a tournament with wild cards in the future, there is also a strategy page for betting in tournament quarterfinals.
Are you looking for information on how to stream Jeopardy! in 2024? Find out information here on how to stream from most places in North America!
Do you appreciate the work I do here on The Jeopardy! Fan? Would you like to make a one-time contribution to the site? You may do so here!
You can find game-by-game stats here at The Jeopardy! Fan of all 17 players, now including Adriana Harmeyer, that have won 10 or more games on Jeopardy!
You can now listen to Alex Trebek-hosted Jeopardy! episodes from TuneIn Radio without leaving The Jeopardy! Fan — listen now!
Correct response: What is pantomime?
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.)
According to the Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary, the word “pantomime” dates from the late 16th century, and gets its etymology from the Greek pantomimos, “imitator of all”, “mimos” meaning imitator and “pan” meaning all. Craig Ferguson recently described pantomime as “Think Mamma Mia! featuring the Three Stooges but with everyone’s back catalogue, not just ABBA’s.”
Interestingly, a very early form of pantomime, dating back to the Middle Ages, is the English “Mummers Play,” which spread to Ireland and later the island of Newfoundland; mummers can still be seen in the holiday season in the St. John’s area.
We have many new offerings at The Jeopardy! Fan Online Store! Here are our current featured items, including our new Masters Season 3 Player List T-shirt:
Game Recap & Tonight’s Game Stats:
Looking to find out who won Jeopardy! today? Here’s the Tuesday, December 31, 2024 Jeopardy! by the numbers, along with a recap:
Jeopardy! Round:
(Categories: The Cities’ Time Zone; Quotable Women; Not For The Money; Animal Expressions; Nonfiction; Military Celebs)
Kaitlin made a nice comeback after a True Daily Double miss to still lead after 15 clues. At the interviews, the scores were Kaitlin $2,400 Scott $1,200 Mike $200.
Statistics at the first break (15 clues):
Kaitlin 9 correct 1 incorrect
Scott 3 correct 0 incorrect
Mike 1 correct 1 incorrect
Today’s interviews:
Mike got a message from a 92-year-old former teacher.
Kaitlin is haunted by one of her Daily Doubles.
Scott tried out for Jeopardy on a whim.
Kaitlin continued her strong play, picking up 9 correct after the interviews to take a big lead into the game’s second half.
Statistics after the Jeopardy round:
Kaitlin 18 correct 2 incorrect
Scott 6 correct 0 incorrect
Mike 4 correct 2 incorrect
Scores after the Jeopardy! Round:
Kaitlin $7,800
Scott $2,200
Mike $1,000
Double Jeopardy! Round:
(Categories: Knotty Entertainment; Mythology; Sink, Sank, Sunk; Modern Abbreviations; Science Test; From “M” To “Y”)
Scott had a very strong round, but got DD2 incorrect, while Kaitlin got DD3 correct. That proved to be the margin between first and second going into Final Jeopardy.
Statistics after Double Jeopardy:
Kaitlin 27 correct 3 incorrect
Scott 15 correct 1 incorrect
Mike 10 correct 3 incorrect
Total number of unplayed clues this season: 26 (0 today).
Scores going into Final:
Kaitlin $14,400
Scott $11,400
Mike $8,200
Nobody got this Final Jeopardy correct, but Kaitlin didn’t make the cover bet—and that puts her through to the final!
Tonight’s results:
Mike $8,200 – $8,200 = $0 (What Silog siloquiy)
Scott $11,400 – $5,001 = $6,399 (What is 3rd Chance competition?)
Kaitlin $14,400 – $5,999 = $8,401 (What are impressions?) (Finalist)
Other Miscellaneous Game Statistics:
Daily Double locations:
1) NONFICTION $1000 (clue #7)
Kaitlin 3600 -3600 (Scott 200 Mike -200)
2) MYTHOLOGY $2000 (clue #6)
Scott 5800 -2000 (Kaitlin 6200 Mike 2600)
3) SINK, SANK, SUNK $1600 (clue #19, $12000 left on board)
Kaitlin 11400 +1400 (Scott 5800 Mike 8600)
Overall Daily Double Efficiency for this game: -122
Clue Selection by Row, Before Daily Doubles Found:
J! Round:
Scott 4 4
Kaitlin 5 3 2 1 5*
Mike
DJ! Round:
Scott 4 4 5* 4 4 4
Kaitlin 5 1† 3 2 1 4*
Mike 3 5 2 3† 2† 1 3
† – selection in same category as Daily Double
Average Row of Clue Selection, Before Daily Doubles Found:
Kaitlin 2.91
Scott 4.13
Mike 2.71
Unplayed clues:
J! Round: None!
DJ! Round: None!
