Warning: This page contains spoilers for the December 26, 2022, game of Jeopardy! — please do not scroll down if you wish to avoid being spoiled. Please note that the game airs as early as noon Eastern in some U.S. television markets.
Here’s today’s Final Jeopardy (in the category TV Finales) for Monday, December 26, 2022 (Season 39, Game 76):
In a reunion over 40 years in the making, Dolly Parton appeared as an angel named Agnes in the final episode of this comedy in 2022
(correct response beneath the contestants)
Today’s Jeopardy! contestants:
Bobby Freitas, a middle school teacher from Long Beach, California |
Sarah Schmeer, an executive assistant from Portland, Oregon |
Ray Lalonde, a scenic artist from Toronto, Ontario, Canada (7-day total: $192,700) |
Andy’s Pregame Thoughts:
Since Jeopardy! began publishing box scores on January 12, 2022, the average Jeopardy! contestant makes 34.2 attempts per game on the signaling device. The average champion makes 38.3, while the average challenger makes 32.2. Cris Pannullo, in his 21-game win streak, averaged 45.7. Five-time champion Luigi de Guzman from earlier this season averaged 50.2 (which will certainly help Luigi’s Tournament of Champions chances next fall). Ray Lalonde, in his seven games so far, is averaging 46.4. If Ray is able to keep that going this week, we may see our second double-digit winner of Season 39. However, Ray has only found 10 Daily Doubles in 7 games thus far. (By way of comparison, Cris Pannullo had found 17 in his first seven games.) The fact that Ray’s opponents are finding these Daily Doubles may give Ray’s opponents more chances to beat him. Could that variance work in Sarah Schmeer’s or Bobby Freitas’s favor today?
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Correct response: What is Grace and Frankie?
You can find game-by-game stats here at The Jeopardy! Fan of all 15 players, including Matt Amodio, Jonathan Fisher, Amy Schneider, Mattea Roach, Ryan Long, and Cris Pannullo, that have won 10 or more games on Jeopardy!
More information about Final Jeopardy:
(The following write-up is original content and is copyright 2022 The Jeopardy! Fan. It may not be copied without linked attribution back to this page.)
The acclaimed Netflix comedy series Grace and Frankie, which saw its finale take place in 2022 at the end of its seventh season, starred Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin, both of whom starred with Dolly Parton in the classic 1980 film 9 to 5. Parton’s cameo in the finale, thus, served as a reunion of sorts for that film’s starring cast. (I’ll avoid talking about plot points in this write-up because we’re still within a year of the finale).
I suspect that some older viewers are going to complain—as they always seem to when it comes to current entertainment—that the entertainment space has become much more fractured in the late 2010s such that it’s harder to keep up with. And that’s true, to a point—even Jeopardy! itself believes that this fracturing has made the show harder because it has led to an expansion of the “canon” of things to possibly ask about. But, Tomlin and Fonda have been nominated for five Emmy Awards between them for their respective roles on Grace and Frankie, and I would say that it’s an incredibly easy argument to make that a TV series receiving Emmy nominations in major categories would be 100% appropriate to be the subject of clues—even Final Jeopardy! clues—in any era of the show.
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Game Recap:
Jeopardy! Round:
(Categories: Word Puzzles; The 18Th Century; The Office; Vacation Isles; Apps & Websites; Remember The Alamo Bowl)
Ray got off to a very hot start, picking up 8 correct and the Daily Double before the interviews. After the break, both challengers pulled closer, but Ray still lhad a strong lead after 30 clues.
Statistics at the first break (15 clues):
Ray 8 correct 0 incorrect
Sarah 4 correct 0 incorrect
Bobby 3 correct 0 incorrect
Statistics after the Jeopardy round:
Ray 11 correct 1 incorrect
Sarah 8 correct 2 incorrect
Bobby 8 correct 2 incorrect
Double Jeopardy! Round:
(Categories: Sounds Like A University; Stage Musicals By Song Lyrics; Africa; Your Elemental Hit Parade; Write Place; Wrong Time)
Ray started the round well, picking up the first Daily Double to extend his lead to over $13,000. However, Sarah stormed back with the game’s final Daily Double, and she did just enough in the endgame to ensure that Ray didn’t have a runaway going into Final! Scores going into Final were Ray at $21,600, Sarah at $11,600, and Bobby at $3,400.
Statistics after Double Jeopardy:
Ray 25 correct 3 incorrect
Sarah 14 correct 3 incorrect
Bobby 13 correct 5 incorrect
Total number of unplayed clues this season: 12 (0 today).
