Final Jeopardy: Books of the 1950s (10-9-20)

Today’s Final Jeopardy question (10/8/2020) in the category “Books of the 1950s” was:

A special edition of this 1953 novel came with an asbestos binding

New champ, Kevin Walsh, a story analyst originally from Williamstown, NJ, won $15,300 yesterday. In his second game, his opponents are: Brian Semel, an associate producer originally from Armonk, NY; and Sabreena Merchant, a sportswriter from Los Angeles, CA.

Round 1 Categories: Where Am I? – Numbers of Things – Snap, Crackle or Pop – The Work’s Original Language – Television – “Bee” Good

Kevin found the Jeopardy! round Daily Double in “The Work’s Original Language” under the $800 clue, with 4 clues left after it. He was in the lead with $7,800, $4,400 more than Sabreena in second place. He bet $1,800 and he was RIGHT.

Kafka’s “The Metamorphosis” show

WHAT IS GERMAN?

Kevin finished in the lead with $11,400. Sabreena was second with $3,400 and Brian was last with $2,600.

Round 2 Categories: Modern World Before & After – Oxford Alumni – Churches & Cathedrals – The Doctor Will “C” You Now – Billboard Top 40 – Hittites

Brian found the first Daily Double in “Oxford Alumni” under the $1,200 clue on the 8th pick. He was in a second place tie with Sabreena. At $5,400, they were both trailing Kevin by $8,400. He bet $3,000 and had no response so he was WRONG.

We assume he was wearing a different kind of robe (image shown) when he received his undergraduate degree in 1910. show

WHO IS LAWRENCE OF ARABIA?

5 clues later, Sabreena got the last Daily Double in “The Doctor will “C” You Now” under the $1,600 clue. In second place with $7,400, she had $10,000 less than Kevin’s lead. She bet $4,000 and had no response so she was WRONG.

Hermes’ wand, this symbol of the U.S. Army Medical Corps. is a staff with 2 serpents coiled around it. show

WHAT IS THE CADUCEUS?

Kevin finished with a runaway $23,800. Sabreena was next with $6,600 and Brian was in third place with $5,200. Both boards were finished today.

Only ONE of the contestants got Final Jeopardy! right.

WHAT IS “FAHRENHEIT 451”?

“Fahrenheit 451” was a 1953 dystopian novel about a society that employed firemen to find and burn all books. Whitmore Rare Books has a page showing one copy of Ray Bradbury’s “most famous work in the preferred asbestos binding”, (no longer for sale). They mention that Ray Bradbury thought there were close to 215 copies with asbestos binding and how much these rare editions sell for. If you didn’t get the asbestos connection to this book, visit Asbestos.com. They explain that it was and still is used in fireproofing materials, among other things, in the USA.

The last time this book was the topic of Final Jeopardy! was on 4-12-2019. Also, check out all the clues J-Archive has collected on the book or its author, including 8 other FJ’s!

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Brian wrote down “Invisible Man” (from 1952). He bet and lost it all.

Sabreena picked “Brave New World (from 1932). She lost her $1,399 bet and was left with $5,201.

Kevin got it right. He bet $3,800 and won the game with $27,600. His 2-day total is $42,900.

Reversal: “BEE” GOOD ($600) In “Paradise Lost”, he’s Satan’s No. 2 – Brian pronounced Beelzebub as “bee-zil-bub”. (I didn’t hear an “l” after “bee”.) Alex accepted that but the judges reversed it on the grounds that not saying “bee-el-zi-bub” leaves out a syllable. Brian had to give $1200 back.

A triple stumper from each round:

BILLBOARD TOP 40 ($1200) “Rockstar”, by him featuring Roddy Ricch, topped the Billboard charts in July 2020

HITTITES ($1600) Written soon after a king died of this disease, a prayer named for it asks, will it “never be eliminated from the land of Hatti?”

More clues on Page 2

2 years ago: TWO of the players got this FJ in “Military History”

Prepared by the Chief of Staff to the Supreme Allied Commander, the “COSSAC Plan” outlined the details of this show

WHAT IS D-DAY?

Click here to leave well wishes and prayers for Alex Trebek for continuing success in his battle against cancer. There’s also a link to where you can make a donation to pancreatic cancer research in his honor.