Final Jeopardy: State Names Origins (1-5-21)

Today’s Final Jeopardy question (1/5/2021) in the category “State Name Origins” was:

The names of these 2 states honor a king & his father, who was executed in 1649.

5x champ Brayden Smith, a policy intern from Las Vegas, NV, brought his winning up to $115,798 yesterday. In Game 6, his opponents are: Molly Fisher, a college student from Berkeley, CA; and Manisha Munshi, an attorney from San Francisco, CA.

Round 1 Categories: Condiments – Historic Happenings – Maps – A Real Prize – Adverbs – Her First No. 1 Hit

Brayden found the Jeopardy! round Daily Double in “A Real Prize” under the $800 clue on the 19th pick of the round. He was in second place with $1,600, $3,000 less than Manisha’s lead. He bet it all and had no response so he was WRONG.

300,000 euros go to the winner of the LVMH prize for someone under 40 in this profession with at least 2 collections. show

WHAT IS FASHION DESIGN?

Manisha finished in the lead with $4,800. Brayden was second with $0 and Molly was last, at negative $200. Brayden gained $2,000 before the next round began on a reversal (see below). Two $200 clues went uncovered.

Round 2 Categories: Colorful Science – Norwegians – Fictional Schools – Oy! It’s Words from “O” to “Y” – Possession is 9/10 – Of the Law

Brayden found the first Daily Double in “Of the Law” under the $2,000 clue on the 10th pick. He was in second place with $2,800 now, half of Manisha’s lead. He bet it all and he was RIGHT, and tied with Manisha.

6 weeks after the U.S. entered WWI came the act known by this alliterative phrase requiring men to register to join the military. show

WHAT IS SELECTIVE SERVICE?

Manisha got the last Daily Double in “Fictional Schools” under the $800 clue on the 15th pick. In the lead with $11,600, she had $8,000 more than Brayden in second place. She bet $4,000 and took a guess with “A Separate Peace”. That was WRONG.

Chamberlain, Maine’s Thomas Ewen Consolidated High School hosts a memorable prom in this 1974 novel. show

WHAT IS “CARRIE”?

Manisha finished in the lead with $10,000. Brayden was next with $6,400 and Molly was in third place with $3,800. Four $400 clues went uncovered.

NONE of the contestants got Final Jeopardy! right.

WHAT ARE NORTH CAROLINA & SOUTH CAROLINA?

According to Carolana.com, Carolana was the original name of the land known today as the Carolinas and it came from French explorer, Jean Ribaut, who chose it to honor Charles IX of France. This site (and others) says that when Charles I of England granted the land to Sir Robert Heath in 1629, he used the same name to honor himself. Later after Charles I was executed, his son Charles II invalidated the original charter and issued a new one in 1663. After that, the land was called Carolina. Carolina split into North and South in 1712. Regarding the Ribaut connection, the Historical Commission of South Carolina saw fit to publish a pamphlet in 1926 stating that it was a myth, and outlining how the myth began.

Stray Observations: (1) In 2016, we came across Carolus meaning Charles in connection with Lewis Carroll’s pen name. (2) In 2018, the state named for Charles I’s wife was the topic of the FJ! clue

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Molly had Georgia and a blank. She lost everything but a dollar.

Brayden had Georgia and a blank, too. He lost $3,601 and finished with $2,799.

Manisha had Georgia and “Alaba” for Alabama. That cost her $2,900 but she won the game with the remaining $7,100. Manisha Munshi is the new Jeopardy! champ.

Reversal: ADVERBS ($1000) This 4-letter word is an adverb when found before a number to mean “about”, as in “we had to drive ____ 50 miles to get there” – They wanted “some.” Manisha’s “around” didn’t fly; Brayden’s 4-letter “like” got a thumbs up after some consideration.

2 triple stumpers from the last round:

OY! IT’S WORDS FROM “O” TO “Y” ($1600) Numbering about 175,000, these upper Midwesterners are one of the largest native peoples north of Mexico

POSSESSION IS 9/10 ($800) There is no Sigourney Weaver, only Zuul, & what a lovely singing voice Zuul must have in this 1984 movie

More clues on Page 2

2 years ago: NONE of the players got this FJ in “U.S. Navy Ships”

“Peace Through Strength” is the motto of the U.S. aircraft carrier named for this man who professed the same policy show

WHO IS RONALD REAGAN?

Click here to leave condolences for Alex Trebek and his family. There’s also a link to where you can make a donation to pancreatic cancer research in his honor.