Are we having fun yet?

March 10, 2014, 7:00 pm

≫ Next: No "Cliffhanger" here

≪ Previous: The Judges, If Nothing Else, Are Consistent

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     Do y'all get the e-mail from YouTube saying when Jeopardy!'s uploaded a new video? Well when I woke up today I had one and opened it. Not only did it list the contestants...but which ones play each day. Now you might remember how Jeopardy! had briefly posted Arthur's "winner's circle" video, so I know when he loses. (What, they didn't fire their YouTube guy?) I'd better not say more but I am feeling a little evil today. Info available upon private request.
     I also got an e-mail that I tried to delete but accidentally opened, about this week's episode of The Experts Show. It's germane to you after all because the contestant on the left in the image below lost on Jeopardy! the same day that David Madden did.
     The e-mail also says that Brad Rutter and Roger Craig play in next week's episode. That's too bad, as I kind of had a fantasy about playing the former on The Experts Show someday.
     Last night I played Bob Harris's classic Crackle episode, which originally aired 11-27-97. I think this is the one I'd hoped would be posted. I didn't realize there were two where Bob played Kim Worth, and I didn't realize Dan Melia was the third player! Does all this make you long for the days the show was on GSN? My Coryat on the Crackle episode was 21400 (25000 without negs). Don't forget you can buy Bob's latest book by clicking here: The International Bank of Bob: Connecting Our Worlds One $25 Kiva Loan at a Time or on the Amazon widget at right.
     I'm still waiting for anyone to claim a free Jeopardy! app download. I have all 5 for iPhone/iPod Touch, and one more for iPad.
     Here are this week's contestants:
Sean Sullivan Chicago, IL
Michelle Sheffer Philadelphia, PA
Arthur Chu Broadview Heights, OH
Tony Knechtges Grafton, OH
Kirsten Albair Caribou, ME
Diana Peloquin Ann Arbor, MI
Julie Hornick Summerville, SC 
Jessica Rebel Lenexa, KS
Matt Kish Brunswick, OH 
Cameron Yahr Encinitas, CA
 Thad McCollum Orlando, FL
     I just like this:

I know whenever jeopardy is on because I hear my dad shouting random words
— kajhal (@glordus) March 10, 2014

     And this:

"Man, these Jeopardy contestants have some boring anecdotes," I thought to myself as I ate reheated meat while watching a game show alone.
— Peter Schultz (@pete_schultz) March 10, 2014

Arthur Chu

Sean Sullivan

Michelle Sheffer

     Michelle was able to ring in first on the first clue where anyone tried to, but she negged and Arthur picked it up. Nice start. Later it happened again, but to Sean. We had plenty of triple-stumpers in the mix too by the time Arthur found the first Daily Double, and we hadn't even had a commercial break yet.
Arthur 3200 (4 right)
Michelle -1000 (One wrong)
Sean -800 (One wrong)
     The category was Literary Title Pairs, and Arthur wagered it all on this clue: "1929 William Faulkner title pair." I actually got it right but Arthur didn't!
     I speak French so this triple-stumper was a snap for me in Potent Potables, even without the "bananas" hint: "Creme d'ananas is a liqueur flavored mainly with this fruit, not bananas."
     It felt like we'd played a whole round by the time we got to the first break. And look, it was as if nothing happened after Arthur selected the Daily Double.
Arthur 3200 (4 right)
Michelle -1000
Sean -800
     Maybe it's my imagination but it already looked like Sean wasn't having a good time by the time Trebek spoke to him.
     I guess right on this triple-stumper in Literary Title Pairs, on which Arthur and Michelle both negged: "In Shakespeare, a Trojan guy & an unfaithful gal."
     At the end of the round:
Arthur 6000 (7 right and 2 wrong)
Michelle -200 (3 right and one wrong)
Sean 200 (4 right? It doesn't seem like it.)
     Arthur found the first Daily Double of Double Jeopardy in Ballet Settings.
Arthur 8000 (2 right)
Michelle 1800 (2 right)
Sean 200
     He wagered 4000 on this clue: "Street scene, an American desert & the jail." He missed it.
     Michelle negged on a 2000 clue (and Sean picked it up) before Arthur soon found the next Daily Double in Island Prisons.
Arthur 5600 (One right)
Michelle -200 (One wrong)
Sean 2200 (One right)
     Arthur wagered 3000 on this clue: "New York City's main correctional facility, it lies in the East River and consists of 10 separate jails." Arthur got it this time.
     Sean must've started having fun when he got 8 right (and one wrong) before the end of the round. I'm pretty sure Sean's neg was worth 2000, and that Arthur picked it up.
     I don't know if Michelle would say it was fun, but she finally got out of the hole on the very last clue of the round. (There was one remaining on the board.)
Arthur 18200 (7 right)
Michelle 200 (One right)
Sean 7800 (8 right and one wrong)
     The Final Jeopardy category is American Composers. This was the clue: "A protege of Oscar Hammerstein, he's won Grammys, an Oscar, a Pulitzer Prize & the most Tony Awards by a composer." Michelle was wrong and lost her 200. Sean was right and added 7399. Arthur was wrong and lost 2000. And Sean was smiling even before he knew Arthur had it wrong!
     I didn't track my Coryat today because, as has been happening lately, I've just been too excited to blog. I didn't even take my first walk of the year like I thought I was going to.

Here's an update to the ToC list:

1. John Pearson (November 2013 Teacher's Champion)
2. Jim Coury (May 2013 College Champion)
3. Terry O'Shea (February 2014 College Champion)
4. Arthur Chu $277,200 (10 wins)
5. Ben Ingram $176,534 (8 wins)
6. Drew Horwood $138,100 (8 wins)
7. Jared Hall $181,001 (6 wins)
8. Andrew Moore $137,803 (6 wins)
9. Jerry Slowik $121,800 (5 wins)
10. Joshua Brakhage $103,205 (5 wins)
11. Rebecca Rider $101,600 (5 wins)
12. Sarah McNitt $89,398 (5 wins)
13. Rani Peffer $68,701 (5 wins)
14. Mark Japinga $112,600 (4 wins)
15. Mike Lewis $102,800 (4 wins)
---
16. Carlos Ross $89,774 (3 wins)
17. Adam Holquist $76,299 (3 wins)
18. Sara Garnett $75,403 (3 wins)
19. Salvo Candela $66,195 (3 wins)
20. Neal Pollack $60,798 (3 wins)
21. John Anneken $60,112 (3 wins)
22. Tim Anderson $56,001 (3 wins)
23. Stuart Anderson $51,601 (3 wins)
24. Bill Tolany $44,200 (3 wins)

One year ago: Playing better small ball
Two years ago: Talking turkey at least twice
Three years ago: More from 4-time Jeopardy! champ Buddy Wright (That was three years ago?!)
Four years ago: Drumroll...

---

No "Cliffhanger" here

March 11, 2014, 7:00 pm

≫ Next: Knock, Knock. Who's There? Art.

≪ Previous: Are we having fun yet?

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     This morning I watched Robin Carroll's classic Crackle episode (5-19-00). My Coryat was 16800 (19000 without negs). My Coryat from this weekend's rerun, which originally aired 1-8-13, was 30000 (31200 without negs). The first time I played, my Coryat was 27200 (29800 without negs).

Tony Knechtges

Arthur Chu

Kirsten Albair

     Do you kind of get the feeling when the show starts whether it's gonna be boring (at least as Jeopardy! goes), or exciting? This was a boring one (but do keep reading), all the way through the contestant interviews.

The portion of jeopardy where they talk about random contestants' stories is so awkward to watch, holy moly
— Shana Herron (@shanaherron15) March 11, 2014

     Maybe I feel 'blah' because I ate brown sugar this afternoon like it was a meal. Or maybe I'm ready for Arthur to move on. In their interviews, Tony talked about his marriage proposal, Kirsten talked about writing the history of Caribou Maine, and Arthur talked a little about his voiceover work. At least this didn't happen to me:

@WNEMTV5news way to ruin my day no Jeopardy, who do you think you are?
— Jacob Petzold (@jacob_Petzold) March 11, 2014

Arthur 1200 (5 right and 2 wrong)
Kirsten 2600 (4 right)
Tony 1800 (3 right)
     I had the best of intentions, and started to track my Coryat. When I realized I had no more 800s but there was one left on the board, I dropped it. Good thing this clue hadn't come up yet, or I'd have negged for sure (in Reddit AMA Responses): "This guy: 'Forshizzle.'" Actually there were a few like that. I'd have gotten this triple-stumper though, on a guess (which might explain why I'd have negged so often elsewhere). In Bestselling Nonfiction: "Neurosurgeon Eben Alexander recounts his near-death experience during a coma in 'Proof of'this." Arthur and Tony negged! Mr. Trebek gave the less-than-a-minute warning. There were 6 clues left, and Arthur hadn't found the Daily Double yet! He finally did though, in Bestselling Nonfiction.
Arthur 2000 (3 right and 3 wrong)
Kirsten 4400 (3 right)
Tony 1000 (2 right and 3 wrong)
     Arthur wagered it all on this clue: "The first edition of his'Diet Revolution' was a bestseller back in 1972." Arthur got it right. Tony had time to get one more right before the round ended early.
Arthur 4000
Kirsten 4400
Tony 1400
     Arthur picked up steam then and was leading by the time he found the first Daily Double of Double Jeopardy in Home of the Cave.
Arthur 8800 (4 right and one wrong)
Kirsten 4800 (One right)
Tony 1800 (One right)
     This would be the first clue we'd seen in the category, but Arthur wagered 4000 on: "The Big Room -- this New Mexico national park." He and I got it right.
     I got this triple-stumper in Land of the "Free": "Moving independently, like Bob Dylan in the title of a 1963 album." Arthur negged on it with something that had already been a correct response in the category! And Arthur had gotten that response! I got this because Dylan's girlfriend had written a book with this title.
     Arthur found the next Daily Double in Give My Regards to Broadway.
Arthur 16400 (4 right and one wrong)
Kirsten 6400 (One right)
Tony 1800
     With all the negs (and "oh"s afterward), Arthur's score at least looked like his usual. He wagered on this clue: "Oh yah, in 1988, pre-'Fargo,'she was Stelllllla! In 'A Streetcar Named Desire,' dontcha know." I got this right but Arthur was nicked for changing a vowel sound. Trebek laughed later when Arthur enunciated every sound in his correct response. I remember in Arthur's "winner's circle" video he said he was tired. I wonder if that fatigue was showing there. Later Arthur got into it again with Trebek over the pronunciation of "Gerry," as in the vice president. Arthur cited the word "gerrymandering," and Trebek said that's just a weird thing about the language. ?
     We've all seen this album cover, but can you come up with the title (in Album Covers)?: "2010: A tastefully nude Katy Perry prone on a cloud of pink cotton candy." I wasn't sure I even knew what it was but I blurted it out in my head at the last second. It was a triple-stumper.
     There were 2 clues left on the board (both in Album Covers!) when the round ended. Arthur didn't seem like he killed 'em but these are the scores:
Arthur 17000 (5 right)
Kirsten 5200 (One right and one wrong)
Tony 2200 (One right)
     The Final Jeopardy category was Novel Titles. Thankfully nobody would have to speak his or her response. This is the clue: "The title of this 1951 novel comes from the hero's fantasy of rescuing children falling from a cliff." If Tony's response of "Cliffhanger" was a novel title, I've never heard of it. He lost 2000. Kirsten got it right and added 799. Arthur got it right and added 3000. Mr. Trebek wondered whether Arthur will go over 300,000 tomorrow.  

     An update to the ToC list:

1. John Pearson (November 2013 Teacher's Champion)
2. Jim Coury (May 2013 College Champion)
3. Terry O'Shea (February 2014 College Champion)
4. Arthur Chu $297,200 (11 wins)
5. Ben Ingram $176,534 (8 wins)
6. Drew Horwood $138,100 (8 wins)
7. Jared Hall $181,001 (6 wins)
8. Andrew Moore $137,803 (6 wins)
9. Jerry Slowik $121,800 (5 wins)
10. Joshua Brakhage $103,205 (5 wins)
11. Rebecca Rider $101,600 (5 wins)
12. Sarah McNitt $89,398 (5 wins)
13. Rani Peffer $68,701 (5 wins)
14. Mark Japinga $112,600 (4 wins)
15. Mike Lewis $102,800 (4 wins)
---
16. Carlos Ross $89,774 (3 wins)
17. Adam Holquist $76,299 (3 wins)
18. Sara Garnett $75,403 (3 wins)
19. Salvo Candela $66,195 (3 wins)
20. Neal Pollack $60,798 (3 wins)
21. John Anneken $60,112 (3 wins)
22. Tim Anderson $56,001 (3 wins)
23. Stuart Anderson $51,601 (3 wins)
24. Bill Tolany $44,200 (3 wins)

   
One year ago: Playing better small ball
Two years ago: Talking turkey at least twice
Three years ago: No Maas
Four years ago: More Common Than I Thought? , More Stumpers and "Deo Volente"?

