Final Jeopardy: Capital City Wordplay (6-11-14)
The Final Jeopardy question (6/11/2014), in the category “World Capitals” was:
Ending in the same 2 letters, these 2 are capitals of a nation that covers a continent & a nation reaching onto 2 continents.
4x champ Molly LaLonde is now up to $53,300. Today her opponents are: Sari Laufer, from New York, NY; and Darren O’Connor, from Norfolk, VA.
Round 1: Sari found the Jeopardy! round Daily Double in “A ‘Ton’ of Cities” under the $800 clue. She was in the lead with $3,600, $1,600 more than Molly in second place. She bet $1,200 and she was RIGHT.
This North Carolina city got its present name in 1913 & not for 2 brands of cigarette. show
Sari finished in the lead with $5,800. Darren and Molly were in a second place tie with $4,800 each.
Round 2: Molly found the first Daily Double in “The Hulk, Shakespeare Scholar” under the $1,600 clue. She was in second place with $6,400, $200 less than Sari’s lead. She bet $4,000 and she was RIGHT.
Hulk relate to trust issues of this title guy but calling his wife “a strumpet” over line for Hulk! Wife is angel figure!. show
Molly found the last Daily Double in “Famous Voices” under the $1,200 clue. In the lead with $11,200, she had $3,400 more than Sari in second place. She bet $2,000 and she was RIGHT.
In his 1988 autobiography, he dispelled the allergy rumor but said that he wasn’t really fond of carrots. show
Darren finished in the lead with $22,400. Sari was next with $15,400 and Molly was in third place with $14,000.
NONE of the contestants got Final Jeopardy! right.
BlatantWorld.com has a full list of trans-continental countries divided into sections of the most widely considered ones, other possibles and ones with overseas dependencies. These are the capitals on the most-widely considered list: Ankara, Astana, Baku, Dili, Jakarta, Moscow, Nicosia, North Nicosia, Stepanakert, Sukhumi, Tbilisi, Tskhinvali and Yerevan.
As you can tell, they have both Cyprus and Northern Cyprus on there, so that must mean it only takes one country to recognize your status as a self-declared country to get on the widely-considered list. Australia is, of course, not on the list because it is only on one continent. But Dili (East Timor) and Tskhinvali (South Ossetia) also end in the same two letters, so if this match was in Russia, Nicaragua, Venezuela or Nauru (all of which recognize South Ossetia), those answers would work too!
10informationblogspot has Chile on its Top 10 list.
Molly only got down Moscow, which was wrong by itself. She didn’t bet anything so she remained at $14,000.
Sari only had Istanbul, which was wrong by itself, too. She lost $7,001, finishing with $8,399.
Darren didn’t write anything down but “what”. He bet $8,000 so he finished with $14,400, today’s winning total. So Darren O’Connor is our new champ! He is a police officer working in the Special Crimes Unit for 9 of this 13-year career. (Law & order:SVU was brought up).
Well, the FJ prediction today was that all of them would write down “Canberra” first and be lucky if they had time to get “Ankara” too. Hoo boy!
2 years ago:: Only ONE of the players got this FJ in “Political Terms”
19th c. reports on horse races used this 2-word term to mean horses that were in the field but didn’t finish high. show
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Well, my certainty concerning my “rigging” theory has fallen to about 80% now. Today’s game was a normal one, with three evenly-matched contestants.
I was going to brag that I got the FJ today when none of the contestants did, but Joe Blow has proclaimed such a thing as acting superior and implying that one knows everything. And, gee, I sure wouldn’t want to upset Joe Blow, so I won’t even mention it.
@Tom – you think? In Monday’s game when Molly was lagging, suddenly 2 categories in her wheelhouse show up in the second round. Today the Shakespeare category (which she aced in her first game) shows up in the second round with a DD in it! I was like wth?? They devote two whole categories to Shakespeare in the span of 5 days. When AChu was on and it was known that he was bad in sports categories, we saw very few sports categories in 12 games!!
It seems far from rare to me that two Shakespeare categories come up in a week. Two opera categories would be far from shocking. Two sports categories in a month would be an aberration, however.
PS-Sorry if my above reply lacks tack!
Lol. Had to check back. Tact vs. Tack. Better than Kramer v. Kramer , or at least more memorable.
If AChu had wasted that hockey double for $5, I would’ve been crazed.
the rigging is not necessarily limited to providing the answers, but picking the contestants a champ is facing…..no?
you can rig it also by selecting contestants by quality who play a champion…..
Engineered, John. Lol.
@vj hoo boy, indeed. short and too the point. i would suggest that none of today’s players should plan a vacation down under anytime soon…
I teach college World Geography courses, and as a nightly viewer of Jeopardy, have noticed that Geography appears to be the one weakness that many contestants have. But i admit, i would not last long on this show
but it doesn’t have to be a weakness, don’t you agree?
