Final Jeopardy: 1870s People (1-31-12)
The Final Jeopardy question (1/31/2012) in the category “1870s People” was:
Preserved in the West Point library, his last message read, “Benteen, come on. Big village. Be quick. Bring packs.”
Our new champion is Danny Parra who won $22,000 yesterday. Today he will take on these two contestants: Ellen Ciompi from Durham, NC, and Patrick Morrison from Northville, MI.
Patrick found the Daily Double in the Jeopardy! round before the commercial break (so it wasn’t the last clue on the board for a change). He was in second place with $1,800, only $200 behind Danny. He chose to bet $800 on his knowledge in the category “Before They Were Famous.” He was RIGHT.
In 1902, he got fired as a tutor but family friend Marcel Grossman helped him get a job as a Swiss patent clerk. show
Patrick finished in the lead with $6,600. Danny was second with $4,600 and Ellen had $3,600.
In Double Jeopardy, Danny found the first Daily Double in “Archaeology.” He had the lead with $400 more than Patrick, who had $10,000. Danny bet $5,000. He was RIGHT.
In 1902, German archaeologist Robert Koldewey unearthed the fabled Ishtar Gate in the ruins of this ancient city. show
Turnabout is fair play, and Patrick got the second Daily Double in “Editors.” He was $1,400 behind Danny’s $16,000 lead. He bet $1,400 and was RIGHT.
John Updike said “A lot of nice touches in my stories” in this magazine “belong to” editor William Maxwell. show
Patrick had the lead going into Final Jeopardy with $15,500. Danny was second with $14,800, and Ellen was last with $10,000. Tight game!
Again, Final Jeopardy seemed like a no-brainer, and this time it really was. All of the players got it RIGHT (and don’t forget we had 3 correct Daily Doubles today).
Captain Frederick Benteen was the officer that Custer sent the message to, and he was later criticized for not immediately obeying it. His dislike of Custer was well-known, but Benteen later said at a Court of Inquiry in 1879 that had nothing to do with it — it would have been suicide to follow Custer’s instructions. Later, when a granite marker was erected in honor of Custer, Benteen wrote: “It is about as well — or perhaps better — that the world should look back upon Custer as a martyr [rather] than the full-fledged, braying donkey that he was.”
Ellen bet $5,000, bringing her total to $15,000.
Danny bet $9,201, bringing him up to $24,001.
Patrick bet $14,101, giving him the winning total of $29,601, so he was prepared in the event Danny had chosen to bet it all. We must say that we were surprised Danny didn’t, but he must’ve figured it didn’t matter because his only shot was if Patrick missed Final Jeopardy.
Patrick won’t be back tomorrow because that’s when the College Championship matches begin. The Teachers Tournament comes after that and when that’s over, Patrick will return to defend his title.
