Final Jeopardy: American Novels (7-17-25)

The Final Jeopardy question (7/17/2025) in the category “American Novels” was:

A critic described this novel as “A man from down South sitting in a manhole up North…& signifying about how he got there”

10x champ Scott Riccardi, an engineer from Somerville, NJ, has now won $262,101. In Game 11, his opponents are: Chad Biele, a public relations professional from Atlanta, GA; and Marisa Cohen, a magazine writer & editor from New York, NY.

Round 1 Categories: Auntie Defamation League – Movie Titles in Italiano – Oh Dear, They Died – Nothing Compares 2 U – There’s Always a Time – When You Must Stand for Something

Scott found the Jeopardy! round Daily Double in “There’s Always a Time” under the $800 clue on the 4th pick of the round. He was the only one on the board with $2,400. Scott made it a true Daily Double and he was RIGHT.

The name of a chain known until 1946 as Tote’m Stores reflected these new opening & closing times of day show

WHAT IS 7-ELEVEN?

Scott finished in the lead with $12,800. Marisa was second with $2,400 and Chad was last with $1,800. All clues were shown.

Round 2 Categories: A Hotel Most Unusual – Britishisms – Opera Characters – Fabrics & Materials – A Dose of Math – “N”tertainment

Chad found the first Daily Double in “Britishisms” under the $1,600 clue on the 1st pick of the round. He was in last place with $1,800, $11,000 less than Scott’s lead. Chad chose to bet his $1,800, rather than the $2,000 allowance. That turned out okay as he drew a blank and was WRONG.

This phrase meaning have a chat features a facial movement, but to the Welsh it means their cup is empty show

WHAT IS A CHIN-WAG?

Scott got the last Daily Double in “Opera Characters” under the $1,600 clue on the 5th pick. He was in the lead with $13,600, $3,600 more than Marisa in second place. Scott bet $4,000 and he was RIGHT.

Henry Kissinger & Zhou Enlai are surprisingly melodic in this John Adams opera from 1987 show

WHAT IS “NIXON IN CHINA”?

Scott finished in the lead with a runaway $40,000. Marisa was second with $5,200 and Chad was last with negative $2,000 and out of the game at this point. All clues were shown.

---

---

NEITHER contestant left in Final Jeopardy! got it right.

WHAT IS “INVISIBLE MAN”?

The quote in the clue is an excerpt from Albert Murray’s essay on Ralph Ellison’s “Invisible Man” (1952), first published in Murray’s “The Omni-Americans: New Perspectives on Black Experience And American Culture” (1970). Ellison’s novel features an unnamed narrator describing his struggle for identity and feelings of invisibility as a black man in America, despite going through a series of events that would probably get him a few million subscribers on YouTube nowadays. He winds up in a manhole in New York– the 3 words replaced with an ellipsis in the clue are “in New York singing”. The song is Louis Armstrong’s “Black and Blue”, an early racial protest song from the 1920s.

This YouTube from The Art Institute of Chicago shows Gordon Parks’ photos paired with quotes from Ellison’s “Invisible Man”, including the famous “manhole” photo.

---

---

Marisa went with Kerouac’s “On the Road”. She lost $712 and finished with $4,488.

Scott didn’t have a response. He lost half his money, cutting this win down to $20,000. Scott’s 11-day total is $282,101.

A triple stumper from each round:

THERE’S ALWAYS A TIME ($600) In 1965 James Leo Herlihy published this book about non-sportscaster Joe Buck, new to New York City

OPERA CHARACTERS ($1200) First name Floria, she’s a singer whose boyfriend Mario is painting a portrait of Mary Magdalene in a Puccini opera

More clues on Page 2

2 years ago: Only ONE of the players got this FJ in
“19th CENTURY BRITISH POEMS”

The author of this unfinished epic poem was unsure if he wanted the title character to “end in Hell–or in an unhappy marriage” show

WHAT IS “DON JUAN”?

IF YOU HAVE SUGGESTIONS FOR CHANGES TO THE SHOW OR COMPLAINTS, PLEASE SEND YOUR FEEDBACK DIRECTLY TO JEOPARDY!