There are so many quizzes, videos, lists, maps — so much help online. You would assume that people who try out for the show are also nightly viewers and see the same thing time and time again, yet they don’t seem to ask themselves “how is my geography” and go take an online quiz before going on the show. The players we have seen in the past week couldn’t pass an easy geography quiz!
you’d think…the sad part living in paradise is that – i believe i mentioned that before- that the j selection crew is coming to hawaii once a year, sometimes every other year. if i were to live in l.a., i had a much better chance.i did kind of well in the last three online tests. the burdens you bear for living in paradise…..right?
and you HAVE to pass the j online test to be even considered (at least here in hawai’i).i guess we are so far away from l.a. that they want to make sure to have at least a certain # of people who meeet j’s standards…. so again i wonder WHO picks the contestants and WHAT CRITERIA are used?
the old conspiracy theory is rearing its ugly head!
If it’s any consolation, I don’t think that Jeopardy wants contestants who do really well on their test. First, I think that they are very happy to have Ken Jennings as their record holder and getting a contestant who could usurp him would be bad business. I certainly don’t see that changing with the recent success of Julia. Secondly, I believe that they want to keep the game playable at home. With really smart contestants, the game now would look too easy. I seem to remember somewhere someone saying that they look for people who score around forty correct.
Maybe you should try missing a few on purpose?
or move to l.a….. nahhhh. i’m happy here as it is, even with some shortcomings that are inevitable when you live in the middle of nowhere, “paradise” or not.
p.s. i agree with you. they have to give people at home SOME feeling that they could beat the guys on the show.that’s part of the appeal j has.
Actually, I’ve studied it and still am very bad. But, my husband has never studied it and is amazing at it! He can even tell you what rivers are where. He’s so smart, when I watch Jeopardy with him he makes the Contestants look bad. Wish he’d try out!
a no brainer as fj and a TRIPLE MISS?? There is only one nation in the world that is also a continent (plus some small islands). so at least canberra should have been a given. melbourne was de facto but NOT de jure capital from 1901-1927, since parliament met there. so even melbourne would have been acceptable to a certain degree. (if somebody would have said “what are melbourne and istanbul?” i would not have said a peep.)
at least istanbul was in the right country, but kemal ataturk made ankara the capital in the early 1920s.
fortunately darren did not bet the expected 8.400 (problems with math???), otherwise we would have him and molly (with 67.300 total and 4 misses in 5 FJs!!! ) as co-champs at 14 K each today.
So, again I’m still curious (from below), do you think of New Zealand as a small island? Do you think of the country of Australia as “covering” New Zealand?
Sorry just read below. However, what continent is New Zealand on then? BlatantWorld has Australia listed as part of Oceania.
australia MAY be part of oceania but is a CONTINENT by itself. new zealand is an island nation , part of oceania but has NOTHING to do with australia in terms of geography (history is a different story).
so new zealand is NOT on ANY continent, since oceania is NO continent, but, as mentioned before,the collective NAME for pacific lands. and australia is not even entirely in the pacific. again, west and nw australia are bordered by the indian ocean and could be considered even – if not part- but bordering asia.
you have thousands of islands in oceania, that does NOT make it a continent.
just as malta belongs to europe politically but is NOT on the european continent, therefore technically not part of the european continent (geographically) but is european by politics, declaration, position and most of all history.
It is not a “no brainer” just because you got the FJ. Far from the hardest ever, but far from the easiest as well. To start with, saying the country “covers” the continent is not 100% the same as saying the country “is also” a continent. So we have to realize it’s Aust., know the capital, then figure out which of multiple possible countries spanning two continents has a cap. that meets the criterion-all w/in the time limit. Why do you find Istanbul a better answer than Moscow, btw? Moscow is the capital of a country spanning two continents, whereas Istanbul is not!
So you think Darren won’t last long based on this even though you haven’t seen the show? Also, his bet was “wrong” even though he won because of it? There are wrong bets, but this was merely an unusual one. A guy the other day bet enough to put him out of contention but not enough to overtake the leader near the end of a game. This is wrong. Darren’s bet was unorthodox but correct, hindsight being 20/20.
“On a budget” theory is rather asinine. And I never assumed that they chose only the contestants with the highest qualifying scores…
If you’re referring to my “on a budget” theory, it was meant mostly in jest. I wrote a lot of stupid things: some seem smart to me, the rest funny. Please comment on them at will. Maybe a good conversation will ensue.
Now, if you’re talking about “wrong” bets, how does this one not qualify? I hope that you’re not saying it m
was correct because it worked out? Like: the ends justify the means if you don’t get caught. Do you really believe that he didn’t miscalculate? If you wish an appeal to an authority, watch the final wager: his bet clearly violated the first rule of wagering.
