Jeopardy! recap for Fri., Dec. 20

 Here are today's contestants:

- Maria Lauro, a contract specialist from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania;

- Joe Asaminew, an ER physician from Winnipeg, Manitoba; and

- Laura Faddah, a manager from Memphis, Tennessee. Laura is a one-day champ with winnings of $11,200.

Jeopardy! 

FOUNTAINS // TV // SMOOTH AS SILK // BUSINESS NAMES // SCIENCE BOOKSHELF // NUMERIC PHRASES

DD1 - $1,000 - SCIENCE BOOKSHELF - It's the structure of DNA & the title of James Watson's book about the discovery of it (Joe added $1,000.)

Scores at first break: Laura $2,400, Joe $2,000, Maria $4,000.

Scores entering DJ: Laura $4,800, Joe $3,800, Maria $5,200.

Double Jeopardy! 

HISTORIC SONGS OF THE BRITS // COMPUTER TECH // WORLD RELIGION // MR. & MRS. LIT // POP CULTURE PHYSICS // "HOG" CALLING

DD2 - $1,600 - WORLD RELIGION - Confucianism is more a philosophy--so this, with Beijing temples 1,300 years old, is China's only recognized home-grown religion (Laura dropped to second after losing $2,000 from her score of $6,000.)

DD3 - $1,200 - MR. & MRS. LIT - In the opening line of a novel, this Woolf woman "said she would buy the flowers herself" (Joe fell to second after losing $2,000 from his score of $7,000.)

Both Laura and Joe missed DDs in DJ, helping Maria gain a slight edge into FJ at $10,800 vs. $10,400 for Laura and $9,000 for Joe.

Final Jeopardy!

MOVIES & THE LAW - "Drafters...have to have a little fun sometimes", said the author of this law when asked if he was inspired by 1931's "Little Caesar"

Everyone was incorrect on FJ. Both Laura and Joe chose to go with mid-size wagers while Maria went big, with Laura managing to come out on top, winning with $5,800 for a two-day total of $17,000.

Final scores: Laura $5,800, Joe $5,000, Maria $799.

Wagering strategy: On FJ, a more optimal wager for Joe might have been $1,801, which if correct, would force both opponents to be correct with a non-zero wager to pass him. Laura's bet simply seemed to be aiming for a target of $15K if correct and didn't cover a possible double-up by Joe, but it still worked out for the best.

Correct Qs: DD1 - What is the double helix? DD2 - What is Taoism? DD3 - Who is Mrs. Dalloway? FJ - What is RICO Act?