Look How Many Times Western Mass Has Played a Role on Jeopardy!

Posted on November 11, 2020 by dcoombs

Dozens of Western Mass questions, answers and contestants have appeared on Jeopardy!

Our regional locales have come up numerous times as the inspiration for questions and answers, including some of the samples below–with an answer key at the bottom of the page, if you want to quiz yourself. The region has also been represented by many individuals who’ve competed on the show. Here’s a breakdown…

Springfield
The Massachusetts city has appeared 14 times in answers, one of which was a Final Jeopardy! challenge. At least five of those answers pertained to the game of basketball and its origin here, and four were about Springfield native Dr. Seuss, including this one in 2010:

Seuss was the middle name of this man born in Springfield, Massachusetts in 1904

There have also been nine contestants from the Springfield area:

-Lynne Crawford, a carpenter originally from West Springfield
-Chris Breen, a sophomore at Princeton University from Springfield
-Christine Detz, a legal assistant from West Springfield
-Larry Goldberg, a lawyer from Springfield
-Rob O’Leary, an educational development specialist from Springfield
-Fran Frederick, a school counselor from West Springfield
-Tim Paine, a writer originally from Springfield
-Jeanne Kaiser, a law professor from Springfield
-Ed Bryant, a lawyer from Springfield (pictured below)

Northampton
It’s appeared in four answers, including this one:

The Forbes Library in Northampton, Massachusetts house his presidential library–shh, no talking!

And there have been three Northampton residents who competed on the show:

-Jen Jabaily Blackburn, an academic assistant
-Kerstin Nordstrom, a physics professor
-Gerard Simonette, a retired mental health professional

Mount Holyoke
It’s been featured in thirteen answers, including:

Numerical name for the group that includes Smith, Bryn Mawr & Mount Holyoke

Plus, the prestigious college has been represented by two professors, Erin Haramoto and Kerstin Nordstrom. Additionally, two residents of the city of Holyoke, Steven McKenna and Charlton Wilbur competed.

Amherst
There have been more than 50 answers pertaining to the college or the town, including this one:

A former lawyer & schoolteacher, this noted lexicographer helped found Amherst College in 1821

These seven contestants, including a Celebrity Jeopardy! combatant on top, represented either Amherst College or the town of Amherst:

-Scott Turow, bestselling novelist (Presumed Innocent) from Amherst College
-Bev Schwartzberg, a history teacher originally from Amherst
-Sean Gilsdorf, a college teacher from Amherst
-Gwyneth Connell, a senior at Amherst College
-Deborah Walsh, an Amherst travel agent from Belchertown
-Ann Danielson, a sophomore from Amherst College
-Paige Hermansen, an English professor from Amherst

Deerfield
The town appears in three answers, including this one:

For 66 years at Deerfield Academy, Frank Boyden held this 10-letter title, equivalent to principal

And, contestants representing other Pioneer Valley locales:

-Paul Canty, a homemaker from Easthampton
-Kate Cell, a communications consultant from Shutesbury
-Suzanne Judson-Whitehouse, an education program director from Greenfield
-Mike Dindoffer, a writer and teacher from Greenfield
-Amy Ware, a registered nurse from South Deerfield

One other odd instance of our area coming into play was after Tom Cubbage won the Tournament of Champions in season 6. He told this story: “After I won the ToC, a gardener in Springfield, Massachusetts mailed a sort of trophy to my apartment in Texas–an ENORMOUS GOURD, in which he had carved ‘Tom Cubbage, Jep Champ.’ It was a surprising and generous, but unfortunately perishable, tribute.”

You can search any city or word in this Jeopardy! database.

[Questions to the four answers above, from top to bottom: Who is Calvin Coolidge, What are the Seven Sisters, Who is Noah Webster, What is headmaster?]

Dave Coombs hosts mornings from 5:30-10:00…assuming his alarm goes off