The Jeopardy Fan

I feel so bad about not blogging as soon as I could, I want to apologize. That said I didn't watch the show first to track my Coryat. I couldn't have anyway - I'm not the least bit surprised my recording was chopped up due to severe weather warnings. (Both the kind that stop the recording and the kind where a weatherman cuts in.) Really, I saw few Double Jeopardy clues. If the game was archived at this moment I'd link to it. But I will give you what I can. And look at this picture I took on a little road trip I had. This is near Bassett, Nebraska.

Yesterday, of course, Brian Loughnane defeated Julia Collins. Is it just me or did Julia's run not seem near as long as Arthur Chu's? I really really hope Brian wins again today.

I was told Peter Dyakowski plays pro football in Canada, but he was introduced that way anyway!
At the first break:
Brian 4800 (7 right and one wrong)
Sarah Fremgen 1600 (5 right)
Peter 600 (One right)
Oh sure, I had to get a triple-stumper right that includes me getting up and taking a picture. In Alaska's Glaciers: "Wildlife flocks to the Glacier Bay inlet named for this Scottish-born naturalist, founder of the Sierra Club."

There were 7 clues left when Mr. Trebek gave the one-minute warning.
I also got this triple-stumper in Nice "Rug": "Lester Flatt & this banjo virtuoso performed the theme song for 'The Beverly Hillbillies.'"
Sarah found the Daily Double of the round in Founders Day.
Brian 7600 (6 right)
Sarah 2400 (3 right and 2 wrong)
Peter -1400 (2 wrong)
She wagered 1000 on this clue: "He didn't have the nicest things to say about Bill Gates in 'Idea Man: A Memoir by the cofounder of Microsoft.'" She was wrong, and it was the last clue of the round.
Since I knew I lost clues in Double Jeopardy due to those weather warnings, I didn't track who got how many right and wrong. I did manage to catch this clue in Grab Bag, a shocking triple-stumper: "Barry & Garry (Goldwater & Shandling, respectively) are alums of the University of this state." Then I guessed right on this one in the same category, but I doubt I'd have rung in: "In 1926 artist Walter Sickert won a Carnegie Prize (yay); in 2002 Patricia Cornwell said Walt was this serial killer (boo)." Same story with this one in Sun of a Book: "In the short story 'Nightfall,' by this prolific sci-fi writer, a planet with 6 suns goes dark."
At the end of the round:
Brian 13200
Sarah 11000
Peter 1200
The Final Jeopardy category was Colleges & Universities. Would you believe I don't have the whole clue for you? This is what I was able to make out on my screen, and the rest was covered by a weather graphic. I think this is a first. "Team nicknames of the 8 Ivy League schools include 4 animals, 3 colors &...." Peter was wrong and lost nothing. Sarah was right and added 10000. Brian was wrong and lost 9000. "We have a new champion," Mr. Trebek said!

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?

Andy here with another recap!

It's weird not to have Julia at the champion's lectern!

Today's players:

J! round categories:
WRAPPER'S DELIGHT
MICHIGAN ODDS & ENDS
WHAT KIND OF ANIMATED ANIMAL ARE YOU?
DIFFERS BY A LETTER
THAT'S ALL IN THE PAST
I'M A CHANGED MAN!

Once we got through the first clue (MICHIGAN $200: Appropriately, this type of public building in Grand Rapids is named after astronaut Roger B. Chaffee) that flummoxed our players, Sarah got off to a good start! She got to play the first Daily Double, under THAT'S ALL IN THE PAST $600! Scores:

Sarah $5,000
Heather $1,800
Guy -$200

She bet $2,000. Her clue: Paul Revere whipped up patriotic anger with his image of this bloody 1770 event.. Her correct response put her at $7,000 and the game to its first break!

Meanwhile, as I'm compiling this, Eugenie Bouchard is playing Maria Sharapova. Eugene just won the first set 6-4!

At Guy's wedding, the rings came in laced to the threads of a football!

Going back to the game, Sarah kept up her buzzer dominance; she broke into five figures with a category and a half still to play! At the end of 30, the scores were:

Sarah $11,000
Heather $3,800
Guy $2,000

DJ! round categories:
INTERNATIONAL ROAD VEHICLE STICKERS
THE THEATRE
1940s NEWSMAKERS
"ISM" QUEST
FOOD IN THE BIBLE
BODY LATIN

FOOD IN THE BIBLE $1200 had the first Daily Double, it was Guy's to play! Scores:

Sarah $11,800
Heather $4,600
Guy $3,200

Guy went for the True Daily Double! (I like this.) His clue: After the Israelites crossed into Canaan & other sustenance was available, this food stopped falling. His immediate correct response put him at $6,400 -- and he then got the $2,000 clue to go to $8,400!

The other Daily Double came under THEATRE $1200! This one was Heather's! Scores:

Sarah $11,800
Guy $8,400
Heather $5,000

Heather went for $3,500. Her clue: This magazine began in 1884 as a handout for David Belasco's "May Blossom". Her correct response put her at $8,500!

Sarah's strong performance in ROAD VEHICLE STICKERS, coupled with expensive negs from Guy and Heather in that category and THEATRE, respectively, kept her in a strong position!

Scores going into Final:

Sarah $19,400
Guy $15,200
Heather $8,900

FJ! category: THE BEATLES

FJ! clue: Of the Beatles' 20 U.S. No. 1 hits, this song has the shortest title

Heather 8900 + 8000 = 16900
Guy 15200 - 6200 = 9000
Sarah 19400 + 12000 = 31400

Sarah will make it onto our list with another win, but she'll need three more to make the Tournament of Champions!

We'll be back tomorrow with another recap!

Andy here with another recap!

Today's players:

J! round categories:
MYTHOLOGICAL WORDS & PHRASES
YOUNG MR. LINCOLN
MARKETING
SHEEP-POURI
IS THERE A TV DOCTOR IN THE HOUSE?
"G"EOGRAPHY

I found the following clue amusing (MYTH $800): The name of this handsome youth loved by Aphrodite is now a synonym for any handsome young man. Mainly because the same thing showed up at my own pub quiz on Wednesday!

At the first break, the scores were:
Sarah $3,400
Stacy $2,000
Molly $800

Molly's interview was rare in that it seemed to actually impress Trebek! I think it was because she mentioned enjoying the people and the pubs when travelling to Ireland!

