The Jeopardy Fan

Yesterday, I meant to mention that I saw this in the Sunday Omaha World-Herald:
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Nice guy, that Nick Lemek.
Are you guys aware that Arthur Chu and Brad Rutter are live-tweeting these games? (At least they did last night.) Have a little fun like I did and follow along. And look who I discovered is getting in on the act:

Might try some of that live-tweeting nonsense for tonight's game #Jeopardy
— Pam (@tweetophobicpam) May 6, 2014

I don't know what I was doing in the studio when these three walked in, but they were at their lecterns when I looked at the stage:

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Russ Schumacher

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Tom Nosek

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Pam Mueller

Mr. Trebek explained the format of this tournament, which I hadn't noticed he didn't do yesterday.
I didn't fall for this trap like Russ did, in On the Map: "In a valley 3000 feet above sea level sits this capital city."

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You can see what I did, that Russ strained to see the picture again after he was negged.
I don't know if you could hear Jerome Vered howl in the audience like this one in TV IQ Test, but he went on and on about how much he loved it, even telling contestant coordinator Maggie. I didn't get the joke!: "This writer created 'The West Wing.' Created 'The West Wing'? Created 'The West Wing,' yes."
Like the 80s contestant yesterday, Tom was fast out of the gate:
Tom 3400 (6 right)
Pam 1800 (3 right and one wrong)
Russ 800 (2 right and 2 wrong)
Tom found the Daily Double of the round in The Missing Man.
Tom 5600 (4 right)
Pam 5000 (4 right)
Russ 800
Tom wagered 3000 on this clue: "Aboard Apollo 11: Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin." Tom got it right!
At the end of the round:
Tom 8800 (One right)
Pam 5400 (One right)
Russ 2600 (4 right)
Pam found the first Daily Double of the round in French Poets.
Tom 8000 (One wrong)
Pam 8200 (2 right)
Russ 6600 (3 right)
Pam wagered 5000 (!) on this clue: "Also a novelist, he began an 1839 poem, 'The church is vast; its towering pride, its steeples loom on high." She got it! She found the next Daily Double too, in Yucky History.
Tom 10000 (3 right and one wrong)
Pam 15600 (3 right)
Russ 10200 (2 right)
This time she wagered 3000 on this clue: "As in the western 'Flesh & the Spur,' Indians used staking people to these as a torture -- or at least white settlers said so." She was wrong.
Mr. Trebek was right, at the end of the round - These scores are impressive:
Tom 11200 (3 right and one wrong)
Pam 17400 (5 right)
Russ 15400 (4 right)
Remember, these contestants have wildcards to consider. How would you wager? I don't even want to think about it!
The Final Jeopardy category was U.S. States. This was the clue: "Between 2006 & 2013 it went from 39th to 6th in per capita income & its unemployment rate dropped to the nation's lowest." I admit I looked over Ed Toutant's shoulder in the row in front of me to read the response he was pointing out to the guy next to him. (Chuck Forrest's family was sitting behind me, by the way!) Ed had it right. Tom did not. He lost 8800! Ouch! I don't know; if I were gonna wager that much I'd go all the way. I cringe in anticipation of contrary comments, but it seems like 2400 would not be good enough for a wildcard. Russ got this one right! He added 1300. Pam was wrong and she did wager more than 1000: 2602. So is it because Russ won that he wasn't at the pub like he was in January?
Since I did it to Robin yesterday, what do you think of Pam's outfit?

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I'm pretty sure she was wearing the same shoes she had on in January, and there's nothing wrong with that.
Here's an update to the wildcard list:
Leszek Pawlowicz 15000
Pam Mueller 14798
Tom Nosek 2400
Robin Carroll 0

One year ago: Sigh. But not for the reason you think!
Two years ago: By the skin of his dientes
Three years ago: I'm not lovin' it tonight
Four years ago: [untitled]

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Or maybe it does.... I couldn't get these pictures to fit nicely unless I had text above them!

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Mark Lowenthal

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Brad Rutter

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Dan Pawson

I kept this pose from Brad I happened to catch:

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You can see in the closed captioning why he's making that face. Low blow! Someone in the audience asked Trebek during a commercial break whether Watson had "an unfair mechanical advantage.""Yes" Mr. Trebek said, with no hesitation whatsoever. Trebek added "I don't mince words."
See in Brad' first picture that I paused the recording to make sure I got a normal picture. Brad made many more laughable faces that I happened to pause on, but since I wanted to get this to you on time I didn't take pictures.
Remember I was sitting next to India Cooper's husband in the audience. He told me India lost twice to Brad, and "there's no dishonor in that."
I'm sure you can imagine how I anticipated this one, considering how breathless I was after Brad's last performance. I wrote that someone asked me "Who do you think will take this round?" and we both laughed! I remember the feeling, like everyone knows this one's done before it starts. Brad was true to form by the first break:
Mark 1400 (3 right)
Brad 3000 (6 right and one wrong)
Dan 1000 (3 right and one wrong)
The stuffed dog Mr. Trebek asked Dan about? Dan's wife Andrea had it with her at the studio the next day! And the autobiography of Pan that Mark wrote and referred to in his interview? You can buy it here. I've also put a link (with the image) at right, if you decide you want it later. If you get it and read it, let me know if it's good! I don't have a Kindle.
As for Brad's interview, here's some additional information:

ATTN: NETWORK EXECS -- here's the trailer for the sitcom pilot I mentioned: http://t.co/KNPAWPiVjb
— Brad Rutter (@bradrutter) May 7, 2014

I saw Robin Carroll's daughter Allison react in the row in front of me when this clue was read in The South: "This mountain near Marietta, Georgia is where Joe Johnston held off the Yankees in June 1864." Allison said to the people next to her, that's her hometown. Unfortunately I couldn't see Robin's reaction because I was not seated on the same side of the studio audience as the contestants! Later when I mentioned the clue to Robin, she said it was near where she used to live (til last year!). She tells me she was just hiking there last Sunday.
I thought it was a shame that the contestants went to Farming last! There's nothing to be afraid of! Brad found the Daily Double in the category, with 2 clues on the board after it.
Mark 2600 (2 right and one wrong)
Brad 4800 (4 right and one wrong)
Dan 3400 (6 right and one wrong)
Brad wagered 2000 on this clue: "Boosting efficiency, it's a harvester & a thresher in one machine." Once Brad said the correct response, I wanted to slap my forehead!
Those last 2 clues were triple-stumpers!
I knew after the Jeopardy round Brad would put his foot on the gas in Double Jeopardy. Was I right??
I was amazed Dan or Brad didn't ring in on this one in Read"ing" after Mark negged on it with "Waiting for Mr. Goodbar": "In this Judith Rossner novel, Theresa Dunn is murdered by a man she'd picked up in the title singles spot." When Mr. Trebek revealed the correct response, Mark said to him, "You're right," and Mr. Trebek said "Thank you." The next clue was the Daily Double, still in Read"ing". It was Brad's.
Mark 1000 (One right and 2 wrong)
Brad 12400 (4 right)
Dan 3800 (One right)
I'd probably have wagered a lot. I typed that before Brad wagered 10000! And no, I didn't remember that from seeing this in person. Here's the clue: "Squire Allworthy is a character in a 1749 novel by this man." It was clear as Trebek was reading the clue that Brad knew this one! Brad said "I read it in high school!"
Brad found the next Daily Double too, in Govt. Med. Abbrev. His opponents didn't even weep!
Mark 1000
Brad 24000 (One right)
Dan 7800 (3 right)
What was Brad gonna do this time? He wagered 4000 on this clue: "It's the acronym for the law that allows you to continue the coverage you had after you leave a job." Brad got this immediately too.
I got this triple-stumper from the studio audience, in Movie Directors: "'Meet Me in St. Louis.'" The guy I sat next to knew I knew it too!
At the end of the round:
Mark 1800 (One right)
Brad 32400 (4 right)
Dan 10200 (5 right)
So Brad still has not lost an episode by the end of this one. I think to keep people interested, Trebek said "you never know" whether Dan will have enough for a wildcard! Dan said something to make Brad laugh, but we couldn't hear it in the audience either. I'm sure Brad will say what it was in his live-tweeting recap tonight. Heck, I should just tweet him!
The Final Jeopardy category was Supreme Court Decisions. This is the clue: "On Dec. 20, 1956 the court's ruling on Browder v. Gayle went into effect, bringing an end to this 381-day event." Mark was wrong and lost 1500. Dan too was wrong and lost 9801. Brad was wrong too! He didn't wager anything. I was glad I'd get to see him play again in person at least one more time!
Remember Shane Whitlock's boisterous kid? Just before the lunch break he stood in the aisle, in front of the page, big grin on his face. He put both arms up overhead exactly like the page! How I wish I could've taken a picture, but of course they aren't allowed in the studio.
A wildcard update:
Leszek Pawlowicz 15000
Pam Mueller 14798
Tom Nosek 2400
Dan Pawson 399
----
Mark Lowenthal 300
Robin Carroll 0

Would Dan have had enough if he'd wagered nothing? Heck, does he have enough anyway?! Gotta watch the rest of the week.

One year ago: That's what I said!
Two years ago: By the skin of his dientes
Three years ago: I'm not lovin' it tonight
Four years ago: [untitled]

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Andy here with a recap of the fourth quarterfinal!

Today's contestants:
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It's always fun to blog a Ken Jennings episode. Brings me back!

Alex is losing his mind again, claiming that there were two contestants from their third decade and one from the second? I don't think that's the case.

J! round categories:
FORTUNE 500 THROUGH THE DECADES
I'M A PAPAL PERSON
TOOLS OF THE KITCHEN
MOVIES BY ONE-WORD QUOTE
SHAKESPEARE
FROM THE...

I'M A PAPAL PERSON $400, the second clue of the game, had the Daily Double. Ken played it with $200. Betting $1,000, his clue: The fifth successor to St. Peter was Alexander I; the next one had this name. Ken gave Alexander II and fell to -$800.

By the end of PAPAL PERSON, the scores were:
Tom $400
Rachael -$800
Ken -$1400

Ten clues later, after FROM THE... and SHAKESPEARE, the scores were:

Ken $2,600
Tom $200
Rachael $200

(Ken got 7 straight clues, by my count!)

Rachael had some cue cards with her for her interview, leading to the following tweet:

I don't care if it's for sentimental reasons I can't believe they let Rachael bring index cards w trivia onto the set
— Arthur Chu (@arthur_affect) May 8, 2014

Tom did his best to keep with Ken during the next 15 clues, but Ken did keep a lead! Scores after 30:

Ken $6,400
Tom $3,400
Rachael $400

DJ! round categories:
ITS ONLY LAND BORDER
SCIENCE & TECH BOOKS
THE 1990s RAP SONG
"V"OCABULARY
YEAR DOUBLE ZERO
INITIALS TO ROMAN NUMERALS TO NUMBERS

Rachael got in to play the first Daily Double, under SCIENCE & TECH BOOKS $1600! Scores:

Ken $7,600
Tom $3,400
Rachael $1,600

Rachael bet just $1,000. Her clue: Harold Evans covers 200 years of science history in "They Made America: From" this "Engine to" this "Engine". Rachael's correct response put her at $2,600!

