The Final Jeopardy question (3/7/2013) in the category “The Western Hemisphere” was:

One of the 2 Central American countries never under military rule in the last 50 years.

2-day champ Drew Horwood was all smiles yesterday when he racked up another game and brought his winnings up to $36,199. Today he has to defend his title against these two players: Jennifer Head, from Dubuque, IA; and Lloyd Baum, from Long Beach, NY.

Lloyd found the Jeopardy! round Daily Double in “The 18th Century.” He was in the lead with $2,600, $400 more than Jennifer in second place. He bet $1,200 and he was RIGHT.

Working with Peter the Great’s Navy, this explorer went “strait” to the water routes between Siberia & North America.
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WHO IS VITUS BERING?

Lloyd finished in the lead with $7,800. Drew was second with $2,400 and Jennifer was last with $1,800.

Drew found the first Double Jeopardy Daily Double in “Sharp (& Flat) Instruments.” He was in third place with $4,800, $5,800 behind Lloyd’s lead. He made it a true Daily Double and he was RIGHT.

Mark Twain complained of “the snorting of an unholy” one of these: lucky for him there weren’t 75 more.
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WHAT IS A TROMBONE?

Jennifer found the last Daily Double in “Starting ‘En’.” She was in third place with $8,600, $4,200 behind Drew’s lead. She bet $2,000 and she was RIGHT.

The measure of disorder or randomness in a closed system.
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WHAT IS ENTROPY?

Lloyd finished in the lead with $15,400. Drew was next with $14,800 and Jennifer was in third place with $11,800.

TWO of the contestants got Final Jeopardy! right.

WHAT IS BELIZE OR COSTA RICA?

“”Unlike their other Latin neighbours, Costa Rican leaders, led by the charismatic and dominant personality of the late Jose Figueres, declared in 1948 their nation ‘formally neutral in foreign relations’ and, in an unprecedented step for Latin American politics, ‘abolished the army’. Today Costa Rica has a police force for internal security functions but no organized military institution.” (From Military to Civilian Rule by C. Danopoulos)

Belize was known as British Honduras until 1973 and was a British Crown Colony. The British maintained a military presence in Belize after it achieved independence in 1981, but that was “to protect it from invasion by Guatemala.” wikipedia

There is a list of countries on wikipedia showing the periods of military dictatorship. Belize is not on the list at all.

Jennifer picked Costa Rica and picked up another $5,000. She finished with $16,800.

Drew also chose Costa Rica. His $13,000 bet brought him up to $27,800.

Lloyd wrote down Honduras (last under military rule in 1982 according to the above list). That cost him $14,201. He landed in third place with $1,199.

So it was the biggest payday yet for Drew and his 3-day total is $63,999.