Final Jeopardy: 20th Century Names (7-25-25)
The Final Jeopardy question (7/25/2025) in the category “20th Century Names” was:
According to one obituary, in 1935 he owned 13 magazines, 8 radio stations, 2 movie companies & $56 million in real estate
16x champ Scott Riccardi, an engineer from Somerville, NJ, has now won $455,000. Scott’s challengers in Game 17 are: Charlotte Cooper, a graphic designer from San Francisco, CA; and Jonathan Hugendubler, an adjunct professor & trivia host from Baltimore, MD.
Round 1 Categories: War Bonds – Stars – Televised Criminal Behavior – What’s That Spell? – Compound Words in Other Words – Freakier Fridays
Scott found the Jeopardy! round Daily Double in “What’s That Spell?” under the $800 clue just after the commercial break. He was in the lead with $5,600, $3,400 more than Charlotte in second place. Scott bet $2,000 and he was RIGHT.
Spell 77 in one of these funerary texts written for a man named Ramose was for transforming him into a golden hawk show
Scott finished in the lead with $10,800. Charlotte was second with $3,000 and Jonathan was last with $800. All clues were shown.
Round 2 Categories: Stately Bodies of Water – Writers on Writing – They’re All Greeks to Me – The Way We Wore – Famous Animated Voices – 16-letter Words
Jonathan found the first Daily Double in “Stately Bodies of Water” under the $1,600 clue on the 1st pick of the round. He was in last place with $800, $10,000 less than Scott’s lead. Jonathan bet the $2,000 allowance and he was RIGHT.
This bay that had a colony named for it extends southward over 40 miles from Cape Ann show
Just two clues later, Jonathan got the last Daily Double in “They’re All Greeks to Me” under the $2,000 clue. He was in second place with $4,400 now, $6,400 less than Scott’s lead. Jonathan bet everything and he was RIGHT.
In this play by Aristophanes, we hear, “O women, if we would compel the men to bow to Peace we must refrain–” show
Scott finished in the lead with $23,600. Jonathan was second with $14,000 and Charlotte was last with $7,800. All clues were shown.
TWO of the contestants got Final Jeopardy! right.
WHO IS WILLIAM RANDOLPH HEARST?
When William Randolph Hearst died on 8/15/1951, some obituaries described his wealth at its apex in 1935. Some of the language in the clue appears to come from a Fortune Magazine article which was referred to in “The Forty-Year Run” by Roy Hoopes, a Nov. 1992 American Heritage article:
“In 1935 Fortune magazine published a profile of the Hearst empire, which said that William Randolph Hearst’s assets—twenty-eight newspapers, thirteen magazines, eight radio stations, two movie companies, inestimable art treasures, real estate, fourteen thousand shares of the Homestake Mine, and two million acres of land were worth $220 million.”
That’s probably why Ken Jennings said “we didn’t even mention his 28 newspapers” after confirming that Hearst was the correct FJ! response. The Monticello Herald Journal of Indiana reported on Hearst’s Last Will, noting that his estate was worth about $200 million and that he left the bulk of it to charity.
Charlotte got it right. She doubled her score to $15,600.
Jonathan also got it right. He bet $9,601 and finished with $23,601.
Scott thought it was Howard Hughes. He bet $5,000 and finished with $18,600. That made Jonathan Hugendubler the new Jeopardy! champ.
And, so, we say so long to Scott until we see him again in the Tournament of Champions, and we thank all of you for hanging out with us in Season 41.
2 triple stumpers from the last round:
THE WAY WE WORE ($2000) Sounding like the name of Blackadder’s much put-upon retainer, it’s the term for a belt worn across the chest
FAMOUS ANIMATED VOICES ($2000) Pharrell Williams & documentarian Morgan Neville voiced themselves in this Lego-based animadoc
2 years ago: Only ONE of the players got this FJ in “WORD ORIGINS”
Theories on the origin of this, a style of journalism, include Cajun slang for unhinged jazz & Boston slang for a person on a bender
show
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I thought the the clue was worded in a way that made it seem that the obituary was written in 1935. I wrote Jeopardy, linking from this website, that I thought it should have been worded to say that according to a 1951 obituary, this person in 1935 was described as owning……”. I was listening to the clue in the other room and it was REALLY confusing because I thought it sounded like Hearst, but I knew he lived at least into the 1940s, after Citizen Kane was released. Then after I read it a couple of times, I realized that technically the clue didn’t have to mean the obituary itself was written in 1935.
Oh my, I was CERTAIN Scott would nail Final. I thought of Hearst immediately and realized the lack of newspapers in the clue was deliberate. Briefly thought of Hughes, but why would his obit from the 1970s say what he owned in 1935? Jonathan started the game in a pool of quicksand, maybe headed for oblivion, but rallied strongly and got close to the lead. Then Scott, superchamp that he is/was, took off down the stretch and threatened a runaway. There was a meme on FB last night that Scott would not qualify for next ToC if he continued into Season 42.
