Final Jeopardy: Fictional Characters (3-23-17)

The Final Jeopardy question (3/23/2017) in the category “Fictional Characters” was:

The word that gave us “picaresque” may also have inspired the name of this clever valet featured in a 1786 opera.

2x champ Kevin Shrum has won $33,500 so far. In his third game, he takes on these two players: Stephanie Garrone-Shufran, from Woburn, MA; and Robin Devereux, from Durham, NC.

Round 1 Categories: Recent Bestsellers – Grains – Decoding the Hitmaking Band – Potpourri – On the Ballot – Preposition 5

Kevin found the Jeopardy! round Daily Double in “On the Ballot” under the $800 clue with 4 clues left after it. He was in second place with $2,600 when he found it, but was awarded $800 on a reversal (see below). That brought him up to $3,400, $4,000 less than Stephanie’s lead. He bet $2,000 and thought it was Kennedy. That was WRONG.

Robert Caro, biographer of this president said his 87-vote win in the 1948 senate primary was fraudulent. show

WHO IS LYNDON B. JOHNSON?

Stephanie finished in the lead with $7,400. Kevin was second with $3,400 and Robin was last with $1,800.

Round 2 Categories: Insects – Where Is It? – Newer Words & Phrases – Big Screen Literary Adaptations – Architecture & Building – “Z” Men

Robin found the first Daily Double in “Architecture” under the $1,600 clue on the 4th pick. She was in third place with $3,000 at this point, $4,400 less than Stephanie’s lead. She made it a true Daily Double and she was RIGHT.

The Latin for ship gives us the name for this central part of a church. show

WHAT IS THE NAVE?

Kevin found the last Daily Double in “Where Is It?” under the $1,200 clue, with a dozen clues to go after it. In second place with $11,400, he had $200 more than Robin in second place. He bet $2,000 and thought this place was Bogota. That was WRONG.

The Plaza de Colon  show

WHAT IS MADRID?

Robin finished in the lead with $14,000. Kevin was next with $12,200 and Stephanie was in third place with $9,400.

Only ONE of the contestants got Final Jeopardy! right.

WHO IS FIGARO?

Figaro is well-known as the barber of Rossini’s opera “The Barber of Seville” and the valet in Mozart’s “The Marriage of Figaro,” works based on the plays of Pierre Beaumarchais, who created the character. Some sources say the name is based on “fils Caron” (Caron’s son), as Beaumarchais was known when he worked for his father. Beaumarchais’ biographer, Louis de Lomenie, attributes the notion that “Figaro” was derived from the Spanish word “picaro” (rogue) to literary critic, Philarète Chasles. Lomenie sort of shoots down both theories, noting that Beaumarchais always wrote the name as “Figuaro” in his “Barber” manuscript. He suggests the Spanish word “figura.”

In short, Beaumarchais is the only one who knows where he got the name Figaro from, he didn’t tell anyone else and that is why the FJ clue says “may.”

Stephanie got it right. She bet $8,000 so her score rose to $17,400.

Kevin drew a blank on this one. He lost his $6,601 bet, leaving him with $5,599.

Robin came up with Picard. She lost $10,401, landing her in third place with $3,599. So Stephanie emerged the winner and she is the new Jeopardy! champ on the third consecutive day with only one FJ solve.

Reversal: PREPOSITION 5 ($400) Lesser in rank or lesser than zero, in temperature – After Kevin was dinged for sub, Robin got it with below.

A triple stumper from each round:

BIG SCREEN LITERARY ADAPTATIONS ($2000) Loosely based on Shakespeare’s “Henry IV” plays, this 1991 film starred Keanu Reeves & River Phoenix

“Z” MEN ($2000) This printer’s 1735 court victory was the first major win for freedom of the press in the American colonies

2 years ago: Only ONE of the players got this FJ in “Navy Ships”

First designated as Armored Cruiser No. 1, this ship was commissioned in 1895 and operated on our East Coast and the Caribbean. show

WHAT IS THE USS MAINE?

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