Back to the game, the Daily Double came very late on, but it was Stacy's to play, under YOUNG MR. LINCOLN $800! Scores:

Sarah $4,600
Stacy $3,200
Molly $1,800

Stacy went for the True Daily Double (Good!). His clue: On May 7, 1833 this President appointed 24-year-old Abe the new Postmaster of New Salem, Illinois. His answer was "Millard Fillmore" (Not so good.) and he fell to $0.

A surprising Triple Stumper on the way to to the turn (SHEEP-POURRI $800): One of the first recordings of a human voice is of Edison reading this rhyme in 1877

One clue went unplayed; scores after the J! round:
Sarah $4,400
Molly $2,800
Stacy $1,600

DJ! round categories:
PUTTING THE HAM IN HAMLET
THE "BUL" PULPIT
PSYCHOLOGY
THE STATE OF FILM TODAY
HYMNS
HERRS

I was hoping the Hamlet category was going to have celebrity readings! But it was Trebek reading like a ham. Boo. where the questions were asking which character spoke the lines! That made it really easy, and Molly picked up on that when she found the Daily Double, under the $1200 clue!

Scores:
Molly $4,800
Sarah $4,400
Stacy $1,200

Molly went for the True Daily Double! Her clue: "No, my good Lord, but as you did command I did repel his letters, and denied his access to me". Her correct response doubled her score, up to $9,600!

Sarah did well in HYMNS and retook the lead at the bottom of it! The second Daily Double was under HERRS $1600. Sarah got to play it! Scores:

Sarah $14,400
Molly $10,800
Stacy $6,800

She bet $2,000. Her clue: This inventor whose name is still on tanks at fuel stations nearly died when an engine exploded on him in the 1890s. Sarah, surprisingly, had no answer, and her score fell to $12,400. I was shocked by the lack of even a guess on that clue.

It seemed to throw Sarah, as there was lots of forgetting the category on the way to the finish (giving non-states in titles of responses to THE STATE OF FILM TODAY).

Scores going into Final:
Molly $12,000
Sarah $11,200
Stacy $5,200

Keith pointed it out at his blog as well, but this is a betting scenario named "Faith Love", after the contestant of the same name!. Rationally, Stacy should bet everything, Sarah exactly $800, and Molly $0! I think both Keith and I were excited to see it!

FJ! category: 19th CENTURY U.S. HISTORY

FJ! clue: A dignitary at the dedication of this said it was "keeping watch and ward before the open gates of America"

Stacy 5200 + 5200 = 10400
Sarah 11200 + 5000 = 16200
Molly 12000 + 11000 = 23000

(I thought this was an easy clue. Alex seemed to think so too.)

In spite of the disappointing choice of bets by our top two players, it means that Molly is our new champion, She'll be back tomorrow!

Yesterday, Molly LaLonde won for the first time.

As someone who's experienced it (and is still suffering the consequences), this was a no-brainer in Romantic Cliches: "'Would you believe in'this sudden event? 'Yes, I'm certain that it happens all the time.'" I'm curious whether you "believe" in it, but I know it's real! This clue stumped 2 contestants! I don't get how this next one in the same category stumped all 3 contestants!: "Olden knights wore mementoes of their ladies pinned to their sleeves, not actual these as in the cliche." I was pleased that the next clue was the Daily Double, still in the same category.
Molly 1000 (4 right and 2 wrong)
Kathy Haas -600 (3 right and 3 wrong)
Vince Balzano -400 (4 right and 3 wrong)
Vince found it, and he wagered on this clue: "A 17th C. Frenchman wrote, 'Absence is to love as'this'is to fire; it extinguishes the small, it kindles the great." I love this quote, and I'm experiencing this right now too. Vince got it right, and it was the last clue before the first break. I was sorry to see this category end, and I didn't realize til later we still had He's So Man-"ley"! I love it, but the show's fueling my addiction!
The contestants turned there puny scores around by the end of the round.
Molly 2400 (4 right and one wrong)
Kathy 3400 (6 right)
Vince 2600 (4 right)
Ooh, Political Terms!! And heck, Pop Music! Why did Kathy leave the category for Science Stuff? Vince stayed with it too. Molly went back to it. Kathy sound found a Daily Double in Political Terms.
Molly 10400 (8 right and 2 wrong)
Kathy 9800 (7 right)
Vince 4600 (2 right)
Kathy wagered 3000 on this clue: "Term for anyone nominated for office by delegates from his or her own state as a sentimental gesture." She got it right!
The last clue of the round was the Daily Double, in Uncivil Wars. Vince got it.
Molly 13600 (2 right)
Kathy 11600 (2 right and 2 wrong)
Vince 7400 (4 right and one wrong)
Vince wagered 3000 on this clue: "At the Battle of Lake Trasimene during the second of these wars, Hannibal's forces slaughtered 15,000 Romans." Vince and I were right!
Trebek wanted to thank the contestants for a good game, and I want to thank the writers!
The Final Jeopardy category was 20th Century Americans. This is the clue: "In 1911 Glenn Curtis received this document number 1." Vince was wrong and lost 8000. Kathy was wrong and lost 9200. Molly was wrong too and lost 10000, but she still had the most money!
I hope you don't mind but I didn't feel like tracking my Coryat today.
Now speaking of romance, I'm gonna try a Janette Oke novel I got today at Goodwill. Don't judge me: I've never read them and I don't know what to expect!
One year ago: Negs over easy
Two years ago: Daily Doubles are but a few of the villains...
Three years ago: [untitled]
Four years ago: Lanky Lind-y

