Final Jeopardy: American Novelists (1-16-26)
The Final Jeopardy question (1/16/2026) in the category “American Novelists” was:
This author’s wish to use different ink colors to represent multiple POVs was granted in 2012, 83 years after the novel’s publication
The 2026 Champions Wildcard tournament wraps up today, a these 3 players battle it out for the top prize and a spot in the Tournament of Champions: Cameron Berry, a data analyst & college administrator from Brighton, MA; Jonathan Hugendubler, an adjunct professor & trivia host from Baltimore, MD; and Stella Trout, a software engineer orig. from Houston, TX.
Yesterday’s final scores will be added to today’s final scores to determine the winner: Cameron: $10,000 Jonathan: $1,200 Stella: $12,800
Round 1 Categories: Adults in Children’s Lit – Midnights – I’m in Sephora Without My Glasses – A “Minor” Distraction – Rock, Rap & Remember – Use Your Sixth Sense
Stella found the Jeopardy! round Daily Double in “Adults in Children’s Lit” under the $800 clue on the 8th pick of the round. She was in last place with $600 now, $1,200 less than Jonathan’s lead. Stella bet the $1,000 and she was RIGHT.
The first book about him says right off that he’s an M.D., a “proper” doctor (not a veterinarian) show
Stella finished in the lead with $7,200. Cameron was second with $4,000 and Jonathan was last with $3,800. All clues were shown.
Round 2 Categories: It Happened in January – World Capitals – Making Conservation – Impractical Finery of Yore – We Love a Love Triangle – Just Add “S”
Jonathan found the first Daily Double in “World Capitals” under the $2,000 clue on the 1st pick of the round. He was in last place with $3,800 now, $3,400 less than Stella’s lead. Jonathan bet it all and he was RIGHT.
You need 2 sets of double letters to spell this capital of a Baltic state show
Stella got the last Daily Double in “Making Conservation” under the $1,600 clue on the 11th pick of the round. In the lead with $11,200, she had $2,000 more than Jonathan in second place. Stella wanted to go big or go home so she bet it all. She thought it might be the National Park Service but that was WRONG.
Within the Department of the Interior, this is the country’s oldest conservation agency show
Jonathan finished in the lead with $12,000. Cameron was in second place with $10,000 and Stella was last with $6,400. All clues were shown.
NONE of the contestants got Final Jeopardy! right.
WHO IS WILLIAM FAULKNER?
In his 1929 novel “The Sound and the Fury”, William Faulkner employed the stream-of-consciousness technique with unreliable narrators relating events from three different perspectives. Random time-shifts made keeping things straight even more difficult. Faulkner thought it would be a good idea to use multiple colors to help keep track of the narrators and time periods. It could not be done due to obstacles presented by the Great Depression and printing capabilities at the time.
The Sound and the Fury by William Faulkner; Published by the Folio Society
More than 80 years later, the Folio Society decided to take up the challenge, creating a limited edition with 14 different ink colors of ink. Published in 2012, the price tag for one copy of the 1480 copies made was $395. You can only get one on the secondary market now.
Stella came up with Walker (Alice, we presume). She lost $6,300, leaving her with $100 to add to yesterday’s $12,800. Stella’s final score was $12,900.
Cameron went with Stein, as in Gertrude. He lost $5,601 and had $4,399 left. Yesterday’s $10,000 brought him up to $14,399.
Jonathan thought it was F. Scott Fitzgerald. He bet and lost his whole $12,000, so yesterday’s $1,200 was his final score and that made Cameron Berry the 2026 Champions Wildcard champ.
Cameron won $100,000 plus a spot in the Tournament of Champions that begins on Monday. Jonathan and Stella each won $40,000.
2 triple stumpers from IMPRACTICAL FINERY OF YORE:
($1600) In the 1800s this plastic emerged as a cheap substitute for the ivory used in fancy hair combs; the bad news? It was highly flammable
($2000) Women sometimes had to walk sideways to get through doors while wearing these flamboyantly large sleeves named for a cut of meat
2 years ago: TWO of the players got this FJ in “AMERICAN ARTISTS”
: In the 1920s he used wire, string & other materials to fabricate “models in motion” for a miniature circus scene show
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That means that Cameron will be in the third quarterfinal match of the TOC on Wednesday and that completes the field for the TOC. We are all excited for the TOC to begin on Monday.
Stella gonna regret that DD wager. Congrats to Cameron and good luck in the TOC