Knock, Knock. Who's There? Art.

March 13, 2014, 5:35 am

≫ Next: The missing link

≪ Previous: No "Cliffhanger" here

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Andy here as Arthur Chu goes for Win #12! No pictures today for Andy!

I've spoken before of how my parents have been rooting against Arthur. They don't like the Forrest Bounce too much! My mother came up with the following while watching:

Knock knock!
Who's there?
Art.
Art who?
Artchu fed up with this guy already?

Today's contestants: Diana Peloquin and Julie Hornick challenging Arthur Chu, who has won $297,200 over 11 games!

Will one of the ladies play giant killer?

J! round categories:
INSPIRED CHARACTERS
RHYME TREBEK, TREBEK!
IT ALWAYS HAPPENS IN "THREE"S
CEO COMPENSATION
TOO BAD
SO SAD

Diana seemed to match Arthur in both buzzer timing and Daily Double hunting skills early on! The first Daily Double was found under INSPIRED CHARACTERS $400, and it was Diana's! Scores:

Diana $1,400
Arthur $800
Julie $0

Diana went for $1,400. Her clue: "This character is Charles Dickens' most autobiographical; his initials are the reverse of the author's". Her correct response put her at $2,800!

A rare mistake from Arthur in "THREE"s $1000 in that he forgot the category! This Kurt Weill musical drama was produced in German as "Die Dreigroschenoper" in 1928. Arthur answered it with a Two!

At the first break, the scores sat at:
Diana $5,400
Arthur $3,200
Julie $2,600

Diana was a synchronized swimmer in college! She also stated my favourite fun fact about synchro: the gelatin'd hair! I can cheer for her!

Arthur went for the "There's no money at stake" route when refusing to answer Trebek's question about the most visited site in Washington DC (the Vietnam memorial)

Coming out of the break, Arthur and Julie had the best luck on the buzzer in the back half of the round, and we had a very competitive game on our hands! Scores:

Diana $6,200
Julie $5,400
Arthur $4,800

DJ! round categories:
MEDICAL PROBLEMS
ITALIAN ADJECTIVES
PHILOSOPHY
ON THE "M"AP
NATIVE AMERICANS
NEW ENTERTAINMENT AWARDS

MEDICAL PROBLEMS $2000 was Arthur's first selection. Silly Arthur. He should have gone to $1600! (Even Watson knew that $1600 was the better spot to select.) It was Diana who selected MEDICAL PROBLEMS $1600, and it was Diana who got to play the Daily Double! Scores:

Julie $9,400
Diana $7,800
Arthur $4,800

Diana bet $3,500. Her clue: The H. Pylori bacterium cases this type of ulcer, from the Greek for "digestive". Diana said "peptide", then corrected to the correct response, which was ruled correct by the judges! She now has $11,300.

PHILOSOPHY $1600 had the final Daily Double; this one was Arthur's! Scores:

Diana $11,300
Arthur $7,600
Julie $5,400

Arthur spoke "True Daily Double." Clue: Antisthenes began this -ism with the view that self-interest is the primary motive of human behavior. Arthur said "What is egoism". Arthur's score fell to $0.

Over the rest of the round, Arthur did his best to bring his score back up and at least give him a shot in Final! Scores going into Final:

Diana $12,100
Julie $7,800
Arthur $6,400

FJ! category: BRITISH ROYALTY

FJ! clue: He was the last male monarch who had not previously been Prince of Wales

Arthur 6400 - 6400 = 0
Julie 7800 - 5100 = 2700
Diana 12100 + 3600 = 15700

And we have a new champion! I'll have Diana's title defense tomorrow! Here are a couple of tweets on the way out:

Having terrorized mankind sufficiently, Cthulchu slinks back into the ocean. @arthur_affect
— Robert Woolley (@RandomlyBob) March 13, 2014

Watching @arthur_affect Jeopardy run end shows you how insane Ken Jennings' 74-game streak was. Will never be matched.
— Jeff Hoard (@JeffHoard921) March 12, 2014

The missing link

March 14, 2014, 7:00 pm

≫ Next: Q & A with Josh McIlvain, and a big announcement

≪ Previous: Knock, Knock. Who's There? Art.

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      ...that link being to yesterday's episode. Neither Andy or I could cover it. But this does set up the timing for not one but two Q & As this weekend: Robin Carroll and Josh McIlvain. My Coryat yesterday though was 30400, and I didn't have any negs!
     I played the following classic Crackle episodes recently:
Mark Dawson  (9-20-01). Remember how Mark said in his Trebek interview last week that his last show was the last for Mr. Trebek's mustache, too? That's this episode. My Coryat was a mere 10200 (15200 without negs).
Claudia Perry (1-3-97): 26000 with no negs
Jill Bunzendahl Chimka (5-28-02): 29200 (30200 without negs)
If anybody still wants a free download of the Jeopardy! game app, I still have 1 left for iPad and 4 for iPod Touch/iPhone. Just leave a comment saying you want one.
     So yesterday Matt Kish defeated Diana Peloquin, who defeated the infamous Arthur Chu. (Why wasn't Matt in the Teacher's Tournament?) I'm happy to report that after a tough week for a Jeopardy! fan, this one was a pleasure. There seemed to be something to say about each clue, but don't worry, I didn't!

Thad McCollum

Cameron Yahr

Matt Kish

     Did Johnny laugh when he introduced Thad as a doorperson? I don't know why. I think that's cool.
     At the first break:
Matt 2200 (4 right and one wrong)
Thad 1200 (3 right and one wrong)
Cameron 2200 (5 right and one wrong)
     Cameron found the Daily Double of the round in Close Quarters.
Matt 3800 (3 right)
Thad 2800 (3 right)
Cameron 3200 (2 right)
     Cameron wagered 2000 on this clue: "Get revved up and tell us the name of this state."

     She got it so quickly I didn't have time to submit a good response. I totally negged on this clue after the TOM, even though I was thrown off by the last words of the clue: "This state's quarter is based on 'Arbor Day,' by native son Grant Wood ."

     Cameron got that one right too.
     Billiard Shots kicked my butt. I had accepted "carom" for this one: "It's any shot where the object ball bounces off a side cushion." I checked m-w.com though, and discovered it's defined as "a shot in pool in which an object ball strikes another ball before falling into a pocket." I didn't know that. (Obviously.) I don't think I got a single one in the category right.
     At the end of the round:
Matt 4400 (One right)
Thad 5200 (4 right)
Cameron 6200 (One right)
     Perfect, the category Baseball Teams. Just last night I agreed to attend my league's fantasy baseball draft even though I'd planned to quit and even told my partner, my uncle, that I was. (Today I fully committed to the whole season.) Back when I had a cruddier phone my uncle replied that he still wanted me at the draft at least, but I never got that message. Our "keepers," the list of players each team is keeping from their roster, was due today, and I hadn't given a moment's thought to baseball. (I got Andy's list as I was blogging.) I quick bought my magazine today and did the research while getting my hair done, which is supposed to be a treat. But I had no choice. I had told my hair lady what I was doing. Later I complained about it when I saw someone walk up out of the corner of my eye. When she ignored me I looked up, and it wasn't my hair girl.   Incidentally I find out after my uncle sends our list to the team, I'd been looking at the wrong dollar values when choosing who we were keeping. Oh well.
     The big news from the salon is that for the first time in my life, I had to stand to get the back trimmed because my hair hung past the chair I was sitting in.

ugh, I missed Jeopardy for tonight while I was straightening my hair
— ~SassyElsa~ (@i_am_franchesca) March 15, 2014

     Mine was being curled as Jeopardy! recorded at home.
     This girl is easy to please:

Jeopardy has a category called "Baseball Teams". My life is made. 🙌😍
— Savannah Bustamante (@SavannahRaye8) March 15, 2014

     Anyway, Matt found the first Daily Double of the round there in Baseball Teams.
Matt 7200 (2 right)
Thad 6400 (2 right)
Cameron 6200
     Matt confidently wagered 4000 on this clue: "In 1869 a club based in this, now a National League city, became the first all-professional baseball team." Matt knew this, maybe because he's from Ohio? If you knew it, how?
     More Than One Meaning whipped me. I only got one of the five, and it was the 2K!
     Matt looked like he didn't really want to go to Pony Expressions, but he found the Daily Double there.
Matt 16400 (6 right and one wrong)
Thad 10400 (7 right and one wrong)
Cameron 11800 (6 right and one wrong)
     Did you notice Trebek said Matt had a 5000 lead over Thad?
     Matt wagered 2000 on this clue: "A nursery rhyme says, 'I had a little pony, his name was'this; 'I lent him to a lady to ride a mile away.'" Neither Matt nor I knew this, but I'd have at least picked something that rhymed with "away."
     If Matt hadn't forgotten the category (as he'd done earlier) and negged on a 1600er, he'd be tied with Thad going into the Final. It makes you wonder how he'd have wagered then.
Matt 12800 (One wrong)
Thad 14400 (One right)
Cameron 11800
     Impressive scores.
     The "fun" Final Jeopardy category was Actors & Oscars, but no one had fun for at least 30 seconds. This was the clue: "He was nominated for Oscars in 5 consecutive decades; the last nod was for his 1978 role as a Nazi hunter." I didn't try on this but I'd might as well have - the outcome would've been the same. This was a triple-stumper too. Cameron lost everything, Matt lost 10801, and Thad lost 12000. So he wins!
     I don't know why but I expected Matt to stick around for a while. I liked him, and how he went to Baseball Teams first. (But Thad stuck with it!) Oh well.
     My Coryat today was 17800 (23600 without negs). Now pardon me while I watch tennis and get caught up on studying baseball at the same time.

One year ago: He's no dumb blonde
Two years ago: Antle's Antics
Three years ago: Seeing is solving
Four years ago: The "wurst" response in Jeopardy! history?

Q & A with Josh McIlvain, and a big announcement

March 15, 2014, 7:00 pm

≫ Next: Q & A with Robin Carroll!

≪ Previous: The missing link

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     The announcement? Arthur Chu has offered to do a Q & A with us. =-O What are your burning questions for him? Get them to me somehow.
     Josh played Arthur on Monday, February 24th. Thanks, Josh!

