Final Jeopardy: 20th Century Novels (6-30-26)
The Final Jeopardy question (6/30/2026) in the category “20th Century Novels” was:
David Ben-Gurion called this 1958 book “as a piece of propaganda… the greatest thing ever written about Israel”
12x champ Adam Remsen, an attorney & theater producer from Memphis, TN, has a dozen wins and $306,415. He can make it a baker’s dozen today if he can defeat these 2 challengers: Richard Nguyen, a research attorney from Placentia, CA; and Mandy Moreno, a social psychologist from Brooklyn, NY.
Round 1 Categories: Special Effects – Animal Potpourri – Triple “A” – Annotating Walden – Table Scraps – The Census Bureau Says
Richard found the Jeopardy! round Daily Double in “Table Scraps” under the $1,000 on the 17th pick of the round. He was in second place with $3,400 now, $800 less than Adam’s lead. Richard bet $3,000 and he was RIGHT.
The vicious circle was another name for this celebrated group that first met for lunch in 1919 show
Adam finished in the lead with $7,800. Richard was in second place with $7,000. Mandy was last with $1,800. All clues were shown.
Round 2 Categories: Special Effects – Diaries & Journals – That ____ -____ing Category – My Problematic Historical Faves – Cliff Notes – Wine, Women & Song
Adam got the first Daily Double in “Special Effects” under the $1,600 clue on the 6th pick of the round. He was in the lead with $11,000 now, $2,400 more than Richard in second place. Adam bet $5,000 and he was RIGHT.
The effect of this effect is that patients sometimes get better even when treated with inactive substances or fake procedures show
Richard got the last Daily Double in “Diaries & Journals” under the $1,600 clue on the 15th pick of the round. In the lead with $17,000, he had $200 more than Adam in second place. Richard bet $5,000 and thought it was Stanley. That was WRONG.
His journal entry for November 5, 1922 includes his telegram to Lord Carnarvon: “At last have made wonderful discovery in Valley” show
Adam finished in the lead with $20,800. Richard was in second place with $14,400. Mandy was last with $5,000. All clues were shown.
Only ONE of the contestants got Final Jeopardy! right.
WHAT IS “EXODUS”?
The 1958 novel “Exodus” by Leon Uris was hailed as the best-selling book since Margaret Mitchell’s “Gone with the Wind” (1936). It’s a fictionalized version of the founding of Israel that garnered high praise and fierce criticism alike. David Ben-Gurion’s quote contains a bit of both: “As a literary work, it isn’t much. But as a piece of propaganda, it’s the greatest thing ever written about Israel.”
The novel “Exodus” was adapted for the big screen by Dalton Trumbo. Debuting in 1960, the film got 3 nominations at the 1961 Oscars: Sal Mineo for Best Supporting Actor; Sam Leavitt for Best Cinematography, Color; and the only win: Ernest Gold for Best Music, Scoring of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture. Pat Boone wrote English lyrics for the main song, which became known as “Exodus (This Land is Mine)”.
Mandy didn’t have a response and she didn’t part with a shekel, standing pat on $5,000.
Richard got it right. He bet $6,401 and finished with $20,801.
Adam came up with “Fiddler on the Roof”, causing the audience to gasp audibly. He lost $8,001 and finished with $12,799. That made Richard Nguyen the new Jeopardy! champion.
A triple stumper from each round:
ANIMAL POTPOURRI ($600) A fight against a rhino couldn’t be shot in this 2000 epic movie, but there is one (actually a robot) in the 2024 sequel
MY PROBLEMATIC HISTORICAL FAVES ($1200) After hearing tyrant Phalaris roasted folks in a metal bull, I nixed my trip to Phalaris-con on this now-Italian island where he ruled
2 years ago: Only ONE of the players left in FJ got this one in “STAGE & MOVIE CHARACTERS”
Acquitted of shooting her lover in 1924, Beulah Annan was the inspiration for this character in a play, film & musical 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.
Well, I’m glad Adam got over $300K, even though I was hoping he’d hang in there and get on the Leaderboard of Legends. You need over something like %431K to get the 10th spot these days.
We ended the month of June with a new giant killer in Richard. This was a competitive game between Adam and Richard.