Final Jeopardy: U.S. Place Names (1-31-25)

The Final Jeopardy question (1/31/2025) in the category “U.S. Place Names” was:

Before 1867, this city that lends its name to a type of tree was known as Novo Arkhangelsk

In QF #5 of the 2025 Tournament of Champions, the players are: 5x champ Mark Fitzpatrick, a content manager from Riverside, CT; 3x champ Allison Gross, a data scientist from Cleveland, OH; and 3x champ Kevin Laskowski, an Episcopal priest from Falls Church, VA.

Round 1 Categories: World Facts – “H.R.” – Lucky 13 – The Theater – Of Equal Measure – Playing Sportsball

Mark found the Jeopardy! round Daily Double in “World Facts” under the $1,000 clue on the 4th pick of the round. He was the only one on the board with $1,800. Mark bet it all and he was RIGHT.

Central Asia is made up of 5 countries, all former Soviet republics, including these 2 “T” ones show

WHAT ARE TAJIKISTAN AND TURKMENISTAN?

Mark finished in the lead with $7,000. Allison was second with $2,600 and Kevin was last with $2,200. All clues were shown.

Round 2 Categories: What an Artist Dies in Me – Etymology – Way, Way Back in the Day – On the Movie Soundtrack – Nature – Playing Non-Sports”ball”

Allison found the first Daily Double in “Etymology” under the $2,000 clue on the 2nd pick of the round. She was in second place with $4,200, $1,200 less than Mark’s lead. Alison bet $3,000 and said platonic. That was WRONG.

Aristotle believed there was a “fifth element”, which gives us this word for the purest form of something show

WHAT IS QUINTESSENCE?

Mark found the last Daily Double in “What an Artist Dies in Me” under the $1,600 clue on the 18th pick of the round. He was in the lead with $11,400, $5,200 more than Kevin in second place. Mark bet $5,000 and he was RIGHT.

If this northern Renaissance painter of wild imagery was alive, he’d ask, “A TV cop has my name? And what’s TV?” show

WHO IS BOSCH?

Mark finished in the lead with $16,400. Allison was second with $10,400 and Kevin was last with $6,200. All clues were shown.

---

---

NONE of the contestants got Final Jeopardy! right.

WHAT IS SITKA?

Sitka is the place where Russia officially transferred ownership of Alaska to the United States on October 18, 1867. Russians settled in the area in 1799, eventually leading to hostilities with the native Tlingit people. After the Battle of Sitka, the Russians renamed the settlement Novo Arkhangelsk (New Archangel) and it became the capital of Russia’s North American colonies. After Russia sold Alaska to the United States, Sitka became the capital of the Alaska Territory until 1906.

As for the tree connection, the Sitka spruce (Picea sitchensis) is one of the tallest species of spruce trees. Its native range is a narrow strip along the north Pacific coast from southcentral Alaska to northern California, although it has been successfully transplanted to over 15 countries. Sitka turbine blades for wind energy conversion systems.

---

---

Kevin thought it was Juneau. He bet $6,199 and finished with a dollar.

Allison didn’t quite finish Palm Springs, not that it mattered. She lost $2,001 and finished with $8,399.

Mark came up with Newport. He lost $4,401 but won the game with the remaining $11,999. Mark Fitzpatrick is our 5th semifinalist. There is one last quarterfinal coming up on Monday.

A triple stumper from each round:

THE THEATER ($800) For its Canadian debut, this play by Heidi Schreck used Canada’s Charter of Rights & Freedoms rather than the title U.S. document

WAY, WAY BACK IN THE DAY ($1600) Britannica calls this Roman’s “Natural History” an “encyclopaedic scientific work of dubious accuracy”

More clues on Page 2

2 years ago: TWO of the players got this FJ in “WORLD WAR II”

Mimi Reinhard, who never learned to type using more than 2 fingers, produced this with 1,100 names, including hers show

WHAT IS SCHINDLER’S LIST?

IF YOU HAVE SUGGESTIONS FOR CHANGES TO THE SHOW OR COMPLAINTS, PLEASE SEND YOUR FEEDBACK DIRECTLY TO JEOPARDY!