(Did you know: on early episodes of the original 60s Jeopardy!, the Daily Double was actually hidden behind a regular buzz-in clue that had to be answered correctly in order to even see the Daily Double? On a Triple Stumper, Art Fleming would say "That's too bad, because behind that clue was the Daily Double.)

LAND BORDERS $1600 held the other Daily Double; Ken saw this one! Scores:

Ken $9,200
Tom $3,400
Rachael $2,600

Ken bet $5,800. His clue: This country's is with France. His correct response put him at $15,000!

Ken ran INITIALS TO ROMAN NUMERALS TO NUMBERS to close out 19 correct response for him that round! Tom had just 5, Rachael just had 3!

Playing against Ken Jennings on #Jeopardy is like following Idina Menzel at karaoke
— TrivWorks (@TrivWorks) May 8, 2014

Scores going into Final:

Ken $30,200
Tom $9,800
Rachael $3,800

FJ! category: BRITISH THINKERS

FJ! clue: His works include "The Economic Consequences of the Peace" in 1919 & "The End of Laissez-Faire" from 1926

Rachael 3800 + 3800 + 7600
Tom 9800 + 9700 = 19500
Ken 30200 + 9800 = 40000

A wildcard update:
Tom Cubbage 19500
Leszek Pawlowicz 15000
Pam Mueller 14798
Rachael Schwartz 7600
----
Tom Nosek 2400
Dan Pawson 399
Mark Lowenthal 300
Robin Carroll 0

I'll have the fifth and final quarterfinal tomorrow!

Andy here with a recap of the fifth and final quarterfinal!

Your contestants:
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Johnny said Chuck hopes that none of his opponents have found his book. "Secrets of the Jeopardy! Champions" isn't really a hard book to find, to be honest!

J! round categories:
SOUTH AMERICAN WILDLIFE
IT SOUNDS LIKE A LETTER
THAT '70s SHOW
SHERLOCK HOLMES STORIES
YOU HAD ONE JOB!
FASHION "P"IECES

Over the first 15 clues, Chuck had the best luck on the buzzer, but both of his opponents were close! Scores after 15:

Chuck $2,000
Mark $1,200
Colby $1,200

Colby wants to visit the Scottish Highlands with his winnings! Chuck and Alex were discussing the revival of the Italian version of Jeopardy!

The Daily Double went Mark's way, under SOUTH AMERICAN WILDLIFE $800! Scores:

Mark $2,000
Colby $1,200
Mark $600

Mark risked $1,000. His clue: This feline with a fancy coat is the only New World resident traditionally classified as a big cat. His correct response put him at $1,600!

Over the rest of the round, Mark and Chuck had the best luck on the buzzer; Colby's only buzz in the second half of the round was a neg! Scores after 30:

Chuck $6,800
Mark $4,200
Colby $200

Colby opened the round by getting the $2,000 clue in FEMALE WORLD LEADERS and found the Daily Double under $1,600! He bet his entire stack. Clue: Her husband's assassination & a People Power revolution made her president in 1986 His correct response put him at $4,400!

Meanwhile, as Chuck kept hopping around the board, Colby found the last Daily Double as well, on the 15th clue of the round, under THE STARS WRITE $800! Scores:

Chuck $10,800
Colby $7,200
Mark $5,400

Colby bet just $1,000. His clue: Born in 1928, in 2009 Dick Van Patten published a book titled this "Is Not Enough". Colby went for "The World" and fell to $6,200.

Over the back half of the round, Chuck only got three clues, giving his opponents chance to catch up!

Scores going into Final:
Chuck $14,400
Colby $11,800
Mark $10,600

FJ! category: FAMOUS BOOKS

FJ! clue: It was published March 26, 1830; a very popular work with the same name premiered March 24, 2011

Mark 10600 - 2000 = 8600
Colby 11800 - 800 = 11000
Chuck 14400 - 2500 = 11900

Colby seemed very relieved that he was a wildcard!

Here are the semifinal pairings:
Monday: Chuck Forrest vs Ken Jennings vs Russ Schumacher
Tuesday: Tom Cubbage vs Leszek Pawlowicz vs Brad Rutter
Wednesday: Colby Burnett vs Roger Craig vs Pam Mueller

Jeanie was a good audience member and hasn't told me a thing about results! I can't wait to see what happens next week!

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Welcome to the semifinals of the Battle of the Decades!
I was so pleased to see Bill MacDonald when I arrived at the studio the morning these were taped. He was the guest of Maria Wenglinsky, who was the alternate from the 2000s decade! Since she didn't come to the studio til the afternoon session, I had the pleasure of sitting next to Bill in the studio in the morning. "This is blog gold!" he kept saying. We were lucky to sit on the same side of the studio as the contestants this time. Remember I'd seen Colby Burnett at the pub the night before. Well when he walked in, he waved in our direction. Contestant coordinator Corina said loudly to Colby, "What did I just tell you?? Don't do it!"
A guy who I was told was Brad Rutter's roommate was also with the O'Brien's crowd. He was very pretty hair and I almost said something to him about it. I have a gorgeous picture of him that Bill took, but I feel funny publishing it since I don't know the guy.
Producer Harry Friedman looked good dressed up in a light-colored suit! Later he was interviewed on the stage (but we couldn't hear it), and I was told it was for the TV Guide Channel. I was told contestants were interviewed too!

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Chuck Forrest

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Ken Jennings

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Russ Schumacher

When Mr. Trebek gestured to the board to start the round, it didn't fill in completely. John Lauderdale said, "Ohhhhh-kay." The whole audience laughed. Already a malfunction! What a way to kick off the day!
Ken found the first Daily Double in Broadway & Politics. Did you see Chuck looking into the audience then? He did that a lot, and sorry but it doesn't sit well with me. He made no secret of communicating with his family members in the audience.
Ken 4400 (8 right)
Russ 800 (One right)
Chuck 1400 (2 right)
Ken wagered it all on this brainless clue: "It's Peter Morgan's play about a revealing series of 1977 interviews." It goes without saying, but I'd better: Ken got it. At the first break:
Ken 8800
Russ 1000 (One right)
Chuck 1400
Ken was nodding in agreement when Trebek was heaping the praise on Chuck in his interview.
This first clue after the break contained the same material as a clue in the January O'Brien's quiz (from Going Out of Business): "In 2013 Variety reported 'This is the End' was the last movie rented from this once mighty chain." Of course I gave a meaningful look to Jerome and Cliff but they didn't notice the connection!!
It's the end of the round and Chuck's looking at his family again.
Ken 15000 (11 right)
Russ 800 (One right and one wrong)
Chuck 2800 (2 right)
Chuck found the first Daily Double of the round in 4-Syllable Words.
Ken 17800 (3 right)
Russ -1200 (One wrong)
Chuck 4800 (2 right)
Chuck wagered it all on this easy clue: "Adjective for the perfect embodiment of something a Dionne kid must have." Chuck got it.
Ken found the next Daily Double in We Get Letters.
Ken 20200 (2 right)
Russ 400 (2 right)
Chuck 11600 (One right)
Ken wagered on this harder clue: "This explorer wrote to his friend J.M. Barrie in 1912, 'We have accomplished our object in reaching the pole.'" Ken didn't get it.
Today I thought Ken should've been asked to be more specific on this one in P.S. I Love You, considering the category: "This justice said of pornography "I know it when I see it" and you'll know him when you see him."

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I notice I have that in my notes, too!
Look how close it is at the end of the round considering Ken was playing:
Ken 18600 (7 right and one wrong)
Russ 1600 (One right and one wrong)
Chuck 15200 (2 right)
Huh, and Chuck is looking into the audience! Didn't I tell you he did that a lot?
The Final Jeopardy category was 19th Century Poems.
During the break, Mr. Trebek said that he doesn't know if Ken knew that Trebek was tearful when he said goodbye to Ken after he lost in his original run. Ken looked surprised and blew him a kiss, but those of us who read his book know that Ken did know that.
Also, remember Shane Whitlock's entertaining kid? This time he told Mr. Trebek he wanted to be asked a question. Trebek thought about it and said, "What is your age, times 3?" I couldn't see the kid, but the poor thing! I'm sure he doesn't even know what that means. Later in the day Trebek came back to him on it, so I'll let you know then what he came up with.
This is the Final Jeopardy clue: "Written about the U.S. occupation of the Philippines a Kipling poem said 'Take up'this now-controversial phrase." Look what I wrote to Bill.

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Ever the nice guy, Bill didn't point out I left the 's' off 'knows.' And it even looks like I made the 't' an exclamation point at the same time. You can see how excited I was! You know what Bill said to me? "They're all gonna know it." Bill said Chuck was mad that it was so easy, because now he doesn't have a chance. IIRC, Bill was surprised when Russ didn't know it. Russ was wrong and lost it all. Chuck, as we can assume, was right, and he added 11000. Ken did know it, and he added 11801. Sorry but...GO KEN! GO KEN! GO KEN!
Afterwards, the champs are interviewed by members of the Clue Crew. It is such a shame that these aren't available online, because they are priceless. We were told these interviews were meant for contestants' home TV stations. I'd have taken notes on everyone's if I'd known they'd never appear to the rest of us. Talk about blog gold! Ken said in his, his heart was in his throat playing Chuck. Jerome said, "Good." Afterwards, Chuck and Ken sat next to each other in the audience.

One year ago: Two short forms
Two years ago: Lord have mercy, baby's got her blue jeans on
Three years ago: Easy as one two three
Four years ago: The Tournament of Champions begins

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Andy here! Today's second set of semifinalists:
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J! round categories:
WON THE BATTLE, LOST THE WAR
ACTRESSES
RECENT NOVELS
AVOIDING THE CLICHE
POLICE & FIREFIGHTERS
FIRST RESPONSES

ACTRESSES $800 had the Daily Double; it was Brad's to play! Scores:

Brad $4,400
Tom $1,200
Leszek $0

Brad went for the True Daily Double! His clue: This portrayer of the screen's classic Southern Belle was born in India to British parents. Brad's correct response put him at $8,800. He got a further $1,000 clue before the break to extend his lead!

The interview spoke of what our players would do if they won the whole thing! Tom has five kids nearing college; Brad needs a new Porsche!

FIRST RESPONSES was interesting, it was a category where none of the responses had ever come up before! I'm surprised that they'd never done anything on Family Circus' Bil Keane, though!

Scores after 30:
Brad $13,800
Tom $3,400
Leszek $0

DJ! round categories:
SHIP SHAPE
STATE FACTS
ALL KINDS OF MUSIC
"DEC"ADES
LIBRARIES
DISCOVER

Brad went Daily Double hunting; he eventually found it under STATE FACTS $1200! Scores:

Brad $20,600
Tom $3,400
Leszek -$1,600

Brad bet $5,000. His clue: This state is nicknamed the "Corporate Capital". His correct response put him at $25,600!

As the players hunted down the final Daily Double, Brad kept ringing in first most of the time! He also found the other Daily Double under LIBRARIES $2,000! Scores:

Brad $32,400
Tom $4,600
Leszek $2,000

Brad bet $2,000. His clue: The George W. Bush Presidential Library is on the campus of this university. Brad went for Texas A&M, and Tom showed his class ring!

