The Final Jeopardy question (2/5/2013) in the category “Short Stories” was:

It says: “The body of the trooper having been buried in the church yard, the ghost rides forth… in nightly quest of his head.”

It’s the last quarter-final match of the Teen Tournament. Today, our players are: Joe Vertnik, a senior from Mound, MN;  Emily Greenberg, a senior from Westport, CT; and Barrett Block, a senior from Lexington, KY.

Emily found the Jeopardy! round Daily Double in “Before Finals.” She was in the lead with $4,000, $800 more than Barrett in second place. She bet $800 and said it was Christmas, but that was WRONG.

In the calendar year, it’s the penultimate Federal holiday. show

WHAT IS THANKSGIVING?

Barrett finished in the lead with $7,800. Emily was second with $4,400 and Joe was last with $2,400.

Barrett found the first Double Jeopardy Daily Double in “A Student of History.” He was in second place with $12,600, $200 less than Joe’s lead. He bet $4,000 and he was RIGHT.

Paul Ryan was greatly influenced by this female novelist who studied history in Russia. show

WHO IS AYN RAND?

Emily found the last Daily Double in “High School Geography.” She was in last place with $9,200, $9,000 less than Barrett’s lead. She bet $1,000, floundered a little but she got it out and she was RIGHT.

This Alabama city, the first Confederate capital, has a Jefferson Davis High. show

WHAT IS MONTGOMERY?

Barrett finished in the lead with $20,200. Joe was next with $12,000 and Emily was in third place with $10,200.

ALL of the contestants got this easy Final Jeopardy! right.

WHAT IS “THE LEGEND OF SLEEPY HOLLOW”?

Written in 1820, Washington Irving’s “The Legend Of Sleepy Hollow” has become a classic of American literature, and has been retold in many different ways. Want to know what words were left out in the clue? Download a free reading of the original short story at Librivox.

Emily bet $8,000 so she ended up with $18,200.

Joe also bet $8,000. He finished with $20,000.

Barrett bet $3,801, snagging the last semi-final spot with $24,001.

We really enjoyed this game. The hydrangea/hyacinth thing was pretty funny. And Barrett was just so gung ho about everything with his great big smile. Emily and Joe did so well that they both won wild card spots.

Here are the Semi-Final Results in order of money, which doesn’t really matter because all the contestants start off at zero again, but we like to do it that way:

Semi-Finalists:
Kelton Ellis – $24,200
Barrett Block – $24,001
Leonard Cooper – $20,400
Nilai Sarda – $18,000
William Crouch – $10,800

Wild Card Candidates:
Joe Vertnik – $20,000
Tori Amos – $19,600
Emily Greenberg – $18,200
Irene Vasquez – $15,000