Q: Did you stay at the studio for the rest of the day after your episode?
A: Yes. Our contestant group bonded easily with each other, starting with the shuttle ride over, and continuing throughout our stay at the hotel. We're still friendly with each other (and each other's guests) on Facebook. So most of us stuck around after our shows were done taping to support our new friends and watch them. Also to see if there was anyone in our group who had it in them to best Arthur Chu.
Q:  If you taped on a Tuesday, did you go back the next day?
A: I did not return to the studio the next day. We'd already been to a game show taping, and we only had so much time left in beautiful Southern California before we had to go back to our lives and jobs in cold New York State. So my sister, my wife and I spent the afternoon and evening driving up and down the PCH, exploring the Hollywood Hills, and hitting Hollywood Blvd and the LaBrea Tar Pits before catching our flights at LAX.
Q: What is Arthur Chu really like? ;-) (Are more people asking you that than "What is Alex Trebek like?")
A: To be honest, I didn't interact with him an awful lot. Instead of the Doubletree, he was staying with family in the area, so we only saw him at the studio, not before and not after. He arrived later than those of us who took the shuttle bus over. I made it a point to greet him, shake his hand, and say "Glad you could make it." Shortly after that it was revealed that he was the returning four-day champ. Off-camera he seemed nice and genial enough. (At the ten-second pause for the closed-caption ad during the mock show, I imitated an ad I'd seen, saying "...that's why they deserve a brake dance." Arthur heard me and responded with "Meineke!") Several other contestants in our group who also talked with him report the same thing. After the day's taping, he even allowed himself to be photographed with my sister.
Q: Is there anything else you want to say?
A: I was thrilled to have gotten on JEOPARDY on my first try. I took the online test in January, got invited to audition in May, got the call from Robert in October, and my taping was on a Tuesday in November. Both my wife and my younger sister (who'd put me up in her Brooklyn apartment for the NYC audition) were in the audience that day.
     In the green room before the day's taping, my name was literally the first one drawn. (Sofi's of course was next) Game-wise, I feel that put us at something of a disadvantage. Bear in mind there was no media blitz at the time, no blathering on about "villainy" and "game theory". In fact, none of us had even heard of Arthur Chu before this point, let alone seen him in action. And the rapid-fire rotation practice round revealed nothing telling about anyone's playing style. So Sofi and I were basically going in blind, uncertain of what to expect from the four-day champion who already had amassed winnings in the six figures. Not my preferred position. I don't know if watching a game or two first would have helped me to better formulate a "counter strategy" or just scared the hell out of me. I'll always wonder about that.
     Most contestants and audience members, if they are loyal viewers of JEOPARDY, experience three geek moments upon seeing the stars of the show. The first is when you walk on the set (the set being the first star) and realize "THIS is where the magic happens!". The next when we first see Johnny Gilbert addressing the audience. And the last of course is when Johnny announces "the host of JEOPARDY, Alex Trebek!" and he emerges from backstage. I got to experience that last geek moment not from the audience, but from behind Podium #3. If you're ever up first, try not to let that affect your game.
     I don't like the term "losing", I regard it as rather ugly. But I took getting bested kind of hard. Possibly harder than any of my fellow contestants. I was very disgusted with myself, because I certainly hadn't crossed the country and played as I did to finish in third. (Had I only left myself ONE dollar, it would have made all the difference. But I was in the weakest wagering position. That, and my confidence in my knowledge of "19th Century People", a VERY broad category, influenced my decision to go all in.) I let it bother me so much, I developed a headache. I took Advil for it. Is that considered "biting the hand"? (Considering who provides the consolation prizes)
     During the break, Sofi was at a nearby Subway, telling someone she really wanted to see Arthur taken down. A woman in the restaurant turned and said "I know how you feel. I'm his wife." I love that story!
     I've seen the numerous articles about Arthur Chu's use of strategy and game theory to win. I personally believe that aspect of his game is vastly overrated and blown out of proportion by the media, more hype than anything. I've come out on Facebook and Twitter as saying so. A reporter from Yahoo! Finance noticed and contacted me about it. The following is an excerpt from her article.
"Josh McIlvain, the Syracuse, N.Y. home health aide who [was bested by] Chu in his fifth game this week, says the contestant's strategies are nothing special. “People who get on the show don’t get there because they know strategy. It’s because they know a lot of facts,” McIlvain said. “I don’t buy so much into the strategy aspect of it. I don’t think [Chu] cracked some kind of code. He’s really smart and really good at buzzing in and I respect that.” "
     Articles claim that according to Chu, the game is more about intimidation and unbalancing one's opponents, rather than knowledge. Well, I played against the man, and I can definitely say I felt neither intimidated nor unbalanced. If anything, I felt beaten to the buzzer (and to the Daily Doubles, which appeared to be the key to the game that day). I also note with amusement that strangers on the Internet described me as "nervous", while friends who watched me said I didn't look nervous at all. People who know me may notice that "nervous" is my natural state. Strangers don't always understand this.
     I did something not many contestants do: I went on Twitter during and after my episode aired. Tweeters can be an unmerciful bunch, but I also found support there too. I thanked my supporters, and jabbed playfully at my detractors (some of whom sweetened up once they realized I was reading their Tweets). I had fun doing it. One Tweeter remarked that thought I had "lost on Jeopardy", I'd "won at Twitter". :)

Q & A with Robin Carroll!

March 16, 2014, 7:00 pm

≫ Next: Buy Andy's Book!

≪ Previous: Q & A with Josh McIlvain, and a big announcement

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     Robin's most recent episode aired March 5th. Thanks, Robin!

Q: Your husband was on the show a few years ago. You also mentioned your daughter Caitlin in your contestant interview this time. Did either of them come with you to your taping?
A: Yes, Dan was on the show in 2011 and lost. He's now my ex-husband, although not because he lost on Jeopardy - that would be pretty harsh. I have 3 children - Caitlin, Devin and Allison. I didn't bring anyone to the first taping, but Allison is coming with me for the quarterfinals.
Q: Do any of your kids aspire to be on the show?
A: My son is the only one who is considering trying out. He's 24 and he feels 30 is a good age for the show - you've lived long enough to finish your education and know stuff but you're still young enough to be quick on the buzzer. (IIRC, Mike Dupee said his mother gave him similar advice.) I was 37 in my first appearance and I agree, your 30s are a good age to go for Jeopardy immortality.
Q: Have you spoken to Bob [Harris] or Shane [Whitlock] since your taping? Did you know them before?
A: I knew Bob from the Million Dollar Masters in 2002 and we are good friends. I had never met Shane before; he's very nice and funny as well as smart. We are all friends on Facebook (along with most of the people in my round). We've had a lot of fun rehashing the games and telling each other how wonderful we are. One of the best things about this group is that we leave the rivalry on the set.
Q: How did you come up with the correct response on the final?
A: The final question was the sort of thing that you get immediately or you never get at all. I already knew that "macaroni" was an 18th century term for dandy and is used in the song "Yankee Doodle Dandy," which led me to dude.
Q: Have you thought about what you're going to wear in your next episode? :-)
A: The clothing question may be facetious but actually it's very important. The show has a business/business casual dress code. You cannot wear a plain white or very light blouse without a jacket or sweater because it sort of glares on camera. You're also discouraged from wearing very busy prints. Rachael's dress was fine because it was a bold, geometric print that countered the off-white background without looking busy. Meanwhile, you also want to be comfortable. Women contestants are usually advised to wear a blouse with a skirt or slacks to make it easier to run the wire for the microphone. It's not an iron-clad rule - Rachael and Pam both wore dresses without a problem. Then there's shoes - comfort matters. For most of my appearances I've worn a skirt or slacks with a blouse or sweater in solid colors. I'm not really comfortable in a structured jacket. I also try to pick colors that make me happy - this time around I chose purple, my favorite. Next time around I have no idea, but I'm looking forward to going shopping!
Q: Are you doing anything particular to prepare for the next rounds?
A: I am doing some game prep, but nothing very formal or organized. I'm reviewing some basic things, like Shakespeare, and watching more educational shows. The new "Cosmos" is really good.
Q: Is there anything else you want to say?
A: Not really, except to say how grateful I am to the producers for the opportunity to play again. One thing I've always remembered is what Maggie said to the group before my very first game: "Remember, it's a game. Have fun." I have had fun every time I've played, win or lose.

Buy Andy's Book!

March 18, 2014, 7:20 am

≫ Next: Bittersweet News For The Saunders Clan

≪ Previous: Q & A with Robin Carroll!

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Andy here with a recap of the St. Patrick's Day game!

First up, some news from me! My first book, "A's Bad As It Gets", is now available! If you're local to Southern Ontario, I'd be happy to sell you a book in person! If not, our publisher, McFarland, has the book available at their website!

Remember! Arthur Chu is doing a Q&A with Jeanie! Let us know if you have any questions!

This week's contestants:
Jen Cosgrove - West Hartford, CT (WTNH)
Nick Durazo - Visalia, CA (KFSN)
Brendan Getzell - San Francisco, CA (KGO)
Gordon Graham - Victoria, British Columbia, Canada (CHCH)
Diane Levinson - Astoria, NY (WABC)
Thad McCollum - Orlando, FL (WFTV)
Nora Morrison - Cleveland, OH (WOIO)
Joe Morse - Minneapolis, MN (KARE)
Gabor Revy - West Chester, OH (WXIX)
Susan Shikany - Indian Trail, NC (WCNC)
Lindsay Wilson - Severn, MD (WBFF)

Today's players:


J! round categories:
NEW MUSICAL SUPERGROUPS
BIOGRAPHY SUBJECTS
MISCELLANEOUS
EAR, NOSE OR THROAT
AIRPORT CODES
THE 2,000 YEAR OLD MAN

I really liked THE 2,000 YEAR OLD MAN category, with Carl Reiner and Mel Brooks reprising their roles from that famous bit! Did you know that The 2000 Year Old Man appeared on the 2000th episode of the original Jeopardy!? NEW MUSICAL SUPERGROUPS (the $200 clue was FOO SKYNYRD) seemed contrived and silly to me.

The Daily Double came out early, under BIOGRAPHY SUBJECTS $600. It was Jen's to play. Scores:
Gordon $400
Jen $400
Thad $200

Jen bet $1,000. Her clue: By Joe McGinniss: "The Rogue: Searching for the Real" this politician. Jen took awhile but she did come up with the correct response! Her score went to $1,400.

Jen may have been nervous, but she came across to me as very bored and it seemed to me as though she wasn't enjoying herself on television! I had trouble cheering for her!

At the first break, the scores were:
Jen $3,800
Thad $1,800
Gordon $1,000

Jen met her husband based on the size of his paycheque; at a job she was at, she was in charge of putting the paycheques in envelopes. Her future husband had just started there and after looking at his paycheque, she joking said "There's my future husband." They've been married 16 years.

Back to the game, here's an example from the 2000 YEAR OLD MAN category:
Q: What was one of your best times? A: One of my best times was sitting around with this guy in Venice. He'd tell me stories about going to China, and I'd say, "don't mention the part about spaghetti and gunpowder. They don't go good together." Some people on Twitter were happy that we got to it, as evidenced by the following tweet:

God I was going to wish doom on everyone on #Jeopardy if they left the Brooks/Reiner category untouched. YOU HAVE BEEN SPARED, CONTESTANTS.

— Stomp Hammerboot (@thedesertpope) March 18, 2014

At the end of 30, the scores sat at:
Thad $6,800
Jen $5,200
Gordon $2,600

DJ! Round categories:
LITERARY SEQUELS
I'LL BE YOUR TV WAITRESS
WE "BEG" TO DIFFER
LET'S PLAY BRIDGE
A BIRD IN THE HAND
2 IN THE BUSH

All 3 players had good buzzer mojo over the first few clues in the round. The first Daily Double was Gordon's to play, under LET'S PLAY BRIDGE $800. The scores were:

Thad $12,000
Jen $7,600
Gordon $5,400

Gordon went for the True Daily Double! His clue: I made the last bid so I'm the declarer; my partner says nothing while I play his cards, so he's called this. His correct response put him at $10,800, and we had ourselves a game!

Meanwhile, Jen managed to get her score up as well going into the final Daily Double, which was hers to play under A BIRD IN THE HAND $1600 -- it was a visual clue, though! Scores:

Thad $14,400
Jen $13,200
Gordon $10,400

Jen bet $2,000. Her clue, presented by Sarah: The feet of the harlan's red-tailed hawk are protected from struggling prey because their talons are bone encased in a sheath of this hard protein.. Her correct response put her at $15,200!

Gordon got the final $2,000 clue to put himself ahead of Thad for second place! Scores going into Final:

Jen $15,200
Gordon $14,400
Thad $12,400

FJ! category: BODIES OF WATER

FJ! clue: More than 1/5 of all the world's people live in countries bordering this, the world's biggest bay

Thad 12400 + 12000 = 24400
Gordon 14400 + 14400 = 28800
Jen 15200 + 10000 = 25200

math fail in tonight's final jeopardy

— alex_is_bored (@catswithbats) March 18, 2014

Gordon Graham is the new Jeopardy! Champion. He'll play again tomorrow! We'll be back then!

Bittersweet News For The Saunders Clan

March 19, 2014, 10:39 am

≫ Next: Gabor plays "Moneyball"

≪ Previous: Buy Andy's Book!

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Andy here with another recap!

First up: I heard at about 2:00 yesterday afternoon that invitations for Detroit went out. At this point, I appear to have not been a lucky recipient of one. I swear, for 2015 I am going to pick a place that doesn't seem to have as many auditioners. However, in good news for the Saunders clan, my brother was one of the lucky recipients of a callback. Congratulations to him!

Onto the show!

