Final Jeopardy: Plays & Playwrights (5-7-26)
The Final Jeopardy question (5/7/2026) in the category “Plays & Playwrights” was:
The first version of a 1960s play by this man had a slightly different title, ending with “Meet King Lear”
New champ Tristan Williams, a data scientist orig. from Lincoln, NE, won $20,000 yesterday. In Game 2, his opponents are: Helen Yoas, a retired librarian from Williamsport, PA; and Robert Yan, a language expert from Huntsville, AL.
Round 1 Categories: Liminal Spaces – Parenting – Baddies in Books – Total Valley Speak, Dude – What’s the Point! – Face Cards?
Tristan found the Jeopardy! round Daily Double in “Parenting” under the $400 clue with 4 clues left after it. He was in the lead with $3,000, $200 more than Robert in second place. Tristan made it a true Daily Double and he was RIGHT.
In Diana Baumrind’s 3 parenting styles, the authoritarian one is associated with this 4-word phrase in response to “But Daddy, why?” show
Tristan finished in the lead with $3,400. Shannon was in second place with $2,600. Lauren was last with negative $800. All clues were shown.
Round 2 Categories: Presidential Moms – Celebrity Books – The Celts – “M”edicine – Only Heard in Plural – May I Please Have Some Water?
Robert got the first Daily Double in “‘M’edicine” under the $2,000 clue on the 18th pick. He was in the lead with $11,400 now, $2,400 more than Tristan in second place. Robert bet $3,000 and came up with mycardia. That was WRONG.
It’s the 7-letter medical term for muscle aches & pains show
Tristan got the last Daily Double in “May I Please Have Some Water?” under the $1,200 clue with 8 clues left after it. In the lead with $12,600, he had $2,000 more than Helen in second place. Tristan bet $5,000 and guessed briny. That was WRONG.
From Dutch for “salty”, this adjective means water that is more saline than fresh water, but less than sea water show
Helen finished in the lead with $12,600. Tristan and Robert were tied in second place with $9,200.All clues were shown.
TWO of the contestants got Final Jeopardy! right.
WHO IS TOM STOPPARD?
Tom Stoppard wrote a one-act play with the title “Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Meet King Lear”, which bombed in 1964. Stoppard dropped the King Lear association, developed it into an absurdist play with 3 acts and renamed it “”Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead”, a line straight out of Hamlet, Act 5. First staged at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe on 8/24/1966, the play won Stoppard numerous awards and international fame.
Stoppard continued to write more award-winning plays and screenplays, including “Travesties” (1976) and “Shakespeare in Love” (1998). Knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 1997, Sir Tom died at the age of 88 on 11/29/2025.
Tristan got it right. He bet it all and finished with $18,400.
Robert got it right, too. He bet $3,402 and finished with $12,602.
Helen thought it was David Mamet. She lost $5,861 and dropped down to $6,739. That made Tristan Williams the winner with a 2-day total of $38,400.
A triple stumper from each round:
LIMINAL SPACES ($1000) Viewers might be struck by how strangely familiar urban spaces are in works like “New York Movie” by this 20th c. painter
THE CELTS ($2000) Celtic religious festivals included Samhain, the start of winter on Nov. 1, & this May Day festival marking the start of summer
Tristan Williams, Helen Yoas, Robert Yan
2 years ago: Only ONE of the players got this FJ in “1980s FADS”
A November 29, 1983 N.Y. Times article about these used “near-riot”, “adoptable”, “waiting for 8 hours” & “my life (is) in danger”
show
IF YOU HAVE SUGGESTIONS FOR CHANGES TO THE SHOW OR COMPLAINTS, PLEASE SEND YOUR FEEDBACK DIRECTLY TO JEOPARDY!
We may earn a small commission from qualifying purchases made from Amazon.com links at no cost to our visitors. Learn more: Affiliate Disclosure.
This was a dramatic final round. Tristan doubled up but Robert did not. This would have been a tiebreaker if Robert went all-in and if he did, we would have a tie because Helen missed.