MICHAEL BRAUN Silver Spring, MD Junior	WES KOVARIK Antioch, CA Senior	ANNE SHIVERS Peotone, IL Senior

Jeopardy! categories: Botany, Newspaper Comic, Gum, The Last King, Makes Scents to Me!, Clean 4-Letter Words

Daily Double: $600 Botany. Wes ($1800 to Michael's $2600 and Anne's -$200) wagers $800 to tie early on. The clue: his garden at Altbrunn Monastery included several pairs of yellow peas, each with a different trait. Wes' response: "Who was Mendel?" Correct for $2600. Wes ties, mom cheers.

End of Round:
Michael - $4800
Wes - $6400
Anne - $2200

Double Jeopardy! categories: Black History Month, American Idol Songs, World Travel, Text Messaging, Catch of the Day, Opposite Attract.

Note: For some reason, after a wrong answer with $800 World Travel, Michael is credited with $5600 rather than penalized. The fault was since corrected, but Michael may be kicking himself, because...

Daily Double #1: $1200 World Travel. Anne ($3400 to Wes' $6400 and Michael's $4000) puts out $1600 way early. The clue: you might hire a mule to help you trek to the top of Mount Aconcagua, the highest peak of this continent. Anne's response: "What is South America?" Correct for $5000.

Daily Double #2: $2000 Text Messaging. Anne ($12,600 to Michael's $15,600 and Wes' $14,000) wagers $1400. Clue: Christian gives Roxane a letter saying he loves her "beyond measure"; this title character actually wrote it. Anne's guess: "I have no idea." Correct question: Who is Cyrano de Bergerac? Anne drops to $11,200.

End of Round:
Michael - $14,400
Wes - $16,000
Anne - $12,000

Final Jeopardy! Category: The Elements. Answer: by weight, this elements makes up more of the human body than all the others combined. Correct response: What is oxygen?
Anne's question: What is carbon? (WRONG) Wager: $3000. Final score: $9000.
Michael's question: What is oxygen? (RIGHT) Wager: $5000. Final score: $19,400.
Wes' question: What is hydrogen? (WRONG) Wager: $6000. Final score: $10,000.

Coach Chico Says...: You can tell by how close the score is that each competitor is giving it their all, but judging from wagering, Anne may want to give a tad more in the front. But it's good to see that the thrift is giving her an edge in the final should the unfortunate happen for Michael. Wes, meanwhile, is falling victim to the Hail-Mary wager that he should've saved for the final. And all of a sudden, Michael, the pick to show, is a favorite to win...

TUESDAY February 8:

Jeopardy! categories: Academic Pentathlon, Makeup Test, Teen People (hottest stars under 25), Nature, Hoosier Daddy, Add a Letter

Daily Double: $800 Nature. Wes ($1600 to Michael's $400 and Anne's $600) wagers $600 early on. The clue: it's the alliterative term for coal, oil & natural gas made from the remains of living organisms. Wes' response: "What are fossil fuels?" Correct for $2200.

End of Round:
Michael - $5400
Wes - $5800
Anne - $2200

Double Jeopardy! categories: Peninsulas, International Sports Stars, Universal Truth, College Towns, Through the Looking Glass, Synonyms.

Daily Double #1: $2000 Peninsulas. Michael (tied with Wes' $7400 to Anne's $1400) bets $2600. The clue: The Apennines form the backbone of this European nation. Michael's response: "What is Italy?" Correct for $10,000 and the lead.

Daily Double #2: $1200 Universal Truth. Anne ($2600 to Michael's $10,400 and Wes' $8200) wagers $1400. Clue: observations from this, launched in 1990, revealed galaxies older than astronomers expected. Anne's guess: "What's the Hubble telescope?" Correct for $4000.

End of Round:
Michael - $20,400
Wes - $13,000
Anne - $8400

Coach Chico Says...: Okay, let's talk wagers. First, Anne and Wes. The only way for either to win, assuming a right answer, is to bet big and hope that their opponents do the same (and get it wrong). As for Michael, he can bet $3799 safely. Any more, and, to coin a pun, he could be putting himself in jeopardy.

Final Jeopardy! Category: US Government. Answer, delivered by Sen. John McCain (R/AZ): in presidential succession, the senator holding this position follows the VP & the Speaker of the House. Correct response: What is the President Pro Tempore?
Anne's question: What is President Pro Tempore? (RIGHT) Wager: $600. Final score: $9000 + $9000 = $18,000.
Wes' question: What is President Pro Tempore? (RIGHT) Wager: $7000. Final score: $10,000 + $20,000 =  $30,000.
Michael's question: What is President Pro Tempore? (RIGHT) Wager: $5601. Final score: $19,400 + $26,001 = $45,401.

Winner: MICHAEL BRAUN
Second place: WES KOVARIK - $30,000
Third place: ANNE SHIVERS - $18,000