Final Jeopardy: Authors (5-16-23)
Today’s Final Jeopardy question (5/16/2023) in the category “Authors” was:
In 1960 Jean-Paul Sartre wrote of this man’s “victorious attempt…to snatch every instant of his existence from his future death”
4x champ Ben Chan, a philosophy professor from Green Bay, WI, has now won $129,001. In Game 5, his challengers are: Tom Winiarski, a media strategist from Braircliff Manor, NY; and Lydia-Claire Kerrigan, a web development team lead from Lafayette, TN.
Round 1 Categories: Chillin’ in the R.I.P. Lounge – Poe Places – Automotive Alliteration – College: The Drop/Add Period – Pop Metal Bands – “B” is the First Letter
Ben found the Jeopardy! round Daily Double in “College: The Drop/Add Period” under the $400 clue, with 2 clues to go after it. He was in second place with $6,400, $200 less than Tom’s lead. He bet it all and he was RIGHT.
In Colorado, add this armed service to “Academy”. show
Ben finished in the lead with $13,200. Tom was next with $6,600 and Lydia-Claire was in third place with . All clues were shown.
Round 2 Categories: Heaven on Earth – Women World Leaders – Animals – Don’t Go Anywhere – Twists – Turns
Tom found the first Daily Double in “Don’t Go Anywhere” under the $2,000 clue on the 12th pick. He was in second place with $11,800 now, $6,200 less than Ben’s lead. Tom bet $5,000 but drew a blank so he was WRONG.
There’s a light fixture in this word meaning settled & not going anywhere. show
4 clues later, Ben got the last Daily Double in “Heaven on Earth” under the $1,200 clue. In the lead with $21,200, he had $16,400 more than Tom in second place. Ben bet $2,000 and he was RIGHT.
This Parisian avenue is named for a paradise of Greek myth; it’s less heavenly these days since it’s clogged by traffic. show
Ben finished in the lead with a runaway $26,400. Lydia-Claire was next with $11,200 and Tom was in third place with $5,200. All clues were shown.
Only ONE of the contestants got Final Jeopardy! right.
WHO IS ALBERT CAMUS?
Open Culture has an article detailing factors that destroyed the friendship of Albert Camus and Jean-Paul Sartre. There was more to than a conflict over Camus embracing absurdism. Camus, for his part, could not agree with Sartre over the latter’s position on Stalin’s totalitarian Soviet regime. Their stances on Algeria’s bid for independence were also very different. Then, Sartre’s public lambasting of Camus created a gap too wide to bridge. However, when Camus suddenly and tragically died at age 46 in a car accident, Sartre’s written tribute “acknowledged Camus’ fierce individualism and principle in the face of life’s absurdity as an existential triumph rather than a handicap.”
Tom was going for Jerry Garcia but only got as far as Gar. He lost $5,000 and finished with $200.
Lydia-Claire was going for Sisyphus. She got as far as Sisy and lost her $8,800 bet. She landed in second place with $2,400.
Ben, aka he who could not be caught, got it right. He added $1,599 and won the game with $27,999. Ben’s 5-day total is $157,000 and he now has a guaranteed spot in the next Tournament of Champions.
2 triple stumpers from the last round:
TWISTS ($2000) Anthrax earlier seen to be afflicting cows is later weaponized against Benedict Cumberbatch in this 2021 Western
TURNS ($1200) A recipe completion card game in which you try to build the perfect hot dog is called “Turn for” this
2 years ago: TWO of the players got this FJ in “Books of the Bible”
Its last chapter includes wisdom from King Lemuel, taught to him by his mother, as well as the famous “virtuous woman” passage show
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A couple of very game challengers. At least until Tom missed that tough DD.
I thought Ben would bet $3999 in FJ to ensure his runaway, but he bet less.
I had no clue, but came up with it anyway, figuring it was Sartre’s contemporary. I have a vague recollection of reading some of La Peste (The Plague) in French class many decades ago.