My Coryat for the weekend episode was 28400 (31600 without negs). The episode first aired on 4-2-13, and the first time I played, my Coryat was 33000 (36200 without negs). (Really?!)
Here are this week's contestants:
Jack Barry- Raleigh, NC (WTVD)
Katie Frank - Poway, CA (KNSD)
Heather Heffner - St. Louis, MO (KSDK)
Joe Keehnast - Chicago, IL (WLS)
Sari Laufer - New York, NY (WABC)
Whitney Marshall - Overland Park, KS (KSHB)
Darren O'Connor - Norfolk, VA (WVEC)
Shelby O'Neill - Austin, TXX (KXAN)
Yesterday, Molly LaLonde won for the third time. And no, we don't have a recap, but my Coryat was 21600 (26000 without negs). Why, by the way, didn't you guys have more to say on the Friday episode about love at first sight? I was eager to see that conversation! It's not too late, of course, to leave a comment on it here or there.
I was glad Molly started with 1990s Hitmakers. She only got one right but it was this impossible one: "It was 'good' listening to this New Orleans rock trio in 1995; no, it was more than good, it was..." I notice that was the first of many hopeless ones in this episode, but contestants got them!
Did anybody get this one right in Nevada?: "On Halloween 2014 Nevada celebrates this big anniversary of statehood." Molly and Jason negged on it, and so did I! Cindy Summers found the first Daily Double, in the category.
Molly 1200 (2 right and one wrong)
Cindy 1200 (2 right)
Jason Raffile 1200 (3 right and one wrong)
When Cindy wagered it all, I was thinking "Good for you," and then Mr. Trebek said it! Here's the clue: "In the 1960s he bought 6 Nevada hotels, a TV station & more than 1,000 mining claims." I breezily said what Cindy did, but it was wrong! I gave my response to this next clue just as breezily, and it was wrong too. Jason negged on it: "This elite USAF flying team took up residence at Nevada's Nellis Air Force base in 1956."
At the first break:
Molly 1400 (One right)
Cindy 1000 (One right)
Jason 600 (2 right and one wrong)
This last clue of the round was my first triple-stumper of many today, in Stamps: "A 1918 error produced the valuable 'inverted'this; a 2013 stamp has the plane upside down on purpose."
Molly 6600 (7 right)
Cindy 3600 (5 right and one wrong)
Jason 200 (3 right and 2 wrong)
I got this triple-stumper at the last second in TV & Movie Schools: "The historically black school of Hillman College was at the center of this spinoff sitcom."
Molly found the first Daily Double of the round in Poetic Women. These are the scores after one of Jason's earlier responses was negged:
Molly 11800 (4 right)
Cindy 2800 (One right and one wrong)
Jason 1000 (4 right and 2 wrong)
I think this is the point where I thought Molly was starting to look like Julia! She wagered 2000 on this clue: "She spent the last 14 years of her life with her husband at Casa Guidi in Italy." Molly missed this, but I got it right and didn't think it was very hard. And how was this next clue a triple-stumper, in the same category?: "This American's earliest poem, 'Awake ye muses nine, sing me a strain divine,' dates to Valentine week 1850."
I thought the first two in Switch the First & Last Letters were hard, but I got this triple-stumper: "...of a guided expedition & you get this thorough defeat." I got this triple-stumper later in African Countries by Capital: "Abuja."
Cindy negged on the second-to-last clue, putting her in the hole, when we knew the last clue was the other Daily Double. Why did she do that?? It's not like she needed it to catch Molly. Anyway the Daily Double was Molly's, in The Bonapartes.
Molly 15400
Cindy -800
Jason 200
Molly wagered 2000 on this clue: "Napoleon's brother-in-law Charles LeClerc died in 1802 in this New World country while trying to put down a revolt." Molly got it right!
The Final Jeopardy category was Scientists. This was the clue: "As a humorous tribute, as astronomical term equivalent to at least 4 billion has been named for him." I didn't try on this clue but I'd like to think I'd have gotten it right. It stumped Jason and Molly! Jason wagered it all, but Mr. Trebek said he'd still come in second place. Molly wagered 2600, and she's added to the ToC list. It doesn't seem too far-fetched that tomorrow she could knock Rani Peffer off the list.
My Coryat today was 18200 (21400 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 $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. Molly LaLonde $53,300 (4 wins)
19. Carlos Ross $89,774 (3 wins)
20. Adam Holquist $76,299 (3 wins)
21. Sara Garnett $75,403 (3 wins)
22. Salvo Candela $66,195 (3 wins)
23. Neal Pollack $60,798 (3 wins)
24. John Anneken $60,112 (3 wins)
25. Tim Anderson $56,001 (3 wins)
26. Stuart Anderson $51,601 (3 wins)
27. Bill Tolany $44,200 (3 wins)

My Coryat today was 16800 (18600 without negs).

One year ago: Tim the Neologian
Two years ago: Q and A with Ernest Nino-Murcia
Three years ago: Hip and happening
Four years ago: "Let's Jeop It Up"

So I'm really curious whether Molly LaLonde will push Rani Peffer below the cut on the ToC list. Let's all find out.
I don't know why Molly waited til her fifth episode to pull out what must be the best shirt. Too bad the microphone sort of damages the look.
I got this triple-stumper in A Potpourri of History: "Vlad III (that's the Impaler) built the fortress of this Romanian city to try to hold back the Turks."
At the first break:
Molly 2000 (3 right)
Darren O'Connor 1600 (3 right)
Sari Laufer 3200 (6 right)
I got this triple-stumper in A "Ton" of Cities: "We hope you're on the right track to identify this city. Take a look."

The graphic at the bottom of the screen is covering the word "Kentucky."
The next clue was the Daily Double, and it was Sari's.
Molly 2000
Darren 1800 (One right)
Sari 3600 (One right)
The clue is, still in the same category: "This North Carolina city got its present name in 1913, & not for 2 brands of cigarettes." Sari wagered 1200, and she was right!
I got this triple-stumper on a wild guess, in Scandinavian First Names: "'Pippi Longstocking' author Lindgren."
At the end of the round:
Molly 4800 (4 right)
Darren 4800 (4 right)
Sari 5800 (One right)
Molly found the first Daily Double pretty quickly in The Hulk, Shakespeare Scholar.
Molly 6400 (2 right)
Darren 4800
Sari 6600 (One right)
Molly wagered 4000 on this clue: "Hulk relate to trust issues of this title guy, but calling his wife 'a strumpet' over line for Hulk! Wife is angel figure!" Molly was right! She soon found the next Daily Double too, in Famous Voices.
Molly 11200 (One right)
Darren 6000 (One right)
Sari 7800 (2 right)
She wagered 2000 on this clue: "In his 1988 autobiography, he dispelled the allergy rumor but said that he wasn't really fond of carrots." She and I were right.
Before I looked at the scores at the end of the round, I was thinking "Check Darren out"...but check 'em all out!
Molly 14000 (2 right)
Darren 22400 (10 right!)
Sari 15400 (7 right)
And I don't think there were any negs today!
This will be an interesting final. The category is Capital City Wordplay. This is the clue: "Ending in the same 2 letters, these 2 are capitals of a nation that covers a continent & of a nation reaching onto 2 continents." I didn't try and fast-forwarded the think time. Is it just me though or was this entirely gettable? Almost instantly in fact. No contestant had a complete response or even one city correct. Molly was wrong and she didn't lose anything! Sari was wrong too and lost 7001. :-( I liked her. Darren was wrong too and lost 8000. Oh, but he wins! Sorry, Molly.
I didn't track my Coryat today - I'm in a hurry because I'm leaving for Maine first thing in the morning. Have you been there? I've wanted to go there my whole life, and thought it would be a good someday-honeymoon destination. Now that I'm going, though, I'll consider Seattle!