Today's contestants:


J! Round categories:
TEDTalks
QUICK LIT
RHYME PAYS
THEIR FIRST SOLO ALBUM
THE FRENCH
A FUNNY RACE

"We're finding it way too early", Alex said as Nick uncovered the Daily Double on the game's second clue, THE FRENCH $400. Nick had $200. He bet $200. Last name of brothers Andre & Edouard, who noted that with arms, a pile of tires "would make a man". Nick left $800 on the table. His score went to $400.

At the end of 15 clues, the scores were at:
Nick $3,800
Gordon $1,200
Nora $200

Gordon is a competitive amateur squash player! Nora, a diving instructor, feels Hawaii has the best diving in the world!

TEDTalks was a good category; it included videos of many famous people doing TED talks. At the end of 30, scores were:

Nick $8,600
Nora $1,400
Gordon -$200

DJ! round categories:
THE OLD TESTAMENT
STATE SONGS
CELEBRITY RELATIVES
POTTERY
PARTY ON!
THE "BLACK"LIST

STATE SONGS $800 had the first Daily Double; it was Nick's to play! He had a big chance to really put the game out of reach, especially on a second-level clue! Scores:

Nick $12,600
Nora $3,800
Gordon $1,000

Nick bet $3,000. His clue: 2 college students wrote its state song which ends "Hailing thee their northern star". A correct response put him at $15,600!

THE OLD TESTAMENT $2000 had the final Daily Double. Gordon had taken a shot at $1600; good on him for doing so out of 3rd! I really like how he's played the game! This one was Nora's to play, though! Scores:

Nick $16,400
Nora $6,200
Gordon $5,000

Nora shrugged and bet everything! Good for her! Her clue: In 1 Kings 20 this king has a whale of a time defeating the Damascenes. Nora went for Jonah (as I bet half of America did), and fell to $0. Good on her for taking a shot, though!

Meanwhile, Gordon picked up some $2,000 clues to break Nick's lock, and sadly Nora was unable to get money to play Final Jeopardy!. I tip my cap to her, though! She played the game the right way today!

Scores going into Final:

Nick $16,800
Gordon $10,200
Nora -$2,000

FJ! category: BRITISH AUTHORS

FJ! clue: The author of more than 50 books, he won 6 Hugo awards & was nominated for a 1968 Oscar

Gordon 10200 + 10200 = 20400
Nick 16800 + 3601 = 20401

Nick is our new champion; he'll be back tomorrow!

---

Gabor plays "Moneyball"

March 20, 2014, 10:30 am

≫ Next: A world of World of Music clues

≪ Previous: Bittersweet News For The Saunders Clan

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     I needed help coming up with a title for today's post, so I took to Twitter even though I didn't think I was going to. I'm glad I did, as I found this:

If you're going to play at all, you're out to win. Baseball, board games, playing Jeopardy, I hate to lose. -Derek Jeter
— Baseball Quotes (@BaseballQuotes1) March 14, 2014

     Then I was glad to learn about this:

Jeopardy. It's happening. April 4. Check out the site and my rambling stories: http://t.co/Jzi4VZhMo7pic.twitter.com/G4e7MQFsSx
— Dan Pawson (@Daniel_Pawson) March 14, 2014

     I notice the 2000s episodes are on crackle.com now. I have one more 90s episode I want to finish, and then I'll tackle some of those.
     Yesterday, Nick Durazo calmly won for the first time. Here he is with today's opponents:

Susan Shikany

Nick Durazo

Gabor Revy

     With the introduction of the first category, Meanings of Geographic Names, I thought of a book I just added to the stack of three that I plan to give away: "Off the Map: The Curious Histories of Place-Names" by Derek Nelson. The stacks are books I'd gotten to help prepare for Jeopardy!, and it's time to purge the shelves.
     Gabor started strong by getting 4/5 in Team Players. That had to feel good.
     I said what Nick did on this one in Legend: "This Round Table knight had a kid with the daughter of grail-keeping King Pelles but had eyes for Guinevere." Susan got it, and since she is a school media specialist, it's no wonder she went to Kiddy Lit Title Adjectives. She got 4 of the 5, including a couple I didn't know! She soon found the Daily Double in Legend.
Nick 600 (2 right and one wrong)
Gabor 2200 (4 right and one wrong)
Susan 3400 (6 right)
     She wagered 1000 on this clue: "Legend has it Captain Vanderdecken still tries to round the Cape of Good Hope on this ship...& tries...& tries...." She and I didn't know it. Nick got the next clue right, and then came the first break.
Nick 1600 (One right)
Gabor 2200
Susan 2400
     I bet this guy didn't expect to make another appearance on the show, especially in a clue (from "-ary"): "If you wonder what kind of man is up for this insurance job that computes premiums based on probabilities, here's one."

     How bizarre.
     At the end of the round:
Nick 4800 (6 right)
Gabor 6000 (7 right and one wrong)
Susan 3600 (3 right)
     Speaking of bizarre, how about this one in Art & Artists?: "The British painter & engraver Gainsborough Dupont was the nephew & assistant of this artist."
     I got this triple-stumper in Starts & Ends with "S": "The frequency of amputations gave us this slang for a surgeon, dating back at least to the Civil War."
     Gabor found the first Daily Double of the round, in Oxides.
Nick 6000 (4 right and one wrong)
Gabor 10400 (4 right)
Susan (3 right)
     Gabor wagered 2000 on this clue: "In 1800 Humphry Davy reported 'a sense of exhilaration' as one of the effects of inhaling this." I got it but Gabor didn't.
     Did anybody else think of the off-color expression on this one, still in Oxides?:  "Sodium hydroxide is also called 'caustic'this, so don't pop open a can of it." Nick got that one right, and then Susan got one right before finding the next Daily Double in 20th Century Americans.
Nick 7200
Gabor 8400
Susan 8400
     She wagered on this clue: "In 1958 this beloved author helped found Beginner Books." She and I got this right. I bet she'd have wagered more if she'd known this would be about kids and books.
     Naturally the nurse (that's me) nailed this triple-stumper in Oxides: "Diazoxide is used to treat low blood sugar, medically called by this single word."
     At the end of the round:
Nick 11600 (3 right)
Gabor 15600 (2 right)
Susan 12400 (One right)
     The Final Jeopardy category was The Music Industry. This was the clue: "She beat out newcomers like Bieber & Gaga to top Forbes' list of the highest-paid people in music for 2013." It's a comfort to me that I no longer try on Finals. I didn't want to worry about this one. But let's see: It sounds like this correct response is gonna be someone better-established than Bieber or Gaga. (And who else objects to them being called "newcomers"? Maybe years ago!) Nick got this right and added 4001. Susan got this wrong and lost 10000. Gabor got this one right and added 9201. Yet another new champ!
     My Coryat today was 21600 (22600 without negs).

One year ago: You cannot be serious!
Two years ago: The Facts of "Live"
Three years ago: Like lambs to the slaughter
Four years ago: I'm zori... , What is Klingon? , Or is one of these the worst?

A world of World of Music clues

March 21, 2014, 10:30 am

≫ Next: Q & A with Arthur Chu

≪ Previous: Gabor plays "Moneyball"

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     Yesterday, Gabor Revy became the new champion. Will there be another new one today?

Brendan Getzell

Diane Levinson

Gabor Revy

   








     Anyone else see Brendan and think "Tobey Maguire"? I like the ensemble a lot though. Later, I thought Diane looked like Mayim Bialik.
     And anyone care to explain what was meant by these three categories put together?: I Am the Danger, The One Who Knocks and Say My Name.
     Rewriting the Presidential Oath was hopelessly confusing, in my opinion.
     At the first break:
Gabor 200 (3 right and 2 wrong)
Brendan 1800 (3 right)
Diane 4000 (8 right)
     Was Mr. Trebek laughing there before the commercial? Why? He seemed like he was in a bad mood today. And are you surprised he didn't know what an "open mic" was (in Brendan's interview)?
     As this first clue after the break was being read (in World of Music), I thought they'd ask the country of which Kinshasa was the capital:

      I came up with 3 of 4 on this Learned League question, but I couldn't tell you the countries if asked. Brendan (and I) got this one right. The next clue was the Daily Double.
Gabor 200
Brendan 2200
Diane 4000
     Brendan wagered on this clue, still in World of Music. (Remember, he'd been introduced as a musician.) "In 1993 Yanni returned to his homeland for a series of concerts & a live album recorded atop this ancient hill." Brendan got it right.
     One more noteworthy one in World of Music: "Celebrating its 15th year in 2014, the Exit Music Festival began as a protest against this nation's Pres. Slobodan Milosevic." I thought being a tennis fan came in handy for me here, but I was prepared to neg myself when Gabor was counted right for his response. Trebek then said mine was okay too.
     At the end of the round:
Gabor 1800 (4 right and one wrong)
Brendan 6800 (4 right)
Diane 7200 (5 right)
     Do you guys remember a commercial like this?:

     I heard the Eric Clapton song at a fast-food restaurant today, and it always reminds me of the commercial. But I always mix up this show with Family Guy and some other Fox show. I can't keep 'em all straight. So I didn't ring in here, on Movie & TV Companies: "Strickland Propane was Hank's employer on this show."
     Brendan found the next Daily Double of the game, in Labor Unions. For some reason Gabor jumped over this clue earlier, for the next one in the same category!
Gabor 11000 (9 right and one wrong)
Brendan 12000 (7 right and 2 wrong)
Diane 9600 (4 right and one wrong)
     Brendan teased Mr. Trebek by saying, "I'd like to make this a true 800." (Had he always wanted to say that?) This was the easy clue: "Robert Montgomery & Ronald Reagan each served 2 stints as president of this." He got it.
     Mr. Trebek gave the less-than-a-minute warning when there were 6 clues left. Gabor found the Daily Double when there were 4 clues left after it.
Gabor 13400 (2 right)
Brendan 12800
Diane 9600
     Gabor wagered 1000 on this clue in The 2nd Century: "This Roman emperor visited Britain in 122 A.D. & had some ideas for military construction." I didn't like how Trebek talked while Gabor was trying to solve it, saying "I know" after Gabor said "What's his name?" Luckily he came up with it.
     Diane got the next clue right, and the next one was a triple-stumper. This was the end of the round.
Gabor 14400
Brendan 12800
Diane 10800
     The Final Jeopardy category was Other Political Parties. This was the clue: "In 1908 this animal appropriately became the mascot of the Prohibition Party." Aaaannd it's a relief to me again that I no longer try to solve these. Diane got this right and added 6000. Brendan got this wrong, which is too bad because I like him. He lost 12700. Gabor was wrong too and lost 5601. Yet another new champion.
     My Coryat today was 19600 (21000 without negs).
One year ago: You cannot be serious!
Two years ago: Hannah and Her Sisters
Three years ago: Like lambs to the slaughter
Four years ago: March Madness indeed

Q & A with Arthur Chu

March 20, 2014, 6:45 pm

≫ Next: Were We Spoiled By Arthur Chu?

≪ Previous: A world of World of Music clues

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     He needs no introduction!

Q: Your wife was shown in the audience one day. How did you meet her? Does she aspire to be on the show? Do you have any kids?

A: We met at Swarthmore College. She was actually the president of our weird little nerdy science-fiction/fantasy club ("SWIL", Swarthmore Warders of Imaginative Literature, an acronym that really tells you all you need to know about it). I was the club's resident gadfly and troublemaker. We had a tumultuous love-hate relationship that eventually blossomed into romance.

She has told me repeatedly that she doesn't understand how I can put myself in the public eye so readily and that she's the kind of nerd who flees attention. She did say that she'd probably rather be on Wheel of Fortune than Jeopardy, because Wheel of Fortune has much more of a random component so she wouldn't feel so personally judged if she screwed up. Also, Wheel doesn't do "returning champions" so the steadily building pressure and attention from doing well on the show couldn't ever happen, which she sees as a good thing about Wheel (just as I see it as a bad thing).

We do not yet have any kids. Since the cash windfall from Jeopardy removes a lot of the financial barriers to our having kids, the "Maybe-we-should-maybe-we-shouldn't" conversations have gotten way more intense lately. (I described it this way to a reporter who misquoted me as saying that we "intensely want" kids, which was a lot of fun when my mother-in-law got hold of that article.)

Q: How many times did you try out? Someone wants me to ask: At your audition, what did you say you'd do with Jeopardy! winnings?

