"Round 1: Seal/Srinivasan/Phillips"
- February 11
In round one, there are 135 players competing in 45
games. The winners of those games will take on nine
seeded opponents. The 18 winners then face off for six
slots. The two winners of those semifinal games have a
date with destiny in the form of one Ken Jennings for a
three-day final. The winner of those games wins $2
million. Second place is guaranteed $500,000, while
third place is guaranteed $250,000.
No wild cards, no second
chances. It's (my favorite words when it comes to
Jeopardy! tourneys) win or go home.
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MELISSA SEAL
Law student
Kingston, ON
1999
Teen Tournament champ |
BABU SRINIVASAN
History professor
Houston
2000-01
Biggest winner of 2000-01 season |
ARTHUR PHILLIPS
Novelist
Brooklyn
1997
5-time champion |
Jeopardy! categories:
Coming Soon... History (presented by Don LaFontaine)!,
2004 Oscar Nominations, Secretaries' Day, 20th Century
Science Tidbits, States' Former Governors, Modern
Quotations
Daily Double: $600
20th Century Science Tidbits. Babu ($600 to
Melissa's
-$200 and Arthur's $400) wagers $1000 early. The
clue: entomologist Thomas Eisner helped decipher
the flash code used by the femmes fatales of
these insects. Babu's response: "What are
fireflies?" Correct for $1600.
End of Round:
Melissa - $1400
Babu - $8800
Arthur - $4200
Double Jeopardy! categories: University of
Chicago Alumni, Deep Voices, Nonfiction, "M"mmm
Good, World Capitals, American Heritage
Dictionary Preferred Plurals.
Daily Double #1: $1200 World Capitals.
Arthur ($5400 to Babu's $8800 and Melissa's
$1400), once he remembers how to say "true Daily
Double", goes all in. Clue: Emperor
Menelik II established this city, whose name
means "new flower". Arthur's guess: "Oh, man...
What is... uh, Ankara?" Correct response:
What is Addis Ababa? Arthur: "Can I change my
bet, Alex?" Alex: "No, the rules haven't changed
since you were a five-time champion." Per rules,
Arthur starts from scratch.
Video
Daily Double #2: $1200 "M"mmm Good.
Babu
(tied with Arthur's $12,800 to Melissa's $3000) wagers
$2800. Clue, delivered by Jimmy from Napa Valley:
this grape, an early ripening alternative to
cabernet, has become popular with vintners and
drinkers. Babu's guess: "What is merlot?"
Correct for $15,600.
End of Round:
Melissa - $3000
Babu - $17,200
Arthur - $12,800
Today's winner
is guaranteed $15,000. Runners-up receive $5000
each.
Final Jeopardy! Category: 1930s Movies. Answer:
this film that originally hit the big screen in
1930 was re-released soon after the German
invasion of Poland. Correct response: What is
All Quiet on the Western Front?
Melissa's question: What
is War of the Worlds? (WRONG) Wager:
$180. Final score: $1200.
Arthur's question: What is All Quiet on
Western Front? (WRONG - in cases of titles,
phrasing must be exact) Wager:
$4000. Final score: $8800.
Babu's question: What is All's Quiet on the
Western Front? (WRONG, see above) Wager: $8500.
Final score: $8700.
So Babu's
"aggressive wagering strategy" was inevitably
his undoing (see "petard, hoist by his own"),
and Arthur, while it wasn't the way he wanted,
comes away with $15,000, and joins Eric Terzuolo
and Michael Rankins in the final 45.
Next time, Janet
Wong, David Traini, and a favorite about these
parts, Alan Bailey. See you soon!
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