Total Left On Board: $0
Number of clues left unrevealed this season: 26 (0.32 per episode average), 0 Daily Doubles
Game Stats:
Kaitlin $18,200 Coryat, 27 correct, 3 incorrect, 47.37% in first on buzzer (27/57), 1/1 on rebound attempts (on 3 rebound opportunities)
Scott $13,400 Coryat, 15 correct, 1 incorrect, 21.05% in first on buzzer (12/57), 3/3 on rebound attempts (on 5 rebound opportunities)
Mike $8,200 Coryat, 10 correct, 3 incorrect, 22.81% in first on buzzer (13/57), 0/0 on rebound attempts (on 2 rebound opportunities)
Combined Coryat Score: $39,800
Lach Trash: $7,400 (on 6 Triple Stumpers)
Coryat lost to incorrect responses (less double-correct responses): $6,800
Lead Changes: 2
Times Tied: 0
Player Statistics:
Scott Tcheng, career statistics:
34 correct, 4 incorrect
3/4 on rebound attempts (on 7 rebound opportunities)
27.19% in first on buzzer (31/114)
0/1 on Daily Doubles (Net Earned: -$2,000)
1/2 in Final Jeopardy
Average Coryat: $12,600
Kaitlin Tarr, career statistics:
48 correct, 8 incorrect
1/1 on rebound attempts (on 4 rebound opportunities)
42.98% in first on buzzer (49/114)
2/4 on Daily Doubles (Net Earned: -$3,200)
0/2 in Final Jeopardy
Average Coryat: $16,600
Mike Ferguson, career statistics:
27 correct, 4 incorrect
0/0 on rebound attempts (on 9 rebound opportunities)
24.56% in first on buzzer (28/114)
1/1 on Daily Doubles (Net Earned: $6,000)
1/2 in Final Jeopardy
Average Coryat: $10,600
Andy’s Thoughts:
- Friendly reminder that “lar-nix” is an acceptable alternate pronunciation of “larynx” and that this it not the first time this has surfaced on the show.
- I don’t think Kaitlin’s bet was a math error or a “wagering the wrong number from the scratch paper” error; I think it was a defense against a bet of $3,001 from Scott. Regardless of the strategy behind it, it worked out for her.
- Today’s box score will be linked to when posted by the show.
Final Jeopardy! wagering suggestions:
(Scores: Kaitlin $14,400 Scott $11,400 Mike $8,200)
Scott: Standard cover bet over Mike is $5,001. (Actual bet: $5,001)
Kaitlin: Standard cover bet over Scott is $8,401. (Actual bet: $5,999)
Mike: Bet no more than $1,799 and you’ll be in a good spot for a Triple Stumper. (Actual bet: $8,200)
Become a Supporter now! Make a monthly contribution to the site on Patreon!
Contestant photo credit: jeopardy.com
When commenting, please note that all comments on The Jeopardy! Fan must be in compliance with the Site Comment Policy.
If you are going to quote any information from this page or this website, attribution is required.
Have you had a chance to listen to our podcast game show, Complete The List, yet? Check it out! It's also available on Apple Podcasts.
I was shocked to get this one correct. I knew I was looking for a multi-syllable word, and this was the only one I could come up with in 30 seconds.
oh, well…I guessed thespian.
Interesting comment re “Mummers Play”.
Philadelphia’s Mummers Parade officially began in 1901. It is the longest-running folk parade in the United States [info from Wikipedia]
P.S. site is now not remembering my name and email address as before and even after I check the ‘save’ box.
Consider going to a subscription model or a Substack newsletter. This could cut down on content theft. I would certainly sign up!
Andy – I was so distressed when I read this morning that you were leaving because of a few thuggish idiots who do not understand the amount of wonderful knowledge you prepare and forward each day. There will always be those who choose to fight and will question what you do, but do not let them stop you from doing such a fantastic job.
There must be a way to distance yourself from copycats. Please find a way – we do not want to lose you. I have tried to email this, but it was not accepted. Happy 2025 Marilyn Coles, Ontario, Canada age 83
I enjoy your site and appreciate your work every day! Forget the idiots!
All I could come up with was impressionism though I was pretty sure that was not correct, especially since it is so connected with a painting style.
I was already aware of what pantomime is because of it having been mentioned so often in relation to the British royal family’s Christmas activities, especially during WWII. [And I kind of think it has been mentioned (and maybe shown) in some Doctor Who episodes.] But there was no way I’d think of it for this because I think of pantomime as an intimate amateur thing and the category made it sound public. [I do not mean there was anything imprecise about the category or the clue, just that it did not mesh with what knowledge I had.]
When my son was a theater student in college, he studied and talked about pantomime. He was sitting right across from me when I read the clue so it was easy to come up with the correct response.
On another subject, I can’t imagine anyone being able to do as good a job with this website as Andy does. I would hate to lose you, Andy. I think the suggestion that Nancy N. made about “going to a subscription model or Substack newsletter,” has a lot of merit. I, too, would subscribe. Whatever 2025 has in store for you, Andy, I wish you the best of luck going forward.
Friendly reminder that “lar-nix” is an acceptable alternate pronunciation of “larynx” and that this it not the first time this has surfaced on the show.
DON’T I KNOW IT.
The only word starting with “pan-” I could remember in 30 seconds, that could have a relation to theater, was “panorama”. 🙁
December scores:
Understood the answer (but not necessarily the question): 2,3,5,9,13,20,25,31 (8)
“Sit and stare” even after the response was revealed: 10,12,19,26 (4)
Got it: 4,6,11,16,17,18,23,24,27,30 (10)
Never , never heard of WSD meaning what’s good. Where can I find this meaning? Wind speed direction, wage and salary dispute, and many others but can not find, what’s good. Can someone help with this?
I mean, I’ve also not heard WSD meaning “what’s good”—considering that the clue and host said WSG. (And, yes, that is definitely a phrase that many of my younger friends, particularly POC ones, use.)