A: I've auditioned for the show twice. The first time I made it to the in-person audition but was never called; that was when I lived in LA (so I got to audition right in Culver City). After my time in the contestant pool expired I took the online test again, passed again, got called to the in-person audition and this time dressed a little better than the first time and tried to prepare for it more like an acting audition. I must've done something right because I got The Call, and the rest is history.

(Fun story: The second audition required me to drive to Baltimore from my then-home in Alexandria, VA right on the day we had to move out of our apartment. My wife was not pleased when I told her I couldn't be around to help her move because I had to drive to Baltimore to try to be on Jeopardy. In retrospect, I think she's glad I did it.)

I really do not remember any answers I gave to the "contestant interviews" in the audition. I think I must've said something like what I said on the show, about taking a trip to China and Taiwan, to see relatives and to see tourist sights I've never gotten a chance to see and bring my wife with me.

That is something I genuinely intend to do, but it's something that at the time I kind of came up with on the spot because I hadn't made serious plans for what to do with any winnings -- that's counting your chickens before they hatch. And the primary answer to that question, which I think is the smart answer, is also a boring answer -- stick it all in safe investments to speed up saving for retirement.

Q: Did you watch from the audience after you lost?

A: No. I was pretty much utterly exhausted and dead on my feet after that loss, and it was lunchtime, and my wife pretty much insisted we go out for a nice meal and just chill out before flying back to Ohio. You can tell on TV how strung out I was after two consecutive days of playing Jeopardy -- I have mad respect for Dave Madden and Ken Jennings for lasting as long as they did.

Fun fact: We chose the restaurant to eat at after my loss because my mom happened to have a buy-one-get-one coupon for it, even though I'd just won $300,000. Cheap habits die hard.

Even though I missed the games on that afternoon of taping I was "spoiled" for the fact that Diana succumbed to the Giant-Killer's Curse of losing the next game because I totally by chance ran into her mom and her best friend at the airport on the way back home. They were really cool and really friendly, and we talked at length about what an experience the taping had been and they talked about how heightened their emotional conflict was when they realized the person they were rooting for might be the one to put an end to my run. I already hadn't harbored any ill will toward Diana for playing well and beating me, but hearing them talk about how excited Diana was to be playing while I was playing and all the behind-the-scenes stuff of how carefully she planned her matchup against me to maximize her chance of beating me really endeared her to me. She did exactly what I'd like to think I'd try to do if I were up against a long-running champ. I'm sad the two of us didn't get more of a chance to interact directly.

Q: Have you spoken to Diana Peloquin?

A: Honestly? It was such a whirlwind experience -- and we weren't allowed to have our phones or any writing materials while we were in the green room, remember -- that I pretty much forgot everyone's name and contact info after the taping, and have only slowly been rediscovering people on social media as the shows have actually aired.

I did find Diana and friend her on Facebook shortly before our episode aired. I sent her a message asking "Are you ready for what the media is going to do to you on Wednesday?" and she replied "No!" We chatted a little about how crazy the whole media buzz was and I gave her some tips, mainly just pointing her in the direction of Sony's publicist for Jeopardy as someone who could help her deal with being accosted by reporters if she wasn't prepared for it.

Here's a really cool small-world thing I only found out after the show, though. When I lived in the DC area my go-to nerd convention was MAGFest (the Music and Gaming Festival), which is a combination of a video game convention and a rock concert held around New Year's every year. I actually proposed to my wife at MAGFest, enlisting MAGFest staff and volunteers to help me create a giant fake scavenger hunt for her where the final scavenger hunt "challenge" would lead to me with an engagement ring. (This is a story I repeatedly tried to tell on Jeopardy only to have it be rejected because I think Jeopardy is sick of guys all coming in telling their Cool Proposal Stories.)

It turns out the Director of Logistics for MAGFest is Diana's brother. He had been shocked to find out that Arthur Chu the Jeopardy Champion was a regular MAGFest attendee, more shocked to find out it was his own sister that beat me, and most shocked of all to find out that I was one and the same as the infamous Guy Who Proposed at MAGFest.

He contacted me on Facebook afterwards and we both talked about how the world is a frighteningly tiny place.

Q: Did you keep track of your Coryats when you were preparing for your original run? Are you doing anything to prepare for the ToC?

A: Yeah, the first thing I did when I got The Call was buy a pair of rabbit ears so I could actually watch Jeopardy at home, which I hadn't done for a long time (due to refusing to pay for traditional TV service). People make a lot out of my Forrest Bouncing strategy as the key to my success but I also did do a lot of studying, and I saw my play-at-home Coryat go up steadily in the month before the show.

It's since gone down again because I was honestly so burned out when I came home that I just wanted to relax, spend time with my wife and do other things that interest me -- playing video games, acting in theater, etc. -- that I'd neglected during my long exile in Trebekistan (to paraphrase Bob Harris).

I really should get back into studying for the upcoming Tournament of Champions soon, though, especially since against all my expectations I've actually gained a ton of notoriety as the "Jeopardy Villain" and now have a reputation to uphold. It will be very, very embarrassing for me to get knocked out in the Quarterfinals in the next ToC. I'll have no choice but to change my name, get plastic surgery and disappear.

Q: Someone has asked, why did you wager it all on a Daily Double and Final Jeopardy in this, your last game?

A: The DD is because I've generally had a high DD conversion ratio and honestly most contestants generally do -- DDs tend to be in some ways easier than the rest of the board, more commonly written with tease-outs in them, etc. I just happened to brain-fart on a DD that I'd gauge as an unusually hard DD.

I'd had a rough start to the game including giving up a DD to Diana that she successfully converted as a True DD, and True DDing myself seemed the only way to put the game away.

Once I was badly trailing going into FJ, the "right" thing to do would I guess have been to bet conservatively and hope for a Triple Stumper -- but honestly I was so strung out and upset by that point I made the "suicide wager" instead because I honestly thought the category was one we were more likely to get right than get wrong. Turns out it didn't matter what I did because Diana did in fact get the correct answer, so hey.

Q: Is there anything else you want to say?

A: Yes, actually. The reason I wanted to do this Q&A is because while I've certainly given lots of shout-outs to the J! Archive, the J! Board, Roger Craig's games and interviews, Keith Williams' The Final Wager blog, etc. in preparing for Jeopardy in terms of game strategy, reading your blog was a big part of my preparing for the game emotionally.

I was looking around for any online sources I could find about Jeopardy -- the experience of playing Jeopardy, the culture surrounding it, anything I could use to prepare myself emotionally. I found your blog, and after clicking through various entries found your account of what it was like for you to play and lose your episode:

http://www.thejeopardyfan.com/2012/03/dream-deferred.html

I have to say that it's one of the most moving things I've read on the Internet. It's certainly the most moving thing I've ever read about Jeopardy. The bittersweetness of your experience really came across, the regret, the pain -- the way you talked about how strange it felt, as the lifelong Jeopardy fan, to be the one who had to leave the room while your sister watched the show because what had been your greatest dream had become something too painful to relive.

I have to say -- and I know this might not be the message you intended readers to take from it -- that reading you talking about the pain of losing made me determined not to lose. That aggressive, take-no-prisoners, hyperfocused attitude people saw on TV? People called it "mercenary", and I'd be disingenuous to claim that winning lots of money wasn't part of my motivation. But the main thing I was determined to do was NOT LOSE -- to not go home with a heavy heart and a mind filled with woulda-coulda-shouldas and if onlys.

I admired how much emotional strength it took for you -- as a lifelong fan of the show -- to get past it, to treat your loss as a positive experience and to continue being The Jeopardy Fan. I don't know if I could've done that -- had my Jeopardy experience been a humiliating defeat in my one and only episode, I might well have been turned off the show for life rather than just for a few weeks, and I knew I wanted to do anything I could to keep that from happening, to be able to say I had won at least one game.

"As for you who dream of winning on Jeopardy!, I plead with you: consider this time your “second” chance. Work. Focus and eliminate distractions. Pray. And bask in the dream itself. You will not get it back, and nothing will replace it."

That was what was echoing in my head while I was studying. That was why I couldn't take it easy, why I didn't relax, why I didn't just play the game the "normal" way and leave the outcome up to fate, why I took no prisoners -- because I was playing as though I'd already lost my first game and then suddenly, miraculously been given another chance. Because reading your post made me feel as though I really had already experienced trying my best and losing, and that my first time was my "second chance".

So while Keith Williams and Roger Craig and Watson can take credit for the substance of my strategy, reading your blog was the emotional impetus behind my decision to pursue it as doggedly and uncompromisingly as I did. In that sense Jeanie Kenkel, Jeopardy Fan, made Arthur Chu, Jeopardy Champion (or Jeopardy Villain, if you prefer). I felt like that's something your readers, the Arthur Chu "fanbase" (such as it is) and the world at large deserved to know.

So thanks, and here's hoping The Jeopardy Fan continues on for many seasons to come.

Were We Spoiled By Arthur Chu?

March 25, 2014, 8:10 am

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≪ Previous: Q & A with Arthur Chu

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Andy here!

In case you missed it, here's our Q&A with Arthur Chu!

This week's players:
Nancy Akerman - Arlington, VA (WJLA)
Derek Arnold - Akron, OH (WOIO)
Douglas Beeler - Roanoke, VA (WDBJ)
Nathan Chadwick - Germantown, MD (WJLA)
Deborah Ellis - Rogue River, OR (KDRV)
Julia Levine - Los Angeles, CA (KABC)
Joe Morse - Minneapolis, MN (KARE)
Amy Nienaber - Bettendorf, IA (KWQC)
Matt Prasse - Needham, MA (WBZ)
Clay Walls - Birmingham, AL (WIAT)
Emily Waltenbaugh - Nashville, TN (WUXP)

Today's contestants:

Will Joe Morse win a second game?

J! round categories:
CAMPING
MAPS
TENSE
GRAIL MIX
FOREST KNOWLEDGE
INSECT, REPELLENT

Joe and Derek got off to the best start over the first 15 clues. Scores at the first break:

Joe $4,000
Derek $2,000
Nancy $400

Meanwhile, Nancy's story about her husband's marriage proposal interview story probably has Arthur Chu gritting his teeth in frustration (see the Q&A above!). Joe repairs Coast Guard helicopters!

The first Daily Double went Nancy's way, under MAPS $600! Scores:
Joe $4,000
Derek $3,200
Nancy $1,600

Poor Nancy! Her first attempt at a bet was $2,000! Oops. She then quickly changed it to $1,600. Her clue: Able to change naturally over time, an ambulatory boundary on a map is formed by one of these. Nancy's response of "river" was deemed acceptable and her score went to $3,200!

By the end of the round, the scores were:

Nancy $6,400
Joe $5,800
Derek $5,400

We have a great game going here!

DJ! round categories:
AMERICAN ART & ARTISTS
CHEESY NAMES
RECENT NONFICTION
THE CHUCK WAGON
CITY SEALS
DOUBLE "Z"

Leading to the first Tweet of the night:

#Jeopardy, you've been slacking on the sports categories lately. Step up your game.

— Robyn Flynn (@ladyhabs) March 24, 2014

Our three contestants kept buzzing along in this round. CHEESY NAMES $2000 proved to be a stumbling block, though (The name of this Italian cheese means "beautiful country", referring to the Lombardy area). Derek forgot his phrasing on "Belleterre" and Joe negged as well when he repeated Derek's answer with the proper phrasing!

A surprising Triple Stumper at CITY SEALS $1200 (The seal of DeLand, FLorida has a cross, anchor & heart, symbolizing faith, hope & this).

The very next clue had the Daily Double (CITY SEALS $1600). Joe's to play with the following scores:
Nancy $10,000
Derek $7,800
Joe $7,000

Joe bet $7,000! Clue: The capital of Switzerland has had this animal on its seal since the 1200s. Joe said St. Bernard and fell to $0.

The final Daily Double went Derek's way, under RECENT NONFICTION $1200! Only $1600 and $2000 remained. Scores:

Derek $13,800
Nancy $11,600
Joe $4,400

Derek bet $2,000. His clue: A 2012 expose goes "inside" this church to tell "the story of America's most secretive religion. Derek went for the Mormons and fell to $11,800.

