# Today’s Final Jeopardy – July 13, 2018 **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 14, 2018, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-s-final-jeopardy-july-13-2018/817875 "2018-07-14T02:38:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Lucas\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucas_jackson/32/303_2.png) [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2018, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-s-final-jeopardy-july-13-2018/817875/1 "2018-07-14T02:38:31Z")
A contestant correctly wrote “tree-hugger” to the final question (and would have won) but scratched it out and wrote “ Carl Sagan” instead claiming to have misread the question. Umm, WTF? “This slang term for an environmentalist is literally true of groups that used passive resistance vs. deforestation, as in India in 1973” How does CS make any sense? ---
**Author:** ![snfaulkner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snfaulkner/32/433_2.png) [@snfaulkner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snfaulkner)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2018, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-s-final-jeopardy-july-13-2018/817875/2 "2018-07-14T03:10:32Z")
Yeah, I saw that too. Misread seems like a massive understatement. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2018, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-s-final-jeopardy-july-13-2018/817875/3 "2018-07-14T03:26:00Z")
Thrown off by thinking about the BILLION people living in India. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2018, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-s-final-jeopardy-july-13-2018/817875/4 "2018-07-14T03:33:42Z")
How could he over think that into Carl Sagan? He must be bat-shit. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2018, 3:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-s-final-jeopardy-july-13-2018/817875/5 "2018-07-14T03:50:18Z")
The only way this makes any sense to me is if he was deliberately losing. And maybe taking the opportunity to give a shout-out to Carl Sagan, of whom he was a fan? ---
**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:** [July 14, 2018, 3:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-s-final-jeopardy-july-13-2018/817875/6 "2018-07-14T03:53:39Z")
Maybe he mis-read it to think it referred to a specific individual, rather than a term for environmentalists in general. If you’re trying to think of a scientist with a global, forward-thinking, environmental perspective, and would have been active in the mid-'70s, Sagan is in the ballpark. ---
**Author:** ![Nuveena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a587f6/32.png) [@Nuveena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nuveena)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2018, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-s-final-jeopardy-july-13-2018/817875/7 "2018-07-17T01:31:35Z")
Turns out there was a typo on the screen the contestants were looking at. It was supposed to say “This slang term…” but instead it said “His slang term…” so he thought they were looking for a person. Because of the error, they’re going to let him come back. [https://www.google.com/amp/www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/tv/ct-ent-jeopardy-vincent-valenzuela-20180716-story,amp.html](https://www.google.com/amp/www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/tv/ct-ent-jeopardy-vincent-valenzuela-20180716-story,amp.html) ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2018, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-s-final-jeopardy-july-13-2018/817875/8 "2018-07-17T02:21:41Z")
Huh! That’s odd. If there was a typo, I certainly didn’t notice it. Nor did it stop me from immediately coming up with the correct response. ---
**Author:** ![MrAtoz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@MrAtoz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrAtoz)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2018, 12:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-s-final-jeopardy-july-13-2018/817875/9 "2018-07-17T12:20:37Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > Huh! That’s odd. If there was a typo, I certainly didn’t notice it. Nor did it stop me from immediately coming up with the correct response. They may have corrected the text for the broadcast. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2018, 12:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-s-final-jeopardy-july-13-2018/817875/10 "2018-07-17T12:22:45Z")
> [@MrAtoz](#): > > They may have corrected the text for the broadcast. Wouldn’t you consider that unethical and dishonest? The public won’t see what the contestants saw. ---
**Author:** ![MrAtoz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@MrAtoz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrAtoz)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2018, 12:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-s-final-jeopardy-july-13-2018/817875/11 "2018-07-17T12:58:16Z")
> [@Musicat](#): > > Wouldn’t you consider that unethical and dishonest? The public won’t see what the contestants saw. Not really. During the commercial breaks, Alex frequently re-records clues if he stumbled over the wording, and then they just dub that in over the vocal of his original reading. The public never hears Alex’s original clue-reading, but there’s nothing unethical about that. It just makes the show run more smoothly. When I was a contestant, one of the things they told us in the pre-show briefing was, “If there’s a discrepancy between the text of the clue as it appears on the monitor, and the way that Alex reads it, go with what Alex says. There may have been a last minute change in the wording.” In such cases, they re-edit the onscreen text when the show is finally broadcast. That’s what I imagine happened here. In those cases, like this one, where such errors actually affect the outcome of the game, they usually attempt to remedy this by inviting the contestant back. ---
