Jeopardy! recap for Mon., Jan. 2

 Here are today's contestants:

- Chris, a development operations manager, recovered from a tumor that caused some hearing loss; 

- Denise, a attorney, liked the idea of a meat-and-cheese-filled canoe; and

- Ray, a scenic artist, visited the Sewer Museum.  Ray is a 12-day champ with winnings of $354,300.

Jeopardy! 

GIVING YOU SOME METALS // THE DOCTOR WILL SEE YOU NOW // LET THERE BE FROGS // GRAND OLE OPRY MEMBERS // 3 LETTERS, STARTS WITH "A" // HISTORY COMES ALIVE WITH ERIK LARSON

DD1 - $400 - GIVING YOU SOME METALS - The second-most abundant metal in the Earth's crust, it's number one down in the core (Denise added $2,000 to her leading score of $5,800. Ken said after the wager was announced "just $2,000" and indeed, a larger bet here might well have changed the outcome in her favor.)

Scores at first break: Ray $2,600, Denise $3,200, Chris $2,200.

Scores going into DJ: Ray $3,800, Denise $8,800, Chris $3,000.

Double Jeopardy! 

FROM THE NEW TESTAMENT TO THE MAP // WRITERS' MIDDLE NAMES // STATE GOVERNORS // THE CHASE // SACRIFICIAL ROLES // FRIENDS 'TIL THE ENDS

DD2 - $1,200 - FROM THE NEW TESTAMENT TO THE MAP - Santo Stefano Church in Genoa, Italy is where, according to tradition, this sailor was baptized in 1451 (Ray lost $4,000 from his total of $5,000 vs. $10,800 for Denise.)

DD3 - $2,000 - FRIENDS 'TIL THE ENDS - "C" is for this word, once one ofthe divisions of a Roman legion; it now can mean a colleague or a person born in the same year (On the last clue of DJ, Ray lost $1,300 from his score of $17,400 vs. $16,000 for Denise.)

In another thrilling contest, Ray had just regained the lead when he picked DD3 on the last clue of DJ, and wisely went for a tiny wager, as he missed and held a slim advantage into FJ at $16,100 vs. $16,000 for Denise and $8,200 for Chris.

Final Jeopardy!

HISTORIC CRIMES - Saying it was stolen by Napoleon, self-styled Italian patriot Vincenzo Peruggia took it in 1911

Ray and Denise were correct on FJ. Ray added $16,000 to win with $32,100 for a 13-day total of $386,400.

Final scores: Ray $32,100, Denise $32,000, Chris $8,200.

Odds and Ends

Clue selection strategy: Ray's opponents repeatedly returned to the top two rows with their selections in DJ, helping Ray's chances of finding both DDs in the round. Even though Ray missed them both, his selection of DD3 with the lead allowed him to hold on instead of Denise or Chris having a chance to catch up.

FJ wagering strategy: Since Denise could potentially win with a very small wager if Ray missed FJ, one might expect Chris to wager everything, hope to be correct on FJ and that both opponents would miss. But Chris must have had a feeling that Denise would go big, as he wagered $0, which gave him a chance on a possible Triple Stumper. And again I must wonder if Denise had a Second Chance invite in mind when she bet it all on FJ.

Ken's Korner: Today's opening monologue, not including the introduction of the categories, ran for 37 seconds and included 134 words.

Correct Qs: DD1 - What is iron? DD2 - Who was Columbus? DD3 - What is cohort? FJ - What is Mona Lisa?