I do, though, agree that there have been easier final jeopardys, especially the way it was written and it is harsh to hear when you missed it. Jeeez, you should have seen my answer yesterday. Of course, they are all easy when you know them.
I think also that it is fair to believe that some people here believe they could do well on the show, and some probably could. I think though their tone stems from two things: first, some post every game day and have a certain familiarity with the show and the site, secondly, and more importantly, I believe they are frustrated with the show. Jeopardy seems like it used to be tougher and with smarter players. I believe most that post here don’t want it to go the way of the education in this country. They don’t want a no viewer left behind tack taken.
Write back soon. If you have or want to have insight into the FJ, check the Clue of the Day on the Jeopardy website, then check VJ’s CotD here.
*tact not tack
my phone corrects me, also the reason for the weird m placements.
I corrected that — not your phone, eric.
check this out
Wow. Thanks. I always thought that tact was similar tactic.
I have just enough knowledge to be dangerous (to whom, we just don’t know).
I’ve watched Jeopardy! almost every day for over 3/4 of my life, so I am familiar with the show. Only learned about the site recently when trying to find to exact wording for a friend whose daughter won on the show.
I fully see what you are saying about Darren’s bet not being the wisest, but what “first rule” of yours does it violate? Such as rule would seem to be reserved for cases where the bet has 0% benefit for the contestant-cases which happen far too often. Darren’s bet benefited him in several possible scenarios and only hurt him if Sari bet it all, got it right, and Darren did as well. He may have thought they would not both get it right or that Sari would not bet all her money…
BTW-Who wouldn’t look awful after Brad, Ken, and Roger? Also, the pressure of being on the show is very different than watching it on TV. I’ve frozen in similar quiz show competitions while dominating in offstage parts.
I don’t know if you found the wording you were looking for, but J! Archive has every game. I hope she had fun. I’ve been to tapings and had fun, but I might freeze, at least at first, as a contestant.
The rule I was talking about refers to The Final Wager show on YouTube. I think that was one of AChu’s references. His (Williams) analysis can be a little limited if you’re really into game theory, but rule #1 is always (as leader) cover the person in second. You don’t want to lead, answer the question correctly and go home. Now, admittedly, this needs to be more flexible if more knowledge is available (like Rutter knowing Jennings’ non-strengths), but I don’t think that’s true in this case.
Lastly, I believe that everyone got worked up about the contestants during the reign of Julia (even early), so the BoD is somewhat irrelevant. Unless, however, you take into account the calibre of the clues which needed to be written. There could be something to that.
Well, thanks for responding. I’m probably out for the night. Let’s talk some other time.
@ vj there was no more reply tab in your post and my earlier opinion got probably drowned.
i think it IS sometimes rigged, not in terms of providing the solution, but by picking WHO is playing. WHO decides that. ONE person, a panel, a computer??
and what do you think that they could show the percentage of right answers on the screen for the online test or announce them when the contestants are introduced? that way viewers would know immediately when a – let’s say julia – gets 2 opponents who scored in the 60% range??? AND we would know the batting # that julia had. 98%,95,90,85,80???
i know the online test is no ultimate litmus test, you have to consider reading problems,typing etc etc. but it would be a relatively good basic indication.
idk, john, I never really gave it any thought until the rigging theory came up – then you notice these things like the categories favoring some people. By the same token, sometimes a player will get a really tough break on the show — like Roger Craig and his DDs in the BotD. That’s extreme but a serious setback in the second round is hard to recover from.
I don’t see how it would be helpful to show online test percentages. Then you would think so and so is smarter before the game even began. It’s more fun to figure out who really knows their stuff while the game is in progress.
i agree that the phrasing could have been better, (australia is not only a continent but also consists of a number of islands besides the main one that IS the continent) but this is not the first time that a fj clue was ambiguous (or too long). and istanbul IS a city that WAS the capital of an empire and then country for 1600 years.
pull 100 people at random off the street and ask them what the capital of turkey is. i bet you at least 50% on average would answer “istanbul/constantinople”. on average, depending where you ask, the education level etc. etc. but on a REAL average….i don’t think 50% would come up with ankara, leave alone the historic “angora”.
I’m confused. In the list provided by BlatantWorld, there are countries which lie in Oceania. Australia lies in part of Oceania. It certainly seems as if Australia does not “cover” the continent, thus rendering the clue incorrect.
Perhaps, we should be wondering what the capitol of Antarctica is (just kidding).
i am sorry, but australia DOES cover the ENTIRE continent. name ONE other country ON the australian continent! new zealand is an ISLAND NATION and NOT on the australian continent. OCEANIA is the collective name for the lands of the PACIFIC ocean,including
polynesia,micronesia etc.( if you want to be splitting hairs you could count hawai’i as part of oceania)but NOT a continent. besides, west australia is not bordering the pacific but the INDIAN ocean.