One year ago: Winning one for the Nipper
Two years ago: A Pentecost-ly mistake
Three years ago: Hip and happening
Four years ago: Go Figure

Andy here on recap duty from Thursday's Jeopardy!

Today's players:

After Darren got lucky in Final yesterday, will he get lucky again today?

J! round categories:
THE MONTANAS, JOE & HELENA
POLITICIAN AUTHORS
OTHER LINES TO SING THE KIDS
ENDS WITH DOUBLE LETTERS
ANCIENT HISTORY
NOEL, COWARD

Darren did well to start the game, but both challengers had money by the time Katie found the Daily Double, under POLITICIAN AUTHORS $800. Scores:

Darren $2,000
Katie $1,000
Joe $1,000

Katie went for the True Daily Double. Her clue: In 2003 this onetime head of the State Department told her groundbreaking story in "Madame Secretary". Her correct response tied her with Darren!

By the time we finished ANCIENT HISTORY, POLITICIAN AUTHORS, and 4/5 in MONTANAS, the scores were:

Katie $3,600
Darren $1,000
Joe $800

Joe is a marathon runner who qualified for Boston -- by all of 47 seconds. Darren is restoring a Studebaker Avanti!

Coming back to the game, Katie did quite well over the final 16 clues. I'm surprised we got through all 30 considering the early break! Scores after 30:

Katie $8,000
Darren $2,800
Joe $1,000

DJ! round categories:
THE NATIONAL FILM REGISTRY
FINAL RESTING PLACES
MOUNTAINS
BIBLICAL REVELRY
SECURITY
______ IT

Both challengers did well in ______ IT, and Joe nearly caught up to Katie by the end of MOUNTAINS. However, it was our cop champion who found the Daily Double, under FINAL RESTING PLACES $1200. Scores:

Katie $10,000
Joe $7,000
Darren $3,600

Darren went for the True Daily Double. His clue: This author's ashes were buried under a large walnut tree in front of his office on Ventura Blvd. in Tarzana, California. "Tarzana" was the big clue, Darren picked up on it, and his score went to $7,200!

Darren went hunting for the final Daily Double in BIBLICAL REVELRY and found it under $1,200! Scores:

Katie $11,200
Darren $10,400
Joe $9,000

Darren just bet $2,000. His clue: In Judges 16 the Philistines have a wild party (their last) to mock this hero. His correct response put him at $12,400!

Given less than a minute to get through the final six clues, Darren went for the high valued clues first! It worked out for him, as he retook the lead! Scores going into Final:

Darren $16,000
Katie $15,200
Joe $9,000

FJ! category: CURRENT TELEVISION

FJ! clue: George Romero declined to direct a few episodes of this series, calling it "basically...just a soap opera"

Joe 9000 - 6400 = 2600
Katie 15200 + 15000 = 30200
Darren 16000 + 4000 = 20000

After yesterday, I could see that one coming a mile away! Katie's our champion and she'll play tomorrow!

Andy here, a day late, but recap in hand!

Friday's players:

J! round categories!
A PAGEANT OF ROYALTY
"O" YES
HISTORIC TV
U.S. FRANCHISES
LITERATURE
HAPPY HOLIDAY!

Katie did very well, going both 4/5 in HISTORIC TV and LITERATURE to start things off! However, it was Shelby who found the Daily Double, under U.S. FRANCHISES $600! Scores:

Katie $5,200
Shelby $600
Whitney $400

Shelby bet $1,000. Her clue: The sandwich generation loves this chain, now tops in number of U.S. restaurants. Her correct response put her at $1,600 and put the show at its first commercial break!

Shelby was named after her dad's favourite car, a 1968 Shelby Mustang!

HAPPY HOLIDAY!, for the most part, had holidays in other countries!

Katie kept her strong play up through the second half of the round, though Whitney had some buzzer timing that tried to keep things close. Katie was into five figures by the end of the round, though! Scores after 30:

Katie $10,600
Whitney $3,200
Shelby $1,600

DJ! round categories:
MY DINNER WITH ANDRE
SPOILER MOVIE TITLES
"CO"NCERNING SCIENCE
OPERA CHARACTERS
BOROUGH IN!
THESAURUS WORDS

After $2000 was a video clue, I was, well, concerned that the Daily Double under "CO"NCERNING SCIENCE $1600 would be a video clue as well! But it was not! However, Whitney got to play it, with scores at:

Katie $10,600
Whitney $5,600
Shelby $1,600

Whitney went for the True Daily Double! His clue: In an experiment, the people getting sugar pills instead of the drug being tested are this group. His correct response put him into the lead by $600!

Once we went back into "CO"NCERNING SCIENCE, I think Whitney ran the category, but because he'd switched out of it, he did not receive applause! (That's one reason to take categories and clues in order!) Armed with the confidence from the Daily Double, though, he went on quite a roll!

Meanwhile, while I lost count of the number of consecutive correct responses he had given, he did not get the $2,000 clue in MY DINNER WITH ANDRE! Katie got it, and having seized control, her selection of OPERA CHARACTERS $1200 gave her the final Daily Double! Scores:

Whitney $19,200
Katie $15,400
Shelby $3,200

Katie chose just $3,000. Her clue: While reading fortunes in a pack of cards, she sees death for herself & her lover Don Jose. Her correct response put her $800 off the lead!

Will Katie be left to regret her small wager, as a $5,000 wager would have given her the lead at the end of the round! Scores going into Final:

Whitney $20,000
Katie $18,400
Shelby $400

FJ! category: FOREIGN AFFAIRS

Prior to Final, Alex received the Guinness World Record as this is the 6829th episode of Jeopardy! that he has presented, breaking the world record! Alex thinks that Pat Sajak has the best shot of breaking the record!

FJ! clue: William Sullivan retired from the Foreign Service in 1979; he was the last U.S. ambassador to this country

Shelby 400 - 0 = 400
Katie 18400 - 10000 = 8400
Whitney 20000 - 16801 = 3199

Katie's 2-day total: $38,600! Looks like she lives another day thanks to being in second!

I didn't think that Final was particularly difficult, though! 1979 points one right in the direction of the hostage crisis, in my opinion at least!