Nancy got the $1600 clue and Joe the $2,000, leading to scores going into Final of:

Nancy $13,200
Derek $11,800
Joe $6,400

FJ! category: HISTORICAL NICKNAMES

FJ! clue: Nickname shared by George Armstrong Custer, Native American chief Crazy Horse & a member of a 1930s comedy act

Joe 6400 - 6400 = 0
Derek 11800 - 11800 = 0
Nancy 13200 - 10401 = 2799

Leading to our second Tweet of the Night:

And I think they accidnetally inserted tonight's FJ from the #BattleOfTheDecades stack. #Sheesh

— Eddie Timanus (@EddieTimanus) March 25, 2014

It does mean that Nancy is the champ and she'll be back tomorrow! I'd like to play against Joe and Derek, though -- or at least people who bet like them! Were we spoiled by Arthur Chu's strategies? I think so!

Who's laughing now?

March 26, 2014, 7:00 pm

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≪ Previous: Were We Spoiled By Arthur Chu?

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     I certainly wasn't, when someone informed me she couldn't find the tweet I said I'd embedded here. Especially because I'd already tweeted this post, mentioning the person. I guess I should just be glad I was able to fix it promptly.
     I'm glad I saw this tweet from a friend of the blog:

Kindle AND paperback sales of LMG have been downright anemic this month. #MarchSadness
— John Pearson (@learnmegood) March 25, 2014

    You can buy his stuff by clicking on these images:

     I think now's the time for me to pick up copies too.
     The last time we blogged :-P, Nancy Akerman was the new champion. She won again yesterday, so will I be updating the ToC list today? My Coryat that day was 16800 (18800 without negs).

Nancy Akerman

Deborah Ellis

Clay Walls

     I like how Clay thought ahead and wore an outfit appropriate for the season, even though this must've been taped in December.
     The returning champ struggled the most in the period before the first break, only ringing in once.

Nancy 400 (One right)
Clay 5000 (8 right)
Deborah 1400 (4 right and one wrong)

     I did get this triple-stumper in Olympic Track & Field Records, on which Clay and Nancy negged: "19.30 seconds by Usain Bolt." If Clay and Nancy had thought about it, their respective guesses of "100 meter dash" and "400 meter dash" were ridiculous. But then Deborah didn't ring in after that, either. She left the category with 2 clues remaining, saying it was getting too hard! Did you wonder if the Daily Double would be there? When the contestants came back to the category (specifically, Clay), he skipped 800 and went for 1000. Deborah rang in and I thought she'd get her Daily Double anyway, but she negged and Nancy got it. So the Daily Double is hers.

Nancy 1600 (2 right and one wrong)
Clay 7000 (6 right and 2 wrong)
Deborah 3200 (5 right and one wrong)

     Nancy wagered 1000 on this clue: "19 feet, 7 inches by Renaud Lavillenie." She got it right! She was still going first in Double Jeopardy though.
     The introduction of Parenthetical Songs reminded me just how weird this tweeted clue was:

Sing your response for PARENTHETICAL SONGS: @TheLonelyIsland featuring @JTimberlake& @LadyGaga: "(The Golden Rule)"#Jeopardy#Clues
— Jeopardy! (@Jeopardy) March 26, 2014

     Please, talk to me about this clue. Later, Deborah said she had no idea what the category meant! Come on, Deborah!
     Nancy got her Daily Double early though this round, after only one clue had been revealed.

Nancy 2600
Clay 7000
Deborah 3600 (One right)

     The category was Let's Go "C" a Play. After saying "I'm chicken," she wagered 3000 on this clue: "This 1904 Russian play ends with the sound of an axe striking a tree." She got it and seemed to think it was funny.
     I got this triple-stumper in Silent Consonant: "There's a silent 'g' in this opposite of 'to praise.'" And I was shocked that this one was a triple-stumper, in Mount Rushmore: "It was this sculptor, the son of Danish immigrants, who decided that Mount Rushmore should be a national monument, commemorating America's founders and builders." And this one in World Leaders in 1914 was too?!: "Prime Minister Louis Botha." And I hadn't realized we were talking about 1914. Come on, contestants!
     I had to growl in frustration when Deborah got the next Daily Double in World Leaders in 1914. Nancy had left the category for some reason and gone to Mount Rushmore. With less than a minute to go and 4 clues left, the contestants still stuck with it! I wanted to see poor Clay get a Daily Double.

Nancy 6200
Clay 9800
Deborah 9000

     Deborah wagered on this clue: "Sultan Mehmed V (over a now-departed deity)." Deborah got it right. This was the last clue of the round.
     The Final Jeopardy category was Agriculture. Wait, isn't this...

It is National #AgWeek– read my latest column on celebrating the success of #Nebraska producers http://t.co/Si0dzpr75K#NE03

— Rep. Adrian Smith (@RepAdrianSmith) March 24, 2014

     This is the clue: "Prunus dulcis, this snack high in calcium & vitamin E, is native to the Mideast, but 80% of the world crop comes from Calif." I was sure I had this right, til Deborah's response was rejected. (I'd said the same thing.) She lost 8601. Before that, Nancy lost 3800 and Clay lost 2601. All three contestants said something different! Anyway Clay is your new champ! Justice is done.

It's a no Bo

March 27, 2014, 8:10 pm

≫ Next: The Jeopardy! Fan's got Chemistry

≪ Previous: Who's laughing now?

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     Look you guys - I was interviewed for this ozy.com article. Vamos!
     Still interested in John Pearson's Learn Me Good and Learn Me Gooder? You can buy them by clicking those links or the images on the right side of the page.
     Yesterday, Clay Walls became a new champion. Remember I want to see him get a Daily Double today. Will he?

Clay Walls

Emily Waltenbaugh

Amy Nienaber

     This game was a real pleasure to cover, but I negged on this very first clue, in Nursery Rhymes: "It's the nursery rhyme that says, 'The cow jumped over the moon'; in the military it precedes 'straight up the middle.'" Those were tough clues in that category! It was apt that Clay got this one right though, as it was the same response he gave yesterday in the final: "Little Jack Horner put his thumb in a Christmas pie & pulled out this fruit." I got this one too. And I swept Feuds.
     I said what Clay did on this one in Morgan Town: "In 1674 King Charles II knighted this Welsh buccaneer." It was a triple-stumper.
     Amy and Emily sound so much alike I had to be on my toes when tabulating people's negs and right responses.
Clay 2200 (4 right and one wrong)
Amy 2400 (4 right)
Emily 3400 (6 right)
     Okay, I didn't catch Emily's story the first time through, but. Who proposes during Jeopardy!?? It reminds me of this post where we talked about how I'd want to be proposed to.
     Emily found the Daily Double in The 1-Syllable Word.
Clay 1600 (One right)
Amy 2600 (One right)
Emily 4000 (One right)
     She wagered 2000 on this clue: "Scottish term for a long, narrow indentation of the seacoast." Neither she nor I got it.
     Shocking triple-stumper of the day (okay, there's another one ahead), in Units of Measure: "This unit of volume that equals 35.24 liters is often found before 'basket.'" A collective brain-fart? Already, here's the other shocking triple-stumper in College Football Coaches: "This coach with a papal first name left Florida in 2010 & now coaches the Ohio State Buckeyes." The next two clues were triple-stumpers too, but I didn't know them either. No wonder the contestants went to this category last. I expected to see Bo Pelini in the category, but I was much happier to see this: "Tom Osborne won 255 games at this univ. & 3 elections to Congress from the state (you win 255 games & you'll get elected, too." I tweeted my congressman because it was he who replaced Osborne when the latter ran unsuccessfully for governor.

@RepAdrianSmith Check this out. (Category College Football Coaches) pic.twitter.com/1QyNOsNDwZ
— Jeanie Kenkel (@vamosdavid) March 28, 2014

     You simply must read this; it's the feel-good story of that year. Heineman went on to win the whole thing, and now he can't run again due to term limits. The primary is heating up here. I got two mudslinging e-mails today alone. You may have seen a candidate's ad here on the blog! I don't choose those, I might point out.
     By the way, do you remember the fiasco regarding Bo/Beau and my Hometown Howdy? That's worth a look too. And before we move on, a friend tells me knowing Bo Pelini is hard enough for the ToC. I say no way. What say you?
     So the Osborne clue was the last one of the round!
Clay 3200 (2 right)
Amy 3800 (One right)
Emily 1800 (3 right and one wrong)
     I'm not sure when it happened but it was before the end of the round that I had to close out my Jeopardy scorekeeping app for what turned out to be this tweet:

@vamosdavid The Chase Trivia Game Show is holding auditions nationwide! Teams have won up to $180K http://t.co/vjBTvnbpzP
— James Karhu (@JamesKarhu) March 28, 2014

     Mr. Trebek said we would have a lot of fun in Double Jeopardy, and he was right!
     I don't blame Amy for saying every word of her first clue in Shakespeare Rewrites the Beatles. Emily said "She loves you yeah yeah yeah" for her response, and Mr. Trebek didn't correct her like he did Amy! In fact I did the same thing Amy did. Emily found a Daily Double there. Maybe Mr. Trebek knew it was coming and that's why he clarified for Amy what was needed.
Clay 3200
Amy 4600 (One right)
Emily 3400 (2 right)
     I'd have wagered it all here, but Emily wagered . This was the clue: "I believe I shall be melancholy, I believe it shall be anon...The woman who disturbeth my temper is leaving hence." Emily looked scared but she got it right.
     Clay didn't find a Daily Double today - Amy found the other one, and she clapped for herself. (Ick.)
Clay 3200
Amy 7400 (4 right)
Emily 7400 (One right)
     Amy wagered 3000 on this easy clue in European Countries. I believe she'd gone 3/4 to this point. "While this Balkan country's national name means 'Land of Eagles,' the name we know it by is from the Latin for 'white.'" She got it.
     Didn't Clay look like he was gonna neg again on this one in Go "Lucky"?: "'She's up all night for good fun, I'm up all night to' do this in a summer 2013 hit." Luckily (pardon the pun), he got it. But the poor guy got laughed at again (like yesterday), but this time by Mr. Trebek, on his incorrect response to this one in the same category: "Even after his deportation to Italy in 1946, he remained an influential American mob boss." This was the last clue of the round, and one remained covered.
Clay 800 (3 right and 5 wrong)
Amy 17200 (8 right!)
Emily 10200 (3 right and 2 wrong)
     The Final Jeopardy category was Adapted from Antiquity. What is a contestant to expect with a category named that? Here's the clue: "It begins with a vow to an ancient god & ends with 'if I transgress it & swear falsely, may the opposite of all this be my lot.'" Clay got this right but wagered 0. Emily was wrong and lost 7050. Amy got this right and added 3800. We'll see Amy tomorrow!
     My Coryat today was 22400 (23600 without negs).
     Now then...from football to tennis! (Spoilers possible there.)

One year ago: There's got to be a year after
Two years ago: We have met the enemy...and he is handsome
Three years ago: Four gets (yet a loss)
Four years ago: No March Madness upset here

The Jeopardy! Fan's got Chemistry

March 28, 2014, 9:25 pm

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≪ Previous: It's a no Bo

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     I could expand on that, but I won't.
     In case you missed it, here's the article from ozy.com for which I was interviewed. Yesterday, I slammed the link in after I'd published the post because I'd heard about it a few minutes too late.
     And speaking of yesterday's post, it may be my favorite ever, so indulge me and check it out if you haven't. And please spread it around, too.
     And oh yeah, today's the second anniversary of the date my Jeopardy! episode aired. (How apropos that Adverbs was a category today.) Props to this friend of the blog for remembering:

@vamosdavid Are you going to be on? That'd be kinda cool, it being March 28 and all.

— Ben Ingram (@julysixteenth) March 28, 2014

     He's referring to NPR's "All Things Considered." I was told that the ozy.com article was going to be discussed, but I wasn't able to listen. Did anyone? I want the deets.
     Mr. Trebek said at the top of today's episode that we'll see the "Tournament of the Decades" next week. So at the end of this post you'll know the secret I've been keeping: the person I got to see play in person when I was at the studio in December! And don't forget I was there for those Battle of the Decades week episodes you'll see next week, taped in January. Come back cuz I got a lot to say.

Douglas Beeler

Julia Levine

Amy Nienaber

     Julia found the Daily Double of the Jeopardy round, in The Declaration of Independence.