I crashed on all 3 DDs, although the middle one wasn’t too tough. But I just couldn’t pin down exactly where Cape Ann is. But Massachusetts Bay Colony came to mind right away. The stumpers stumped me too, although the 16-letter one wasn’t all that challenging.
Re FJ from 2years ago: my longtime friend Sharon from RI was on that final 2023 show. She performed admirably and really could have won. I tried mentally telegraphing her the answers to the last DD and Final, but to no avail. Either one probably would have won her the game and allowed her to reign all summer. (I believe the champ who defeated her won several games. Sharon got trounced in her Second Chance appearance, and I believe J! paid all her expenses for that. She netted $5K for two losses and a free trip to LA.)
Hughes was 30 years old in 1935 and getting plenty of publicity. Newspapers described him as a “young millionaire film producer” and “millionaire sportsman-aviator”
True, he was quite the wealthy figure, hobnobbing with Kate Hepburn and others.
I just read the Wiki entry on WR Hearst. Fascinating, especially in light of the implication of great wealth in the FJ clue. He spent most of the 1930s basically insolvent and even had to pay rent to live at San Simeon. Many of his possessions and real estate were sold off.
Re the earlier reply about French study: it was forced on us starting in 4th grade. I hated it, signed up for espanol when I went to jr high. But they stuck me in a class that took French for the next three years. By then it was easy for me so I continued it through HS and first year of college. I don’t recall getting much instruction re history, though, but a lot of geography and some music.
When trying to find the source of the info in the clue, I saw the San Francisco Examiner tributes on the day Hearst died. Flags in the Bay area and even in NYC were flown at half staff. An article “Party Lines Disappear in Statements of Tribute” had tributes from Senators and Representatives, incl. then Sen. Richard Nixon.
I was reading the articles on Newspapers.com. The San Francisco Examiner also has an online archive.
I was 2/3 on DD, and got FJ. What I find more than quizzical is Scott 1. getting Lysistrada and 2. missing Hearst with Hughes. Huh? Hughes died in 76. He was played, what, several or many times, by Dominic Cooper, in movies and in TV. Citizen Kane came out 5 or 6 years after Hearst’s demise. I just can’t believe it.
The first round spells category was right up my wife’s alley, but she doesn’t watch J! I ran the category, getting the $200, $600, and $1k clues expressly due to my wife!
Thanks again VJ for another wonderful season of recaps!!
Thanks, Jason, I’m glad you enjoyed the recaps.
First of all, Scott didn’t get any of the DDs. Sarah got the one in the first round and Jonathan got both in the second round.
Secondly. you’re thinking Hearst died in 1935 but (as the recap states) he died on 8/15/1951. he was alive when Citizen Kane came out.
I can see Scott thinking of Hughes because of the movies. Of course, if they had included the 28 newspapers, that would have been a dead giveaway.
Oops! I recalled a lot, but not the DOD!! Oy!
I don’t think I’m as obvious as some others, who completely repeat what you wrote in the recap, when I don’t read it. That’s just me. I should read them, because, without fail, I learn something new!
No worries, Jason. I always try hard to find interesting and pertinent stuff (even entertaining sometimes) connected to the FJ clue but I don’t demand that people read it.
I think the people who repeat stuff I wrote in the recap do read it though. I’d never know half of my typos and mistakes if it wasn’t for them. 🤣
Hmmm……….I sure thought that Scott would return in Season 42 as the reigning champion, but that wasn’t the way it ultimately played out. On the other hand, Jonathan should have wagered the store in FJ as he had absolutely nothing to lose. In any case, Jonathan still managed to eek out a Win. You know, it was almost as if Scott had decided to throw the match for some reason or another, but that was just a supposition on my part. Anyways, I also went with Howard Hughes in FJ. Actually, I didn’t think that William Randolph Hearst had lived that long.
Final Jeopardy category should be 20th century names.
When I saw the clue this morning, I thought of the right response immediately. Then I realized he was still alive in 1935 and I thought of Howard Hughes. Then I remembered Hughes died the year my son was born. That’s when I knew 1935 wasn’t the year of death, so I didn’t switch.
Scott still played an impressive game, but he needed at least one of those DD’s or some of the $2K stumpers to achieve a runaway today. I was shocked Central Jersey Scott didn’t know the ‘other Jersey shore’ bay. North Jersey me knew it.
Note: If you want to read that whole “40 Years Run” article, don’t let the Save American Heritage popup deter you. Just click the little ‘x’ in the upper right hand corner to close that after the page fully loads.
What a dramatic ending to Season 41. Scott’s streak has ended on the last game of Season 41. We got to congratulate him for a remarkable run and he made July a great month this year. We’ll look forward to seeing Scott again in the 2026 postseason and Jonathan gets to enjoy the summer as a Jeopardy champion. Jonathan will be back on September 8 to defend his title when Season 42 begins.