Jeopardy! recap for Tue., May 16

 Please welcome today's contestants:

- Lydia-Claire, a web development team lead, tried to turn the elementary school principal into a frog, and his wife wasn't much help; 

- Tom, a media strategist, has been a Deadhead for 40 years; and

- Ben, a philosophy professor, got tattooed in an art gallery in front of an audience. Ben is a four-day champ with winnings of $129,001.

Jeopardy! 

CHILLIN' IN THE R.I.P. LOUNGE // POE PLACES // AUTOMOTIVE ALLITERATION // COLLEGE: THE DROP/ADD PERIOD // POP METAL BANDS // "B" IS THE FIRST LETTER

DD1 - $400 - COLLEGE: THE DROP/ADD PERIOD - In Colorado, add this armed service to "Academy" (Ben doubled to $12,800 vs. $6,600 for Tom.)

Scores at first break: Ben $2,600, Tom $4,000, Lydia-Claire $2,800.

Scores going into DJ: Ben $13,200, Tom $6,600, Lydia-Claire $3,200.

Double Jeopardy! 

HEAVEN ON EARTH // WOMEN WORLD LEADERS // ANIMALS // DON'T GO ANYWHERE // TWISTS // TURNS

DD2 - $2,000 - DON'T GO ANYWHERE - There's a light fixture in this word meaning settled & not going anywhere (Tom dropped $5,000 from his total of $11,800 vs. $18,000 for Ben.)

DD3 - $1,200 - HEAVEN ON EARTH - This Parisian avenue is named for a paradise of Greek myth; it's less heavenly these days since it's clogged by traffic (Ben added $2,000 to his score of $21,200 vs. $4,800 for Tom.)

Tom kept it very competitive with Ben for most of round one, but Ben opened a substantial lead by doubling on DD1, then held off a late charge by Lydia-Claire to secure the win into FJ at $26,400 vs. $11,200 for Lydia-Claire and $5,200 for Tom.

Final Jeopardy!

AUTHORS - In 1960 Jean-Paul Sartre wrote of this man’s “victorious attempt…to snatch every instant of his existence from his future death”

Only Ben was correct on FJ, adding $1,599 to win with $27,999 for a five-day total of $157,000.

Final scores: Ben $27,999, Tom $200, Lydia-Claire $2,400.

Odds and Ends

Triple Stumper of the day: No one guessed the last two words in the name of a card game related to hot dog recipes, "Turn for the Wurst".

DD wagering strategy: Even though he missed DD2, the clearly best percentage play for Tom on DD2 against a formidable opponent such as Ben would have been to go all-in. By betting a little less than half his score, Tom still had little chance to get back in the running when he missed, so the smaller bet didn't help him anyway.

Correct Qs: DD1 - What is Air Force? DD2 - What is ensconced? DD3 - What is Champs-Élysées? FJ - Who was Camus?