Final Jeopardy: Authors’ Wives (6-20-24)
Today’s Final Jeopardy question (6/20/2024) in the category “Authors’ Wives” was:
When asked if she was the inspiration for the wife in a 1922 novel, this woman replied, “No. She was much fatter.”
New champ Drew Basile, a graduate student from Birmingham, MI, won $23,482 yesterday while taking down a 15-day champ. In Game 2, his opponents are: Bob Longstreth, a Superior Court judge from San Diego, CA; and Jonquil Garrick-Reynolds, a theatrical wardrobe technician from Ottawa, Ontario.
Round 1 Categories: Named by Lit Lovers – Shortened Words – Let’s Run the Numbers – It Was All Orange – Stevie Wonder – Sir Duke
Jonquil found the Jeopardy! round Daily Double in “Stevie Wonder” under the $800 clue on the 7th pick of the round. She was in the lead with $1,200, $800 more than Drew in second place. Jonquil bet $1,000 and named a similar title but that was WRONG.
Stevie’s music evoked the circus for Smokey Robinson, who wrote the lyrics for what became this hit for Smokey & the Miracles show
Drew finished in the lead with $3,600. Bob was second with $1,800 and Jonquil was last with $1,200. All clues were shown.
Round 2 Categories: Hit the Road, Jacques – Modern Products – Broadway’s Opening Night Casts – Museums – Body Parts’ Better Known Names – You Can’t Spell…
Drew found the first Daily Double in “Museums” under the $1,600 clue on the 13th pick of the round. He was in the lead with $10,000, $2,800 more than Jonquil in second place. Drew bet $3,000 and he was RIGHT.
On view at the National Museum of Women in the Arts is a self-portrait of Frida Kahlo dedicated to this Russian exile show
Drew found the last Daily Double in “Hit the Road, Jacques” under the $1,200 clue on the 17th pick of the round. He was in the lead with $13,800, $7,400 more than Jonquil in second place. Drew bet $1,200 and he was RIGHT.
Philosopher Jacques Derrida was born in this African country when it was governed by France, but left for Paris in 1949 show
Drew finished in the lead with $15,800. Jonquil was second with $10,400 and Bob was last with $8,600. All clues were shown.
NONE of the contestants got Final Jeopardy! right.
WHO IS NORA JOYCE?
The 1920s and a flippant remark made me think that Zelda Fitzgerald was the right response. (Gloria in “The Beautiful and the Damned” (1922) was based on her.) However, I soon found out that Zelda was struggling with weight issues herself at the time.
In fact, it was James Joyce’s wife, Nora, who was asked by a reporter if she was Molly Bloom from “Ulysses” (1922). “I’m not,” she replied, “she was much fatter.” In an article on the authorsden.com, Sarojini Sahoo delves into the Joyces’ troubled marriage, analyzing similarities between Molly Bloom and Nora Joyce.
Today’s takeaway: Don’t marry an author unless you want to end up in a novel.
Bob had Molly Joyce (character’s first name + wife’s last name). He lost $2,202 and finished with $6,398.
Jonquil went with Anais Miller (Nin never married Henry Miller). That cost Jonquil $9,200 and left her with $1,200.
Drew thought it was Zelda Fitzgerald. He lost $6,000 but won the game with the remaining $9,800. Drew’s 2-day total is $33,282.
2 triple stumper from the last round. (Please don’t put the answers in the comments)
HIT THE ROAD, JACQUES ($800) This explorer may have been to Brazil in the early 16th century before going west again, giving Canada its name on a later trip
MUSEUMS ($2000) In Berlin, a city with a famous gate, this museum has the Ishtar Gate & the Market Gate of Miletus
More clues and reversals on Page 2
2 years ago: NONE of the players got this FJ in “DEBUT NOVELS”
Published in 1991, this novel, the first in a series, has been described as “historical fiction with a Moebius twist” show
IF YOU HAVE SUGGESTIONS FOR CHANGES TO THE SHOW OR COMPLAINTS, PLEASE SEND YOUR FEEDBACK DIRECTLY TO JEOPARDY!
We may earn a small commission from qualifying purchases made from Amazon.com links at no cost to our visitors. Learn more: Affiliate Disclosure.
Wow – the first half of the first round (until the first break) was just a mess. I was happy that it “tightened up”.
I def heard the “Ton”.
Final had a few quizzical wagers. First was Bob’s. I don’t know what his aim was, but, it wouldn’t have covered anything. The second was Drew’s. His 6k wager, not 6001, would have led to a tie, had Jonquil 1. wagered everything and 2. gotten it correct.
Overall, so far, I’m not really impressed with Drew.
Good job by both challengers to turn an apparent runaway into a competitive contest. My FJ guess was Zelda F. Close call for Bob on Final, and I really didn’t hear him say “Wimbleton.” Jonquil gave it a good shot on the Stevie Wonder/Miracles DD, but probably didn’t know the actual tune. The Miracles were the first concert I attended as a college freshman.
I was dumbstruck when no one knew the Jacques who named Canada. Same for the big-nosed character.
Similar tale to “Wimbleton”: when I was on in 1987, the champ answered “parfumerie” in the 9-letter Words category. Alex accepted it, and the game progressed. It was reversed after the first break, but I never got a chance to ring in. Still fluent in French after many years, I’d have said “parfumier,” but that probably wouldn’t have flown either. The word they sought was “perfumery,” and the clue was something about a French shop, and not the maker of the product.
That was a tough final as we got a triple stumper.