Final Jeopardy: American Composers (3-10-14)

The Final Jeopardy question (3/10/2014), in the category “American Composers” was:

A protege of Oscar Hammerstein, he’s won Grammys, an Oscar, a Pulitzer Prize & the most Tony Awards by a composer.

Current champ Arthur Chu returns today to try to keep up the momentum of his 9-day run and add to his winnings of $261,000. His opponents today are: Sean Sullivan, from Chicago, IL; and Michelle Sheffer, from Philadelphia, PA.

Round 1: Arthur found the Jeopardy! round Daily Double in “Literary Title Pairs” under the $1,000 clue before the first break. He was the only one with any money, since Michelle (-1,000) and Sean (-800) were both in the red (with Arthur getting their misses right on the rebound). Arthur bet all of his $3,200 and thought it was Salinger’s Franny and Zooey. That was WRONG.

1929 William Faulkner title pair. show

Arthur finished in the lead with $6,000. Tom was second with $200 and Michelle was still in the hole at -$200.

Round 2: Arthur found the first Daily Double in “Ballet Settings” under the $2,000 clue. He was in the lead with $8,000, $6,200 ahead of Michelle in second place. He bet $4,000 and thought it was The Girl of the Golden West (an opera). That was WRONG.

Street scene. An American desert & the jail. show

Arthur found the last Daily Double in “Island Prisons” under the $1,600 clue. In the lead with $5,600, he had $3,400 more than Sean in second place. He bet $3,000 and he was RIGHT.

New York City’s main correction facility, it lies in the East River & consists of 10 separate jails. show

Arthur finished in the lead with $18,200. Sean was next with $7,800 and Michelle was in third place with $200.

Only ONE of the contestants got Final Jeopardy! right.

WHO IS STEPHEN SONDHEIM?

“After early practice at songwriting, he gained much of his knowledge of musical theater from working with master lyricist Oscar Hammerstein II. Sondheim’s contributions to West Side Story and Gypsy in the 1950s brought him recognition as a rising star of Broadway. His major works for the theater include A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, Sweeney Todd, Sunday in the Park With George and Into the Woods.” (Biography.com)



Michelle wrote down John Williams. She bet and lost it all.

Sean got it right. He bet $7,399, finishing with $15,199.

Arthur thought it was Alan Mencken. He lost his $2,000 bet but still won the match with $16,200. His 10-day total is $277,200.

Strange game today. We might have been saying adios to Arthur with a little stiffer competition, but even with two big losses in the Daily Doubles, he managed to get a runaway. Sean did make an effort to break the lock in the last round. Seemed like it was too little too late.

2 years ago, nobody got this FJ: Musical Instruments

An entertainer born in 1888 whose original first name was Adolph was one of the best-known players of this instrument. show

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6 Responses

  1. Tom Clark says:

    I’m not watching Jeopardy! until Chu loses, even if it means I’ll never watch it again.

    So he “knows everything,” eh? His answer of “Franny and Zooey” is embarrassingly wrong. Did he really think that was written in 1929, and by William Faulkner?

    And saying Mencken instead of Sondheim shows he’s practically clueless when it comes to the arts.

    He just HAS to lose someday, and here’s what I think:

    The shows are taped well in advance, as you all know, so his competitors don’t know his “psych out” strategy.

    Eventually, he’ll have competitors who’ve seen him on television, and they’ll be READY and they won’t be so intimidated by his sociopathic personality. Then Chu will be on the next chu-chu out of town.

    May it be sooner rather than later.

    • john blahuta says:

      i understand when you don’t like somebody. just don’t let it become an obsession…..
      he will lose, the question is WHEN not IF. but you may be in for a long haul. nobody knows everything, so yes, sometimes he gives “stupid” answers. but so do the others. just be patient…

    • john blahuta says:

      and don’t forget to record the shows so that you can watch as he bites the dust, even time delayed! i guess you wouldn’t want to miss it..:)

      • Tom Clark says:

        Well, I expect I’ll find that great moment on YouTube.

        And, listen, I’m not OBSESSED with Chu. I only comment on him here, because that’s what this is about.

        On the list of things that concern me he comes in around #4,567,408.

        • George Oakfield says:

          That sounds like something that an obsessed person would say. And also everything he does is well within the rules of the game, and some of your comments just seem cruel. There’s a nice article in the Washington post about it if you look up “Arthur chu vilified for his play”

  2. john blahuta says:

    i agree with the stiffer competition opinion. still, missing 2 dd for 7.200 and STILL make it not only a win, but a runaway….
    i have to say well done, despite everything else that was already discussed here. Congratulations!