Some intrepid Jeopardy! producers braved traffic on the 10 to travel from Sony's Culver City studios to L.A. City Hall so Mayor Eric Garcetti could lob a few easy questions about Los Angeles to yesterday's trio of contestants, Siddharth (a student from Virginia), Dorcas (a consultant from Pennsylvania, who I imagine is no stranger to juvenile ridicule) and Seth (a Ph.D. candidate from Chicago). 

The category, simply titled “Los Angeles,” was left till last in the Jeopardy round (contestants have a tendency to avoid categories with guests reading the questions because they're a major time suck) and  three of the five questions were answered correctly (no one got the $400 or $1,000 questions). Here they are, minus visual aids, but you'll be fine. 

The $200 clue …
Just north of Hollywood and Vine, the studios at Capitol Records have been used by Frank Sinatra, Green Day, Sam Smith and this band, who recorded their Surfin' Safari album in the tower.

The $400 clue …
The Hollywood Sign was originally the Hollywoodland sign, a $21,000 billboard in 1923 for this two-word type of development owned by the publisher of the L.A. Times.

The $600 clue …
Using the term California Romanza to mean “freedom to make one’s own form,” this three-named architect’s first L.A. project, Hollyhock House, was completed in 1921.

The $800 clue …
At L.A.’s Griffith Observatory, the Astronomer’s Monument features six giants of the field: Hipparchus, Copernicus, Kepler, Newton, Herschel and this Italian genius.

The $1,000 clue …
Between 1921 and 1955, Italian immigrant Simon Rodia constructed a collection of 17 structures he called Nuestro Pueblo or “Our Town.” Today it’s a National Historic Landmark known as this.

Before commercial break, viewers were invited to visit Jeopardy.com to see how Garcetti answered the following question: What led you to a life of public service? I suspect there's a much (much) longer and more interesting answer. 

Answers (or should I say, the questions): Who are The Beach Boys, What is real estate, Who is Frank Lloyd Wright, Who is Galileo, What are the Watts Towers. 

Advertising disclosure: We may receive compensation for some of the links in our stories. Thank you for supporting LA Weekly and our advertisers.