"Jeopardy!" 9/27

Competitors:
Katie Clair (Broad Brook, CT)- International student coordinator
Erica Mines (originally from Washington, D.C.)- High school English teacher
CHAMP: Mike Malaier (whose one-day cash winnings total $8,100)

Thursday's Topics From the Get-Go:
DINING OUT IN NEW YORK
3-LETTER WORDS
APPLE PIE
A VAN DOWN BY THE RIVER
THE CALIFORNIANS
ON "SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE" (the first clue made a Pat Sajak reference!)

Erica's not amongst The Californians, but she takes its $600 clue w/ the Daily Double attached; she has $3,200 & leads Katie by $1K & Mike by $2,600. Erica's wager on the clue about to be revealed's $800:

Yo! (as in Yosemite!) This bro established a gnarly photography department at the Cali School of Fine Arts in 1946.

She blanks; that lady was Ansel Adams & Erica dips to $2,400 as we go to break. No time for the last three "SNL" answers, but she's still leading Katie $4,200-$3,400; Mike's starting Double J! $400 in the hole.

ATTEMPTED LACH TRASH: $2K
UNATTEMPTED LACH TRASH: $1K
TOTAL LACH TRASH: $3K

DJ! Board:
AMERICAN POETS & POETRY
FIRST FEMALE LEADERS
WORLD OF DANCE
LOOK IN THE CABINET
FIRST MUSIC, THEN A MOVIE
"Y"s UP!

It's still a close one between the girls as Katie rips out a DD under the $1,600 "Y" spot while having a $1,200 lead, $7K-$5,800; Mike's $1,600 in the red at this time. Katie risks $1.5K:

The Saffon Scourge is an old name for this infectious disease.

"What is Yellow Fever?"...she got that right for a new sum of $8.5K. W/ less than a minute to go & the last four clues from the World of Dance close to being out of reach, Erica writes off American Poets & Poetry w/ the last DD of the match & $17K; Katie's still hanging in there for now w/ $9,300 & Mike's on his way out w/ a $2,800 debt. Erica places a $2K wager, so this could seal her victory:

Title vessel referred to in the line "Oh, better that her shattered hulk should sink beneath the wave".

She has no clue about Old Ironsides...& after two more clues (the $800 WoD one came from Kelly Miyahara at the Lesedi Cultural Village in South Africa), Mike's officially BROKE & leaves w/ $9,100.

ATTEMPTED LT: $5,200
UNATTEMPTED LT: $4,400
TOTAL DJ! LT: $9,600

Heads' Up Final J! Cash Count:
Erica: $15K
Katie: $8.5K

CORYAT SCORES:
Mike: -$2,800
Erica: $17,800
Katie: $8,600

FJ! TOPIC #9: Phrase Origins.

On Feb. 22, 1918, Warren Harding said it's good to drink "...at the foundations of wisdom inherited from..." this alliterative group.

KATIE:
Response: NOTHING
Wager: $7K
Final score: $1.5K ($2K)

ERICA:
Response: "Who are the Founding Fathers?"
Wager: $3K
Wins w/: $18K

EPISODE RATING: 6