Final Jeopardy: Writers on Writers (3-25-26)

The Final Jeopardy question (3/25/2026) in the category “Writers on Writers” was:

Jane Austen called this English poet “infallible”

8x champ Jamie Ding, a bureaucrat & law student from Lawrenceville, NJ, has now won $222,203. In Game 9, he competes against: Thayer Warne, an editorial director from Denver, CO; and Tallulah Pollard, a recent engineering graduate from Mount Airy, MD, who is going by “T” today.

Round 1 Categories: U.S. Geography – Viral Food – 2 “B” – Dear Mr. Sci Fi or Fantasy – Play Us a Tune – Something to Make Us All Happy

Pranit found the Jeopardy! round Daily Double in “2 ‘B'” under the $1,000 clue on the 2nd pick of the round. He was the only one on the board with $800. Jamie bet $1,000 and tried “Bubble.” That was WRONG.

The first issue of this magazine in 1894 was focused on advertising; music came later show

WHAT IS “BILLBOARD”?

Jamie finished in the lead with $8,000. Thayer and T were tied in second place with $2,400. All clues were shown.

Round 2 Categories: Historic Women – Biblical First Names – Co-Stars – Quite Some Feet – That’s a Red Flag – Don’t Cost Much

Thayer found the first Daily Double in “Quite Some Feet” under the $1,600 clue on the 9th pick of the round. He was in second place with $6,400 now, $5,200 less than Jamie’s lead. Thayer bet $3,000 and he was RIGHT.

It doesn’t take a genius to figure out how Sula Nebouxil, the blue-footed this seabird, got its familiar name show

WHAT IS BLUE-FOOTED BOOBY?

Jamie got the last Daily Double in “Historic Women” under the $1,200 clue with 6 clues left after it. Still in the lead with $18,800, he had $6,600 more than Thayer in second place. Jamie bet $5,200 and he was RIGHT.

A 2025 doc about her includes her exploits in space & the life partner she was never able to acknowledgeshow

WHO IS SALLY RIDE?

Jamie finished in the lead with $25,200. Thayer was in second place with $13,400. T was last with $7,200. All clues were shown.

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NONE of the contestants got Final Jeopardy! right.

WHO IS ALEXANDER POPE?

The Jane Austen quote comes from a letter she wrote to her sister, Cassandra, dated 1/26/1813. After writing “Whatever is, is best,” she added: “There has been one infallible Pope in the World.” The “whatever” part is a paraphrase of “Whatever IS, is RIGHT,” the last line of Epistle I from Pope’s “Essay on Man” (1733). Most likely, Cassandra knew what Jane meant by that, as siblings are often “in” on cryptic references. To others, it can be construed as a pun, a joke, high praise or even a sarcastic poke at the Catholic doctrine of infallibility.

I rather think Alexander Pope would have been less than amused at Austen’s remark, especially coming from a non-Catholic. Pope was a Catholic at a time when being one was a real liability. His “Essay on Man” examines Man’s place in the Universe created by God, wherein Pope depicts God as perfect and infallible, i.e., incapable of error.

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T picked Lord Byron. She bet and lost her whole $7,200.

Thayer chose John Keats. He bet and lost his whole $13,400.

Jamie thought it was Wordsworth. He lost $1,601 but won the game with the $23,599 he had left. Jamie’s 9-day total is $245,802.

A triple stumper from each round:

VIRAL FOOD ($1000) A viral red pickle is marinated in this sweet-&-sour (& picante!) sauce from Mexico, sprinkled with tajin & stuffed with takis

DON’T COST MUCH ($2000) As Atomic Energy Commission chair, Lewis Strauss of “Oppenheimer” fame coined this phrase for a gloriously inexpensive resource

More clues on Page 2

2 years ago: Only ONE of the players got this FJ in “OLD WORDS”

First appearing in an English dictionary in 1623, mesonoxian means pertaining to this word show

WHAT IS MIDNIGHT?

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