Final Jeopardy: Literature (1-7-26)
The Final Jeopardy question (1/7/2026) in the category “Literature” was:
In a 21st Century Pulitzer Prize winner, this character introduced in an 1876 work is biracial
We’re up to the third quarterfinal in the 2026 Champions Wildcard tournament. Today’s champs are: Cameron Berry, data analyst & college administrator from Brighton, MA; Harvey Silikovitz, attorney & worldwide karaoke singer orig. from West Orange, NJ; and Jason Singer, a real estate agent from Portland, ME.
Round 1 Categories: It’s Government Policy – Fear Itself – “K” Pop – Demon Hunters – Golden – How It’s Done, Done, Done
Jason found the Jeopardy! round Daily Double in “It’s Government Policy” under the $1,000 clue with 8 clues left after it. He was in second place with $2,000, $5,000 less than Cameron’s lead. Jason bet it all and said strength through peace. That was WRONG.
This U.S. Policy of using implied force in foreign relations is also known as the Roosevelt Corollary to the Monroe Doctrine show
Cameron finished in the lead with $8,200. Harvey was second with $3,000 and Jason was last with $1,500. All clues were shown.
Round 2 Categories: Water Over the Dam – Gimme Some Money – Memoirs – The Bare Bones – Their Own Museum – Words About Birds
Cameron found the first Daily Double in “Their Own Museum” under the $1,200 clue on the 3rd pick of the round. He was in the lead with $9,800 now, $6,300 more than Jason in second place. Cameron bet $1,000 and he was RIGHT.
Museums in Toledo, Spain & on Crete celebrate the works of this artist show
Harvey got the last Daily Double in “Memoirs” under the $1,600 clue on the 7th pick of the round. In second place with $3,800, he had $5,400 less than Cameron’s lead. Harvey bet $2,000 and didn’t know so he was WRONG.
Presumably rejecting “Olaf Me”, actor Josh’s memoir has this title, punning on our national motto show
Harvey finished in the lead with $13,000. Cameron was in second place with $12,800 and Jason was last with $3,900. All clues were shown.
NONE of the contestants got Final Jeopardy! right and they all chose the same character!
WHO IS HUCK FINN?
Huckleberry Finn first appeared in the Mark Twain novel “The Adventures of Tom Sawyer” (1876) as the title character’s best friend. Huck, who befriended the runaway slave, Jim, went on to have his own adventures and appear in 2 other Tom Sawyer novels. According to Mark Twain, Huck was based on a boy he knew whose upbringing was neglected to the point where kids with strict parents envied his freedom from rules and school.
In 1994, Shelley Fisher Fishkin published her much-researched book “Is Huck Black”, delving into the impact African-American dialects had on the way Mark Twain’s characters were drawn. At the time, there was a call to toss all books with offensive language and/or stereotypes out of libraries and schools. Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn both made the 1990s list so perhaps she was trying to put a damper on that fire. Fast forward to 2024, Percival Everett publishes “James” in which Huck finds out he is biracial. I guess they don’t consider it a spoiler if they don’t tell you how or when he finds that out, so I won’t tell you either!
Jason thought it was James. Right book, wrong character. He bet and lost his whole $3,900.
Cameron followed suit with Jim. He lost $201 and finished with $12,599.
Harvey also had Jim, making it a trifecta. He only lost $2.00 so he won the game with $12,998. Harvey advances to the semifinals. Cameron’s looking good for a Wild Card.
A triple stumper from each round:
DEMON HUNTERS ($200) In “The Master & Margarita”, beware behemoth, a black one of these animals in the devil’s entourage; it’s a vodka-drinking demon
GIMME SOME MONEY ($800) ETF stands for this kind of traded fund, for the type of marketplace at which they can be bought & sold
2 years ago: TWO of the players got this FJ in “SPACE”
Since it has caused spacecraft to malfunction, a region called the South Atlantic Anomaly is known as this area “of Space” show
IF YOU HAVE SUGGESTIONS FOR CHANGES TO THE SHOW OR COMPLAINTS, PLEASE SEND YOUR FEEDBACK DIRECTLY TO JEOPARDY!
We may earn a small commission from qualifying purchases made from Amazon.com links at no cost to our visitors. Learn more: Affiliate Disclosure.
Good game, Cameron charged ahead, Harvey rallied nicely and took control when Cameron had two late misses. Final was tough, I had nothing to offer. But the existence of wild card changes the wagering strategy immensely and can make it a bit anticlimactic. In a regular game, Harvey might well have gone all-in. Cameron’s $201 worked for me under either scenario.
Got the 2nd and 3rd DDs. By thinking of the national motto and quickly thinking of actor Josh, it made sense. Very surprised no one knew the ETF or the NY-Canada river. I did OK overall but of course am no match for these elite players.
Cameron’s misstep was only betting $1,000 on that Daily Double.
When Jason got his DD, I was saying, c’mon Jason — what did Teddy always say! I wonder if they would have let me get away with including the ‘carry a’ part
Wow! Harvey finished in the lead! Congratulations Harvey! What a game! Well, today’s clues were somewhat tough, and I was clueless in FJ.
Huck Finn was not bi-racial. He was a free spirit for that time period and offered a wonderful role model for young people to see others as they really are – not by what others say.
Harvey correctly predicted that Cameron would wager what he did, and with the way that things worked out, Harvey Silikovitz is automatically in the Semi-Finals. The good news for Cameron Berry is that his score of $12,599 is enough to put him in 1st place in the Wild-Card race. Bill McKinney is in 2nd place with $12,200. Dave Bond is in 3rd place with $10,000, and Dargan Ware is still alive with $2,200. Unfortunately, Geoff Barnes and Jason Singer are officially eliminated. Tomorrow, 2 more will be eliminated, but at the same time, our Top 2 Wild-Card spots will be clinched before the Friday game. Will it be Cameron and Bill, or will it be 1 or 2 of tomorrow’s players? We’ll find out.
What that means is that both Geoff and Jason are bumped off and are eliminated. They will each go home with 5,000. Cameron and Bill are safe on the wild card list for now.
Semifinalists:
Stella Trout: $26,401
Michelle Tsai: $14,398
Harvey Silikovitz: $12,998
Wild cards:
Cameron Berry: $12,599
Bill McKinney: $12,200
Dave Bond: $10,000
Dargan Ware: $2,200
===================
Geoff Barnes: $800
Jason Singer: $0
I was 2)3 on DD and missed FJ. I said “Tom Sawyer”. In the words of dear departed Alex, “Ooh, so close!”
Good on Harvey. Honestly, knowing the trajectory of Parkinson’s Disease, I didn’t expect him to be alive now.
And Jason’s interview story was classic! Mazel Tov!