We'll be back Monday with another recap!

Andy here to start off another week of recaps! No pictures today, though!

This week's contestants:
Katie Frank, Poway, CA
Stacy Gardner, Long Beach, CA
Brian Keele, Atlanta, GA
Alison Meermans, Lakewood, OH
Paige Ormiston, Norvolk, VA
Angie Rasmussen, Seattle, WA
Troy Senik, Westlake Village, CA
Peter Solderitsch, Havertown, PA
Andrea West, Columbia, SC
Andrew Winner, Spokane, WA
Desiree Zicko, Reading, MA

Today's players: Andrew Winner and Andrea West playing Katie Frank (who won $38,600 over 2 days at the end of last week!)

J! round categories:
FINISH THE TERRIBLE RHYME
THE 1950s
HEADLINES FROM THE ONION
ALAN RICKMAN ROLES
HONG KONG
PHOOEY

The following clue, HONG KONG $600, (Hong Kong is surrounded by this sea to the east, west & of course, "South") tripped up our champ; I think it confused Katie because "South" was already in the clue!

At the end of 15, the scores sat at:

Katie $2,800
Andrew $1,800
Andrea $400

Andrew was in South Africa working for an education charity when he got The Call!

Katie is a black belt in Kung Fu!

Getting back to the game, THE 1950s $600 had the Daily Double! Katie's to play, the scores were at:

Katie $3,400
Andrew $1,400
Andrea $400

Katie went for $1,000. Her clue: One guest said of their 1953 wedding in Newport, Rhode Island, it was "just like a coronation". Her correct response put her at $4,400!

A surprising Triple Stumper (at least for me) at the bottom of THE 1950s: Surprisingly, Dr. Joyce Brothers' knowledge of this sport earned her the top prize on "The $64,000 Question"

I wanted to groan after each one of the TERRIBLE RHYME clues. Here was a Triple Stumper at $800: "Prepare to meet thy god, o Israel" was not writ just to shame us / it is, however, right here now, from the Bible's book of...

Scores after 30:
Katie $7,200
Andrew $2,000
Andrea $1,400

DJ! round categories:
NOOSE MEN
BENS & JERRYS
CAPITALS AT STATEHOOD
BEAUTIFUL QUOTATIONS
DIALECTS
THE SECRET LIFE OF B's

CAPITALS AT STATEHOOD always seems to bring supposed know-it-alls out of the woodwork from people who haven't read the category properly! I chose not to hunt around the Internet for those today, though!

Andrea went hunting early! Her second selection, DIALECTS $1600, found the first Daily Double! Scores:

Katie $7,200
Andrea $2,600
Andrew $2,000

Andrea bet $2,000 -- and to that, I ask -- why are you hunting for it if you're not going to take full advantage of it?

Anyway, her clue: Rioplatense is a dialect of Spanish found in a small geographic area that includes these 2 South American capitals. Andrea was unable to come up with a correct response and she fell to $600.

Meanwhile, Katie didn't touch the buzzer over the first 11 clues, and Andrea's performance in CAPITALS AT STATEHOOD gave her the lead!

The final Daily Double was in the final category played, NOOSE MEN. Andrew painstakingly tried the $1600, $1200, and then $2000 clues. Unfortunately for him, Katie got the $2000 clue, went to $800 and found the final Daily Double. Sometimes you just get unlucky. Scores:

Katie $12,000
Andrea $11,800
Andrew $5,200

With only a $400 clue left, there are two viable options: $200 exactly, or something really big, big enough to try to put the game away here. Big of the "bet Andrea's score" big.

Katie picked $1,000. Nope. Her clue: Just before he was hanged on December 30, 2006, he mocked Shiite cleric Muqtada Al-Sadr. At least she got it correct. She moved to $13,000.

Andrew got the final $400 clue, making the scores going into Final:

Katie $13,000
Andrea $11,800
Andrew $5,600

FJ! category: WORD ORIGINS

FJ! clue: This noun meaning a secret plan comes from the Latin for "to breathe together"

Andrew 5600 + 3000 = 8600
Andrea 11800 + 10000 = 21800
Katie 13000 + 5000 = 18000

facepalm(n.) A gesture in which the palm of one’s hand is brought to one’s face as an expression of dismay, exasperation, embarrassment, etc.

I'd like these contestants from the last while to be my opponents when I get on the show. But Andrea West is the champion, and she'll be back tomorrow to defend!

Andy here with another recap!

Today's players:

J! round categories:
THE BODY SHOP
TRUE RELIGION
"LID"S
AS SEEN ON TV
RETURNS
AT THE MALL

Paige did quite well in "AT THE MALL", going 3/5, even though on her first pronounciation, her GNC sounded very close to GMC! At the end of the rightmost three categories, the scores were:

Paige $3,800
Andrea $3,200
Peter $1,200

Peter's door-to-door commute: Two and a half hours! (From Pennsylvania to Manhattan!)

Getting back to the game, Peter did quite well on the buzzer and tied Paige for the lead immediately before finding the Daily Double, under THE BODY SHOP $800! Scores:

Peter $4,400
Paige $4,400
Andrea $3,600

Peter picked $1,400 as his bet. Because of its inherent rhythm, the sinoatrial node is the specialized heart tissue known as the natural this. His correct response put him at $5,800!

Over the remaining six clues of the round, Paige re-took the lead (aided by a neg by Peter on TRUE RELIGION $1000: Now a saint, she founded the first free Catholic school for girls in America. He said "Drexel"; I guess the $1,000 on the neg was worth it for someone from Philly!)

Scores after 30:
Paige $5,800
Peter $4,800
Andrea $3,600

DJ! round categories:
THE BIG BUKOWSKI
NATIONAL HISTORIC SITES
THE NAME OF THE LAW
MOVIE TERMS
"I" AY AY!
SOLVE FOR x

I think Andrea was hoping to do better on MOVIE TERMS, but her two opponents beat her to the buzzer on all 5!

NATIONAL HISTORIC SITES $1600 had the first Daily Double, and Peter was rolling along quite nicely when he'd found it! Scores:

Peter $12,000
Paige $7,000
Andrea $3,600

Peter went conservative the first time. He picked $2,500 out of thin air this time! His clue: In South Dakota you can visit a launch facility for these Cold War missiles with a Revolutionary War name. It took him a while to think, and he came up with "Patriot missiles" to fall to $9,500.