Going into Final, the scores were:

Brad $32,800
Tom $6,600
Leszek $5,200

FJ! category: MONARCHS

FJ! clue: 2 teen Hashemite cousins officially took the thrones of their respective countries May 2, 1953: Faisal of Iraq & him

Leszek 5200 + 5199 = 10399
Tom 6600 + 1992 = 8592
Brad 32800 + 0 = 32800

Brad is our second semifinalist!

The third semifinal is tomorrow!

Andy here with the recap of the third and final semifinal!

Today's contestants:
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J! round categories:
THE CITY
WHO'S THAT?
BOOKS OF THE LATIN VULGATE BIBLE
COMMON BONDS
COLORFUL SPORTS TEAMS
FEEL THE "RG"

Roger still seemed really nervous; he seemed to be blanking and taking more than usual negs! That definitely kept Pam and Colby in the game!

VULGATE BIBLE $600 had the first Daily Double, it was Colby who found it after hunting around! Scores:

Colby $1,800
Roger $1,600
Pam $1,200

Colby went for the True Daily Double. His clue: A New Testament Guy: "Jacobi". Colby went for Jacob and fell to $0.

At the first break, the scores sat at:

Roger $1,400
Pam $1,200
Colby $200

Roger's been invited to dinners and baby showers thanks to his appearances on Jeopardy!, and Pam's mother still gets panic attacks thanks to the Jeopardy! think music!

Getting back to the game, the pace picked up and the negs weren't happening as frequently! After 30 clues, the scores sat at:

Roger $5,200
Colby $3,600
Pam $2,800

DJ! round categories:
THE "CITY"
THEY DID THE MATH
ADVERBS IN SONGS
PRESIDENTIAL FIRSTS
WORLD LITERATURE
THE LOVELY GERMAN LANGUAGE

WORLD LITERATURE $1200 was Pam's first selection. It had the Daily Double! Pam, saying she'd never had this opportunity before, went for the True Daily Double! Her clue: In Ariosto's chivalric romance "Orlando Furioso", Orlando is this great king's nephew. Her correct response put her at $5,600 and into the lead!

Meanwhile, Roger still seemed nervous and took negs which kept his score quite low! However, PRESIDENTIAL FIRSTS $2000 had the final Daily Double, and he got to play it! Scores:

Pam $6,400
Colby $5,600
Roger $3,200

Roger, claiming facetiously that he'd never done it before, also went for the True Daily Double!

His clue: He was Commander-In-Chief the first time the U.S. formally declared war. His correct response put him at $6,400!

The Daily Double seemed to get Roger out of his funk as well, as he went a number of clues without taking a neg! That being said, he did get enough correct to ensure he had the lead! Colby got the final $2,000 to ensure all three players had a hope going into Final!

Scores going into Final:
Roger $18,000
Colby $11,600
Pam $7,200

FJ! category: NAMES ON THE MAP

FJ! clue: Visited by Jacques Cartier in 1534, it was later renamed for Queen Victoria's father, the Duke of Kent

(I got this one, but I wasn't 100% sure I was right, either. Of course, being Canadian helped.)

Pam 7200 - 5605 = 1595
Colby 11600 - 7501 = 4099
Roger 18000 - 5201 = 12799

So, we have a final of Ken, Brad, and Roger -- I can't wait!

My predictions? It'll all depend on if Roger can calm his nerves! He hasn't done a good job of that so far -- and that will be the difference between this being a two horse race and a three horse race!

The Battle of the Decades site has an excellent "tale of the tape" -- including Coryat Scores, as Keith Williams and Ryan Vickers pointed out to Jeanie and myself!

We'll have the recap of Game 1 of the finals tomorrow -- see you then!

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Sincere apologies for the delay. Remember that I was worried about how I'd cover these last 2 days since I'd be in Wisconsin? Well I had good reason to be worried even though I thought I had everything figured out. But all's well that ends well I suppose. Just know that I've been thinking about you obsessively all day.
I think I've mentioned that the show raffles off gift cards to the App Store? I haven't mentioned that I won one myself at the end of the morning session the day these episodes were taped. I'd been trying to figure out what to do with it or how to pass it on here, since I don't have an Apple device. So I've come up with this: For a chance to win it, follow the blog by e-mail using the widget on the right. Tonight's a good reason you need that, huh? For another chance, like us on Facebook. I'll give you one week.
After the Wednesday episode, I'd planned to do my usual and stay for the lunch break no matter what. Bill MacDonald, who I'd been sitting next to, said something like if I want to be in the in-crowd.... And I said "And I do..." then I have to go to lunch with them. So I left for lunch for the first time. I knew there were no ticketholders that day; only production guests and contestant guests. I knew I'd be able to get back into the studio for sure. Dan Pawson's wife Andrea Saenz went too, and we stopped at an Indian place. The Whitlock family came in after we did, including the precious 5-year-old. He wasn't pleased, and held his nose as he walked around! Later I saw him eating happily.
Andrea did not know at lunch that I had been on the show. Then she thought maybe Jerome had told her. But later the same day, Jerome said to me, "Have you been on?" !!! Yes, I met him for the first time that night at O'Brien's Pub!
Since Maria Wenglinsky (alternate for the 2000s contestants) came to the studio for the afternoon session and Bill was her guest, he sat by her. Andrea sat on the end of the row on Bill's other side, apparently so she could be nearer to Dan. (We got to sit on the contestant side again!) I sat then next to Michael Rooney, who is fine but I haven't spoken to as much. Bill sat directly in front of me, which you'll need to know later.
Roger's not wearing a coat! When he was rehearsing without one and then left the stage, I thought he was retrieving it. I remember thinking when he appeared on the screen, it's a shame he's got a big ol' microphone so plainly visible. Someone in the audience commented on how tense Roger looked when he played that morning, but I didn't think so.
Like when I saw Brad play for the first time in January, I watched him and not the clues. I saw him smile at the clue reminding him of Watson! Brad found the Daily Double of the round in U.S. Geography before the first break.
Brad 3200 (6 right and one wrong)
Ken 800 (3 right and one wrong)
Roger 1800 (4 right)
Brad wagered everything on this clue: "The snowy dome of this tallest volcano in the lower 48 states is often shrouded in clouds." He was wrong. Roger got the next clue right, and then came the first break.
Brad 0
Ken 800
Roger 2400
Someone listening in the room with me said after this clue, "He had to think about that one?!" In A Blank Expression: "Take advantage; make ___ while the sun shines." It was Roger. Even he chuckled!
At the end of the round:
Brad 2000 (4 right)
Ken 3200 (6 right and one wrong)
Roger 5000 (4 right)
Bill commented that it was unusual for Brad to be selecting first in the Double Jeopardy round. Maria said, "It's Maundy Thursday; it's the penitential season." Brad found the first Daily Double in Historic Days. Taping stopped at that point, presumably to make sure Brad's response to the last clue, "the evacuation of the Saigon embassy," was acceptable.
Brad 7600 (5 right and 2 wrong)
Ken 4000 (2 right and one wrong)
Roger 8200 (2 right)
Brad wagered just 2000 on this clue: "December 15, 1791." Brad got it. Roger found the next Daily Double in Medical Terms. I had told my family about this today (the day after it aired; don't worry), so I was happy to say "Here it comes..." to them.
Brad 9600
Ken 8400 (3 right)
Roger 10200 (One right)
Roger rolled like his usual self and wagered it all on this clue: "Doctors use this 5-letter term for swelling or bloating in the body due to an excess build-up of fluid." And oh yeah, Ken said "Do it" before Roger's wager. Roger started his wager with, "Yeah," as if he agreed. Did you hear the crowd go wild? Afterward I was worried about Roger looking arrogant, even though I know he's not. And he didn't look it to me today. Did he look it to you? Trebek even read the clue thinking Roger'd know it. But as you probably know, Roger was wrong. What was Ken laughing at? And what did Roger try to give as a response, anyway? At the after-party when someone commented on that clue, Roger said he'd known it. He said all he could think of was "dropsy."
At the end of the round:
Brad 14000 (5 right)
Ken 12000 (7 right)
Roger -800 (One right and 2 wrong)
Roger said, "It's a 2-day final, right?", to the delight of the audience. I whispered to Michael, "Can Roger play in the final?" And Michael said, "Not today he can't." The Final Jeopardy category was The Academy Awards.
A Jeopardy! staffperson handed out cards to the tournament contestants. They too would be participating in the final by writing down their response. Then the staffperson would take the group's picture, each holding up his or her response. Maria was, of course, sitting on the opposite side of the studio as the contestants. When the staffperson asked "How many of you weren't here earlier?", Maria said loudly "TODAY?" She jumped to the contestant side.
This is the final clue: "1 of the 2 movies in the last 30 years, one a drama & one a comedy, to win Oscars for Best Actor & Best Actress." Ken didn't write anything. He lost 5000. Brad lost 4000. Russ, Leszek, Mark Lowenthal and Dan got the Final from the audience, as did Tom Cubbage and of course maybe more.
Mr. Trebek referred to Roger as "David," but that part was cut out. Naturally. Roger looked back into the audience when Trebek said "David"! Michael drew a laugh when he said between episodes, "Roger should sign in as 'David.'"
On to tomorrow! Thanks be to God this post is done.

One year ago: People who need People
Two years ago: Laker Lew
Three years ago: [untitled]
Four years ago: I Heart Jeopardy!

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This is it - the last day of the Battle of the Decades tournament. Remember when we were still trying to decide who the fan favorites would be? It seems longer ago than October.

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Roger Craig

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Brad Rutter

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Ken Jennings

Yesterday, Brad earned 10000 to be added to today's total, and Ken made 7000. Roger famously had no money.
At the first break:
Brad -800 (3 right and 3 wrong)
Ken 4600 (9 right and one wrong)
Roger 600 (2 right and one wrong)
In case you're wondering, Brad had this to say about the negs in 1 Letter Different:

Ken is so good at these wordplay categories that I thought I'd ring in first and then figure it out. Bad move.
— Brad Rutter (@bradrutter) May 17, 2014

Did you catch the reference Brad made to Shane Whitlock's son? I told you stole the show!

Brad got the Daily Double of the round in Organizations.

Brad -200 (One right)

Ken 5600 (One right)

Roger 2400 (2 right)

Brad wagered 1000 on this clue: "Now one big happy family, this mentoring group was formed by the union of 2 'sibling' organizations in 1977." Brad got it!

At the end of the round:

Brad 1800 (3 right)

Ken (2 right)

Roger (5 right)

Just like yesterday, Brad's going first in the Double Jeopardy round!

Roger found the first Daily Double of the round in Lakes & Rivers.

Brad 1800

Ken 6000 (One right)

Roger 10200 (3 right)

"Oh boy," Roger said. You may recall yesterday he wagered the same amount, again all he had, on a Daily Double and got it wrong. Remember how Ken whispered for Roger to "Do it"? Today Brad said, "Don't do it this time!" But he did. He wagered it all again. Trebek didn't sound very happy! Anyway I didn't see Roger's wager yesterday the way Trebek seemed to, as indicated by his interview with Roger today. I liked that Roger wagered it all. Today, this was the clue: "Sharing the name of a city, it's the largest lake entirely within a Canadian province." You may remember Bill MacDonald was sitting in front of me for this afternoon session. I put my fingers on his shoulders when Roger got this wrong. Again! But I love his attitude. "That's okay," he said. And it is. Do you wonder what his fiancee was thinking in the studio audience? Later, by the way, Bill asked if he'd felt me collapse when Roger lost it all again on the Daily Double.

