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Jeopardy - Season 43 - Episode 19: 2026 Tournament of Champions Semifinal Game 1
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00:01From the Alex from X-State at Sony Pictures Studios, this is the Jeopardy! Tournament of Champions!
00:14Introducing our first group of semifinalists.
00:18A PhD candidate from New Brunswick, New Jersey, Allegra Cuny.
00:24An attorney from Washington, D.C., Tom Devlin.
00:29And an engineer from Somerville, New Jersey, Scott Riccardi.
00:35And now, here is the host of Deputy, Ken Jennings!
00:42Thank you, Johnny Gilbert. And welcome to the semifinals of the Tournament of Champions.
00:46Over the next three games, our six winners from the quarterfinals, along with our three seeded players who came into
00:52this tournament with the highest win totals,
00:54will be battling it out for spots in the finals.
00:56Only three can advance.
00:58And today, Scott, Tom, and Allegra have stepped back on the Alex Trebek stage with that goal in mind.
01:04Good luck to all three of you. Let's get right into the game.
01:06Here are your categories in the Jeopardy! round.
01:09We'll begin with California Geographic.
01:12Move from there to living fossils.
01:14Then it happened in 2025.
01:17You're my soda pop.
01:18That's entertainment.
01:20And finally, a hardscrabble upbringing.
01:24Scott, start us off.
01:25California Geographic for $1,000.
01:27Enjoy Copenhagen Drive in the Danish capital of America, this Santa Barbara area city whose name means sunny field.
01:35Allegra.
01:35What is Solvang?
01:36It is.
01:37Soda pop for $800.
01:38Calling itself the original energy drink, this four-letter cola is back, and with 200 milligrams of caffeine, it lives
01:46up to its name.
01:47Tom.
01:48What is Jolt?
01:48Jolt Cola is back.
01:502025 for $800.
01:52This colorful company introduced its very own giant reusable rocket that took flight in early 2025.
01:58Tom.
01:59What's Blue Origin?
02:00Yes.
02:012025 for $600.
02:03The FDA revoked the green light for this food coloring in January due to cancer concerns.
02:08Allegra.
02:09What is red dye 40?
02:10No.
02:11Scott.
02:12What is red number five?
02:13Also incorrect, I'm afraid.
02:15Tom?
02:17It was red, but it was red dye number three.
02:20Back to Tom.
02:21Uh, living fossils for eight.
02:23A 2024 study found that in GARS, evolution was at a virtual standstill at .00009 of these genetic changes per
02:33million years.
02:34Allegra.
02:35What are mutations?
02:36Correct.
02:37Hard Scrabble for $600.
02:38This pioneering speed metal band, co-founded by Scott Ian, brings the noise and 17 points, but no cattle disease
02:46despite the name.
02:47Tom?
02:48What's anthrax?
02:49You got it.
02:49Soda pop for $600.
02:51Yahoo for this soda, whose name is slang for moonshine and was created as a mixer for cocktails.
02:57Tom?
02:58What's mountain dew?
02:59You got it.
03:00Uh, living fossils for six.
03:02Native to India, the purple frog lives mostly underground, surfacing only for a few weeks during this season.
03:08Scott?
03:09What is monsoon season?
03:10That's right.
03:11Entertainment for 1,000.
03:13The chameleon circuit isn't always up to snuff on this Doctor Who transport, which is bigger on the inside.
03:19Tom?
03:19What's the Tardis?
03:20Good for 1,000.
03:21Uh, living fossils for 1,000.
03:24Sadly, this fish that made headlines with its 1938 return from supposed extinction is now critically endangered.
03:31Tom?
03:31What is the coelacanth?
03:33It is.
03:34Uh, 2025 for 1,000.
03:35The Louvre robbers took a tiara of this empress, wife of Napoleon III, but dropped her crown with 1,354
03:43diamonds.
03:44Allegra?
03:45Who is Josephine?
03:46No.
03:47Scott or Tom?
03:50It was Eugenie.
03:52Back to you, Tom.
03:53Uh, California Geographic for 800.
03:57When not playing piano in the bar at the Mission Ranch, Clint Eastwood found time to be mayor of this
04:02by the sea from 1986 to 1988.
04:04Scott?
04:06What is Carmel by the sea?
04:07Yes.
04:07California Geographic for 600.