Amy 3200 (6 right)

Douglas 200 (One right)

Julia 3600 (6 right)

     Julia wagered 1000 on this clue: "Type of rights with which men are 'endowed by their creator'; in the drafting, it changed from 'in' to 'un.'" This was easy to me, but Julia missed it. This was the last clue before the end of the round.

     It sounds like Julia's wanted to be on the show as long as I have. I had been thinking it looked like she didn't want to be there! I hope she finds us. I'd like to get her take on the episode and the day.

     And what was that weird noise from the audience during Amy's interview? Mr. Trebek said there are "strange political types out here." Amy said she's been to every capitol building, so I guess that means she's been to Lincoln.

     I got this triple-stumper in Handing Some T-N-T: "To sully or tarnish."

     At the end of the round:

Amy 7000 (6 right)

Douglas 1000 (2 right)

Julia 6200 (6 right)

     Good for Amy for going to We've Got Chemistry and sticking with it - It was probably my favorite category of the round. Though Conservative Reading List is definitely in the running. Amy found a Daily Double in the former.

Amy 9400 (2 right)

Douglas 1000

Julia 8600 (4 right)

     Amy wagered 4000 on this clue: "Unlike tap water, when you place tonic water near a black light, you'll find that it glows, due to the fluorescent properties of this alkaloid, used in the treatment of malaria." Enough commas for you? Amy got it right.

     Amy was Blowing My Mind later when she found the other Daily Double in the category with that name.

Amy 23400 (8 right and one wrong)

Douglas 4600 (3 right)

Julia 9400 (4 right and 2 wrong)

     Amy wagered 1600 on this clue, much to the amusement of Mr. Trebek: "This character's name came from blowing flies off his nose when his arms were stiff after a honey hunt." She got it right.

     I don't know why Julia rang in late on the last clue - she wouldn't have had enough to catch Amy anyway.

Amy 28200

Douglas 4600

Julia 9800

     The Final Jeopardy category was Oscar Nominations. This was the clue: "Prior to 'Silver Linings Playbook,' the last film to get Oscar noms. in all 4 acting categories was this film partly set in Russia." Douglas didn't know the answer and he lost everything. Sort of like what Catie did in my episode! And Julia only wagered 10 (which she lost)! Amy was right, and naughty naughty, she wrote a personal message. She adds 1800 to her score, and we'll see her a week from Monday.

     I didn't track my Coryat today - I'm blogging later than I wanted to, and I want you to have this.

     And just like last night, it's Rafa time.

One year ago: There's got to be a year after

Two years ago: A Dream Deferred

Three years ago: Four gets (yet a loss)

Four years ago: No March Madness upset here 

---

Colby Roger Craigs this

March 31, 2014, 7:00 pm

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     I have a story I've been dying to tell you since I saw these episodes taped in January. I'd like to put it at the beginning of this post but it would spoil the outcome of this episode. (One might think the title of the post does that.) So I'll just have to beg you to keep reading! :-)
     Do you wanna know something weird? I never watch the news (I have subscriptions to 2 newspapers), but I had my TV on ABC while I was blogging because I was hoping to learn I'd won this contest...

What's that? You want to go to the @Huskers spring game? Go here: http://t.co/IpJFOW3qEH for a chance to win four free tickets!
— Dave Griek (@NTVDaveGriek) March 26, 2014

     ...and the national news had a story about Jeopardy!'s 50th anniversary! Weird. Well I was disappointed about the contest, not because I didn't win (yet) but because they weren't gonna announce today's winner until the 10 o'clock news! :-( I could've been watching CSPAN, or baseball. But believe me, this girl knows the House is not in session again til tomorrow. But the fact that the anchors said "We have a winner" makes me think he or she's already been told, so it's not me.
     The contestants for the week, even though I think it's well documented:
Vijay Balse
Roger Craig
Stephanie Jass
Tom Kavanaugh
Larissa Kelly
Russ Schumacher
Michael Falk
Ken Jennings
Vinita Kailasanath
Dan Pawson
Maria Wenglinsky
Keith Whitener
     And today:

Tom Nissley

Colby Burnett

Celeste DiNucci

   
     I saw Pam Mueller and Mark Dawson in the audience, but not outside! How did they get in, then?!?
     It's too bad the Sony boards appear to be gone for good. They had blown up over Colby when he appeared on the show in the past, and it would be highly entertaining to read new posts about him.
     It took an embarrassingly long time for me to recognize Celeste from the audience as she was waiting at her lectern before taping. She looks totally different and, in my opinion, better than in her original run on the show.
     I knew this triple-stumper in Accessories, from the audience: "8-letter word for a scarf that forms a closed loop." I had to question whether these contestants had gone Christmas shopping for a woman last year! If they had they'd have seen these everywhere. This was the last clue before the first break.
Colby 1600 (3 right)
Celeste -400 (2 right and 2 wrong)
Tom 2000 (5 right and one wrong)
     Mr. Trebek reminded us that Tom was the favorite voted into this tournament by the fans. Tom talked about his book. You can buy it here: A Reader's Book of Days: True Tales from the Lives and Works of Writers for Every Day of the Year. I intend to finally buy it this week!
     And Mr. Trebek reminded us Celeste won her Tournament of Champions.
     Colby found the Daily Double in Retronyms.
Colby 1800 (One right and one wrong)
Celeste -600 (3 right and one wrong)
Tom 1400 (One wrong)
     Remember when Colby said he was gonna "Roger Craig this"? (Thanks to Stefan for finding that for me.) I'd liked to have asked Colby about it at the pub, but I was a little intimidated. Today Colby wagered 1200 on this clue: "The arrival of SiriusXM means the good old dial in your Ford Falcon now plays this earth-bound type of radio." Colby got it right.
     At the end of the round:
Colby 5600 (4 right)
Celeste 1200 (3 right and one wrong)
Tom 2600 (2 right)
     Celeste came alive right away in Double Jeopardy, but it was Colby who found the first Daily Double in Animals in Mythology.
Colby 8400 (3 right)
Celeste 6800 (5 right!)
Tom 2600
     Colby wagered 1200 again on this clue: "This creature killed by Hercules during his second labor was the offspring of the 100-headed Typhon." Colby got it right again! Why didn't he wager more?
     Then, hooray, Celeste found a Daily Double in It Happened in the Past! (What a weird category name.)
Colby 12000 (2 right)
Celeste 7600 (One right)
Tom 2600
     She wagered 5000 on this clue: "An Italian bid for empire was ended by defeat at the 1896 Battle of Adwa in this African country." She got it!
     Okay, apparently these guys aren't into fashion. They didn't get this one in Eleven!: "EleVen is a clothing line from this female athlete/designer." Come on, you guys!
     Celeste had a good end of the round, too.
Colby 16400 (3 right)
Celeste 16200 (6 right and one wrong)
Tom 7400 (4 right)
     Look at the faces of these contestants where I happened to pause the recording.

   
     The Final Jeopardy category was Literature & Opera. You think you're saying 'yuck' now, just wait til you see this clue: "An aria in this Shakepeare-based opera says, 'Di scozia a te promettono le profetesse il trono...che tardi?" Tom got it right and added 6000. Celeste was wrong but only lost 1399. Colby got it wrong but only lost 199.
     I love the way Colby laid his head down on the lectern. I noticed in the studio that as he came around the lecterns to greet Mr. Trebek, he was smiling. I liked the way it seemed like it meant something to him.
     Now for my story: You might remember that Colby and I were on the same team at the O'Brien's Pub Quiz. Well the teams were asked to identify the last names of four single-named singers. Colby knew all four, including Adele's last name "Adkins." Our teammate wrote down "Atkins" and submitted it. I saw what our teammate wrote but I didn't know the answer anyway, so I just figured I'd heard Colby wrong. We weren't given credit. Well when Colby found out he was not happy. But he said loudly "IT'S OKAY. I'LL BE BACK." (Implying he'd won his episode that day and would be back to Los Angeles for the final.) The guy who'd misspelled the last name was calculating our score, so I don't know if he heard it til I tapped him on the wrist. I have one more thing to say about this story but it'll have to wait til still later this week.

Roger Roger Craigs this

April 1, 2014, 7:00 pm

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     I played the weekend rerun this morning. My Coryat was 21600 (23800 without negs). The episode originally aired on 1-11-13, and my score the first time was 18800 (22400 without negs).
     So we watched Colby Burnett win yesterday. Mr. Trebek said today at the beginning, "If today's game is as entertaining and as exciting as yesterday's match was - the one won by Colby - then you folks are in for a great half-hour." Which one of these 3 has moved on?

Vijay Balse

Stephanie Jass

Roger Craig

      When Roger's name was called, he looked as surprised as I was that he was chosen to play the Tuesday episode. He found the first Daily Double, in Inventors & Inventions.
Vijay 1000 (3 right)
Roger 1400 (3 right)
Stephanie 4800 (6 right)
     As is his M.O., Roger wagered it all on this clue: "Last name of American inventor Ray, whose noise-reduction system eliminated that background hiss on recordings." Roger smiled and got it right.
     At the first break:
Vijay 1400 (One right)
Roger 2800
Stephanie 5000 (One right)
     Stephanie appears much calmer to me today than she did the day of taping. She didn't look nervous - she was just wild, even when she was in the audience! Contestant coordinator Maggie even said something to her and Erin McLean, who was just as boisterous. Stephanie, for example, gestured dramatically to herself when an audience member asked Trebek who he wants to replace him. He said he hasn't given it a moment's thought, which couldn't be true because I heard him say that to an audience member at a previous taping. What do you guys think: Would she make a good host of the show?
     Also during a commercial break, Stephanie said she'd kiss Trebek on the mouth if she wins the $1 million at stake in this tournament. Mr. Trebek said he doesn't show favoritism...except today.
     At some point Stephanie said her mom was in the audience. I'd wondered if she'd come to the pub, but she didn't.
     At the end of the round:
Vijay 2400 (2 right and one wrong)
Roger 5200 (6 right and one wrong)
Stephanie 8000 (5 right)
     The first Daily Double was only the second clue of the round, in Historic Objects! Poor Vijay had started with the 1200 clue but the Daily Double was the next one down. It was Roger's to play.
Vijay 2400
Roger 6400 (One right)
Stephanie 8000
     Roger wagered - guess what - all his money. First he said, "You know how I like to roll, Alex." Here is the clue: "Today thought of as a bejeweled statue, it was the Knights of Malta's annual tribute to the Holy Roman Emperor." He got it right but he looked less sure than last time.
     You couldn't tell on TV, but poor Vijay wanted to ring on this one in Triple Rhyme Time. Mr. Trebek said the correct response before he'd been given a chance: "Vestments of Thumper, the new head of the monastery." There was a long delay after Vijay looked at the judges table with palms upturned, like, "What the heck?!" I'd have been mad. But the game simply continued. Incidentally, I was surprised Roger went the wrong direction after Stephanie said two of the three correct words in the intended response.
     Stephanie found the next Daily Double in King James Bible Quotes.
Vijay 3600 (One right)
Roger 10400 (One wrong)
Stephanie 10400 (4 right and one wrong)
     This is the clue, on which Stephanie wagered 3000: "A major theme of Ecclesiastes is stated in the second verse of the book: 'All is'this."
     I couldn't believe my eyes from the audience, and I wanted to jump out of my chair. Even though it hadn't published yet, I had already chosen the title to this blog post. I willed Stephanie to a correct response, but she didn't come up with it.
     At the end of the round:
Vijay 8800 (7 right and one wrong)
Roger 17200 (9 right and 2 wrong)
Stephanie 7800 (2 right and 2 wrong)
     The Final Jeopardy category was Famous Women. This was the clue: "This crusader, in 1906: 'More than 60 years of hard struggle for a little liberty, & then to die without it seems so cruel." This seemed easy to me. Stephanie was right and doubled her score. Vijay was right too and doubled his score. Roger was right too and added 401. "Roger Craig is moving on, folks," Mr. Trebek said.
     So Mr. Trebek's prediction came true - This was a very entertaining half-hour, and he even said so.
     I was eager to check out Twitter after this game. I like this one:

Yes, sadly, I did... RT @realityJKE Did roger just point to a category? #jeopardy
— Roger Craig (@rogcraig) April 1, 2014

     Here's hoping Roger does it again and again and again.

