Final Jeopardy: Art & Artists (2-6-26)
The Final Jeopardy question (2/6/2026) in the category “Art & Artists” was:
He entered the priory of San Marco in Florence in the 1430s & was commissioned to paint its altarpiece by the Medicis
In the second quarterfinal of the 2026 Jeopardy! Invitational Tournament (JIT), the players are: Eric Ahasic, a meteorologist from Minneapolis, MN; Roger Craig, an applied scientist orig. from Johnstown, PA; and Veronica Vichit-Vadakan, a librarian from Portland, OR.
Round 1 Categories: Ports of Call – Nonfiction – Modern Tech – ____ & ____ – The Hand I’ve Been Dealt – Phil ‘er Up!
Roger found the Jeopardy! round Daily Double in “___ & ___” under the $800 clue just before the break. He was in the lead with $2,800 now, $1,400 more than Eric in second place. Roger bet $2,800, and tried cloak and dagger. That was WRONG.
Involving 2 elements of the magician’s art, this idiom is used to describe a situation of deception show
Eric and Veronica finished in a tie for the lead with $2,800. Roger was last with $2,400. All clues were shown.
Round 2 Categories: France in the 1600s – Creatures From Myth – Notable Names – A Perfect 10 – Their Last Film – We’re Building Words Over Here
Roger found the first Daily Double in “France in the 1600s” under the $1,600 clue on the 7th pick of the round. He was in second place with $4,400 now, $400 less than Veronica’s lead. Roger bet it all and he was RIGHT.
Found on the left bank of the Seine, this veterans’ hospital was built by architect Libéral Bruant in Baroque style show
Roger got the last Daily Double in “We’re Building Words Over Here” under the $2,000 clue on the 14th pick of the round. In the lead with $12,800, he had $8,000 more than Veronica in second place. Roger bet $4,000 and he was RIGHt.
Location of a eustachian tube + a biblical evangelist = this targeted sort of funding show
Roger finished in the lead with a runaway $24,000. Veronica was in second place with $7,200. Eric was last with $5,600. All clues were shown.
NONE of the contestants got Final Jeopardy! right.
WHO IS FRA ANGELICO?
Fra Angelico (ca. 1395-1455) was a Dominican friar and painter. At the priory of San Marco in Florence in the 1430s, he came under the patronage of Cosimo de’ Medici (1389-1464) who commissioned him to beautify the building with religious frescoes and to provide a painting for the high altar. The frescoes, particularly The Annunciation, and the altarpiece at San Marco became Fra Angelico’s best known works.
In this YouTube, the Most Rev. Bishop John P. Dolan of the Diocese of Phoenix uses the San Marcos Altarpiece and the Medici patron saints, Cosmas and Damian, to explain the meaning of throne of grace.
Eric thought it was Botticelli (1445-1510). He bet and lost his whole $5,600.
Veronica thought it was Raphael (1483-1520). She bet and lost her whole $7,200.
Roger went with Michelangelo (1475-1564). He lost $9,000 but still had $15,000 left to emerge as the winner and second semifinalist.
A triple stumper from each round:
PHIL ‘ER UP! ($1000) “Phil ‘Er Up!” could have been the title of the series “Somebody Feed Phil” starring this “Everybody Loves Raymond” producer
NOTABLE NAMES ($2000) Much of what we know about Italian Renaissance artists comes from his “Lives of…Painters, Sculptors, and Architects”
2 years ago: Only ONE of the players got this FJ in “NOVEL CHARACTERS”
It’s this character who’s spoken of in the line “Reader, I forgave him at the moment & on the spot” show
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I was 1/3 on DD and missed FJ. I said Titian. I only knew Frangelico as an aperitif!
Roger has that style of “slow and steady”. I wonder if he might challenge Matt!
I generally dislike these fake tournaments that include people we’ve seen many times in the past and throwing more money at them on top of the thousands they’ve won. Would much rather see more original games with new people. It’s all about ratings with this new production team. That said, it was good to see VVV again. A few years ago, she and others organized a get-together for J! alums in the Portland area. It was not a good time of day or location for me, so I passed, but still kind of regret it.
Roger is truly an all-time great, although the last two tournaments he was in, he fizzled badly. As did his now-wife Julia Collins. I think one of those was J All-Stars shows. Years ago when they had the Decades tournament with 45 players, I predicted the final 3 would be Ken, Brad and Roger, and that they’d finish in that order. And was right on the nose on that pick.
I did pretty nicely in DJ but said Botticelli for Final and got only the 2nd DD. Knew the “Raymond” producer, Not a household name, but he has his own cable shows and was recently on the “Raymond” reunion specials on CBS.
They all chose painters who weren’t painting anything in the 1430s. I thought Roger and the librarian would pick up on the painter being a “brother,” but Roger only realized it after Ken said “cleric.” Mamma mia! I’m rooting for Roger all the way, even though he lost to Matt Amodio last year.
Also, remember earlier in the week, the title for the first step toward sainthood (Venerable) was a triple stumper? Well, Fra Angelico has reached the second step. He was beatified by Pope John Paul II in 1982. As such, he is known as Blessed John of Fiesole or, in Italian, Beato Angelico. He is not a saint yet, contrary to some websites.
That means Eric and Veronica are eliminated because they both finished with zero. They will each go home with 5,000. Karen and Drew have survived the cut and their chances of a wild card are much better.
If I remember correctly, May 21, 2021 was the first time ever that Veronica Vichit-Vadakan cleared the board.
Semifinalists:
Matt Amodio: $18,800
Roger Craig: $15,000
Wild Cards:
Karen Farrell: $16,400
Drew Basile: $7,200
Veronica Vichit-Vadakan: $0 ($7,200)
============================
Eric Ahasic: $0 ($5,600)
One of these days we will see a match that isnt a runaway. If Matt and Roger aren’t in the final it will be an upset
This isn’t that week for matchups that aren’t runaways.