Brad soon found the next Daily Double, in Nonfiction! Now I wonder what Roger was thinking!

Brad 2600 (One right)

Ken 7600 (One right)

Roger 0

Brad wagered 2000 on this easy clue: "The title of this essay collection by David Sedaris refers to his attempt to learn to speak French." Brad got it.

I was wondering whether I'd be able to hear myself laughing on this final clue of Double Jeopardy, in Modes of Transport: "You know you're a family man when you find yourself behind the wheel of one of these, like the Grand Caravan." It was so fast that I was with Dan Pawson's wife Andrea when she said, "What just happened?" I wasn't sure either! So just like Brad and Ken before him, Roger cracked me up at the end of Double Jeopardy. In the studio anyway, no one thought it was near as funny as I did. I didn't know til this morning about this:

Roger Craig was quoting the talking heads song #jeopardy, if so well done sir, you may find yourself behind the wheel of a large automobile
— Jim H. (@RealdealJamil) May 17, 2014

I still don't know what that's about, but I saw a lot of tweets on it! Apparently Roger didn't do it on purpose!
At the end of the round:
Brad 11800 (7 right)
Ken 13600 (7 right)
Roger 2000 (5 right and 3 wrong)
The Final Jeopardy category was Secretaries of State. Bill asked me if I had any prediction about the correct response, and of course I didn't. When I asked if he did, he said he could think of 5 or 6 it might be. Michael Rooney suggested that the contestants just write numbers during wagering calculation, just to think of as many secretaries of state as possible.
Like the day before, the tournament contestants watching in the audience wrote down their responses too. Maria was back sitting next to Bill at this point, and I asked her if she wanted to join the contestants, in case she missed it. She said she'd write her response from that seat!
Here's the clue: "Serving 160 years apart, these 2 secretaries of state are the only ones who never married." Roger was right and he doubled his score. Did you see Ken's hand move while the camera was on Roger? (Of course, I knew how this ended.) Brad was right too but added nothing! He has a 2-day total then of 21800. Ken? He was wrong, and lost 13001. Trebek was right - Ken needed to get this right to have a chance at winning the tournament. I remember so vividly Brad's dropped jaw that didn't seem to close even well after he found out he won! Did you see Ken and Brad hug? Aww.
Immediately the crowd rose to its feet. My pen flew and wedged itself behind Maria's back! (She was still sitting.) The more I tried to dig it out the worse it got, but if Maria noticed she didn't look like it.
As the studio audience members filed out, a song with the lyrics "I took a trip on a train" played overhead. Then came the after-party, which is something for a future post.
Now do you wonder what Jill Bunzendahl Chimka is thinking?

One year ago: Idol signs

Two years ago: Dr. Oz Comes to Washington

Three years ago: [untitled]

Four years ago: Coming soon: An interview with a Jeopardy! champ!

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Andy here to start off another week of recaps here at TJ!F!

First up, Jeanie has an iTunes gift card to give away! All you have to do is either follow us via email or like us on Facebook and you'll be eligible to win!

Here are this week's players!
Brandon Barnes - Park Forest, IL (WLS)
Leah Blumenfeld - Miami, FL (WPLG)
Steve Buechner - Los Angeles, CA (KABC)
James Herman - Washington, DC (WJLA)
Kate Hoffman - East Boston, MA (WBZ)
Lara Brenckle Malmont - Carlisle, PA (WHP)
Ryan Real - Clinton, SC (WLOS)
Sirena Terr - Livingston, NJ (WABC)
Alex Tran - Saint Louis, MO (KSDK)
Clayton Walker - Dallas, TX (KTXA)

And of course, our returning champion:
Julia Collins - Kenilworth, IL (WLS)

Today's players:
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J! Round categories:
THE QUOTABLE TUBE
MARINE BIOLOGY
GUYS NAMED BARRY
THE MOST POPULOUS COUNTRY
___ OF ___
MAKING THE GRADE

Over the first 15 clues, we saw at least one clue from each category but THE MOST POPULOUS COUNTRY; all 3 players had some luck on the buzzer, and nobody was running away with the game! Scores after 15:

Julia $3,400
Leah $2,600
James $1,600

Leah has been studying belly dancing for the past five years!

James? He studies "visual perception, specifically the ability to focus on visual parts of the world that we're not necessarily looking at", leading to Alex saying "I didn't understand a word you said!"

The Daily Double was under MARINE BIOLOGY $800. It was James' to play, with scores at:

Julia $4,200
Lea $2,600
James $1,200

James bet $1,200. His clue: This small fish of the genus hippocampus has no stomach & must eat almost constantly to stay alive. His correct response put him at $2,400!

Coming out of that Daily Double, James had the best buzzer mojo! He and Julia battled for the lead before a couple of negs at the end took James' score down!

Scores after 30:
Julia $5,000
James $3,400
Leah $3,400

DJ! round categories:
YOU LIKE KABUKI, NOH?
DISNEY FILM VOICES
"ROUND"'EM UP
LITERARY CHARACTERS
COME AT THE KING
YOU BEST NOT MISS

James did well in "ROUND"'EM UP, but Julia cleaned up the bottom row of both that and DISNEY FILM VOICES to take a $4,000 lead!

COME AT THE KING $1600 had the first Daily Double; scores were:

Julia $12,600
James $6,200
Leah $5,800

Julia bet $2,600. Her clue: In 336 B.C. a young Macedonian noble named Pausanias killed this king but was killed on the spot himself. She went for Alexander the Great and fell to $10,000.

A clue that made me glad I was blogging and not Jeanie (YOU BEST NOT MISS $1200: This Swiss legend put an arrow in the heart of the local bailiff after not putting one in his son's head).

Meanwhile, James kept on doing well and retook the lead going into the final category (KABUKI). The $1,200 clue had the Daily Double -- a video -- and Julia played it with the scores at:

James $12,600
Julia $12,400
Leah $6,200

She bet $2,000. Her clue: Kuroko are kabuki stagehands whose traditional black dress is believed to give them this quality.. Her correct response put her at $14,400!
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Over the final two clues, both James and Leah took negs! Scores going into Final:
Julia $16,400
James $11,000
Leah $4,200

FJ! category: BOARD GAMES

FJ! clue: In the classic version of Monopoly, the only 2 improvable properties without Avenue or Place in their names

Leah 4200 + 1402 = 5602
James 11000 - 600 = 10400
Julia 16400 - 5700 = 10700

*facepalm*

What it does mean is that Julia is an 11-time champ, thanks to James' overwager!

ToC update:

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. Julia Collins $231,310 (11 wins)
6. Ben Ingram $176,534 (8 wins)
7. Drew Horwood $138,100 (8 wins)
8. Jared Hall $181,001 (6 wins)
9. Sandie Baker $140,200 (6 wins)
10. Andrew Moore $137,803 (6 wins)
11. Jerry Slowik $121,800 (5 wins)
12. Joshua Brakhage $103,205 (5 wins)
13. Rebecca Rider $101,600 (5 wins)
14. Sarah McNitt $89,398 (5 wins)
15. Rani Peffer $68,701 (5 wins)
---
16. Mark Japinga $112,600 (4 wins)
17. Mike Lewis $102,800 (4 wins)
18. Carlos Ross $89,774 (3 wins)
19. Adam Holquist $76,299 (3 wins)
20. Sara Garnett $75,403 (3 wins)
21. Salvo Candela $66,195 (3 wins)
22. Neal Pollack $60,798 (3 wins)
23. John Anneken $60,112 (3 wins)
24. Tim Anderson $56,001 (3 wins)
25. Stuart Anderson $51,601 (3 wins)
26. Bill Tolany $44,200 (3 wins)

We'll be back tomorrow with another recap!

Andy back with another recap!

I got a text from a good friend last night; her four year old son Jackson is apparently obsessed with our current champion!

Speaking of, a fun tweet from our champion yesterday:

Thanks to Kate Hoffman for thinking that we should take pictures in the green room. #jeopardy #behindthescenes pic.twitter.com/B6G4CJrK4W
— Julia (@JeopardyJulia) May 20, 2014

Today's contestants:
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J! round categories:
FAMOUS AMERICANS
READING RAINBOW
FIRST THINGS THIRD
NATIONAL PEOPLE?
A POTPOURRI OF WORDS
MOVIE ENDINGS

Julia went straight to FAMOUS AMERICANS. I think she was hoping for a history category, but it was a more recent Famous Americans category! She still did reasonably well on it, though! She got to play the first Daily Double, under READING RAINBOW $800! Scores:

Julia $2,600
Kate $600
Clayton $600

Julia bet $2,000. Her clue: In a children's classic by Scott O'Dell, San Nicolas Island is better known as this title place. Her immediate correct response put her at $4,600!

The Island of the Blue Dolphins was a childhood favorite. Not a total guess, like that James Patterson book, which I’ve never heard of.
— Julia (@JeopardyJulia) May 20, 2014

Kate went 4/5 in MOVIE ENDINGS to claw back some of the lead after that Daily Double. After 15 clues, the scores sat at:
Julia $4,600
Kate $3,000
Clayton $1,200

Julia was a lifeguard in high school and college; working at her college pool, she spoke of the awkwardness of seeing her professors in bathing suits!

Going back to the game, Julia did well over the FIRST THINGS THIRD, NATIONAL PEOPLE?, and A POTPOURRI OF WORDS categories! Scores after 30:

Julia $9,800
Kate $3,800
Clayton $2,800

DJ! round categories:
THE MUSEUMS OF EUROPE
UNDER THE MICROSCOPE
I WILL SURVIVE
DOUBLE "K" WORDS
ROCK & ROLL HALL OF FAMERS
U.S. PLACES

All three players had success early in the round, but it was Kate who got to play the first Daily Double in this round, under ROCK & ROLL HALL OF FAMERS $1600! Scores:

Julia $13,400
Kate $7,800
Clayton $6,400

Kate chose just $3,000. Her clue: Darryl McDaniels was one-third of this rap group that was inducted in 2009. Her correct response put her at $10,800. I feel as though she was doing well in the category and should have bet more! After all, Julia has been dominant!

THE MUSEUMS OF EUROPE $1600 had the other Daily Double! This one's was Julia's. Scores:

Julia $18,200
Kate $12,000
Clayton $6,400

Julia bet $3,000. Her clue: Exhibits in this composer's Bonn home include his grand piano & a variety of ear trumpets. Julia went for Bach and fell to $15,200.

All three players had at least one get over the final category (UNDER THE MICROSCOPE), though Julia did the best; scores going into Final were:

Julia $20,000
Kate $12,800
Clayton $6,800

FJ! category: BRITISH NOVELS

FJ! clue: Stephen King borrowed the name of his fictional town Castle Rock from this 1950s novel that greatly influenced him

Clayton 6800 - 6799 = 1
Kate 12800 - 10000 = 2800
Julia 20000 - 5700 = 14300

Alex said that if you hadn't read the book, it was a tough Final. I have read that book. It was not a tough Final for me. Julia's now a 12-day champion, though, winnings $245,610!

Jeanie will have tomorrow's recap. See you then!