04:09Known as the Dell, this San Diego hotel opened in 1888 with a $2.50 per day room rate that
04:16also covered three daily meals.
04:17Tom?
04:18What's the Hotel Del Coronado?
04:20It is.
04:20And it costs a little more now, I think.
04:22A little bit.
04:23Uh, you're my soda pop for 1,000.
04:25Originally from Mexico, the name of this apple-flavored soda translates to Little Apple Sun.
04:31Scott?
04:31What is Manzanita Sol?
04:32Good for 1,000.
04:33Entertainment for 800.
04:35This Paul Thomas Anderson film features a plague of frogs pelting the streets of Los Angeles.
04:41Scott?
04:42What is Magnolia?
04:43Magnolia is correct.
04:44You have 2,600, Scott.
04:46Tom's in the lead.
04:46And we have to pause for this break.
04:48But we'll be back with more Jeopardy! Tournament of Champions action after this.
04:59Allegra Cuny is a Ph.D. candidate from New Brunswick, New Jersey.
05:02Allegra, I understand you have a secret to overcoming your fears.
05:05What is that?
05:06Yeah, well, I have a friend who is a huge rollercoaster enthusiast, or a Thusi, I believe.
05:10Thusi?
05:10It's sometimes called, yeah.
05:11Wow.
05:12And when she drags me along, I like going on the rollercoasters, but I'm still a bit terrified.
05:17And recently, I started singing Defying Gravity on the way up the slope.
05:22And I discovered that that makes me much less afraid to not just Defying Gravity, but belting out any show
05:27tune.
05:27Show tunes overcome fear.
05:29Yes.
05:29Instead of whistling a happy tune, I sing it.
05:32Have you tried it here on the Alex Trebek stage?
05:34I mean, not now.
05:35We don't want to pay for the rights.
05:36Not now?
05:36Okay.
05:37Maybe you're just not scared of Jeopardy!
05:38Maybe you look very comfortable out here, Allegra.
05:40Tom Devlin is an attorney from Washington, D.C.
05:43Tom, you have one regret from your original Jeopardy! run, yes?
05:46I do.
05:46I had a clue about who the British actress that was in a movie adapting Orlando.
05:50And I said Cate Blanchett instead of Tilda Swinton.
05:52I felt really silly about it.
05:54But then later that night, I was telling the story, and my wife Stephanie says to me,
05:57you're gonna tell this story a whole bunch, so you really should know Cate Blanchett is Australian.
06:02Don't say two British actresses.
06:04Exactly.
06:04I gotta lay off the British actresses unless they're actually British.
06:07I think the world is full of people who can't tell Tilda and Cate apart.
06:10There's at least one person in that club, and he's right here.
06:12Here we go.
06:13Scott Riccardi is an engineer from Somerville, New Jersey.
06:15And I understand you're a bit of a celebrity back home now in New Jersey, yes?
06:19Yeah, that's right.
06:20So the whole time I was on the show, they introduced me as an engineer from Somerville,
06:23but what I unfortunately neglected to do was mention my original hometown of more than 20 years,
06:27South Plainfield.
06:27Okay.
06:28And luckily, I was feeling a lot of support from both of them during the run,
06:31and I actually got to lead the annual South Plainfield Labor Day Parade,
06:34as well as be a featured guest in Somerville's annual Central Jersey Jazz Festival.
06:38A parade and a jazz festival?
06:40As a parent, these are things I get dragged to, but you want to go to these, Scott.
06:43Have a good time.
06:43You have control of the board. Make a selection.
06:45All right. Entertainment for 600.
06:49It was most excellent when these two actors, better known as Bill and Ted,
06:53headlined a 2025 Broadway revival of Waiting for Gatto.
06:56Allegra.
06:57Who are Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter?
06:59Yes.
07:00Hardscrabble for 800.
07:02You need both B's and two L's to spell this kid's game, a variant of tag.
07:07When do I get to be It, who has their eyes covered?
07:10Scott.
07:11What is Blind Man's Bluff?
07:13That is the game.
07:14Scrabble for 1,000.
07:15In winter, some parents make kids wear this Crimean-named face warmer.
07:20It's a lot of vowels, but still gets 16 points.
07:22Tom?
07:23What's a balaclava?
07:24That is correct.
07:25Uh, 2025 for 400.
