# Jeopardy! Season 42. It is what it is **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** reality-or-game-show\ **Created:** [August 10, 2025, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeopardy-season-42-it-is-what-it-is/1021905 "2025-08-10T14:25:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 9
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2026, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeopardy-season-42-it-is-what-it-is/1021905/161 "2026-01-23T18:57:33Z")
I got it! Even remembered the author. It was sad to see everybody hitting around it but never getting it correct. Last night the right person got to semis, even though she missed FJ. ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2026, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeopardy-season-42-it-is-what-it-is/1021905/162 "2026-01-23T20:28:50Z")
Whoa, I couldn’t have gotten the author. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2026, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeopardy-season-42-it-is-what-it-is/1021905/163 "2026-01-23T21:06:47Z")
> [@Dung\_Beetle](#): > > I’m bumping this to brag again that I got a Final Jeopardy right, though it was a triple-stumper to the contestants. It happened just after I complained that all the Tournament of Champions questions were too hard. 🤓 How are you guys doing? I didn’t see the one you quoted, but there was another FJ triple stumper this week that I got right. ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2026, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeopardy-season-42-it-is-what-it-is/1021905/164 "2026-01-23T21:09:45Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > I got it! Even remembered the author. Same here, in both cases. I was surprised that not one of the three got it. ---
**Author:** ![Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eyebrows_0f_doom/32/3119_2.png) [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eyebrows_0f_Doom)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2026, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeopardy-season-42-it-is-what-it-is/1021905/165 "2026-01-23T21:39:10Z")
I knew what they wanted but couldn’t pull the title from my brain. All I could think was “It’s that title with the weird spelling!” ---
**Author:** ![Wheelz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wheelz/32/5718_2.png) [@Wheelz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wheelz)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2026, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeopardy-season-42-it-is-what-it-is/1021905/166 "2026-01-23T22:16:42Z")
> [@Dung\_Beetle](#): > > I’m bumping this to brag again that I got a Final Jeopardy right, though it was a triple-stumper to the contestants. I didn’t get that one, but I got yesterday’s triple-stumper: ”What is Handel’s Messiah?” (I also answered a handful of clues that nobody rang in on. Wish I’d actually been playing!) ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2026, 3:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeopardy-season-42-it-is-what-it-is/1021905/167 "2026-01-27T03:47:23Z")
Today’s (Jan 26) final Jeopardy! clues was: This border state produced about half of the gunpowder for the Union The correct question was: Delaware I do not see how that is a border state (to the confederacy, I assume?), as it only borders Union states. What am I missing? ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2026, 4:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeopardy-season-42-it-is-what-it-is/1021905/168 "2026-01-27T04:07:25Z")
I checked some sources and they say that border states includes any states that allowed slavery during the Civil War: > **[Border states (American Civil War)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Border_states_(American_Civil_War))** > > In the American Civil War (1861–65), the border states or the Border South were four, later five, slave states in the Upper South that primarily supported the Union. They were Delaware, Maryland, Kentucky, and Missouri, and after 1863, the new state of West Virginia. To their north they bordered free states of the Union, and all but Delaware bordered slave states of the Confederacy to their south. > Of the 34 U.S. states in 1861, nineteen were free states and fifteen were slave including the fo... ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2026, 5:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeopardy-season-42-it-is-what-it-is/1021905/169 "2026-01-27T05:04:53Z")
> [@Wendell\_Wagner](#): > > I checked some sources and they say that border states includes any states that allowed slavery during the Civil War: Interesting, thanks! ---
**Author:** ![TreacherousCretin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treacherouscretin/32/476_2.png) [@TreacherousCretin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TreacherousCretin)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2026, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeopardy-season-42-it-is-what-it-is/1021905/170 "2026-01-27T18:45:01Z")
This is as good a place as any to say I can’t stand it when “Celebrity Jeopardy” winners are put into Tournaments. They’re seldom as good as the civilian contestants but more importantly they clearly don’t give a shit, treating the game as a lark. Last night’s game being a perfect example. ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2026, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeopardy-season-42-it-is-what-it-is/1021905/171 "2026-01-27T18:52:24Z")