ToC update:

1. John Pearson (November 2013 Teacher's Champion)
2. Jim Coury (May 2013 College Champion)
3. Terry O'Shea (February 2014 College Champion)
4. Julia Collins $245,610 (12 wins)
5. Arthur Chu $297,200 (11 wins)
6. Ben Ingram $176,534 (8 wins)
7. Drew Horwood $138,100 (8 wins)
8. Jared Hall $181,001 (6 wins)
9. Sandie Baker $140,200 (6 wins)
10. Andrew Moore $137,803 (6 wins)
11. Jerry Slowik $121,800 (5 wins)
12. Joshua Brakhage $103,205 (5 wins)
13. Rebecca Rider $101,600 (5 wins)
14. Sarah McNitt $89,398 (5 wins)
15. Rani Peffer $68,701 (5 wins)
---
16. Mark Japinga $112,600 (4 wins)
17. Mike Lewis $102,800 (4 wins)
18. Carlos Ross $89,774 (3 wins)
19. Adam Holquist $76,299 (3 wins)
20. Sara Garnett $75,403 (3 wins)
21. Salvo Candela $66,195 (3 wins)
22. Neal Pollack $60,798 (3 wins)
23. John Anneken $60,112 (3 wins)
24. Tim Anderson $56,001 (3 wins)
25. Stuart Anderson $51,601 (3 wins)
26. Bill Tolany $44,200 (3 wins)

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First, two Coryats from the most recent weekend reruns: originally 1-21-13: 25200 (26200 without negs). The first time I played, my score was 23800 (25000 without negs). And originally 3-28-13: 15200 (16200 without negs). The first time I played, my score was 14200 (18000 without negs).
Next, don't forget you have thru Friday to follow the blog by e-mail (using the widget on the right) and/or like us on Facebook for chances at winning the gift card to The App Store I won when I watched the Battle of the Decades in person.

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Lara Brenckle Malmont

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Julia Collins

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Sirena Terr

Julia found the Daily Double in Famous Women.
Julia 400 (One right)
Sirena 0
Lara 200 (One right)
Instead of wagering 1000 though, Julia wanted to say "Let's make it a true Daily Double!" This was the clue: "In 1896, this educator became the first woman in Italy to get a medical degree." I got this right but Julia didn't.
By the first break, I was 14/15.
Julia 4600 (7 right)
Sirena 2400 (4 right)
Lara 1000 (One right)
I liked Sirena's interview with Trebek but it was way too long. But this was the first of 3 unforgivable offenses. As a result of this interview (I think), Mr. Trebek gave the less-than-a-minute warning with 6 clues left, 5 of those in The Heisman Winner's School. I really wanted to see if any clues referred to Nebraska but 2 clues were left covered.
Julia 5000 (3 right and one wrong)
Sirena 4400 (3 right)
Lara 3600 (4 right and one wrong)
Julia found the first Daily Double of Double Jeopardy in The Secretary of War.
Julia 12200 (7 right)
Sirena 4400 (2 right and 2 wrong)
Lara 6800 (2 right)
Julia wagered 2000 on this clue: "A son of this president worked for Garfield & later became a wealthy corporate lawyer." Julia knew this immediately.
I've never seen this show but I couldn't believe that it was a triple-stumper: "In 2003 this Phil Keoghan-hosted reality show won its first Emmy -- it would not be the last."
This time there were 5 clues left when Mr. Trebek gave the less-than-a-minute warning. The next clue was the Daily Double in To the Exoplanets!, and it was Sirena's.
Julia 15800 (2 right)
Sirena 5200 (2 right and one wrong)
Lara 6800
I'm speechless over Sirena's 200 wager. It makes me so sorry she may have taken the space of someone who really wants to win. Here is the clue: "In 1992 the first exoplanets were found orbiting one of these rotating stars that emit regular bursts of radiation." Sirena was wrong. She got the next one wrong too and Julia picked it up. The next clue was a triple-stumper, then once again the last 2 clues of the board were left covered.
Julia 17800
Sirena 3000
Lara 6800
The Final Jeopardy category was Organizations. This was the clue: "The full name of this scholarly group founded after a lecture in 1660 includes 'of London for improving natural knowledge.'" Sirena couldn't possibly have given this much thought, considering the length of her "response": "Shout out to Eric and Daniel Neveloff" with a "<3." I wonder how long she had that planned. She didn't wager anything. Lara was wrong too and lost 800. Julia was wrong too and lost 2000.
My Coryat today was 18200 (20400 without negs). These past several episodes, including the reruns, I've had trouble ringing in when I knew the correct response, because I was worried about negging! Today it was "Milky Way" and "John LeCarre."

ToC update:

1. John Pearson (November 2013 Teacher's Champion)
2. Jim Coury (May 2013 College Champion)
3. Terry O'Shea (February 2014 College Champion)
4. Julia Collins $261,410 (13 wins)
5. Arthur Chu $297,200 (11 wins)
6. Ben Ingram $176,534 (8 wins)
7. Drew Horwood $138,100 (8 wins)
8. Jared Hall $181,001 (6 wins)
9. Sandie Baker $140,200 (6 wins)
10. Andrew Moore $137,803 (6 wins)
11. Jerry Slowik $121,800 (5 wins)
12. Joshua Brakhage $103,205 (5 wins)
13. Rebecca Rider $101,600 (5 wins)
14. Sarah McNitt $89,398 (5 wins)
15. Rani Peffer $68,701 (5 wins)
---
16. Mark Japinga $112,600 (4 wins)
17. Mike Lewis $102,800 (4 wins)
18. Carlos Ross $89,774 (3 wins)
19. Adam Holquist $76,299 (3 wins)
20. Sara Garnett $75,403 (3 wins)
21. Salvo Candela $66,195 (3 wins)
22. Neal Pollack $60,798 (3 wins)
23. John Anneken $60,112 (3 wins)
24. Tim Anderson $56,001 (3 wins)
25. Stuart Anderson $51,601 (3 wins)
26. Bill Tolany $44,200 (3 wins)

One year ago: Hagel set
Two years ago: Pool party
Three years ago: [untitled]
Four years ago: Finally, the finale...

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Trebek said at the top of today's show that the studio audience gasped on hearing that Julia Collins won her 13th yesterday. It makes a little sense because this audience would've been new, since the Thursday episode starts the afternoon taping session.

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Ryan Real

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Julia Collins

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Alex Tran (I like her sweater.)

I swept Simon Says. At the first break:
Julia 4800 (7 right)
Alex 200 (3 right and one wrong)
Ryan 2600 (5 right)
Contestant Alex's attitude toward people stopping to help her change a tire bothered me a lot. They care about her and make the sacrifice to stop and she can't be nice? Even if they do know she knows how to do it. As for Julia, I don't presume to know what she's thinking but did you get the impression she's not proud of her job? I'm with Trebek: what is "supply chain"? Then she seemed eager to say she had a master's degree, but we didn't get to hear what it was in. And we still don't know what she does. And like Sirena yesterday, this time her interview was too long.
Are these 2 really synonymous, in 2 Syllables, 1 Syllable?: "A list of students who have earned good grades, it's also called the dean's list." I did get this right.
Julia found the Daily Double late in the round, in The Part of Speech in the Book Title. (Weird category.)
Julia 6200 (2 right)
Alex 2600 (4 right)
Ryan 4000 (3 right)
Julia wagered 1500 on this clue: "A 1937 short novel by Steinbeck: preposition." She and I got it right.
I got this triple-stumper in Touring Alabama: "The USS Alabama, which is moored in this bay, serves as a memorial to all Alabamans who've been in the military."
At the end of the round:
Julia 6700 (One wrong)
Alex 3200 (One right)
Ryan 3000 (One wrong)
Why you guys puzzled when Alex said "George II" on this one in Famous Gemstones?: "The 3,107-carat Cullinan diamond, the largest gem diamond ever known, was presented to this British king in 1907." I always associate George III with the American Revolution. But that's about the extent of my British monarchs knowledge.
Ryan found the first Daily Double of Double Jeopardy in American History.
Julia 15900 (9 right)
Alex 2000 (One wrong)
Ryan 2600 (One right and one wrong)
Did you guys just want to weep when Ryan wagered only 1000 on this clue?: "In 1851 the New York Times was founded to represent the views of this party that didn't last much longer." He and I got it right.
I got this triple-stumper in You, on a guess: "This soft, purplish organ with sinusoids may be removed if one has cancer of the lymphatic system." Ryan had 8800 at the time, and would've had 10400 if he'd wagered it all on his Daily Double. I wonder if he'd not have rung in (and negged) if he'd had twice what Julia did. She had 18300 and there was one clue left on the board, the Daily Double. It was hers to play.
Julia 18300 (3 right)
Alex 4400 (4 right and one wrong)
Ryan 7200 (4 right and one wrong)
Julia wagered 2000 on this clue in You: "This main artery of the thigh ends just above the knee." She and I got it right.
The Final Jeopardy category was Technology. This was the clue: "When Apple sued for iPad patent infringement, Samsung cited this 1968 movie as the originator of the design." Interesting clue. Alex was right (yay, so was I!) and added 1200. "That's nice," Trebek said. Ryan got it right too and added 2500. Julia was right too and added 2390.
My Coryat today was 31600 (34000 without negs). Today I should've rung in on "impresario." I also would've swept "I-O". I did get this triple-stumper in the category: "An official representative of the pope," but unlike Trebek, I would've pronounced it with a long "u"!

ToC update:

1. John Pearson (November 2013 Teacher's Champion)
2. Jim Coury (May 2013 College Champion)
3. Terry O'Shea (February 2014 College Champion)
4. Julia Collins $284,100 (14 wins)
5. Arthur Chu $297,200 (11 wins)
6. Ben Ingram $176,534 (8 wins)
7. Drew Horwood $138,100 (8 wins)
8. Jared Hall $181,001 (6 wins)
9. Sandie Baker $140,200 (6 wins)
10. Andrew Moore $137,803 (6 wins)
11. Jerry Slowik $121,800 (5 wins)
12. Joshua Brakhage $103,205 (5 wins)
13. Rebecca Rider $101,600 (5 wins)
14. Sarah McNitt $89,398 (5 wins)
15. Rani Peffer $68,701 (5 wins)
---
16. Mark Japinga $112,600 (4 wins)
17. Mike Lewis $102,800 (4 wins)
18. Carlos Ross $89,774 (3 wins)
19. Adam Holquist $76,299 (3 wins)
20. Sara Garnett $75,403 (3 wins)
21. Salvo Candela $66,195 (3 wins)
22. Neal Pollack $60,798 (3 wins)
23. John Anneken $60,112 (3 wins)
24. Tim Anderson $56,001 (3 wins)
25. Stuart Anderson $51,601 (3 wins)
26. Bill Tolany $44,200 (3 wins)

One year ago: Hagel set
Two years ago: Pool party
Three years ago: [untitled]
Four years ago: Finally, the finale

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I've notified the winner of the App Store gift card! Thanks to everyone who entered.
I don't know why I like this episode so much, considering how much I don't like that you'll find below. But I do.

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Julia Collins

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Brandon Barnes (I like the bowtie and the fistpump.)