One year ago: Let's Play Two! (Plus, A Bizarro Fantasy League?)
Two years ago: Afterthoughts
Three years ago: La "vide" loca
Four years ago: No March Madness upset here

Figure The Category Out Yourselfie!

April 3, 2014, 8:17 am

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Andy here with the third recap from the Battle of The Decades: 2000s!

Today's contestants!

Alex: "Tom, you weren't trying to intimidate me with that macho pose, were you?"

Tom: "Yes, I was. Did it work?"

Alex: "No."

J! round categories:
NEW IN THE 2000s
AMERICAN IDYLL
TWEETING
LOCAL FOOD MOVEMENT
BINGE WATCHING
"SELF-E"s

Alex originally said, when reading the last category, that "SELF" was in quotation marks, not "SELF-E", and it misled Larissa into a neg. It was refunded to her when she found the first Daily Double. The judge's ruling, though, had the effect of throwing out the entire clue! Not sure I liked that part of the call, though! That Daily Double was under LOCAL FOOD MOVEMENT $800 and the scores were:

Larissa $2,800
Tom $1,000
Russ -$600

Larissa bet a full $2,800! Her clue: A main function of the large intestine is the absorption of these current-conducting compounds. Her immediate correct response put her at $5,600!

At the first break, the scores sat at:
Larissa $6,600
Tom $1,000
Russ -$600

If Tom wins, he wants to make a documentary about sweatshop labour, so maybe Alex "can find out the names of the 8-year-olds who made your fancy suit there, Alex." Oooh!

Coming out of the break, Larissa and Russ had the best time on the buzzer, but Larissa still had a commanding lead! The scores at the end of 30 were:

Larissa $8,400
Russ $2,800
Tom $1,600

DJ! round categories:
WOMEN ON U.S. STAMPS
POP QUIZ
MOUNTAIN RANGERS
19th CENTURY ART & ARTISTS
LITERARY TITLES
SAME FIRST & LAST 2 LETTERS

I was shocked to see that 19th CENTURY ART didn't have a Daily Double, considering there were visual clues! Russ did very well to make a game of it in the opening categories of this round! But then Larissa went hunting, and she found a Daily Double under LITERARY TITLES $1200! Scores:

Larissa $13,600
Russ $8,000
Tom $4,400

Larissa bet $3,600. Her clue: The title of this 1943 bestseller refers to an ailanthus. Larissa seemed to have trouble with this, but then the correct answer came to her! Alex responded with a "Good for you!" - a sentiment I must repeat! Her score went to $17,200.

Russ went with "Ashe" on WOMEN ON US STAMPS $1600 (As part of the Black Heritage series, this two-time Wimbledon champ was depicted on a 2013 stamp), leading to the following tweet from a famous Arthur:

Wait did Russ actually think Arthur Ashe was a lady? On behalf of all Arthurs I'm calling him out
— Arthur Chu (@arthur_affect) April 2, 2014

I suppose we had all 3 players hunting down Daily Doubles. I also suppose they each forgot the Daily Double was already in LITERARY TITLES. Whoops! Russ finally stumbled upon it under the penultimate clue of the round, WOMEN ON US STAMPS $800! With a $400 clue left on the board, the scores were:

Larissa $22,800
Russ $10,400
Tom $5,200

Russ bet $5,000. His clue: In 2005, for what would have been her 100th birthday, the US & Sweden issued stamps featuring this movie legend. Russ' correct response put him at $15,400.

Thankfully for Russ, Tom got the final $400 clue to keep Russ within two thirds!

Scores going into Final:
Larissa $22,800
Russ $15,400
Tom $5,600

FJ! category: MONARCHS

FJ! clue: In 2005 the Kul Sharif Mosque of Tatarstan was reopened 453 years after it was destroyed by this man

Tom 5600 - 5600 = 0
Russ 15400 - 0 = 15400
Larissa 22800 - 8001 = 14799

Larissa lost?!??? *clutches chest* #jeopardy
— Michael Tillmon, Jr. (@hotterthanjuly) April 3, 2014

He made a couple of minor errors but Russ managed to do just enough to move on in the Battle of the Decades! I don't think that Larissa's SELF-E neg/refund had an effect on the outcome. I believe that the bet on Russ' Daily Double would have been different enough so as to nullify the extra $800 that Larissa might have had early on.

See you tomorrow!

Ken Drops The Mic

April 4, 2014, 7:03 am

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Andy here with another recap!

Today's contestants:

J! Round categories:
THE LONG & THE SHORT OF IT
FAIRLY RECENT NEWS
PHILOSOPHERS
MUSIC OF THE 2000s
small state capitals
OUR OLD PAL WATSON

Michael went straight into OUR OLD PAL WATSON, saying "Sorry, Ken". Not sure I'd want to tickle the sleeping dragon, to be honest! In that category, I'm surprised that a clue about golfer Tom Watson was valued at $200 and Emma Watson, given her role as Hermione, was valued at $600!

After a Triple Stumper at MUSIC $800 (In 2001 this guy, real name Matthew Shafer, had a "relatively" big hit with "Follow Me"), our players went over into State Capitals! I was able to get the category run when they went back to Music, though!

Scores after 15:
Ken $4,200
Vinita $2,400
Michael $1,400

Vinita still drives the Volvo she won from the college tournament! Makes sense. Volvos are good cars!

Alex said the following: "Ken Jennings holds a record of 74 consecutive wins on "Jeopardy!" and I don't think I'm going too far out on a limb when I say that record will stand forever, Ken."

Alex says Ken Jennings' record will stand forever. Challenge: accepted.
— Heather (@medevam) April 3, 2014

Apparently Alec Baldwin had some advice for Ken: spend it all on things for himself!

Michael's junior high school's quiz bowl team, which he founded four years ago, is four for four in qualifying for nationals!

Coming out of the break, the Daily Double in the round was found at the bottom of FAIRLY RECENT NEWS. Ken's to play, the scores sat at:

Ken $6,400
Vinita $3,000
Michael $600

Ken bet $3,600. His clue: After this leader's death in 2013, Citgo facilities across the U.S. flew their flags at half-staff. Ken's correct response put him at $10,000!

After 30, the scores sat at:
Ken $10,400
Vinita $3,600
Michael $400

DJ! round categories:
ISOTOPES
EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY
I'M JUST PLUM CRAZY!
10-LETTER WORDS
IN THE BOOKSTORE
THE AUSSIE POSSE

Ken made his big move when he found the first Daily Double, under IN THE BOOKSTORE $800. Scores:

Ken $11,200
Vinita $2,800
Michael $2,800

Ken: "Uh...I might hate myself in the morning here." He bet $8,800 though! It's an $800 clue. That's what you do on those second row Daily Doubles! His clue: "The Bully Pulpit" is about the golden age of journalism & the relationship of these 2 Presidents. His correct response put him at $20,000! "Clear conscience...", said the leader.

It was Michael who got to play the final Daily Double, at the bottom of ISOTOPES! Scores:

Ken $20,000
Michael $5,200
Vinita $4,400.

Michael did what he had to do: the True Daily Double. His clue: The 60 isotope of this element has replaced radium in cancer treatment because it's safer. Sadly, Michael went for "barium" and fell to $5,200.

Michael did get a few clues on the way in, and retook second place from Vinita before the end of the round! Meanwhile, Ken lay his buzzer down in such a fashion that was described by many as a "mic drop".

Ken had a better description:

That wasn't a mic drop on Jeopardy, Twitter. That would have been bad-ass but I was just putting the buzzer back firmly in its holder. #tidy
— Ken Jennings (@KenJennings) April 4, 2014

And a third bonus tweet, just because I thought it was so fun:

#TrueDetectiveSeason2pic.twitter.com/fgfFue4nJK
— Ken Jennings (@KenJennings) April 3, 2014

Scores going into Final:
Ken $26,800
Michael $4,800
Vinita $3,600

Before Final, Alex announced the following: "A brief word of explanation about a player who was very successful on Jeopardy! He won 19 games -- second only to our ken jennings here today -- Dave Madden. Due to a rather complex contract situation, he felt he could not accept our invitation to participate in this "Battle of the Decades" tournament. That's too bad, because he will be missed."

I believe that Dave Madden's National History Bee & Bowl uses the same Standards & Practices people that Jeopardy! does, and that was the reason behind this "complex contract situation".

FJ! category: 19th CENTURY POLITICS

FJ! clue: In 1884 George Pillsbury became mayor of this city

(Alex made a Pillsbury Doughboy impression. Twice.)

Vinita 3600 - 2000 = 1600
Michael 4800 - 2400 = 2400
Ken 26800 - 3200 = 23600

The last spot will be determined tomorrow. Jeanie will have coverage!

Do I have to?

April 5, 2014, 7:00 am

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≪ Previous: Ken Drops The Mic

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     That is, do I have to blog this episode? That's what I'd been thinking today, as I remembered watching this one from the studio audience. Come see what I mean.
     First, here's some happiness:

     Also, I was present in the studio audience for next week's regular-season episodes too. So make sure you're back for that. These were taped in December the same week the 80s Battle of the Decades games were.

Keith Whitener

Dan Pawson

Maria Wenglinsky

     Dan found the first Daily Double, in Vienna Calling.
Dan 3200 (5 right)
Maria 0 (2 right and one wrong)
Keith -600 (3 right and 2 wrong)
     Dan said, "Yeah, uh, sorry Roger, sorry Ken, make it $100." Trebek seemed to think that was hilarious. Here's the clue: "The cathedral named for this saint was burned out during the Battle of Vienna in 1945 & rebuilt by 1952." Dan guessed and was wrong. Then came the first break.
     I remembered Keith's interview, and you probably will after today: He asked Trebek to hurry this up so he could leave on his honeymoon after a year and a half of being married. He was to leave that night - needless to say he was not at the pub.
     Maria asked if she could have a sash if she wins the tournament. Let's find out if she'll have a chance at it.
     "Do I have to?" is what Maria said when Celebrity Reality TV was the only choice she had. Funny, I'd been thinking I'd do well in it, as much as I read People magazine and the like. Then Dan said, "Do I have to?" when he had to respond with "Keeping Up with the Kardashians." Mr. Trebek said, "Oh boy, you guys are rough, you and Maria." I knew that one and this triple-stumper: "Cast members of 'The Surreal Life' included Charo, Verne Troyer & this actor known for his role as a cop named Ponch." This was the last clue of the round:
Dan 4700
Maria 2200
Keith 1800
     I didn't notice today during the Jeopardy round, but Maria was extremely, like unbelievably, slow selecting clues. It was to the point where you wondered if something was wrong. And it was like she was waiting, expecting other categories to appear.
     Dan found the first Daily Double of the round in "V" is in the Middle.
Dan 11900 (5 right)
Maria 6600 (7 right and one wrong)
Keith 2200 (4 right and 2 wrong)
     Dan wagered 5000 (!) on this clue: "A person able to see beyond the realm of normal perception." Dan got it right.
     Maria soon found the next Daily Double in The Age of the Robber Barons.
Dan 16900
Maria 9800 (2 right)
Keith 2200
     Maria wagered 7100 on this clue: "In 1890 he became president of the American Tobacco Company in Durham, North Carolina." Maria got it right and tied Dan.
     At the end of the round:
Dan 15700 (2 right and one wrong)
Maria 18100 (One right)
Keith 4200 (Two right, after a neg was reversed)
     The Final Jeopardy category was 20th Century Novel Quotes. This is the clue: "'It was one of those pictures...so contrived that the eyes follow you...beneath' the picture was this 5-word quote." Keith didn't write anything and he lost all but a dollar. Dan wrote "Don't get undressed near here" and lost 3000. Maria was wrong too and lost 15000. So Dan will play again soon.
     So it was the attitudes of all three contestants that made this episode such a drag. Where are you Ken? Roger? Brad? Bob?
     I bet someone will get Maria a sash and tiara anyway. Dan was wearing a tiara as the contestants talked to Trebek at the end of the episode, and I'd better mention he was wearing a mockingjay pin since it is the buzz on Twitter.
     And speaking of, now for what may be the most exciting part of this post:

@edwardcurrent I read somewhere that you're Karl Coryat, the Jeopardy guy. True?
— Benny Berrafato (@HeathenByDay) April 4, 2014

     He says it is.

One year ago: She didn't do it today
Two years ago: Tried true, three times
Three years ago: Christmas in April
Four years ago: Challenger available on eBay