I’m with you on that one. Lisa’s frequent asides and wisecracks got old after five minutes, and I’m being generous with that timeframe. I was glad to see, however, that Lisa’s antics did not throw the other players off their stride. Not that was noticeable, anyway. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2026, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeopardy-season-42-it-is-what-it-is/1021905/172 "2026-01-27T19:09:52Z")
> [@TreacherousCretin](#): > > This is as good a place as any to say I can’t stand it when “Celebrity Jeopardy” winners are put into Tournaments. I thought it was neat. Give the celebrities a chance, even a small one, to shine. Just because they can’t, well…I also said later in the game that she was playing like it was celebrity jeopardy. Was anyone left out because of her? ---
**Author:** ![TreacherousCretin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treacherouscretin/32/476_2.png) [@TreacherousCretin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TreacherousCretin)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2026, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeopardy-season-42-it-is-what-it-is/1021905/173 "2026-01-27T22:32:33Z")
> [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#): > > Was anyone left out because of her? The viewers. We were left with game where only two of the players cared about the outcome. ---
**Author:** ![TreacherousCretin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treacherouscretin/32/476_2.png) [@TreacherousCretin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TreacherousCretin)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2026, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeopardy-season-42-it-is-what-it-is/1021905/174 "2026-01-28T00:34:46Z")
> [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#): > > I thought it was neat. Give the celebrities a chance, even a small one, to shine. I neglected to point out that they get their chance on “_Celebrity_ Jeopardy.” ---
**Author:** ![Wheelz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wheelz/32/5718_2.png) [@Wheelz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wheelz)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2026, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeopardy-season-42-it-is-what-it-is/1021905/175 "2026-01-28T00:51:08Z")
Eh, I like that they give the celebrity winners a spot in the ToC. Jeopardy is sorely in need of an injection of fun now and then. Ike Barinholtz made it to the semifinals a couple seasons ago, so they’re not automatically a waste of a podium. Lisa Ann Walter was not available for taping last season, which is why there were two celebrities this year. I agree that the argument could be made that two is too many. I got the sense that W. Kamau Bell was intentionally holding back (I could be way off, of course). Perhaps he also thought the others deserved to be there more. I did think Lisa would do better, however. Full disclosure, I used to know her in real life and she is indeed exceptionally smart. I guess it just goes to show how difficult the ToC is. And I thought that episode was particularly tough; I would have been as much a deer in the headlights as she was. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2026, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeopardy-season-42-it-is-what-it-is/1021905/176 "2026-01-28T01:18:41Z")
> [@Wheelz](#): > > Lisa Ann Walter was not available for taping last season, which is why there were two celebrities this year. I agree that the argument could be made that two is too many. Thanks. I was wondering why both she and W Kamau Bell appeared. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2026, 4:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeopardy-season-42-it-is-what-it-is/1021905/177 "2026-01-28T04:24:05Z")
Triple stumper tonight that I thought was a “gimme.” Of course, teaching AP Euro for 20+ years gave me an edge. 😎 ---
**Author:** ![scabpicker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scabpicker/32/8268_2.png) [@scabpicker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scabpicker)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2026, 4:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeopardy-season-42-it-is-what-it-is/1021905/178 "2026-01-28T04:50:38Z")
> [@Wheelz](#): > > And I thought that episode was particularly tough; I would have been as much a deer in the headlights as she was. Yeah, I’ve had several relatives/friends/acquaintances/my wife say I should go on the show when watching it with me. I would have struggled with that episode. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2026, 6:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeopardy-season-42-it-is-what-it-is/1021905/179 "2026-01-28T06:09:50Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > Triple stumper tonight that I thought was a “gimme.” Double-stumper in our house. And I can recite the full title of Marat/Sade, but I’ve never seen the play. ---
**Author:** ![N9IWP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/n9iwp/32/3154_2.png) [@N9IWP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/N9IWP)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2026, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeopardy-season-42-it-is-what-it-is/1021905/180 "2026-02-11T23:10:10Z")
Interesting result on today’s (Feb 11, 2026) Jeopardy! Alison Betts had $3200 going into final, and her two competitors had $7600 Her response was: I hope they bother bet everything (she bet $414) And what happened? They both bet everything and did not get the correct response, so she won. Correct betting strategy for the win! Brian Who knew Boo Radley had Autism? Not me. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeopardy-season-42-it-is-what-it-is/1021905.md?page=8) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeopardy-season-42-it-is-what-it-is/1021905.md?page=10)