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Steve Buechner

I'll tell you what I didn't like: the misleading name of the category The Legislative Branch. It was literally about branches! Sample clue: "In 1939 Oregon's legislature chose the fir named for this man as the state tree."
I was torn between "luck" and "love" on this clue in Paul McCartney, and I wound up negging: "In a No. 1 song by Wings, 'with'this'we can help it out, we can make this whole damn thing work out.'" It was a triple-stumper! Do you suppose the contestants really don't know this song?
Julia found the Daily Double in European History.
Julia 3800 (8 right)
Steve 400 (One right)
Brandon 600 (2 right)
Julia wagered 1200 on this clue: "The Battle of Balaklava & the Battle of Inkerman took place during this war." She and I were right. She got one more right before the first break, going into it then with 5800.
Did your eyes roll when Julia said she was just hoping to have fun, and to win one game? Does anyone ever believe anyone that says that? And she also hoped to say "Let's make it a true Daily Double."
I was surprised this was a triple-stumper, in Wings: "An official state bird, the Rhode Island Red is one of these."
At the end of the round:
Julia 11600 (9 right and one wrong)
Steve 1600 (3 right)
Brandon -1400 (3 wrong)
I also didn't like how Steve got more and more dramatic about not being able to ring in first. He should've put that energy toward doing just that!
I got this triple-stumper in Auth"er"s: "She was the first African-American woman to win the Pulitzer Prize for fiction." Brandon and Julia forgot the category!
Julia found the first Daily Double of the round, still in Auth-"er"s.
Julia 20000 (11 right and 3 wrong)
Steve 8000 (6 right and one wrong)
Btandon -1000 (One right and one wrong)
Trebek said Julia was making few mistakes, but it looked to me like she was making more than her usual! I thought about taking a picture of my tally marks in her "right" column. It's the longest one I've ever seen. She wagered 2000 on this clue: "Pubished posthumously in 2003, a novel by this Brooklyn guy was titled 'Catch As Catch Can." Julia got it. She got one more right before the next Daily Double, in Bodacious Cantatas. She wagered 2000 again of her 22400 on this easy clue: "Alessandro Scarlatti's 'O Di Betlemme Altera' was written for this holiday." She got it, of course.
I practically screamed when I answered this correctly but took it back before the answer was revealed, in Bodacious Cantatas: "This German was only 1 opera into his career when he wrote a new year's cantata to welcome 1835." And it was a triple-stumper!
At the end of Double Jeopardy:
Julia 30400 (4 right and one wrong)
Steve 10400 (2 right)
Brandon -1000
I'm sorry to see Brandon go early. :-(
The Final Jeopardy category was The 1960s. This was the clue: "In his last speech, he mentioned local newsmakers of the day, including his friend Cesar Chavez & Don Drysdale." This was a snap, no? Steve was wrong! He lost all but a dollar. Julia was right and added 400.
My Coryat today was 29800 (32400 without negs).

ToC update:

1. John Pearson (November 2013 Teacher's Champion)
2. Jim Coury (May 2013 College Champion)
3. Terry O'Shea (February 2014 College Champion)
4. Julia Collins $314,900 (15 wins)
5. Arthur Chu $297,200 (11 wins)
6. Ben Ingram $176,534 (8 wins)
7. Drew Horwood $138,100 (8 wins)
8. Jared Hall $181,001 (6 wins)
9. Sandie Baker $140,200 (6 wins)
10. Andrew Moore $137,803 (6 wins)
11. Jerry Slowik $121,800 (5 wins)
12. Joshua Brakhage $103,205 (5 wins)
13. Rebecca Rider $101,600 (5 wins)
14. Sarah McNitt $89,398 (5 wins)
15. Rani Peffer $68,701 (5 wins)
---
16. Mark Japinga $112,600 (4 wins)
17. Mike Lewis $102,800 (4 wins)
18. Carlos Ross $89,774 (3 wins)
19. Adam Holquist $76,299 (3 wins)
20. Sara Garnett $75,403 (3 wins)
21. Salvo Candela $66,195 (3 wins)
22. Neal Pollack $60,798 (3 wins)
23. John Anneken $60,112 (3 wins)
24. Tim Anderson $56,001 (3 wins)
25. Stuart Anderson $51,601 (3 wins)
26. Bill Tolany $44,200 (3 wins)

One year ago: Burning the midday oil
Two years ago: Triple Stumper, Daily Double, Rinse, Repeat
Three years ago: French Closed
Four years ago: Your burning Jeopardy! questions answered

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Andy here with the first recap of the week!

This week's contestants:
Manuel Bermudez - Modesto, CA (KXTV)
Simone Chavoor - Oakland, CA (KGO)
Julia Collins - Kenilworth, IL (WLS)
Maggie Davis - Indianapolis, IN (WTHR)
Dylan Gaillard - Omaha, NE (WOWT)
Wendy Hardenberg - New Haven, CT (WTNH)
Jeanne Kaiser - Springfield, MA (WWLP)
FeiFei Jiang - Olathe, KS (KSHB)
Steve Martinez - Fairfax, VA (WJLA)
Sami Siegelbaum - Chicago, IL (WLS)
Matt Weldy - Grand Prairie, TX (KTXA)

Today's players:
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J! round categories:
WHAT'S COOKING?
IMPRESSIVE SPORTS RECORDS
AUTHORS' RHYME TIME
BIG STUFF
"BOARD" WALK
EMPIRE

Julia went straight into WHAT'S COOKING and went 4/5; another 3/5 in RHYME TIME and 2/5 in EMPIRE meant she had a huge lead after 15 clues! Scores at the first break:

Julia $5,600
Simone -$200
Steve -$200

Interesting, Steve's daughter was on Jeopardy, in 2012! His daughter's was a Kids Week show that coincided with the Board's Summer Hiatus Challenge that year, so we gave the show a very brief writeup.

Simone has taken up boxing; apparently, it's a good stress relief! She might need that after playing Julia!

Coming out of the break, the Daily Double was under BIG STUFF $1,000. Julia got to play it; the scores were:

Julia $6,800
Steve $1,400
Simone $800

Julia bet $2,400. Her clue: The world's largest building by volume is this company's 472 million-cubic-foot factory on Everett, Wash.. Her correct response put her at $9,200!

A disappointing Triple Stumper (SPORTS RECORDS $800): To match his major league pitching wins, you'd have to win 25 games a year for 20 years...& you'd still be 11 short

At the end of SPORTS RECORDS, played last, the scores were:

Julia $9,600
Steve $3,200
Simone $800

DJ! round categories:
MAUI? WOWIE!
ADJECTIVES
SUPER-HEAR-O
ALL GONE
MISTER "E" CATEGORY
THE ATLANTIC

ALL GONE $1600 was the fourth clue played. It was the Daily Double; Julia had correctly responded to the first three in the category, meaning that scores were:

Julia $12,000
Steve $3,200
Simone $800

Julia bet $3,000. Her clue: The wolf named for these islands wasn't around for the 1982 war; it was hunted to extinction a century before. Another correct response put her at $15,000!

THE ATLANTIC $800 had the other Daily Double. This one was Simone's! Scores:

Julia $25,400
Steve $6,800
Simone $4,000

I know what I'd do here. Simone did not take that route. She bet $2,200.

Here's why I would have made it a True Daily Double:
1) It's an $800 clue. Those are generally easier Daily Doubles.
2) Simone is well behind. She needs to get to half of Julia to have any hope.
3) The number of "Battle of Decades" players who speak happily of being able to say "Let's make it a True Daily Double", make me think that more people should take that opportunity. YOLO, as it were!

Her clue: In 1933 she wrote about what she'd look at if she had sight for 3 days: Rembrandts, Fifth Avenue, the face of her dog Helga.... Her correct response put her at $6,200.

Needless to say, Julia broke $30,000 before the final category, Maui, was even played. Going into Final, the scores were:

Julia $31,400
Steve $9,200
Simone $6,600

FJ! category: TITLE MOVIE ROLES

FJ! clue: In 1984, in the first of the films featuring this character, he only has 21 lines, for a total of 133 words

Simone 6600 - 5500 = 1100
Steve 9200 + 5800 = 15000
Julia 31400 - 8600 = 22800

I'll be back.

Tomorrow.

With another recap.

See you then!

ToC update:
1. John Pearson (November 2013 Teacher's Champion)
2. Jim Coury (May 2013 College Champion)
3. Terry O'Shea (February 2014 College Champion)
4. Julia Collins $337,700 (16 wins)
5. Arthur Chu $297,200 (11 wins)
6. Ben Ingram $176,534 (8 wins)
7. Drew Horwood $138,100 (8 wins)
8. Jared Hall $181,001 (6 wins)
9. Sandie Baker $140,200 (6 wins)
10. Andrew Moore $137,803 (6 wins)
11. Jerry Slowik $121,800 (5 wins)
12. Joshua Brakhage $103,205 (5 wins)
13. Rebecca Rider $101,600 (5 wins)
14. Sarah McNitt $89,398 (5 wins)
15. Rani Peffer $68,701 (5 wins)
---
16. Mark Japinga $112,600 (4 wins)
17. Mike Lewis $102,800 (4 wins)
18. Carlos Ross $89,774 (3 wins)
19. Adam Holquist $76,299 (3 wins)
20. Sara Garnett $75,403 (3 wins)
21. Salvo Candela $66,195 (3 wins)
22. Neal Pollack $60,798 (3 wins)
23. John Anneken $60,112 (3 wins)
24. Tim Anderson $56,001 (3 wins)
25. Stuart Anderson $51,601 (3 wins)
26. Bill Tolany $44,200 (3 wins)

Andy here with another recap as Julia Collins tries for win #17!

Before I start, I should give a shout-out to Martingrove CI, who this past weekend, won the 2014 national championship at the Canadian high school quiz Reach For The Top! Congratulations!

Today's contestants:
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Dylan's from Omaha; I know who Jeanie will be cheering for!

J! round categories:
BARBARA WALTERS
MOVIES INSPIRED BY LITERATURE
LUCKY 13
THOSE ARE MY INITIALS, TOO
THE PENTAGON
"STR"8 TALK

INITIALS went quite well for Julia...she had $3,000 by the end of it! In the midst of a Blue Jays-like hot streak on the buzzer for her, MOVIES INSPIRED BY LITERATURE $400 had the opening Daily Double! Scores were:

Julia $3,200
Dylan $0
Jeanne $-600

Julia went for all $3,200. Her clue: 2010's "Easy A" re-imagined this decidedly unfunny 1850 novel as a comedy. About two seconds after the clue finished, Julia's score sat at $6,400.

Dylan did go 2/5 in LUCKY 13. The opening segment was all Julia, though.

Scores at the first break:
Julia $10,200
Dylan $1,000
Jeanne $0

Another "How did you meet your spouse" story...Dylan met his wife because she was a teller at his bank!

Julia had so much anxiety regarding the "awkward interview" phase of the program that she almost didn't want to go on Jeopardy! because of it!

Coming out of the break, our challengers did a little bit better! I did not know the fact mentioned in this clue (BARBARA WALTERS $800: After a rare 1977 interview with this leader of a communist island, he made Barbara grilled cheese sandwiches).

