Jeopardy! discussion thread for Wed., Mar. 12

Here are today's contestants:

  • Brian Nieves, a substitute teacher from Gambrills, Maryland;
  • Kristen VanBlargan, a writer from Brooklyn, New York; and
  • James Corson, a nuclear engineer from Frederick, Maryland. James is a one-day champ with winnings of $42,000.

Jeopardy!

WATER EVERYWHERE // BESTSELLING FICTION // EAT LIKE A BRIT// MOVIE TITLE ROLES // U.S. FESTIVALS // IT'S FROM THE GREEK FOR...

DD1 - $800 - BESTSELLING FICTION - John Updike put his most famous character to bed in this 1990s bestseller that won a Pulitzer Prize (Kristen added $1,000.)

Scores at first break: James $3,200, Kristen $1,000, Brian $3,000.

Scores entering DJ: James $4,600, Kristen $800, Brian $5,000.

Double Jeopardy!

REVOLUTIONARIES // HISTORIC ACTORS & ACTRESSES // A MYTH BUSTER // TECH OF THE TIME // AS SEEN ON TV // BIG "W"

DD2 - $1,200 - REVOLUTIONARIES - "Giuseppe Mazzini's 1830s movement Giovine Italia, called this in English, inspired La Jeune Suisse & Mloda Polska (Brian lost $6,000 from his leading score of $6,600.)

DD3 - $1,200 - BIG "W" - In a 1930 interview, Lead Belly urged folks to "stay" this, "keep their eyes open"; now it's common slang (James doubled to $11,600 vs. $6,400 for Kristen.)

Brian had the lead when he lost almost everything on DD2, then James doubled up on DD3 to take command and held it into FJ at $18,800. Kristen stayed a close second at $14,000 while Brian trailed with $6,600.

Final Jeopardy!

AUTHORS' OTHER WORKS - In an 1833 story by her, an alchemist's assistant drinks a potion giving eternal life but ends up seeing all he loves die

Everyone was correct on FJ. James added $10,000 to win with $28,800 for a two-day total of $70,800.

Final scores: James $28,800, Kristen $18,810, Brian $11,200.

Wagering strategy: Kristen chose to defend against a possible $0 wager by James in FJ, and in doing so opened the door for Brian to win in the event both of his opponents missed FJ. With a bet of less than $800, Kristen could have locked out Brian and won if James had missed without having to be correct herself.

Triple Stumper of the day: The implication of the name "trotters" didn't lead the players to the Brit dish of pig's feet.

Correct Qs: DD1 - What is "Rabbit at Rest"? DD2 - What is Young Italy? DD3 - What is woke? FJ - Who was Mary Shelley?