Final Jeopardy: Typography (1-6-26)
The Final Jeopardy question (1/6/2026) in the category “Typography” was:
Inspired by Port Authority Bus Terminal signage, it was adopted as a font by NYU & the Tribeca Film Festival
Today we’ll be watching Quarterfinal #2 of the 2026 Champions Wildcard tournament featuring these 3 champs: Michelle Tsai, a tutor orig. from Honolulu, HI; Dave Bond, an art student from Rochester, New York; and Geoff Barnes, an analyst from Washington, D.C.
Round 1 Categories: Words That Should Rhyme – Shakespeare Gets Wild – The Country That Borders… – At the Airport – That’s Key – Comedy Gets Personal
Michelle found the Jeopardy! round Daily Double in “Shakespeare” under the $800 clue on the 8th pick of the round. She was in the lead with $2,000 now, $200 more than Dave in second place. Michelle bet $2,000 and she was RIGHT.
This king’s horse “turned wild in nature, broke their stalls… ‘tis said they eat each other” after his murder by Macbeth show
Michelle finished in the lead with $7,200. Dave was second with $6,200 and Geoff was last with $1,600. All clues were shown.
Round 2 Categories: I’m the Problem – Second Letter “Q” – Diseases – Name, Myth & Model – Linguistics – So Long, Farewell, Just Kidding
Michelle found the first Daily Double in “Diseases” under the $1,600 clue on the 9th pick of the round. She was in second place with $10,000 now, $1,000 less than Dave’s lead. Michelle bet $2,000 but had no guess so she was WRONG, and glad she only bet $2,000.
2025 saw an outbreak in New York of this form of pneumonia first identified in 1976 show
Michelle got the last Daily Double in “Linguistics” under the $2,000 clue on the 15th pick of the round. In second place with $10,800, she had $1,400 less than Dave’s lead. Michelle bet $2,000 and drew a blank so she was WRONG.
If you see “PIE” as part of the etymology of a word, it stands for this reconstructed parent language show
Michelle finished in the lead with $16,000. Dave was in second place with $11,800 and Geoff was last with $8,800. All clues were shown.
NONE of the contestants got Final Jeopardy! right.
WHAT IS GOTHAM?
The Gotham typeface was commissioned by GQ in 2000. The magazine wanted something linear with a geometric structure. Type designer Tobias Frere-Jones began by photographing signs and ads from mid-20th century New York City. He thought the Port Authority Bus Terminal sign on Eighth Avenue captured the simplicity he was looking for, calling it “the kind of letter an engineer would make.” Frere-Jones named his typeface Gotham, a New York City nickname long before Batman came along.
GQ had exclusive rights for a year, but fame and widespread use came after Gotham was used in Barack Obama’s 2008 campaign. The Tribeca Film Festival and NYU were used in the clue to point you to New York City, but there have been many other famous uses of the Gotham.
Geoff went with Helvetica, another font NYC is fond of. He lost his $8,000 bet and finished with $800.
Dave went with Arial. That cost him $1,800 and left him /her with $10,000.
Michelle had no response. She bet $1,602 but won the game with the remaining $14,398. Michelle Tsai is our second semifinalist. We’ll see Dave on Richard’s Wild Card list soon.
A triple stumper from each round:
SO LONG, FAREWELL, JUST KIDDING ($1600) This British metal band said goodbye to touring after 2012’s Epitaph tour; next tour, 2014
($2000) This band, which may sometimes just be James Murphy alone in a studio, held a farewell concert in 2011; years to next tour: 5
2 years ago: TWO of the players got this FJ in “THE ANCIENT WORLD”
This text helped the soul, or ka, navigate a journey into a region called Amenti show
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Good game, wise wager by Michelle ma belle. She’d have beat Geoff if he’d bet it all and they both got Final right, and either way she more or less assured herself of a wild card spot. That was one killer Final, even for this ex-NYer. I knew the disease because I remembered when it happened in 1976, in Philadelphia as I recall. I should have known that first DD. Third one a braincrusher. Surprised no one got the 3-letter key, everyone pretty much has one now.
I was 2/3 on DD and missed FJ. Linguistics has always been my bugbear. As to the typeface in final, I didn’t have a clue. At the moment, my spouse, who is an artist, didn’t recall it, but, she is not good in rapid recall. I lived in the City when it was introduced, but, as is usual, it didn’t make an impact on me!
The charismatic Michelle won again, about which I am happy. She’s very likable.
I am, likewise, happy that, in this tournament, the wildcard aspect is still used. That leads to tactical and strategic wagering.
Apologies for my screw up yesterday!
Semifinalists:
Stella Trout: $26,401
Michelle Tsai: $14,398
Wild cards:
Bill McKinney: $12,200
Dave Bond: $10,000
Dargan Ware: $2,200
Geoff Barnes: $800
Right now, Bill and Dave are safe on the wild card list for now. Dargan and Geoff are very anxious to see how the next 3 games will play out. All they can do is sit nervously in the audience and hope for misery on the players who haven’t played yet over the next 3 days.