07:28In 2025, Clips gave the first ever rap performance in this city-state
07:32during the Grace for the World concert.
07:34Tom?
07:35What's Monaco?
07:35No.
07:37Allegra.
07:37What is San Marino?
07:38Also incorrect.
07:39Scott?
07:40What is the Vatican?
07:40Even less rapping in the Vatican, yes.
07:43California Geographic for 400.
07:45Answer there is a daily double.
07:46Scott?
07:50You're in second place.
07:51How much do you want to wager on California Geographic?
07:53All of it.
07:54Going all in.
07:55Okay.
07:55You'll have 7,600 if you're right.
07:58Here's the clue.
07:59Formerly Ocean View Avenue, this Monterey Street processed around 240,000 tons of sardines
08:06in 1945.
08:07What is Cannery Row?
08:08It is Cannery Row, a Steinbeck fan, and you're on top by 1,600.
08:13Select again, Scott.
08:15Entertainment for 400.
08:16The 2025 Superman film included this cape-wearing dog whose antics were based on James Gunn's
08:22not-so-well-behaved rescue.
08:24Allegra.
08:25Who is Crypto?
08:26That is Crypto.
08:27Hardscrabble for 400.
08:28The name of this fourth grade level of Cub Scouts is actually an acronym that earns you
08:3312 points.
08:34Tom?
08:35What's Weebelos?
08:36Yes.
08:37You're My Soda Pop, 400.
08:38This brand, better known for its grape juice, also makes sparkling grape and sparkling strawberry
08:43sodas.
08:44Allegra.
08:45What is Welch's?
08:46Correct.
08:47Living Fossils, 400.
08:48The nose of the goblin shark is covered in organs called Ampulli of Lorenzini for detecting
08:53prey and this phenomenon.
08:55Tom?
08:56What's electricity?
08:57Very good.
08:58Living Fossils for two?
08:59Living Fossils are organisms that haven't changed much in millennia, like these so-called
09:04crabs related to the extinct trilobites.
09:07Scott?
09:07What is a horseshoe crab?
09:08You got it.
09:09Entertainment, 200.
09:11This is for my people, my culture, he said when he was announced as the headliner of
09:15the 2026 Super Bowl halftime show.
09:18Scott?
09:18Who is Bad Bunny?
09:19Yes.
09:20Hardscrabble, 200.
09:2120 points.
09:22Type of kids who had to let themselves in after school because their folks were working.
09:27Tom?
09:27What are latchkey kids?
09:28I remember it well, yes.
09:30Soda Pop 2?
09:31It was introduced in 1961 to rival 7-Up.
09:34Tom?
09:35What's Sprite?
09:35Right.
09:362025?
09:37Likely a result of thawing permafrost, the birch one of these collapsed in Switzerland,
09:42causing damage to the town of Blatton.
09:45Tom?
09:45What's a glacier?
09:46That's correct.
09:46Last one?
09:47Last clue in California Geographic.
09:49It's City Hall, which replaced one destroyed in an earthquake, sports a 307-foot dome,
09:54taller than the U.S. Capitals.
09:56Scott?
09:57What is San Francisco?
09:58That is San Francisco City Hall.
09:59You have a narrow lead at the end of the Jeopardy! round.
10:01Allegra, you'll be choosing first in Double Jeopardy!
10:03It's starting right after this break.
10:12Scott and Tom are off to a fast start, but a lot can change here in Double Jeopardy!
10:16Here are your categories, players.
10:18From left to right, we have Lighting Up the Enlightenment, followed by Pen Names, Organizations,
10:25It's a Fact, then Women in Song, and Latin Lovers.
10:31Allegra?
10:32Let's do Women in Song for $1,200.
10:35In a hit from 2005, she was asked,
10:38What's it like in New York City?
10:39I'm a thousand miles away, but girl, tonight, you look so pretty.
10:43Tom?
10:44Who is Delilah?
10:44Hey there, Delilah.
10:46Uh, pen name 16.
10:48It was the pen name of Alexei Maximovich Peshkov.
10:51A park in Moscow is named in his honor.
10:54Scott?
10:55Who is Maxim Gorky?
10:56Yes.
10:57Enlightenment for $2,000.
10:59Denis was the first name of this alliterative editor of the Encyclopédie.