Both Ray and Sarah were correct in Final, and that means Ray is now an 8-day champion, winnings over $200,000! He returns tomorrow for game #9!
Tonight’s Game Stats:
Looking to find out who won Jeopardy! today? Here’s the Monday, December 26, 2022 Jeopardy! by the numbers:
Scores going into Final:
Ray $21,600
Sarah $11,600
Bobby $3,400
Tonight’s results:
Bobby $3,400 – $3,200 = $200 (What is …)
Sarah $11,600 + $11,500 = $23,100 (What is Grace + Frankie Frankie?)
Ray $21,600 + $5,000 = $26,600 (What is Grace + Frankie?) (8-day total: $219,300)
Scores after the Jeopardy! Round:
Ray $7,000
Sarah $4,400
Bobby $3,400
Opening break taken after: 15 clues
Daily Double locations:
1) THE 18th CENTURY $800 (clue #9)
Ray 1800 +1800 (Sarah 1600 Bobby 1600)
2) AFRICA $1200 (clue #9)
Ray 13800 +3000 (Sarah 3600 Bobby 200)
3) WRONG TIME $1600 (clue #17, $12000 left on board)
Sarah 6800 +4000 (Ray 16400 Bobby 2200)
Overall Daily Double Efficiency for this game: 181
Clue Selection by Row, Before Daily Doubles Found:
J! Round:
Ray 3 5 1 4*
Sarah 3 2
Bobby 4 4 3
DJ! Round:
Ray 4 5 3 4 5 2 3* 4† 5† 3
Sarah 1 3 4*
Bobby 3 2 4 5
† – selection in same category as Daily Double
Average Row of Clue Selection, Before Daily Doubles Found:
Ray 3.64
Sarah 2.60
Bobby 3.57
Unplayed clues:
J! Round: None!
DJ! Round: None!
Total Left On Board: $0
Number of clues left unrevealed this season: 12 (0.16 per episode average), 0 Daily Doubles
Game Stats:
Ray $18,800 Coryat, 25 correct, 3 incorrect, 40.35% in first on buzzer (23/57), 2/3 on rebound attempts (on 5 rebound opportunities)
Sarah $9,200 Coryat, 14 correct, 3 incorrect, 24.56% in first on buzzer (14/57), 0/2 on rebound attempts (on 6 rebound opportunities)
Bobby $3,400 Coryat, 13 correct, 5 incorrect, 28.07% in first on buzzer (16/57), 1/2 on rebound attempts (on 3 rebound opportunities)
Combined Coryat Score: $31,400
Lach Trash: $9,400 (on 8 Triple Stumpers)
Coryat lost to incorrect responses (less double-correct responses): $13,200
Ray Lalonde, career statistics:
205 correct, 26 incorrect
15/17 on rebound attempts (on 27 rebound opportunities)
42.54% in first on buzzer (194/456)
12/12 on Daily Doubles (Net Earned: $36,300)
6/8 in Final Jeopardy
Average Coryat: $20,000
Sarah Schmeer, career statistics:
15 correct, 3 incorrect
0/2 on rebound attempts (on 6 rebound opportunities)
24.56% in first on buzzer (14/57)
1/1 on Daily Doubles (Net Earned: $4,000)
1/1 in Final Jeopardy
Average Coryat: $9,200
Bobby Freitas, career statistics:
13 correct, 6 incorrect
1/2 on rebound attempts (on 3 rebound opportunities)
28.07% in first on buzzer (16/57)
0/0 on Daily Doubles
0/1 in Final Jeopardy
Average Coryat: $3,400
Ray Lalonde, to win:
9 games: 80.855%
10: 65.375%
11: 52.858%
12: 42.738%
13: 34.556%
Avg. streak: 12.223 games.
Today’s interviews:
Bobby taught English in South Korea.
Sarah owned a 5-foot-tall stuffed giraffe as a prized possession.
Ray finds his job a lot of fun.
Andy’s Thoughts:
- Ray moves into 20th all time in terms of regular play winnings. Larissa Kelly sits 19th at $222,597.
- Today’s box score: December 26, 2022 Box Score.
Final Jeopardy! wagering suggestions:
(Scores: Ray $21,600 Sarah $11,600 Bobby $3,400)
Ray: Standard cover bet over Sarah is $1,601. (Actual bet: $5,000)
Sarah: Bet at least $8,401 to surpass Ray in case he makes cover bet and is incorrect. (Actual bet: $11,500)
Bobby: If Sarah makes her minimum bet and is incorrect, she falls to $3,199. Limit your bet to $199. (Actual bet: $3,200)
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