Well, we have the United Nations website listing New Zealand as a member. We have various websites all listing New Zealand as part of the Australian (mostly Australia/Oceania) continent.
Unless “covers” means something that I don’t know, the clue was wrong.
I guess you can have your pick of several answers when it comes to new zealand — oceania, australasia, zealandia
sort of an answer where you are wrong either way. it is part of oceania, close enough to australia and bigger than all the small islands that make up oceania. a “no win” pick. there are – i am sure – top experts who would defend either naming, by a pretty equal percentage.
you could also say australia borders asia. the west and nw is bordered by the indian ocean. from cape york you could swim or at least cross the torres strait (exactly as wide as the florida strait) to new guinea. an island that is about 50% oceania (papua n.g.) to the east and 50% asian (indonesia) to the west. so, is that island oceania or part of asia without building a canal separating the 2 parts?
something like “what came first, the chicken or the egg” thing.
and especially with all the changes – especially in the last 3 decades all over the world politically i am sure we could find a lot of points where opinions differ even with the most learned professors and specialists.
Further, the situation is more muddled by Papua New Guinea. It’s shape, the whole island, has severed from the main continent, but still is included by many.
For me, this seems like a case of the more you know, the less you know.
I love how all the comments on here are essentially people bragging about their superiority to the contestants du jour. I’m sure all of you are masters of every category and would not miss any of the clues! Get on the show!
PS-Does anybody else get sick of the overabundance of Shakespeare on the show?
speaking strictly for myself, I don’t think it constitutes bragging to rate a clue easy, medium or hard and give an opinion whether a contestant you have seen playing for 4 days will get it.
Molly was so weak in geography, she had to know it and should have boned up on it, that’s all. Am I better at geography than her? Yes, and I’m better at literature than her, too. Just a fact. If I went on the show and made less than she did, I would still be better in those two areas than she is. I am weak in the sciences, abysmal in math.
PS – I don’t really care how much Shakespeare they put on there. I thought the Hulk spin on it was dumb. For a while, I was getting annoyed at how much Henry David Thoreau was on there, but I haven’t seen him around lately.
PS – ever notice, though, how King Lear seems to be a stumper? One of my pastimes is to write quotes on the whiteboard. from all different sources). I’ve had King Lear quotes on there even when my kids were in h.s. and when Lear is on J and my son is watching, I get a text that says King Lear!
“How sharper than a serpent’s tooth it is
To have a thankless child!”
old will was a shrewd and sharp observer….
well I was thinking maybe this time Molly would get FJ and redeem herself for the Phoenix fiasco and Morocco mess. I did add yet another category she had down cold – zodiac signs. Obviously, she would have done better to study world geography.
but there is so much in world geography – not even counting all the changes over the last decades….plus , today’s show may have been taped the same day as the phoenix and morocco shows. it’s a LOT to learn and you need plenty of time, shutting everything out. once you are on the show it is pretty much too late to add to your knowledge considerably, unless you are as smart as ken and on the program for as long as he was….
and after all: we are all human and make mistakes. but some mistakes are just hard to swallow, especially when they come from people who made it on the program.
well, if you take the online test, what? you don’t keep studying or trying to beef up your weak areas? Not everybody who just takes their chances that they won’t get a category they are bad in will get as lucky as Molly did.
I’ll bet Molly thought she had a chance to return, but Darren didn’t cover Sari in case of a double up. I’ll bet that he thought he did, though.
This is unbelievable. A triple stumper on one of the easiest FJs in quite some time. I read the CotD at dawn and had it in a second. So obvious! Something is seriously wrong when no one at least got one capital right. And to think a J contestant actually thinks Istanbul is the capital of Turkey!
See, there is no reason that you can’t be a contestant. And win!
ouch, backhanded compliment :)…Gloves are coming off, Eric. We are both taking the 2015 online test now. Let’s see who gets on the show :).
Woah, I think that you misunderstood what I meant. I was trying to show you that you knew more than you sometimes give yourself credit (for? Idk. Benefits of a public education- ha). But, if it spurs you on, I guess that’s all right. Just read that book that I recommended.
Please understand, I’m all for meeting on the set, tying (for first), then Jamba Juice. I love Jamba Juice.
Yes, slightly misunderstood that I guess. My apologies. So, to Jamba Juice :).
Honestly, Eric, I just googled Jamba Juice to see what it actually is…gosh, if a related category comes up, you will only have to beat one contestant on the buzzer. I won’t ring in.
Ah, but by then you will be in LA, and you must Jamba Juice!
Then you will know the refreshment.
This is killing me, I’m nowhere near a Jamba Juice now.