Warning: This page contains spoilers for the September 29, 2023, game of Jeopardy! — please do not scroll down if you wish to avoid being spoiled. Please note that the game airs as early as noon Eastern in some U.S. television markets.
Here’s today’s Final Jeopardy (in the category U.S. Senate History) for Friday, September 29, 2023 (Season 40, Game 15):
In 1805, after 4 years presiding over the Senate, he left the chamber, calling it “a sanctuary; a citadel of law, of order”
(correct response beneath the contestants)
Today’s Jeopardy! contestants:
Barb Fecteau, a high school librarian from Beverly, Massachusetts (Yesterday’s total: $6,400) |
Jilana Cotter, a senior data analyst from Dade City, Florida (Yesterday’s total: $29,200) |
Michalle Gould, a librarian from Laguna Beach, California (Yesterday’s total: $21,400) |
Andy’s Pregame Thoughts:
Thanks to a pair of aggressive Final Jeopardy wagers in yesterday’s first game of this two-game final, Jilana and Michalle have put some space between themselves and Barb in third place. Jilana has an “effective lead” of $3,900 over Michalle at the moment, meaning Michalle has to have $3,900 more than Jilana does to have the advantage in today’s Final Jeopardy round. (This is because anything earned in the first two rounds today can still be doubled, while yesterday’s scores are now locked in.) I do think that Jilana has shown that she’s the better overall player of the three in this final—Michalle’s selecting way too many low-valued clues to have any success in Daily Double hunting, with an “average row of clues selected” below 2, while Barb is giving significantly more incorrect responses than her opponents are. Still, anything can happen today—variance is a thing—and the overall strongest player doesn’t always take victory!
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Correct response: Who is Aaron Burr?
More information about Final Jeopardy:
(The following write-up is original content and is copyright 2023 The Jeopardy! Fan. It may not be copied without linked attribution back to this page.)
This will be a straightforward Final for anyone who remembers the timeline of the musical Hamilton; Aaron Burr served as Vice President of the United States (and the ex officio official presiding over the United States Senate) from 1801 to 1805. This could also be seen as an ironic statement from Burr, considering Burr’s animosity with Alexander Hamilton—animosity that ended in the July 1804 Burr–Hamilton duel in Weehawken, New Jersey, where Aaron Burr became the first of two sitting Vice Presidents to shoot another person. (Hamilton died of his injuries suffered in the duel.)
Referring to the Senate in his farewell remarks on March 2, 1805, Burr’s full words said the Senate was “a sanctuary; a citadel of law, of order, and of liberty; and it is here — it is here, in this exalted refuge; here, if anywhere, will resistance be made to the storms of political phrenzy and the silent arts of corruption; and if the Constitution be destined ever to perish by the sacrilegious hands of the demagogue or the usurper, which God avert, its expiring agonies will be witnessed on this floor.” 21st-century Senators would be good to remember Burr’s words.
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Game Recap & Tonight’s Game Stats:
Looking to find out who won Jeopardy! today? Here’s the Friday, September 29, 2023 Jeopardy! by the numbers, along with a recap:
Jeopardy! Round:
(Categories: The Ship Of State; Weird Al Parodies; That’s A Vegas Casino; Chemical Formulas; Back To School; Words That End With “E”)
All three players had a good opening round, but Jilana had a slim lead, courtesy of the Daily Double.
Statistics at the first break (15 clues):
Barb 6 correct 0 incorrect
Jilana 7 correct 1 incorrect
Michalle 2 correct 0 incorrect
Today’s interviews:
Barb would like to thank her parents.
Jilana would like to thank her husband, parents, and brother.
Michalle would like to thank her mother, father, and sister.
Statistics after the Jeopardy round:
Jilana 11 correct 2 incorrect
Barb 10 correct 1 incorrect
Michalle 6 correct 0 incorrect
Scores after the Jeopardy! Round:
Jilana $5,800
Barb $5,600
Michalle $4,600
Double Jeopardy! Round:
(Categories: Cow Country; Facts About The Best Picture Winner; The Vikings; Poems About Poetry; Furniture; Complete The Oxymoron)
Barb found DD2 midway through the round, took the big swing that she needed to, but unfortunately could not come up with the correct response. Meanwhile, Michalle’s allergy towards what would be a much-needed Daily Double for her continued; Jilana helped cement a tournament runaway by landing on the final one and getting it correct!
Statistics after Double Jeopardy:
Jilana 21 correct 3 incorrect
Michalle 12 correct 0 incorrect
Barb 19 correct 4 incorrect
Total number of unplayed clues this season: 0 (0 today).
Scores going into Final:
Jilana $16,400
Michalle $11,000
Barb $7,600
Nobody got Final correct, likely having failed to realize that the person in charge of the Senate would have been the Vice President. Thankfully, Jilana’s math error (adding $1 to a number instead of subtracting) didn’t come back to haunt her, she’s your weekly winner!