11:03Allegra?
11:04Who is Diderot?
11:05You add $2,000.
11:06Pen names for $2,000?
11:07Hector Hugh Monroe may have taken this pen name from a character in the Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam.
11:16He wrote as Saki.
11:18Back to you, Allegra.
11:20Latin Lovers, $1,200.
11:22Literally guilty mind, this phrase is heard in courtrooms regarding a defendant's criminal intent.
11:28Scott?
11:28What is mens rea?
11:30Yes, and you beat the lawyer.
11:31Enlightenment for $1,600.
11:33Female stars of the Enlightenment included this famous mom and author of A Vindication of the Rights of Woman.
11:38Tom?
11:39Who is Wollstonecraft?
11:40It is.
11:42Organizations, $1,600.
11:44This last name precedes Zuckerberg in the name of a science-focused philanthropic initiative.
11:49Tom?
11:49What's Chan?
11:50Yes, for Priscilla Chan.
11:51Organizations, $12.
11:53Starting in 1905, meetings for this civilian service club revolve around many offices, hence its name.
11:59Tom?
12:00What's the Rotary Club?
12:01That's why it's the rotary.
12:02It's a fact, $1,200.
12:03It's an old name for China, and it's also part of the name of Hong Kong's home airline.
12:08Tom?
12:09What's Cathay?
12:09Right again.
12:10It's a fact, $16.
12:12Panthera untia is the scientific name for this animal that can be found in summer 18,000 feet up in
12:18the mountains of Asia.
12:19Scott?
12:20What is a snow leopard?
12:20Correct.
12:21Enlightenment for $1,200.
12:23Okay, this Prussian did touch off years of war in 1756, but he was also an enlightened despot who hobnobbed
12:30with intellectuals.
12:31Scott?
12:31Who is Frederick the Great?
12:33Right again.
12:34Uh, pen names for $1,200.
12:37Helen Lyndon Goff was the original name of this Mary Poppins author.
12:41Allegra?
12:41Who is P.L. Travers?
12:42Yes.
12:43Women in Song, $1,600.
12:45The Goo Goo Doll song named for this last says, you're the closest to heaven that I'll ever be.
12:50Scott?
12:50Who is Iris?
12:51Well done.
12:52Organizations for $2,000.
12:53Here's the director general of this international agency as it signed a new agreement with Iran in 2025.
13:03That's the IAEA, International Atomic Energy Agency.
13:07Scott?
13:08Enlightenment for $800.
13:09Answer.
13:10Daily double for you.
13:13The lead has been seesawing back and forth, Scott.
13:16What do you want to do with this Daily Double in Lighting Up the Enlightenment?
13:21Let's do everything.
13:22Wow.
13:24It took him a minute to the side, but he is all in.
13:26Going for over $30,000.
13:28Here's the clue.
13:29We're all signatory to this, the title of a 1762 work by Rousseau.
13:35What is the social contract?
13:36That takes you to $30,800.
13:39Wow.
13:41Not over yet.
13:42Select again, Scott.
13:44Latin lovers for $1,600.
13:45Answer.
13:46The other Daily Double.
13:48Wow.
13:49Absolute Daily Double finding, Scott.
13:51How much do you want to wager now?
13:54Okay.
13:58$6,000.
13:59All right.
13:59$6,000 at stake in Latin lovers.
14:01Here's the clue.
14:03Euripides was famous for this Latin-phrased plot resolution.
14:06In Orestes, Apollo shows up and restores order.
14:09What is deus ex machina?
14:12Correct.
14:13For $6,000 more.
14:17Where to now, Scott?
14:18Latin lovers $2,000.
14:20These two words follow cartago in an ultimatum given by Cato the Elder in the Third Punic War.
14:26Tom.
14:27What is delenda est?
14:28Yes, Carthage must be destroyed.
14:30Uh, it's a fact.
14:30$2,000.
14:31Just weeks after Lee's surrender, over 1,000 Union soldiers died when this overcrowded steamboat
14:37exploded on the Mississippi.
14:38Scott.
14:39What is the Sultana?
14:41Well done, yes.
14:43Women in Song, $2,000.
14:44Fountains of Wayne had their only mainstream hit with this anthem about a lady who's got
14:49it going on.
14:50Allegra.
14:51Who is Stacy's mom?
14:52Yes.
