The Final Jeopardy question (11/23/2012) in the category “Biographies About Authors” was:

Chapters in a biography on this author include “Declaring His Genius” & “A Late Victorian Love Affair.”

5-day champ Paul Nelson won yesterday’s game with a hot $6,000, not quite double what he won Wednesday’s game with, but all that counts is that he won, right? Today he has to take on these two new players: Jake Ayres, from San Diego, CA and Amanda Lanyon-LeSage, from Madison, WI.

Jake found the Jeopardy! round Daily Double in “French Eponyms.” He was in a tie for the lead with Paul at $3,400. They both had more than $3,000 than Amanda. He bet $1,500 and he was RIGHT.

In 1839, this Frenchman showed a way to create an image on a copper plate coated with silver; the process named for him.
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WHO IS LOUIS DA GUERRE?

Jake finished in the lead with $7,300. Paul was second with $3,200 and Amanda was last with $1,800.

Paul found the first Double Jeopardy Daily Double in “Knowest Thou the Old Testament?” He was in second place with $5,600, $3,300 less than Jake’s lead. He bet $3,500 and he was RIGHT.

This woman is promised “eleven hundred pieces of silver” if she can uncover the secret of a certain gentleman.
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WHO IS DELILAH?

Paul found the last Daily Double in “Alliteration for the People.” He was now in the lead with $16,300, $1,000 more than Jake in second place. He bet $1,000 and blanked out so he was WRONG.

Missouri micreant, bank bandit, Ford finished.
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WHO IS JESSE JAMES?

Jake finished in the lead with $18,900. Paul was next with $14,100 and Amanda was in third place with $600.

Only ONE of the contestants got Final Jeopardy! right.

WHO IS OSCAR WILDE?

Oscar Wilde’s well-known and often-quoted statement to a customs agent in 1882, “I have nothing to declare but my genius,” was the key to this one.

“The late (Richard) Ellmann worked 20 years on this magisterial biography. He tells the fascinating story of Oscar Wilde, wit and aesthete, poet and playwright, scapegrace and scapegoat, more fully and irresistibly than it has ever been told before. Ellmann captures Wilde’s charm and high spirits and also the darker side of his personality…. A masterpiece to match Ellmann’s James Joyce (1959)… (Library Journal)

Amanda wrote down “H.P. Lovecraft.” She bet and lost it all.

Paul wrote down “Dolly Parton,” who has a lot more to declare than her genius. Paul didn’t bet a farthing so he finished with that same $14,100 he began with. Paul still made a nice piece of change for a champion who never got one Final Jeopardy! right. Also today and the very first game he won on November 2nd were the only 2 games where he wagered nothing on the final clue.

Jake got it right and bet $9,301 so he won the game with a total of $28,201. Kudos to him. It’s nice to see a winning total over $20K, ain’t it? We will be seeing Jake Ayres again on Monday.