This gave Paige her opening, and after she went 3/5 in I, she found the final Daily Double at the bottom of THE NAME OF THE LAW! Scores:

Peter $12,300
Paige $11,000
Andrea $3,600

Paige bet $3,000. Her clue: Named for an Illinois representative, 1910's White Slave Traffic Act is better known as this "act". Her immediate correct response put her at $14,000!

Our contestants saved SOLVE FOR x until last; they probably thought it was an algebra category! Once we got to the end of that, our scores going into Final were:

Paige $17,200
Peter $15,500
Andrea $4,800

FJ! category: 19th CENTURY NOVEL CHARACTERS

FJ! clue: His "spinal column was curved" ...the "head was between the shoulder-blades and...one leg was shorter than the other"

Andrea 4800 + 4798 = 9598
Peter 15500 - 7200 = 8300 (Peter's response looked like it could be ruled correct, but it was illegible and he knew it.)
Paige 17200 + 15000 = 32200

So Paige is our new champion; she'll return tomorrow, and Jeanie will have the recap! See you then!

This post needs no other introduction!
Judging by the sample questions on the Sports Jeopardy site, I'm in way over my head. It even took me a long time to commit to auditioning, after getting the invitation! It's even been a week already since I was notified. I wouldn't have applied if I hadn't gotten an e-mail addressed to former contestants, saying we were eligible. Now I see this for the golden opportunity it is. It's almost like the second chance I've been wanting.
I do know of two O'Brien's regulars who passed. When I asked one of them what women wore to the audition (since we are instructed to dress casually), I was told there were no women there, of 125 people! (And 24 people passed.) This makes me think the show will really want women. If anyone's got study suggestions or any other advice, I'd love to hear it. If you've had an audition already, I'd like to hear your story too. If you don't have Google+, you could tweet me or leave a comment on the blog's Facebook page. Also, please share this post far and wide!
For one thing: Does anyone know how I can add a device to Google Play? I'd like to download Sports Jeopardy but it's incompatible with my phone, and my Chromebook isn't listed as an option. For now I've checked books out at the library, but it doesn't seem very efficient. I'm also listening to only the sports channels on my satellite radio in my car. Like when I appeared on the original version of the show, I'll keep you up to date on my studying ups and downs.
As for this episode: Paige Ormiston won for the first time the day before.

I have this book in the stack to take back to Hastings bookstore, to trade for sports trivia books: "A memoir by this basketball coach covers her more than 1,000 NCAA victories, the most for any coach, male or female." The category was Current Autobiography. I probably read less than half of the book, but I'd been so excited to get my hands on it!
At the first break:
Paige 2600 (7 right)
Troy Senik 3400 (5 right)
Desiree Zicko 600 (2 right and one wrong)
Mr. Trebek mentioned the Jeopardy! think music in one of his interviews. I just heard it in The Amazing Spider-Man 2 last night! (I had to pick something, as I had a movie pass that expires today.) Later, there was this clue about an actor in the movie: "Double X marks the spot! Born Eric Bishop, this Oscar winner gave himself the last name of one of his favorite comedians." (The category was Celebrity Name Changes.)
Desiree found the Daily Double of the round in The Greek God or Goddess of....
Paige 1400 (2 wrong)
Troy 5800 (3 right)
Desiree 1800 (3 right)
Trebek did his increasingly famous trick of saying there was less than a minute to go, after the contestant wagered. Desiree wagered 800 on this clue: "Fertility, roads, thieves & absolutely, positively getting packages there overnight." Paige didn't have a response.
There were 3 clues left on the board at the end of the round.
Paige 1400
Troy 6200 (One right)
Desiree 2200 (2 right)
Okay okay okay, last week I was in the city this clue refers to in "Ban": "In 'King of the Road,' Roger Miller sang, 'Third boxcar midnight train, destination'this Maine city."
Troy found the first Daily Double of the round in History, on the Move.
Paige 4600 (5 right and one wrong)
Troy 14600 (9 right and 2 wrong)
Desiree 2600 (One right and one wrong)
Troy wagered 3000 on this clue: "The 2nd offensive by this offensive German lasted from January to July, 1942, with stops in Tobruk & Benghazi." He got it right!
He found the next Daily Double too, in Pulitzer Prize-Winning Plays. Mr. Trebek said it's like he's on cruise control!
Paige 7400 (4 right)
Troy 25200 (5 right)
Desiree 1800 (One wrong)
Troy wagered 500 on this clue: "This Wendy Wasserstein play follows the life of an art historian from high school through her 30s." Troy had "no earthly idea."
The last 2 clues, both 2000, were triple-stumpers! At the end of the round:
Paige 10200 (2 right)
Troy 24700
Desiree 1800
The Final Jeopardy category was Music in America. This is the clue: "Established by Congress in 1798, it's the oldest continuously active U.S. professional music ensemble." Desiree was wrong and lost 1700. Paige was right and added 5000. Troy was right too and added 4000. We'll see him tomorrow.
I did not track my Coryat today.

One year ago: "Time flies, doesn't it, folks?"
Two years ago: Everyone's a trivia critic?
Three years ago: Cue the theme to "The Twilight Zone"...
Four years ago: Philosopher King for a Day!

