Marblehead “Jeopardy!” enthusiasts may have done a double take during the Feb. 26 Double Jeopardy round when host Ken Jennings read a clue that referenced the town.
The $1,200 clue in the “Geography” category was: “A tombolo is a sandy or pebbly one of these connecting an island to the mainland, like in Marblehead, Massachusetts.”
(We’ll give you a minute to come up with the answer.)
According to the J-Archive, an internet database maintained by “Jeopardy!” super fan Robert Knecht Schmidt, Marblehead has now been mentioned in clues on the show six times, though this was its first mention in over 17 years.
The J-Archive has transcripts of nearly every episode ever aired, including a list well over 400,000 clues and the contestants’ responses.
The other Marblehead clues were as follows:
- Episode 5621 (Feb. 2, 2009), “All the Marbles” category ($1,000): “Tourist sites in this Mass. town include Elbridge Gerry’s home & Abbot Hall, which houses the ‘Spirit of ’76’ painting.”
- Episode 5205 (April 6, 2007), “Massachusetts” category (Daily Double, $4,000 wager): “‘The Spirit of ’76’ hangs in this town whose name comes from the misidentification of granite as another rock.”
- Episode 4260 (Feb. 21, 2003), “Buildings” category ($400): “Built in 1876, Abbot Hall in Marblehead, Mass. is in this style of architecture named for a queen.”
- Episode 3722 (Nov. 7, 2000), “Stately Homes” category ($800): “You can visit the mansion of shipping magnate Jeremiah Lee in Marblehead in this state.”
- Episode 3150, (April 17, 1998), “The East Coast” category ($100): “The original of this painting seen here hangs in Abbot Hall in Marblehead, Massachusetts.”
There have also been many more Marblehead-centric clues that simply failed to mention the town’s name, according to J-Archive.
For example, Elbridge Gerry has been mentioned in 33 clues, including twice in Final Jeopardy. The more recent was in 2021. That clue, “Elbridge Gerry, Charles Pinckney & John Marshall were the diplomats in this 1797 incident that led to a quasi-war with France.” (Answer: The XYZ Affair.)
According to the J-Archive, Marblehead has also produced two Jeopardy! contestants over the years:
- Brian O’Rourke, a director of development, who appeared on Sept. 10, 2001, during Season 18.
- Ethan Rasiel, a consultant originally from Marblehead, who appeared on Nov. 23, 1992, during Season 9.
Got that answer yet?
It’s… “isthmus.”
Oops, sorry.
We mean, “What is ‘isthmus’?”