After 30, scores were:
Julia $13,600
Dylan $1,400
Jeanne $1,200

DJ! round categories:
PLASTIC
VISA
MASTER CARD
AMERICAN EXPRESS
DISCOVER
DINERS CLUB

VISA $1,600 had the first Daily Double; Dylan got to play it, with scores at:

Julia $13,200
Dylan $3,400
Jeanne -$400

Dylan went for $3,400. His clue: A visa to Saudi Arabia for this purpose only covers travel in the vicinities of Mecca, Medina, & Jiddah. Dylan could only come up with "religious purposes" (his lack of phrasing aside) and he fell to $0. Props for going for it, though!

Julia woke up after this and then found the final Daily Double, under DISCOVER $1,200. Scores:

Julia $14,400
Dylan $0
Jeanne $-400

Julia bet $4,000. Her clue: The first fossil recognized as a human ancestor was a skull found near Dusseldorf belonging to this prehistoric man. Julia was really unsure of herself...but she came up with the correct response! Her score went to $18,400!

Dylan managed to get out of the red, also keeping Julia from running AMERICAN EXPRESS; the minute-to-go signal came with 7 clues to play! We did not get time to play the final $2,000 clue in PLASTIC, but the scores were:

Julia $28,400
Dylan $4,400
Jeanne -$2,000

I'm going to invoke Ken Jennings here, because frankly, I haven't seen such consistent domination since Mr. Jennings!

FJ! category: 20th CENTURY PLAY TITLES

FJ! clue: This play's title comes from the name of the Greek king said to have carved a statue of a woman & fallen in love with it

Dylan 4400 - 10 = 4390
Julia 28400 + 6600 = 35000

We'll be back tomorrow for game #18!

ToC update:

1. John Pearson (November 2013 Teacher's Champion)
2. Jim Coury (May 2013 College Champion)
3. Terry O'Shea (February 2014 College Champion)
4. Julia Collins $372,700 (17 wins)
5. Arthur Chu $297,200 (11 wins)
6. Ben Ingram $176,534 (8 wins)
7. Drew Horwood $138,100 (8 wins)
8. Jared Hall $181,001 (6 wins)
9. Sandie Baker $140,200 (6 wins)
10. Andrew Moore $137,803 (6 wins)
11. Jerry Slowik $121,800 (5 wins)
12. Joshua Brakhage $103,205 (5 wins)
13. Rebecca Rider $101,600 (5 wins)
14. Sarah McNitt $89,398 (5 wins)
15. Rani Peffer $68,701 (5 wins)
---
16. Mark Japinga $112,600 (4 wins)
17. Mike Lewis $102,800 (4 wins)
18. Carlos Ross $89,774 (3 wins)
19. Adam Holquist $76,299 (3 wins)
20. Sara Garnett $75,403 (3 wins)
21. Salvo Candela $66,195 (3 wins)
22. Neal Pollack $60,798 (3 wins)
23. John Anneken $60,112 (3 wins)
24. Tim Anderson $56,001 (3 wins)
25. Stuart Anderson $51,601 (3 wins)
26. Bill Tolany $44,200 (3 wins)

Andy here as Julia Collins' run continues!

Some of my readers want me to write more controversial things here. It's a tough call for me on that one, to be honest! After all, it is incredibly difficult to get on Jeopardy!, and nobody who gets onto the show could be considered stupid by any means whatsoever!

Today's contestants:
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J! round categories:
PIN THE TALE ON THE DONKEY
DOUBLE DOUBLE VOWELS
OOO, SORRY
ASIAN HISTORY
GROUPIES
WE'RE WITH "THE" BAND

Julia didn't get off to as hot of a start in this round; Manuel got the most amount of money in the first category, WE'RE WITH "THE" BAND. A surprising Triple Stumper early, under GROUPIES $200 (Continuing the work of the G8, this organization met for the first time in December 1999).

The last clue before the break also surprised me Triple Stumper-wise (OOO SORRY, $600): In 1998 the German parliament formally said "We're sorry" for the 1937 bombing of this Basque "Holy City".

Scores after 15:
Julia $3,400
Manuel $1,600
Maggie $1,600

Maggie is part of a Celtic rock band known as Mother Grove!

Julia admitted that she was unemployed -- Alex suggested that she wait a bit before trying to find a job, especially because she's won nearly $400,000! Think of the taxes!

Back to the game, our two challengers had a good time on the buzzer, but it was Julia who played the first Daily Double under DONKEY $600! It was the 28th clue of the round. Scores:

Julia $5,000
Manuel $4,800
Maggie $2,600

Julia bet $1,200. Her clue: Not quite Rocinante, the mount used by this character is a brown donkey. She said the same thing I did -- giving the main character's name, not the squire -- and she fell to $3,800.

Manuel and Maggie also took negs en route to the turn, leading to scores after 30 of:

Manuel $4,000
Julia $3,800
Maggie $2,400

DJ! round categories:
GOVERNMENT & POLITICS
BIBLICAL NEXT OF KIN
MLB TEAMS EN FRANCAIS
STATES ENDING IN "IA"
NEW WORDS & PHRASES
LOS ALAMOS

As evidence of how good Julia is on the buzzer: She went 6/6 on the $400 clues!

MLB TEAMS EN FRANCAIS were difficult! I only went 3/5!

Maggie, when she did have control, did try some Daily Double hunting. The problem is, she didn't get enough luck on the buzzer in order to get control enough! The first Daily Double was the 18th clue of the round, found under NEW WORDS & PHRASES $1600. Manuel got to play it with scores at:

Julia $12,200
Manuel $6,400
Maggie $2,000

Manuel bet just $3,000. You're not going to beat Julia Collins without going for it at this point. Ugh.

His clue: Get in touch with this, defined by Random House as "the juvenile aspect of a person's psyche". His correct response put him at $9,400.

The trivia gods disapproved. Manuel did not ring in for the rest of the game. Maggie had some bad luck in the LOS ALAMOS category, being unable to name Curiosity as the 2012 Mars rover (she was asked to be more specific on "Mars Rover").

A few Triple Stumpers on the way to the house, but we did get through all 30!

That means there's one more Daily Double to play! Julia got to play it, under LOS ALAMOS $2000! Scores:

Julia $16,600
Manuel $9,400
Maggie $800

Julia bet $2,300. Her clue: The lab's 3D visualization theater uses 33 digital projectors to study complex physical systems. For example, the asteroid impact that created the Chicxulub crater on this peninsula, leading to the extinction of the dinosaurs.. Julia gave a correct response putting her at $18,900 -- and into a lock position by $100 with one clue to play!
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The final $2,000 clue (BIBLICAL NEXT OF KIN): Brother of Shem & Ham, son of Noah. It fell for a Triple Stumper. Manuel didn't even take a guess.

And that's why Julia has won 18 games now. Because she plays the game that much better than her opponents do.

Scores going into Final:
Julia $18,900
Manuel $9,400
Maggie $800

FJ! category: OPERA

FJ! clue: In a bit of foreshadowing, the title character's dad has committed suicide before the action of this 1904 opera

Maggie 800 - 0 = 800
Manuel 9400 + 5000 = 14400
Julia 18900 + 0 = 18900 (18-day champion, $391,600)

Jeanie will have the recap as she goes for #19 -- a win which will tie David Madden for second all time if she gets it!

ToC update:

1. John Pearson (November 2013 Teacher's Champion)
2. Jim Coury (May 2013 College Champion)
3. Terry O'Shea (February 2014 College Champion)
4. Julia Collins $391,600 (18 wins)
5. Arthur Chu $297,200 (11 wins)
6. Ben Ingram $176,534 (8 wins)
7. Drew Horwood $138,100 (8 wins)
8. Jared Hall $181,001 (6 wins)
9. Sandie Baker $140,200 (6 wins)
10. Andrew Moore $137,803 (6 wins)
11. Jerry Slowik $121,800 (5 wins)
12. Joshua Brakhage $103,205 (5 wins)
13. Rebecca Rider $101,600 (5 wins)
14. Sarah McNitt $89,398 (5 wins)
15. Rani Peffer $68,701 (5 wins)
---
16. Mark Japinga $112,600 (4 wins)
17. Mike Lewis $102,800 (4 wins)
18. Carlos Ross $89,774 (3 wins)
19. Adam Holquist $76,299 (3 wins)
20. Sara Garnett $75,403 (3 wins)
21. Salvo Candela $66,195 (3 wins)
22. Neal Pollack $60,798 (3 wins)
23. John Anneken $60,112 (3 wins)
24. Tim Anderson $56,001 (3 wins)
25. Stuart Anderson $51,601 (3 wins)
26. Bill Tolany $44,200 (3 wins)

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Andy and I were interviewed for this vulture.com article, as was Stephanie Jass and Keith from The Final Wager. I didn't know til I saw this tweet of Keith's that I wasn't quoted!

.@SteveFriess on women's domination on #Jeopardy, featuring @JeopardyJulia, @rkdgal, @andythequizzer, and yours truly http://t.co/839DWedxm2
— The Final Wager (@TheFinalWager) May 29, 2014

And I had pleaded with Andy to do the interview with me! Geez. I guess if we get some traffic I'll call it good.
My Coryat on the weekend rerun was 22200 (27600 without negs). The episode originally aired 3-29-13. The first time I played, my Coryat was 14200 (22800 without negs).
Did Trebek seem strangely subdued today?
Julia found the Daily Double of the round in On the Old Map.
Julia Collins 1200 (3 right)
Matt Weldy 1000 (2 right)
FeiFei Jiang -600 (2 wrong)
Julia wagered everything but didn't say the words "true Daily Double"! This was the clue: "In the 1939 Britannica Book of the Year, this entry says the king is Ananda Mahidol & a chief town in Bangkok." I thought this was a dirty trick, and Julia fell for it too.
How weird does this look at the end of the first segment?:
Julia 600 (2 right and one wrong)
Matt 4200 (5 right)
FeiFei -600
Were you surprised too this was a triple-stumper in Ends in "SS"? And I don't watch golf: "Golfers know it means to lay the club behind the ball in preparation to hit it, not mail it."
FeiFei made a bit of a comeback before the round ended:
Julia 4200 (6 right)
Matt 4400 (3 right and 2 wrong)
FeiFei 2200 (4 right)
Time for a surprising triple-stumper, this time in Suffixes: "Meaning 'pain,'it can follow neur- as well as nost-." And yes, of course I got it before FeiFei negged on it. I was a little surprised that neg wasn't overturned later.
Julia found the first Daily Double of Double Jeopardy in I Won That State in the Presidential Election.
Julia 11400 (7 right)
Matt 5200 (3 right)
FeiFei 2200 (One right and 2 wrong)
Julia wagered 1400 on this clue: "Arkansas in 1968: This third party candidate." She got it right! By the time she found the next Daily Double in Old British Coins, she was looking like her usual self.
Julia 18800 (5 right)
Matt 5600 (One right)
FeiFei 4600 (2 right)
This time Julia wagered 1200. Mr. Trebek waited til after she wagered but before he read the clue to say there was less than a minute left! Why bother? This was the clue: "Floral emblem 1-pound coins feature a daffodil for Wales, a thistle for Scotland & this for England." She got it right.
So at the end of the round (and we did see all the clues):
Julia 23200 (2 right)
Matt 4000 (One wrong)
FeiFei 5000 (One wrong and one right)
Matt and FeiFei had negged on the same clue, and Julia picked it up! Ouch!
The Final Jeopardy category was Fruit. This was the clue: "It's the only commercially important edible fruit of the bromeliad family." Matt was right and added 3500 to his score! FeiFei was wrong and lost 3000. Julia was wrong! She lost 4800.
I stopped tracking my Coryat today because there was a 1000 clue left on my app that I couldn't account for. I didn't want to go back and see what it was.

