Final Jeopardy: Women Authors (5-18-17)

Today’s Final Jeopardy question (5/18/2017) in the category “Women Authors” was:

A 1936 N.Y. Times review called the debut novel by this author “In all probability, the biggest book of the year: 1,037 pages”

Today and tomorrow, we will watch the 2-part final battle of the 2017 Teachers Tournament. The finalists are David Clemmons (SF #1) from Fort Worth, TX; Nan Cohen (SF #2), from Van Nuys, CA; and Mary Parker (SF #3), from Rogers, AR.

Their scores at the end of this match will be added to tomorrow’s score to determine who will win $25K, $50K and the top prize of $100K. The grand prize winner also gets a spot in the Tournament of Champions.

Round 1 Categories: The Art of War – Some of Your Business – TV Sitcom by Episodes – Written in 18-Something – Going Dutch – 2 by 4

Nan found the Jeopardy! round Daily Double in “Written in 18-Something” under the $1,000 clue on the 5th pick of the round. She was in the lead with $1,400, $1,000 more than Mary in second place. She went for a true Daily Double and she was RIGHT.

This man wrote “could it be possible this old saint in the forest hath not yet heard of it, that God is dead!” show

Nan finished in the lead with $6,800. David was second with $3,800 and Mary was last with $2,800.

Round 2 Categories: Mourning Assembly – Ballet – A Round of Gulf – Plants & Flowers – Pro Russell-ing – Double Vowel in the Middle

Nan found the first Daily Double in “Double Vowel” under the $1,600 clue on the 9th pick. She was in the lead with $11,600 at this point, $5,200 more than Mary in second place. She bet $6,500 and she was RIGHT.

People get buzzed practicing apiculture, aka this. show

David found the last Daily Double in “A Round of Gulf” under the $1,600 clue, with 9 clues left after it. In second place with $8,200, he had $12,300 less than Nan’s lead. He bet $5,000 and picked Italy. That was WRONG.

The Gulf of Antalya is part of this country’s long southern coast on the Mediterranean. show

Nan finished in the lead with $20,500. Mary was next with $11,600 and David was in third place with $7,600.

Only ONE of the contestants got Final Jeopardy! right.

WHO IS MARGARET MITCHELL?

Ralph Thompson’s 1936 New York Times review of Margaret Mitchell’s first published novel is online. In it, he wishes the author had edited “Gone with the Wind” down to about 500 pages, points out historical flaws and anachronisms but fiddle-dee-dee!– he totally misses what would really make the novel so popular: the tempestuous and tragic romance of Scarlett O’Hara and Rhett Butler.



David got it right. His $2,400 bet brought him up to $10,000.

Mary thought it was Edith Wharton. (Valley of Decision, 1902) She lost her $8,000 bet, finishing with $3,600.

Nan came up with Willa Cather (Alexander’s Bridge, 1912). That cost her $11,500. She had $9,000 left.

So David and Nan will go into tomorrow’s match with close scores, but Mary has some catching up to do.

Final Jeopardy (5/18/2017) David Clemmons, Nan Cohen, Mary Parker

A triple stumper from each round

TV SITCOM BY EPISODES (1000) “And The Big Buttercream Breakthrough” & “And The Taste Test”

BALLET ($1200) In a classic 1890 ballet, the fairy of the songbirds dances at the christening of this fairy-tale heroine

2 years ago: TWO of the players got this FJ in “19th Century Authors”

In an essay, he wrote, “I would rather sit on a pumpkin and have it all to myself than be crowded on a velvet cushion.” show

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12 Responses

  1. Pamela Goebel says:

    Congratulations David!! I’m so glad the History teacher beat the English teachers.. (I’m a History grad so I’m prejudiced.)

  2. TaiwanBill says:

    What an incredible finish! I didn’t think David had a ghost of a chance after missing big on Turkey. But a H.S. history teacher beating out 2 language teachers? But of course they are not literature teachers and the levels are different, and perhaps they never had time to read GWTW. I finished reading all 1037 pages only 15 days ago and was just waiting for a GWTW question to come up! Oh, Fiddle-dee-dee and Zip-a-dee-doo-dah!

    • VJ says:

      Hi Taiwan Bill, glad to hear that you finished GWTW. I remember you mentioning that it was at the top of your reading list the last time the Final Jeopardy! clue was related to it. That was just this past February, in Kirstin Cutts’ 3rd game.

  3. Lou says:

    This was an easy final but I was hoping one of the ladies would get it. Still 9000 from Nan is good but I would love to see tomorrow’s match. Also gone with the wind has a movie and I would love to see it again.

    • Richard Corliss says:

      How could you say that, David is gonna win on Friday. He is history.

  4. VJ says:

    Just by way of additional stuff to know (or maybe just to see today because who knows if I’ll remember it), I was looking at wikipedia’s list of fiction published in 1936. The only other novels I could find in 1936 by women authors we’ve seen on Jeopardy! were Daphne du Maurier’s “Jamaica Inn” and Ayn Rand’s “We the Living” (her debut novel).

  5. rhonda says:

    VJ, were you as shocked as I was that neither Nan nor Mary got FJ correct? And we were wondering why they gave such an easy clue?

    • Dalton Higbee says:

      I hope one of the ladies still win tomorrow.

      • Richard Corliss says:

        Not gonna happen, Dalton, David won’t stop hogging the tournament.

        • VJ says:

          Aw, Richard, how can you say that? Look what happened to David on that Daily Double today — he lost $5K and geography is a category he’s been good at. David only made a little bet in FJ and it’s not his fault that Nan and Mary bet big.

          Anyway, as Alex Trebek says, strange things can happen tomorrow. It would be really crazy if tomorrow’s FJ is in a History category and the English teachers get it and David doesn’t!

    • VJ says:

      Yes, Rhonda, I was totally shocked. I wasn’t too surprised that they bet big, but still — wow!

      Well, good for David for the lone solve. Per ray! (That is how my daughter used to say hooray when she was little and we still say it).

      LINK: 8 more clues from the match

  6. Richard Corliss says:

    I don’t know, but David is the one who hogs the entire tournament. Nan can’t catch up at the end of tomorrow, because David can easily win tomorrow.