Final Jeopardy: French History (12-30-20)
The Final Jeopardy question (11/9/2011) in the category “French History” was:
“I told my plans to no one. I was not killing a man, but a wild beast that was devouring the French people.”
The contestants in the first semi-final match of the 2011 Jeopardy! tournament were: Erin McLean, Tom Nissley; and Justin Sausville. Justin and Erin both earned Wild Card spots, while Tom was the winner of the first quarter-final match ($16,403), but Justin actually had the highest money score ($18,599), so Justin got to choose first.
Note from VJ: Season 28 in 2011 was when I first started recapping Jeopardy! and this was my very first time recapping a Tournament of Champions. The recaps looked a bit different back then. I have recreated my original recap to add some of things I didn’t do back then, such as the results image and triple stumpers.
Round 1 Categories: Twins – Bond Movie by Bond Girl – & Justice for All – The Hills are Alive – Political Leaders – Completes the Proverb
Tom got the Daily Double in the Jeopardy! round, in the category “Twins.” He was in second place at this point, and chose to bet it all. He could only come up with one of their names (and only because he knew the name of one grandmother) so it was back to square one, but not for long. He quickly got back in second place and stayed there.
These twins & recent First Daughters were named for their grandmothers. show
Justin finished first with $6,400; Tom had $4,400 and Erin had $1,000.
Round 2 Categories: Winter Olympic Mascots – “Red”, “White” or “Blue” – Quick Lit – Bugs – Before, During & After – Operatic Costumes
In Double Jeopardy, Tom got the first Daily Double in “Operatic Costumes”, which were being dramatically modeled by Alex Trebek. “It’s not my category,” Tom said. “But you want to see me in something, don’t you? — Something fitting,” Alex rejoined. Tom got it RIGHT with a lucky guess and picked up an extra $1,000.
The costume worn by this character may not seem to go with his title profession, but in this first scene, he sings “Largo al factotum” and explains that he is also the apothecary, the gardener and the wood-maker. show
Tom cleaned up in the “Before, During and After” category. Most impressive! He continued his strong play and got the last Daily Double (and last clue on the board) in “Mascots”. He only felt like risking $2,000 of his $24,200. Bingo! He got it RIGHT.
Haakon & Kristin, mascots of this city’s Olympics, were named for a Norwegian prince & princess. show
Tom finished in the lead with $26,200; Justin was next with $10,400; and Erin was last with $5,400. Based on Tom’s $3 bet in his initial game, we’d bet he makes a really small Final Jeopardy wager if he bets anything at all.
All the contestants were smiling as the camera passed over them, but only TWO got Final Jeopardy right.
Yes, it was 23-year-old Charlotte who did in Jacobin leader Jean-Paul Marat in his bathtub on July 13, 1793. Marie-Anne Charlotte de Corday d’Armont wasn’t exactly lionized for the deed. Four days later, she lost her head to the guillotine and thus, did not make it to her 24th birthday on July 27th. Marat had already celebrated his 50th birthday in May. Charlotte did come to be thought of as a heroine posthumously and was even nicknamed “The Angel of Assassination.”
Erin bet $5,398, but wrote down “Joan of Arc,” so she ended up with $2.
Justin bet everything but a dollar, so he ended with $20,799.
Tom bet more than we thought: $1,001. He finished with $27,201. Stellar game, Tom.
2 triple stumpers from the first round:
BOND MOVIE BY BOND GIRL ($600) 1977: Barbara Bach as Major Anya Amasova
POLITICAL LEADERS ($1000) An ardent Polish patriot, this piano virtuoso served as the country’s leader in 1919 & again in exile from 1940 to 1941
2 years ago: TWO of the players got this FJ in “Historical Geography”
Most of the land fighting in the First Punic War between Rome & Carthage was on this island show
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The other clue they sometimes have on Barbara Bach is about her husband — Barbara and Ringo Starr will celebrate their 40th wedding anniversary in 2021.
Long Showbiz Marriages would make a good category
VJ,
Nice of you to add the backstory of your start in Season 28. Well done back then, even for a rookie!
Hope you are feeling better, day by day.
Thanks, DC
Tom played a brilliant stellar game today. He and Roger were pretty much dominant throughout the 2011 tournament. Congrats to the semifinalists. What crime has corday committed to make her lose her head, VJ?
Lou, the clue itself tells you she committed murder. I told you in the recap that she killed Jean-Paul Marat. There is a painting by Jacques Louis David of the notorious event that is even more famous than the one I showed in the recap. This article on WorkStation.com will tell you a lot more and it shows both paintings.