I had planned to wait until I could print scoresheets out before I started keeping track of my Coryat on paper, as opposed to with my app, so I could practice ringing in again. (I have a Sports Jeopardy! audition soon.) But I wanted to start tonight, so I made a grid by hand. Tonight I wish I hadn't tracked my Coryat at all, but more on that later.
How apropos that I'm practicing with a Red Sox pen my sister got me on a recent visit to Fenway Park. And this time, I'm ringing in with my index finger, since I've heard from at least two people that's the way to go. I'm also ringing in when I re-watch the show to blog. I know I'm getting ahead of myself but if I do pass the test, I'd better be ready.
My mom's helping by e-mailing 3 clues every day, and I've asked my sister if she will sit down and watch a football game with me so I can finally learn what the heck's going on.
By the way, I'm still hoping someone can tell me how to download an app to my Chromebook, since it's not listed as an option when I go to Google Play.
On to today's episode. Troy Senik won yesterday for the first time. Brian Keele found the first Daily Double today, in Places in Colorado.
Troy 2000 (3 right)
Brian 1000 (2 right)
Angie Rasmussen 1200 (3 right)
Brian wagered it all on this clue: "This city of 95,000 people is named for a New York Tribune editor." Brian and I missed it.
At the first break:
Troy 4600 (4 right)
Brian 0
Angie 1600 (One right)
Cue the painful negs for Brian. On review, though, Angie negged almost as often!
These contestants have apparently never looked at a Goodwill bookshelf, as this one in The Book of Mormons stumped all three of 'em: "Self-help author & guru Stephen Covey, who penned the highly successful '7 Habits of'this group of folks."
Two clues were left on the board at the end of the round.
Troy 6400 (5 right and 2 wrong)
Brian -400 (2 right and 5 wrong)
Angie 1200 (2 right and 3 wrong)
Brian came out guns blazing in Double Jeopardy though, going 4/5 in 80s Fashions. He looked like he knew the fifth one too, but Angie rang in ahead of him. Soon Brian found a Daily Double in Moviemakers.
Troy 8000 (3 right)
Brian 4400 (5 right)
Angie 3200 (One right)
Brian wagered 2000 on this clue: "O this director of 'Trainspotting'& 'Slumdog Millionaire,' the pipes, the pipes are calling." I said the same thing Brian did (wrong), but I phrased mine in the form of a question.
I counted this wrong in An Immodest Proposal, because it seemed like Trebek wanted the first name before counting it right and I didn't know it: "Imelda, you're a 1950s Manila beauty queen! Nice! But marry me& be my first lady (& you'll get shoes! Lots of shoes!)"
Angie found the next Daily Double in & Span "D_X". (Correct responses begin with D and end with X.)
Troy 10800 (3 right)
Brian 4400 (2 right)
Angie 5600 (3 right and one wrong)
Angie seemed to think she was a hero in wagering it all, but I'd have done the same thing. Here's the clue: "This 2-word term for a spiral shape dates to 1954." This is a snap but it took Angie a while, and then she didn't use proper phrasing at first!
Do you think they'd have accepted "30 Rock" in response to this clue in Put On Your Neon?: "The Rainbow Room on the 65th floor at this address is set to reopen in 2013; maybe Tina Fey will be up there." I counted mine.
At the end of the round:
Troy 16000 (4 right)
Brian 6400 (2 right)
Angie 15200 (3 right and one wrong)
The Final Jeopardy category was Business & Industry. This is the clue: "Founded in 1908, this big company was removed from the S&P 500 in 2009 after filing for bankruptcy but returned in 2013." Brian had it right! He added 6300. Angie was wrong and she lost 15000. Still "no guts, no glory"? Troy was wrong too, and he lost a whopping 15500. Trebek said "Great strategy. You faked them out." Ouchie! I hope now Brian fakes Trebek out too and wins at least 4 more.
So oh yeah, my Coryat? 14000, with 6000 in negs.

One year ago: "Time flies, doesn't it, folks?"
Two years ago: Everyone's a trivia critic?
Three years ago: Cue the theme to "The Twilight Zone"...
Four years ago: Philosopher King for a Day!

Andy here with Friday's recap!

Today's contestants:

J! round categories:
STARTS & ENDS WITH W
LANDMARKS
A WORLD OF CRAFTS, NO WAR
ON THE WHEATIES BOX
BREAKFAST
OF CHAMPIONS

Our champion got off to the best start, going 3/5 in LANDMARKS. However, Stacy managed to find her own mojo, getting 7 clues of her own by the first break! However, it was Brian who found the Daily Double, at the bottom of BREAKFAST! Scores:

Stacy $4,400
Brian $2,400
Alison $600

Brian bet $1,200. His clue: Patrick Towle honored Abraham Lincoln's humble beginnings with the name of this syrup. His correct response put him at $3,600 and the game at its first break!

When playing "two truths and a lie" Brian chose "I once met Alex Trebek in an elevator" as his lie. It worked!

I'm proud to say I got WHEATIES $400 (1977: this decathlete & celebrity dad) off the first part and not the second!

On WHEATIES $1000 (1959: this swimmer & star of movies like "Million Dollar Mermaid"); Brian tried to defend his answer of Johnny Weissmuller as "close"; Alex had none of it!

By the end of J! round, the scores were:
Brian $6,000
Alison $5,000
Stacy $4,400

DJ! round categories:
STICK IT
LITERARY SHIPPING
DETROIT ROCK CITY
WHAT AN ARTIST DIES IN ME!
COLORFUL WORDS & PHRASES
THE ONLY PRESIDENT WHO...

There was no interest in Daily Double hunting in this round! The first Daily Double went Alison's way, under PRESIDENT $1600! Scores:

Brian $10,400
Alison $9,000
Stacy $6,800

Alison bet $2,000. Her clue: ...is interred in Washington, D.C. (at Washington National Cathedral). She went for John Adams and fell to $7,000.

Stacy got to the final Daily Double, under LITERARY SHIPPING $1600! Scores:

Brian $11,200
Alison $11,000
Stacy $8,000

Stacy bet $1,000. Facepalm. Her clue: In a C.S. Forester novel, Charlie Allnutt pilots this title craft on the Ulanga River. She drew a blank and fell to $7,000.

Over the final 5 clues, Brian picked up $4,000 (to Alison's $400) to get a bit of a lead going into Final!

Scores going into Final:

Brian $15,200
Alison $11,400
Stacy $8,600

FJ! category: DOGS & GEOGRAPHY

FJ! clue: In 2001 the names of these 2 breeds came together in the new official name of a Canadian province

Stacy 8600 - 0 = 8600
Alison 11400 + 7000 = 18400
Brian 15200 - 7800 = 7400

Alex joked at Brian's response "I just bought a Nuna; $1500!"

Alison's our new champ; she'll be back Monday to defend!

Andy here with a recap! (Thanks to Keith for providing us with the screenshots)

Today's players:

It sounded to Alex like Alison was introduced as a "funraiser", not "fundraiser"!

J! round categories:
QUOTH THE CELEBRITY
MEDICINE
ALPHABETICALLY LAST
OFFICIAL STATE STUFF
LITERARY POTENT POTABLES
L _ _ S

Alex's hearing must be going. He had to ask Michele to repeat an answer early on!

OFFICIAL STATE STUFF $600 comes as no surprise: The envelope please: Nebraska's state soft drink is this kiddie favorite invented in the state in 1927. If I ever get close to being on the show, I'm going to get Jeanie to quiz me on All Things Nebraska.

At the first break, the scores were:
Michele $3,600
James $2,400
Alison $2,200

Alison's husband wants to compete in the World Wife-Carrying Championships in Finland! (As soon as Alex finished his intro, though, I just had a feeling that the interview was going in that direction!)