ToC update:

1. John Pearson (November 2013 Teacher's Champion)
2. Jim Coury (May 2013 College Champion)
3. Terry O'Shea (February 2014 College Champion)
4. Julia Collins $410,000 (19 wins)
5. Arthur Chu $297,200 (11 wins)
6. Ben Ingram $176,534 (8 wins)
7. Drew Horwood $138,100 (8 wins)
8. Jared Hall $181,001 (6 wins)
9. Sandie Baker $140,200 (6 wins)
10. Andrew Moore $137,803 (6 wins)
11. Jerry Slowik $121,800 (5 wins)
12. Joshua Brakhage $103,205 (5 wins)
13. Rebecca Rider $101,600 (5 wins)
14. Sarah McNitt $89,398 (5 wins)
15. Rani Peffer $68,701 (5 wins)
---
16. Mark Japinga $112,600 (4 wins)
17. Mike Lewis $102,800 (4 wins)
18. Carlos Ross $89,774 (3 wins)
19. Adam Holquist $76,299 (3 wins)
20. Sara Garnett $75,403 (3 wins)
21. Salvo Candela $66,195 (3 wins)
22. Neal Pollack $60,798 (3 wins)
23. John Anneken $60,112 (3 wins)
24. Tim Anderson $56,001 (3 wins)
25. Stuart Anderson $51,601 (3 wins)
26. Bill Tolany $44,200 (3 wins)

One year ago: Let's Recap Two!
Two years ago: One of these things is not like the other
Three years ago: [untitled]
Four years ago: "The Sound of Silence," for real this time

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So will Julia Collins beat David Madden's 19-day record today? I think so, but let's find out.
Mr. Trebek griped about not having anything else to ask Julia. He's just not in touch with what people want to know. The material doesn't run out! Actually I was hoping today Julia would ask Trebek what he had for breakfast this morning, like Ken Jennings famously did in a similar situation.
I counted this first one right even though I technically didn't respond. (I would have if I'd known Sami Siegelbaum's response was enough.) The category was The Rodin Museum: "For 37 years, Rodin worked on 'The Gates of Hell,' adding and removing figures. The subject matter of the doors is based on this epic poem by Dante." By the way, were you disappointed that Trebek wore a sweatshirt in these clues? He couldn't be bothered to even be presentable?
I swept Single-Named Singers' Hits.
At the first break I was surprised Julia had such a big lead when I watched the first time through. It seemed like Sami was dominant, maybe because he answered the first two.
Julia 5600 (9 right)
Sami 2400 (5 right and one wrong)
Wendy Hardenberg -600 (2 right and one wrong)
Julia found the Daily Double of the round in The Roaring 20s.
Julia 6800 (2 right)
Sami 2400
Wendy -600
Julia wagered 1800. Does this mean she expected to miss it, to make an even 5000? This was the clue: "In May 1926 President Coolidge sent U.S. Marines into this nation to quell an uprising led by General Augusto Sandino." Even I thought this was Pavlovian, but Julia missed it.
I thought this triple-stumper in Talk Cleanly to Me was just as brainless: "Free from defects, or a playoff game-winning 'reception' in 1972."
Were you too surprised that the name in this correct response is considered a serial killer (in Poker)?: "It's hard to tell if pro Phil Laak is bluffing behind the shades & hood that earned him this serial killer nickname." But Wendy knew it.
At the end of the round, Julia had what she did at the first break!
Julia 6800 (3 right and one wrong)
Sami 3600 (3 right)
Wendy 1000 (2 right)
It wasn't til Sami found a Daily Double in The 28 Countries of NATO that I noticed what pretty eyes he has.
Julia 14400 (6 right)
Sami 4400 (3 right and 2 wrong)
Wendy 7000 (7 right and one wrong)
He wagered 2500 on this clue: "The one that's 99% Muslim." He got it, but I wish he'd wagered more!
Julia found the next Daily Double, and I have to admit I said "Oh, no."
Julia 15600 (One right)
Sami 8100 (2 right)
Wendy 7000
She wagered 2400. This time Trebek said before she wagered that there was less than a minute to go. This was the clue in Poetic Lines: "'10,000 eyes were on him as he rubbed his hands with dirt; 5,000 tongues applauded when he wiped them on his shirt.'" I got this easily, but Julia didn't know! Then she missed the next one! Wendy got the next one right, and it was the last clue. Two clues remained on the board.
Julia 11600
Sami 8100
Wendy 9000
The Final Jeopardy category was 19th Century Politics! Exciting! This is the clue: "A Senate seat from this southern state sat vacant for 4 years; when it was filled, its ex-occupant had become U.S. president." Why did Sami start writing so late? He only got 2 letters in and lost 7000. Wendy was right and added 7201. Julia was right and added 6500.

ToC update:

1. John Pearson (November 2013 Teacher's Champion)
2. Jim Coury (May 2013 College Champion)
3. Terry O'Shea (February 2014 College Champion)
4. Julia Collins $428,100 (20 wins)
5. Arthur Chu $297,200 (11 wins)
6. Ben Ingram $176,534 (8 wins)
7. Drew Horwood $138,100 (8 wins)
8. Jared Hall $181,001 (6 wins)
9. Sandie Baker $140,200 (6 wins)
10. Andrew Moore $137,803 (6 wins)
11. Jerry Slowik $121,800 (5 wins)
12. Joshua Brakhage $103,205 (5 wins)
13. Rebecca Rider $101,600 (5 wins)
14. Sarah McNitt $89,398 (5 wins)
15. Rani Peffer $68,701 (5 wins)
---
16. Mark Japinga $112,600 (4 wins)
17. Mike Lewis $102,800 (4 wins)
18. Carlos Ross $89,774 (3 wins)
19. Adam Holquist $76,299 (3 wins)
20. Sara Garnett $75,403 (3 wins)
21. Salvo Candela $66,195 (3 wins)
22. Neal Pollack $60,798 (3 wins)
23. John Anneken $60,112 (3 wins)
24. Tim Anderson $56,001 (3 wins)
25. Stuart Anderson $51,601 (3 wins)
26. Bill Tolany $44,200 (3 wins)

My Coryat today was 16800 (18600 without negs).

One year ago: The battle with Hastings
Two years ago: Murder on the Jeopardy! Express
Three years ago: It takes me so long just to figure out what I'm gonna wear
Four years ago: "The Sound of Silence," for real this time
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Unfortunately my DVR recorded some weird local show and not the weekend rerun. (Did you think I was gonna say it didn't record today's episode?) :-)
Here are the week's contestants:
Vince Balzano - Summit, NJ (WABC)
Peter Dyakowski - Hamilton, Ontario, Canada (CHCH)
Sarah Fremgen - Carrollton, TX (KTXA)
Kathy Haas - Haddonfield, NJ (WPVI)
Molly LaLonde - Nashville, TN (WUXP)
Stacy Layton - Boston, MA (WBZ)
Heather Powell - Schwenksville, PA (WPVI)
Guy Wilson - Leesburg, FL (WFTV)

Did Trebek really have to explain what a runaway is?
I read somewhere that Julia Collins has a degree in art history, so it's no surprise that she started in Historic People in Art. Too bad Debra Walsh negged on the first clue, but lucky Brian Loughnane picked it up! This next clue, in the same category, was one of many triple-stumpers I got today: "In the 1520s, this ex-priest was painted by his close friend Lucas Cranach the Elder." I did not rely on closed-captioning for the spelling of this one! In fact closed-captioning didn't even attempt it.

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Brian negged on it! Julia found the Daily Double of the round in the same category, eventually.
Julia 1800 (4 right and one wrong)
Debra -200 (2 right and 2 wrong)
Brian 1600 (4 right and one wrong)
Julia looked happy to wager it all on this clue: "A book of psalms from the 13th century shows the 12th century murder of this man."

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She got it! It was the last clue before the first break.
I didn't notice Brian had an accent til his interview, and then I thought it was affected for a joke. And Trebek is so desperate he asks Julia what she does in her spare time?
There were 9 clues left when Mr. Trebek gave the less-than-a-minute warning. Four clues were left covered.
Julia 9400 (8 right)
Debra 2000 (4 right)
Brian 1000 (2 right and 3 wrong)
How was this first clue, in India, a triple-stumper?: "Construction on this city designed by 2 British architects began in 1912 but was delayed during World War I." And this one was equally-surprising, in Easy Being Green: "The kinetic energy of this 4-letter phenomenon is estimated at 11 quadrillion kw-hours per year."
I cheered so much it probably affected subsequent clues, when I got this right in Didn't Make the Billboard Top 40: "At no. 76, this new wave band with 'I Melt with You.'" Thank you, Sirius XM. And this was a triple-stumper, in Word Origins?!: "This anglicized French word once meant 'hearthside' but now refers to a lobby or entrance hall." I'd kind of like to total the value of all these! The next clue was the Daily Double in the same category, and Julia got it.
Julia 14200 (6 right)
Debra 5200 (4 right)
Brian 4600 (3 right)
Julia wagered 3200 on this clue: "The Greek for 'sand tray' gives us the name of this counting device." Julia didn't get it, but I did. Brian found the next Daily Double in Easy Being Green, with 2 clues left on the board after that.
Julia 9400 (One right and one wrong)
Debra 5200
Brian 8600 (3 right)
Brian wagered on this clue: "This city's 1997 protocol limits emissions of carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide & other greenhouse gases." Brian knew it readily. He and Julia each got one more right before the end of the round.
Julia 11000
Debra 5200
Brian 12600
Is this the first time Julia hasn't been in first place going into the final? The category was Oscar-winning Writers, and this was the clue: "Winning for 1999, this New England writer is the last person to win an Oscar for adapting his own novel." Debra guessed the obvious but was wrong but lost nothing. Julia was wrong and wagered it all?! Brian's poker face! He was right and added 10000. Bravo, Brian.
How sweet that Jeopardy! was the first show Brian saw when he moved to the U.S.! A feel-good story for sure. I kinda want to track him down for a Q & A!
Does anyone know if this episode was taped on a Tuesday or Wednesday? I just wonder if Julia had to fly all the way back only to lose the first episode.
And the ToC list is unchanged! My Coryat was 20600 (22800 without negs).

One year ago: Friday Funday
Two years ago: The Burrito Man Cometh
Three years ago: Cheer up, Sleepy Jean
Four years ago: Conservative or liberal?

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If the shoe fits

This needs no introduction

Following Idina Menzel at Karaoke

Who'll Be The Final Nine?

The gold standard

Ruttering

No More Cheddar For Colby?

No more cheddar for Jeanie

You got to get up

Prizes Galore!

Will Jackson Be Happy Again?

Three strikes; Sirena's out

The madness of King George

Unlucky on "love"

Bet More, Because YOLO...

Lucky 17?

A More Controversial Andy?

How do you like them pineapples?

Don't it make your blue eyes...blue?!

I'll tell you what's gnu