Jeopardy! recap for Tue., Jul. 16

 Here are today's contestants:

- Erika Stromerson, an entry writer & grad student from Woodinville, Washington;

- Jay Fisher, a government relations manager from Lisle, Illinois; and

- Isaac Hirsch, a customer support team lead from Burbank, California. Isaac is a nine-day champ with winnings of $215,390.

Jeopardy! 

DISTRACTIONS // AMERICAN HISTORY // GILLS, GILLS, GILLS // CLASSIC TELEVISION // ON THE GO // FROM SCREEN TO STAGE

DD1 - $800 - GILLS, GILLS, GILLS - Gills aren't part of the name of these fish, subclass Dipnoi, but they actually have them & use them (Isaac lost $3,000 from his score of $3,400 vs. $7,600 for Jay.)

Scores at first break: Isaac $800, Jay $6,000, Erika -$600.

Scores entering DJ: Isaac $400, Jay $7,800, Erika $600.

Double Jeopardy! 

DISS-TRACK-TIONS // BRITISH AUTHORS // TRIAL BY JURY // LEFTOVERS // NATIONAL FLAGS // STARTS WITH 2 VOWELS

DD2 - $800 - BRITISH AUTHORS - Born in Wales to Norwegian parents, he was named for explorer Amundsen (Isaac dropped $5,000 from his total of $9,600 vs. $10,600 for Jay.)

DD3 (video) - $1,600 - NATIONAL FLAGS - The flag of this Central American nation has an ax, a ship & motto meaning "I flourish in the shade", but no more Union Jack (On the very next clue from DD2, Isaac expressed a lack of confidence in the category, bet only $1,500 and was correct.)

Unusual game in which Isaac was far behind Jay after missing DD1, recovered to get near the lead before missing DD2, then went for a small wager on DD3 and was correct. Isaac continued to build but come up just short of first place into FJ at $15,300 vs. $16,200 for Jay and $600 for Erika.

Final Jeopardy!

1960s PEOPLE - He said that Calif. prison psych tests he took were ones he had designed, so he made himself look docile & unlikely to escape; then he did

Everyone was incorrect on FJ. This should have been good news for Isaac, but he made an oversized wager of $14,000 from a close second position, allowing Jay to hang on for the win with just $1,799 after he dropped $14,401.

Final scores: Isaac $1,300, Jay $1,799, Erika $600.

Judging the writers: They described TV's "The Munsters" as "fiendish-sounding". I wonder if they also find a number of places across the globe and a certain French cheese to be "fiendish-sounding".

Judging the writers, part deux: IMO including "he made himself look docile" in the FJ clue was misleading, as it made the subject sound like a violent criminal.

Correct Qs: DD1 - What is lungfish? DD2 - Who was Roald Dahl? DD3 - What is Belize? FJ - Who was Timothy Leary?