Jeopardy! recap for Tue., May 31

 Please welcome today's contestants:

- Carissa, an architect, has been able to combine her profession with her love of live theater;

- Kenny, a software engineer, walked 34 miles in two days in Ireland; and

- Ryan, a rideshare driver, is excited about his wins "but it hasn't hit yet". Ryan is a 12-day champ with winnings of $226,300.

Jeopardy! 

WORD PUZZLES // MAYORS // BOOK OF THE YEAR // WOOD // SEND A LETTER // MUSICIANS SELLING MUSIC

DD1 - $600 - MAYORS - He opposed speculation, gentrification & loud college parties as mayor of Burlington, Vermont from 1981 to 1989 (Ryan added $2,000 to his leading score of $7,600.)

Scores going into DJ: Ryan $9,600, Kenny $1,600, Carissa -$600.

Double Jeopardy! 

MEDIEVAL TIMES // IT ONLY BORDERS ONE COUNTRY // SCIENCE // IT'S A FLAT-OUT FACT // SNL CAST MEMBERS ON FILM // GOING "PRO"

DD2 - $1,600 - MEDIEVAL TIMES - In 1279 these invaders ended China's Song Dynasty (Ryan added $2,000 to his total of $19,200 vs. $6,800 for Kenny.)

DD3 - $1,200 - IT ONLY BORDERS ONE COUNTRY - Technically an ecclesiastical state, it's found west of the Tiber (Carissa added $1,200 to her score of $2,200.)

Ryan ran two pop culture categories and never faced a serious threat, cruising into FJ at $28,400 vs. $6,800 for Kenny and $4,200 for Carissa.

Final Jeopardy!

NOVEL QUOTES - Referring to the book’s title, this character says, “I know it’s a poem by Robert Burns”

Only Kenny was correct on FJ. Ryan dropped $2,000 to win with $26,400 for a 13-day total of $252,700.

Odds and ends

Tough category of the day: The players missed the bottom three clues in BOOK OF THE YEAR, including one looking for a coming-of-age novel about the "Summer of" this year, '42 (also a very popular film from the early 1970s).

Mayim's musings: At this top of the show in honoring Ryan's success, she stated that it pays to be a "lifelong Jeopardy! viewer". I really like this framing and it's true - one key to doing well as a contestant is to watch faithfully every day.

Correct Qs: DD1 - Who is Bernie Sanders? DD2 - Who are the Mongols? DD3 - What is Vatican City ? FJ - Who is Holden Caulfield? (Ryan wins the day's comedy award for his response of "Ted Cruz", perhaps a reference to the Senator's impression of Montgomery Burns.)