14:52Uh, pen names $800.
14:55Unable to use his real name, author and real-life spy David Cornwell wrote spy thrillers under
15:00this name.
15:01Scott.
15:01Who is John Le Carre?
15:02Yes.
15:04Fact for $800.
15:05Though the accident occurred in 1986, energy was still being produced here until 2000.
15:11Tom.
15:11What's Chernobyl?
15:12Right.
15:13Latin lovers $8.
15:14A certain flower's status as a symbol for secrecy led to this two-word Latin phrase
15:19for anything done secretly.
15:21Allegra.
15:21What is sub rosa?
15:22Correct.
15:22Women in Song, $800.
15:24In Sorry, Beyoncé sings, he only want me when I'm not there.
15:28He better call this woman.
15:30Scott.
15:31Who is Becky with the good hair?
15:32Yes.
15:33Organizations for $800.
15:35A1A is a scenic highway in Florida.
15:37AIA is the American Institute of These Design Pros, founded in 1857.
15:42Tom.
15:43Who are architects.
15:44That's right.
15:44It's a fact for...
15:46Characterized by misshapen erythrocytes, this form of anemia disproportionately affects
15:51people of African descent.
15:53Scott.
15:53What is sickle cell anemia?
15:55You got it.
15:55Women in Song for $400.
15:57In a number one hit, Drake asked her, do you love me?
16:00Are you writing?
16:01Scott.
16:02Who is Kiki?
16:03Yes.
16:03Latin lovers $400.
16:05Usually shortened to initials, it's the Latin phrase used in academia as a stand-in for
16:09one's resume.
16:10Tom?
16:11What's a CV or curriculum vitae?
16:12Right.
16:13Organizations?
16:14The American Foundation for This Prevention wants you to call or text 988 if you are in
16:19crisis.
16:20Tom.
16:20What's suicide?
16:21Yes.
16:21Pen names?
16:22She grew up in Lorain, Ohio as Chloe Wofford and took her pen name in part from her baptismal
16:28name, Anthony.
16:29Allegra.
16:29Who is Toni Morrison?
16:30You got it.
16:31One more time, we're lighting up the enlightenment.
16:33He was still a student at Cambridge when he sort of casually discovered the binomial theorem
16:38in 1665.
16:40Tom.
16:40Who's Newton?
16:41Isaac Newton is correct, taking Tom to a very impressive 19,000.
16:44But Scott's math did not desert him there.
16:46He put this thing away with the biggest daily double we've seen all season.
16:50Nobody's wagered that much so far this year, Scott.
16:52$41,200 for you as we head into Final Jeopardy.
16:55Here is your category, players.
16:57European History, an old Jeopardy favorite.
16:59We'll pause for the wagers, but we will be back very shortly with the clue.
17:03Stay with us.
17:11In Final Jeopardy today, these three great champions will be dealing with this category,
17:16European History.
17:17Here is the clue.
17:19Riding from prison to her pair in 1793, she quoted the dramatist Cornet,
17:24Crime Makes the Shame and Not the Scaffold.
17:2730 seconds.
17:28Good luck.
17:29.
17:29.
17:59We'll start on the end with Allegra Cuny, who came into final with $7,600.
18:03You wrote down, Allegra, who is Marie Antoinette?
18:08I see why you would say that, but it's actually not correct.
18:11What was the wager?
18:12Allegra bet $6,700, leaving her with $900.
18:16Tom Devlin had $19,000 coming into final jeopardy, remarkably did it without a daily double.
18:21What did you come up with, Tom?
18:23Ah, also Marie Antoinette.
18:25You wagered zero, so you stick with $19,000.
18:29Scott Riccardi had $41,200.
18:32That is a record this season for a score at this point in the game.
18:35Very impressive.
18:37What did you come up with in final?
18:39Also Marie Antoinette.
18:41Now another high-profile woman.
18:42Anybody have it now?
18:43Charlotte Corday, who assassinated Dr. Murat.
18:47It was Charlotte Corday.
18:48What did you wager, Scott?
18:50Scott didn't wager anything either.
18:52$41,200 today puts Scott Riccardi in the Tournament of Champions Finals.
18:58Great game, Scott.
18:59Well played, all three of you.
19:04We'll be back tomorrow with our second semifinal game.
19:07Join us back.
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