Final Jeopardy: World Landmarks (2-25-26)
The Final Jeopardy question (2/25/2026) in the category “World Landmarks” was:
Henry James said its “immemorial gray pillars may serve to remind you of the enormous background of time”
New champ James Hirsh, a lawyer from Toronto, Ontario won $32,418 yesterday. In Game 2, he’s up against: Kevin Kodama, a software engineer from Seattle, WA; and Lauren Vincent, a grant writer from Boston, MA.
Round 1 Categories: Country Clubs – Disney Movies by Song Lyrics – Edible Anagrams – 1920s America – The Animal Kingdom – Silent-Consonant Words
Lauren found the Jeopardy! round Daily Double in “Disney Music by Song Lyrics” under the $1,000 clue on the 3rd pick of the round. She was in second place with $800 now, $200 less than James’ lead. Lauren bet the $1,000 allowance and she was RIGHT.
“You think you own whatever land you land on, the Earth is just a dead thing you can claim” show
James finished in the lead with $5,600. Kevin was in second place with $5,000. Lauren was last with $2,400. All clues were shown.
Round 2 Categories: Get Ready With Me – Depressing Poetry – Facts & Figures – Alliterative People – Peace – “Out”
James found the first Daily Double in “Alliterative People” under the $1,200 clue on the 8th pick of the round. He was in second place with $7,200 now, $5,400 less than Kevin’s lead. James made it a true Daily Double and he was RIGHT.
In 1994 he launched a cable channel to compete with American Movie Classics show
Kevin got the last Daily Double in “Peace” under the $800 clue on the 19th pick of the round. In the lead with $19,400, he had $4,200 more than James in second place. Kevin bet $15,200 and thought it was the Oslo Accords. That was WRONG.
2 agreements that were frameworks for peace in the Middle East are AKA these, after where they were negotiated in 1978 show
James finished in the lead with a runaway $20,400. Kevin was in second place with $5,000. Lauren was last with $4,000. All clues were shown.
NONE of the contestants got Final Jeopardy! right.
WHAT IS STONEHENGE?
Henry James (1843-1916) was an American writer who spent most of his life abroad, settling in England in 1876. He recorded his travels around England in many essays over the next 30 years and combined them into a book called “English Hours” (1905). In the “Salisbury Cathedral” section, he wrote: “There is something in Stonehenge almost reassuring to the nerves; if you are disposed to feel that the life of man has rather a thin surface, and that we soon get to the bottom of things, the immemorial grey pillars may serve to represent for you the pathless vaults beneath the house of history.” He also called Stonehenge “a hackneyed shrine of pilgrimage” earlier in that section.
To me, Henry James is a man of contradictions so I don’t try to figure out what he thinks. He was a man who said he hates Americans yet claimed he would live nowhere else if he could live his life over. He believed himself to be more British than a person born in Britain yet remained an American citizen until a year before his death.
Lauren thought it was the Parthenon (same here). She bet and lost her whole $4,000.
Kevin went with the Lincoln Memorial. He bet and lost his whole $5,000.
James also guessed the Parthenon. He lost $5,600 but won the game with the remaining $15,000. James has a 2-day total of $47,418.
A triple stumper from each round:
THE ANIMAL KINGDOM ($1000) This crustacean is so named because when it waves its large claw, it looks like its playing an instrument
ALLITERATIVE PEOPLE ($2000) Names the Same Dept.: the bassist for R.E.M. & the Oscar-nominated filmmaker of “20th Century Women” & “C’mon C’mon”
2 years ago: NONE of the players got this FJ in “1950s POLITICS”
In 1959 Bob Bartlett & Hiram Fong each won a coin flip to gain this alliterative title show
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I linked to that synchronized show at Congaree Park because I thought it was so cool (even though I wanted to link to this hand puppet I bought my grandkids, which is also cool.)
I was living in Texas for 3 years before I realized there aren’t any down here. I was sitting outside one summer evening and I said “something’s missing” to myself. It took me a few minutes to realize what I was expecting to see. The next day I asked my boss about it and he confirmed that there ain’t none down here.
Tough luck for Kevin on that last daily double, he played a great game and ran the poetry category but he went for a big bet of 15,200 and it didn’t work out and was out of contention. He would have likely won the game if things worked out well for Kevin on the final daily double. Maybe we may see him in Second Chance 2027 because of performing well but tough daily double luck.
I know he did that because it was an $800 clue, but it was still a foolhardy bet. That was just tempting fate!