Tonight’s results:
Barb $7,600 – $0 = $7,600 + $6,400 = $14,000 ($10,000)
Michalle $11,000 – $10,700 = $300 + $21,400 = $21,700 ($20,000) (Who Jefferson)
Jilana $16,400 – $2,201 = $14,199 + $29,200 = $43,399 ($35,000) (Who is James Madison?)
Other Miscellaneous Game Statistics:
Daily Double locations:
1) THE SHIP OF STATE $800 (clue #19)
Jilana 3800 +2200 (Michalle 2600 Barb 4200)
2) FACTS ABOUT THE BEST PICTURE WINNER $2000 (clue #13)
Barb 7200 -7200 (Michalle 10200 Jilana 10200)
3) FURNITURE $800 (clue #24, $3200 left on board)
Jilana 11400 +3000 (Michalle 10200 Barb 7600)
Overall Daily Double Efficiency for this game: -16
Clue Selection by Row, Before Daily Doubles Found:
J! Round:
Michalle 1 2 1
Jilana 4 2 1 3 4 3 5 4 4 4*
Barb 5 3 4 5 3 3
DJ! Round:
Michalle 1 2 3 4 5 1
Jilana 3 4 3 5 3 2*
Barb 2 3 4 5* 4 5 4 5 4 3 5 2
Average Row of Clue Selection, Before Daily Doubles Found:
Jilana 3.38
Michalle 2.22
Barb 3.83
Unplayed clues:
J! Round: None!
DJ! Round: None!
Total Left On Board: $0
Number of clues left unrevealed this season: 0 (0.00 per episode average), 0 Daily Doubles
Game Stats:
Jilana $12,800 Coryat, 21 correct, 3 incorrect, 33.33% in first on buzzer (19/57), 2/3 on rebound attempts (on 3 rebound opportunities)
Michalle $11,000 Coryat, 12 correct, 0 incorrect, 19.30% in first on buzzer (11/57), 1/1 on rebound attempts (on 5 rebound opportunities)
Barb $14,800 Coryat, 19 correct, 4 incorrect, 36.84% in first on buzzer (21/57), 1/1 on rebound attempts (on 2 rebound opportunities)
Combined Coryat Score: $38,600
Lach Trash: $7,800 (on 7 Triple Stumpers)
Coryat lost to incorrect responses (less double-correct responses): $7,600
Player Statistics:
Michalle Gould, career statistics:
61 correct, 7 incorrect
5/6 on rebound attempts (on 19 rebound opportunities)
24.67% in first on buzzer (56/227)
1/2 on Daily Doubles (Net Earned: $0)
2/4 in Final Jeopardy
Average Coryat: $13,400
Jilana Cotter, career statistics:
80 correct, 9 incorrect
8/9 on rebound attempts (on 18 rebound opportunities)
31.58% in first on buzzer (72/228)
4/4 on Daily Doubles (Net Earned: $9,000)
3/4 in Final Jeopardy
Average Coryat: $15,350
Barb Fecteau, career statistics:
73 correct, 22 incorrect
4/7 on rebound attempts (on 14 rebound opportunities)
34.80% in first on buzzer (79/227)
1/5 on Daily Doubles (Net Earned: -$13,800)
3/4 in Final Jeopardy
Average Coryat: $12,050
Andy’s Thoughts:
- The key step in this Final was remembering that the VP presided over the Senate back then as well.
- The fact that this was Michalle’s highest “average row of clue selection” the entire week speaks volumes as to the ultimate outcome of this week’s tournament. Players are putting themselves at a distinct disadvantage in a tournament situation by refusing to hunt for Daily Doubles, as their opponents are very likely actively doing so.
- Today’s box score: September 29, 2023 Box Score.
Final Jeopardy! wagering suggestions:
(Scores: Jilana $16,400 ($29,200) Michalle $11,000 ($21,400) Barb $7,600 ($6,400))
Michalle: Your maximum possible score is $43,400. Jilana’s current combined score is $45,600. Barb’s maximum possible score is $21,600. Thus, it’s probably a good idea to limit your bet to $10,799 and gun for second place. However, if you think potentially risking $10,000 is worth the higher-than-usual chance of a math error in this situation (and Final breaking favorably), feel free to go all in. (Actual bet: $10,700)
Jilana: Limit your bet to $2,199. That being said: there’s nothing to be gained by making any sort of bet here; you get $35,000 regardless of what score you end up at. Just bet $0 and enjoy your win. (Actual bet: $2,201)
Barb: You actually have a chance at second place here if Michalle goes all in. Bet at least $7,401 to take advantage. (Actual bet: $0)
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