**Author:** ![Lucas\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucas_jackson/32/303_2.png) [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2018, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-s-final-jeopardy-july-13-2018/817875/12 "2018-09-26T02:24:20Z")
> [@Nuveena](#): > > Turns out there was a typo on the screen the contestants were looking at. It was supposed to say “This slang term…” but instead it said “His slang term…” so he thought they were looking for a person. > > Because of the error, they’re going to let him come back. > > [https://www.google.com/amp/www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/tv/ct-ent-jeopardy-vincent-valenzuela-20180716-story,amp.html](https://www.google.com/amp/www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/tv/ct-ent-jeopardy-vincent-valenzuela-20180716-story,amp.html) And indeed they did… tonight! ---
**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:** [September 26, 2018, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-s-final-jeopardy-july-13-2018/817875/13 "2018-09-26T02:56:03Z")
Where he got the right answer in Final Jeopardy Pygmalion but still lost. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2018, 3:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-s-final-jeopardy-july-13-2018/817875/14 "2018-09-26T03:44:17Z")
I wonder what would have happened if someone had written “My Fair Lady” instead of “Pygmalion.” I assume the quote was very specific to the latter in order to avoid ambiguity, but it still would have been an easy mistake to make. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2018, 4:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-s-final-jeopardy-july-13-2018/817875/15 "2018-09-26T04:10:06Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > I wonder what would have happened if someone had written “My Fair Lady” instead of “Pygmalion.” I assume the quote was very specific to the latter in order to avoid ambiguity, but it still would have been an easy mistake to make. The category was “20th Century Plays,” and the answer was: “From its preface: ‘It is impossible for an Englishman to open his mouth without making some other Englishman hate…him’” So, while “My Fair Lady” is technically a musical, not a play, I do wonder, too. Source: [Final Jeopardy: 20th Century Plays (9-25-18) – Fikkle Fame](https://fikklefame.com/final-jeopardy-9-25-18/) ---
**Author:** ![Stephe96](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Stephe96](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stephe96)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2018, 4:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-s-final-jeopardy-july-13-2018/817875/16 "2018-09-26T04:14:03Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > Huh! That’s odd. If there was a typo, I certainly didn’t notice it. Nor did it stop me from immediately coming up with the correct response. I believe Alex said the typo was just on that one contestant’s screen. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2018, 5:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-s-final-jeopardy-july-13-2018/817875/17 "2018-09-26T05:04:28Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > The category was “20th Century Plays,” and the answer was: > > “From its preface: ‘It is impossible for an Englishman to open his mouth without making some other Englishman hate…him’” > > So, while “My Fair Lady” is technically a musical, not a play, I do wonder, too. > > Source: [Final Jeopardy: 20th Century Plays (9-25-18) – Fikkle Fame](https://fikklefame.com/final-jeopardy-9-25-18/) A Broadway musical isn’t a play? :dubious: Anyway, the line from “Why Can’t the English?” is _An Englishman’s way of speaking absolutely classifies him. The moment he talks, he makes some other Englishman despise him!_ ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2018, 5:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-s-final-jeopardy-july-13-2018/817875/18 "2018-09-26T05:12:17Z")
Thanks for that link, BTW. FWIW, I thought all three DJ questions tonight were easy. I was surprised Vincent got two of them wrong. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2018, 5:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-s-final-jeopardy-july-13-2018/817875/19 "2018-09-26T05:14:27Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > A Broadway musical isn’t a play? :dubious: Musicals are, admittedly, a subset of plays. OTOH, the Tony Awards are specifically delineated as for “Plays”, or for “Musicals.” ---
**Author:** ![AppallingGael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b9bd4f/32.png) [@AppallingGael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AppallingGael)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2018, 6:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-s-final-jeopardy-july-13-2018/817875/20 "2018-09-26T06:40:04Z")
“My Fair Lady” is a play, but the quote in the clue is from the preface to “Pygmalion”, so “My Fair Lady” would have been wrong. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-s-final-jeopardy-july-13-2018/817875.md?page=2)