Final Jeopardy: Famous Lines From Literature (5-26-26)
The Final Jeopardy question (5/26/2026) in the category “Famous Lines From Literature” was:
The first line & the last line of this 1859 novel begin with “It”
4x champ Chris D’Angelo, a content manager from Washington, D.C., has won $83,600. He’s going for a 5th win today against: Chenfei Lu, a data scientist from San Francisco, CA; and Rebecca Joseph, a senior cost accountant from Denver, CO.
Round 1 Categories: Year of the Horse – “B”angers – Archaeology – American Authors – Common Bonds – 13-Letter Words
Chris found the Jeopardy! round Daily Double in “Archaeology” under the $600 on the 20th pick of the round. He was in the lead with $4,600, $600 more than Chenfei in second place. Chris made it a true Daily Double and he was RIGHT.
In 2025, 22 massive stone blocks were recovered from the Mediterranean seabed off Egypt, remnants of this ancient wonder show
Chris finished in the lead with $10,800. Chenfei was in second place with $4,800. Rebecca was last with $400. All clues were shown.
Round 2 Categories: The Operas of Giovanni Antonio Kringi – 2-Word Magazine Titles – Overseas Territories – Funny Ladies – Anagrams of Each Other – -Day
Rebecca got the first Daily Double in “2-Word Magazine Titles” under the $1,200 clue on the 7th pick. She was in last place with $2,000 now, $10,800 less than Chris’ lead. Rebecca bet $1,000 and tried TV Guide. That was WRONG.
It now publishes a large-print edition to go along with its familiar 5.5-inch by 7.5-inch version show
Chenfei got the last Daily Double in “Overseas Territories” under the $1,600 clue on the 11th pick of the round. In second place with $7,600, he had $6,000 less than Chris’ lead. Chenfei bet $2,500 and came up with Bermuda. That was WRONG.
This island found by the Royal Navy in 1767 is still British territory, so mutineers, think twice about heading there show
Chris finished in the lead with a runaway $19,200. Chenfei was in second place with $5,100. Rebecca was last with $2,200. All clues were shown
TWO of the contestants got Final Jeopardy! right.
WHAT IS “A TALE OF TWO CITIES”?
I don’t believe there is a more famous first line in 19th century literature that begins with “It” than “It was the best of times; it was the worst of times….” from Charles Dickens’ 1859 novel, “A Tale of Two Cities”. Many Jeopardy! clue have been based on it, including the Final Jeopardy! clue back in May of 2017, when the line was presented in Spanish! I put a few other translations in the recap, too.
The last line, “It is a far, far better thing I do….” is often seen as noble sacrifice. Besides Jeopardy! clues, it has shown up on TV and film, ranging from a 1965 “Bonanza” episode “The Far Far Better Thing”, to “The Dark Knight Rises” (2012), when Commissioner Gordon reads part of the ending passage from “A Tale of Two Cities”.
Rebecca got it right. She bet $2,100 and finished with $4,300.
Chenfei got it, too. He bet $67 and finished with $5,167.
Chris thought it was 1852’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin. He lost $5,800 but won the game with the remaining $13,400. Chris has a 5x-day total of $97,000 and, no matter what happens after this, he’s headed for the Tournament of Champions.
A triple stumper from each round:
YEAR OF THE HORSE ($1000) The Nez Perce developed the Appaloosa NEAR THE Palouse River in this state where it’s the state horse
FUNNY LADIES ($1600) Before creating & starring in “Abbott Elementary”, she did a viral video series called “The Girl Who’s Never Been on a Nice Date”
2 years ago: NONE of the players got this FJ in “EUROPEAN SCIENTISTS”
On the 2022 bicentennial of his birth, the body of this man was exhumed & DNA used to determine his genetic afflictions show
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Chris became the fourth giant killer to advance to the Jeopardy! Tournament of Champions by winning five games after defeating a super-champion. He is also the fourth giant killer to advance to the Jeopardy! Tournament of Champions by winning five games after defeating a super-champion.