Final Jeopardy: Astronomers (5-6-20)
Today’s Final Jeopardy question (5/6/2020) in the category “Astronomers” was:
This man’s name was given to a comet that crashed into Jupiter in 1994; he’s the only human whose remains lie on the moon
Today’s game is the second half hour of the first match in the Greatest of All Time Tournament (original airdate: 1/7/2020). As you know, Jeopardy legends Brad Rutter, Ken Jennings and James Holzhauer are the sole players, competing for $1,000,000 and the glory of being declared the greatest Jeopardy! contestant of all time.
Round 1 Categories: American Idols – Toy Story – Geo-Verse – Not an Armchair Expert – Triple Rhyme Time – Greatest of All Time Travelers
Ken found the Jeopardy! round Daily Double in “Time Travelers” under the 600 clue on the 5th pick of the round. He was in the lead with 2,400, 1,400 more than James in second place. He bet it all and he was RIGHT.
In Chapter 16 of “A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court”, Hank meets this woman whose first name is the same as his surname. show
James finished in the lead with 8,200. Ken was second with 7,000 and Brad was last with 3,800.
Round 2 Categories: Architecture & Design – Let’s Jazz Up the Place – All in the Family: Government Edition – Foreign Words & Phrases – Philosophers – Potpourri
Brad found the first Daily Double in “Jazz” under the 1,600 clue on the very first pick. The scores were the same as above. He bet his whole 3,800 and only got one of them so he was WRONG.
Born in New Orleans, Louis Armstrong performed songs named for these 2 local “B” streets. show
Brad found the last Daily Double in “Philosophers” under the 2000 clue on the 7th pick. In third place with 2,800, he had 7,800 less than Ken’s lead. He bet it all, saying “it’s gotta come in one of these times.” He went with Jean-Paul Sartre even though he knew that was WRONG.
This double-first-name philosopher born in 1842 said the value of a concept is in its practical consequences. show
James finished in the lead with 15,000. Ken was next with 12,200 and Brad was in third place with 10,000.
TWO of the contestants got Final Jeopardy! right.
WHO IS EUGENE SHOEMAKER?
The ashes of legendary planetary geologist, Eugene Shoemaker, were launched into space in a memorial capsule aboard Lunar Prospector on 1/6/1998. Destination: the moon. Shoemaker died in a 2-car accident on 7/18/1997 in Australia, where he was investigating asteroid impact craters in the outback. From nasa.gov: “Around the capsule is wrapped a piece of brass foil inscribed with an image of a Comet Hale-Bopp, an image of Meteor Crater in northern Arizona, and a passage from William Shakespeare’s enduring love story, “Romeo and Juliet”:
‘And, when he shall die,
Take him and cut him out in little stars,
And he will make the face of heaven so fine
That all the world will be in love with night,
And pay no worship to the garish sun.'”
Carolyn Shoemaker, his wife and colleague, attended the launch and said: “This is so important to us…. We will always know when we look at the moon, that Gene is there.”
Brad came up with “Hale.” He bet and lost the 10,000 from this game but still finished with the 10,400 from the first game.
Ken got it right. He bet 6,200, finishing with 18,400. Adding his 45,000 from Game 1 gave him 63,400.
James got it, too. He doubled his 15,000 to 30,000 bet so he ended up in second place with 63,200. Ken Jennings won the first match by a 200 margin!
A triple stumper from each round:
PHILOSOPHERS ($400) German philosopher Hegel saw history as progression toward this Declaration of Independence value
POTPOURRI ($2000) This mother of Alexander the Great was in the cult of Dionysus & liked to sleep with snakes
2 years ago: Only ONE of the players got this FJ in “Opera”
A 12-minute piece of music from this opera depicts Alpine dawn, a storm & the calm, & ends in a section called a galop show
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I’m glad Ken and James both got this although I hope brad can improve his score as the game continues. Betting cautiously is the best strategy in daily doubles rather than betting it all because contestants will lose cash less that way.
Whenever the first clue gets picked which happens to be the Daily Double, I say this: “Oh, right off the bat!”. Especially when a contestant found two Daily Doubles in Double Jeopardy!.