Coming out of the interviews, the Daily Double came at ALPHABETICALLY LAST $1000! Michelle's to play, the scores were:

Michele $6,000
James $3,800
Alison $2,200

Michele bet $1,000. Her clue: ...of the 12 apostles. Michele went for Peter and fell to $5,000.

At the end of the round, the scores:
Michele $4,400
James $4,200
Alison $3,200

DJ! round categories:
WINGED THINGS
19TH CENTURY AMERICA
WE ALL HAVE NEEDS
IN TV'S SUPPORTING CAST
I AM FROM ROMANIA
YOUR IDIOMS CONFUSE ME

WINGED THINGS $1600 had the first Daily Double. Michele got to play this one too! Scores:

Michele $6,400
James $5,000
Alison $3,200

Michele bet $1,000. Her clue: The name of these winged women is from the Old Norse for "choosers of the slain". Her correct response put her at $7,400!

19TH CENTURY AMERICA $1200 had the second one and James picked that close shortly after the first one came out! Scores:

Michele $7,400
James $6,200
Alison $3,200

James bet $2,200. His clue: In 1847 Marines stormed & secured Chapultepec Castle in this world capital. His correct response put him at $8,400!

The minute-to-go signal came with 5 clues remaining! They did not get to the final clue at the bottom of IDIOMS, though! Scores going into Final:

James $15,200
Michele $12,600
Alison $10,400

FJ! category: BROADWAY

FJ! clue: In 2013 this musical based on a movie became the first show to gross $1 billion on Broadway

Alison 10400 + 4800 = 15200
Michele 12600 - 12600 = 0
James 15200 - 10000 = 5200

Look what Bill MacDonald told me about:

This is the same speech I referred to before where Mr. Trebek dropped all kinds of cuss words. You can see me posing with Brad Rutter at 1:11.
I know passing the Sports Jeopardy test is wayyyyyy more important than the clothes, but I thought about it a little more today since I was at the mall. Keeping in mind that people auditioning are supposed to dress casually, I think I had a good idea: a romper? (Sorry, apparently I can't copy and paste the picture.) Does anyone know where else sells rompers, where I could also try them on?
I've started making flashcards:

The more I write though, the more I wonder how I'll remember all this anyway! And even though I came across something tonight that came up in tonight's show, what I studied didn't help me come up with a correct response.
Here are the remaining contestants for the week:
Michele Consoli - Clifton, NJ (WABC)
Sunil Hari - West Chester, OH (WXIX)
Alana Norton - Woodbury, MN (KARE)
Jill Rowley - Baltimore, MD (WBFF)
Ari Voukydis - Los Angeles, CA (KABC)
Patti Youngblood - Copper Canyon, TX (KTXA)
Jesse Yu - Staten Island, NY (WABC)

Alison Meermans

Jennifer Blanton

Chris Gullo

My sweet little sister watched the show with me tonight! What a champ. She even hung around while I blogged!
Here's the clue I was talking about above, in Colorful Sports: "Sun Life Stadium in Florida is home to the Miami Dolphins & this college bowl game." I guess we forgot the category!
At the first break:
Alison 3200 (8 right)
Chris 800 (One right)
Jennifer 4200 (5 right)
Can one really say "the biggest wig"? I don't think so.
My sister and I both guessed right on this, having smelled the stuff ourselves (in Will You Still Feed Me?): "'Why don't you dance with me? I'm not no'this cheese described as 'devastatingly odorous.'"
Alison found the Daily Double of the round. It was the second-to-last clue. The category is Econ 101.
Alison 5800 (4 right)
Chris 3400 (6 right and one wrong)
Jennifer 4800 (2 right)
Alison wagered just 500 on this clue: "In 1778, after detailing the 'invisible hand' guiding commerce, he became a commissioner of customs." We both knew it. The last clue of the round was a triple-stumper.
Alison found the first Daily Double of Double Jeopardy too, in Victor/Victoria.
Alison 11100 (6 right and one wrong)
Chris 4200 (3 right and one wrong)
Jennifer 10400 (5 right)
Alison wagered 2000 on this tough clue: "Queen Victoria succeeded this king, her uncle, on the throne in 1837." She and I didn't know it this time!
And Chris found the last Daily Double, in Classical Music. This happens to be my worst category in Learned League.
Alison 12700 (4 right)
Chris 7800 (2 right)
Jennifer 15200 (4 right)
I had a feeling Chris would wager big here, because I believe he selected this category at the end of the Jeopardy round. He wagered 7000 on this clue: "This Gustav Holst suite; 'An HD odyssey' is a multimedia work with images from space probes." I knew this one because I saw it on my Sirius XM screen back when I was trying to study for my original appearance on the show. Chris knew it too.
The Final Jeopardy category was 2004. This was the clue: "Watching the Super Bowl halftime show, the head of this govt. agency kept saying, 'My day is going to' be lousy 'tomorrow.'" This was an instaget for me, and all three contestants got it right too. Alison wagered only 2200. Chris wagered 12000, and Jennifer wagered 14401, meaning she'll be playing tomorrow.
My Coryat today was 29200 (30200 without negs).
One year ago: Who wants to try out for Millionaire (again)?
Two years ago: Q and A with Aaron Cappocchi
Three years ago: [untitled]
Four years ago: The Fall of Paul

Andy here with another recap!

Today's players:

Will Jennifer make it 2 wins?

INTERNET SLANG
MOVIES' 2 MALE LEADS
CHURCHES & CATHEDRALS
POLITICAL PARTIES
"HERM"-ETICALLY
SEALED

All 3 players did well off the start; at the first break, the scores were:

Jesse $3,400
Alana $2,800
Jennifer $1,400

Jesse has a cousin named Arthur Chu -- not the same Arthur Chu, though!

Coming out of the break, CHURCHES & CATHEDRALS $800 had the Daily Double; Jennifer was the one who got to play it! Scores:

Jesse $3,800
Alana $3,000
Jennifer $1,800

Jennifer went for the True Daily Double. Her clue: The San Miguel Mission in this state capital began holding mass in the early 1600s. Jennifer went for Tallahassee and fell to $0. (For the record: I said Sacramento.)

However, Jennifer did recover over the rest of the round, and did pull herself into second place by the end of it! Scores after 30;

Alana $5,600
Jennifer $4,200
Jesse $2,800

DJ! round categories:
SUMMER READING?
NAME-CHECKING SONGS
SCIENCE
ASIAN CITIES
5-LETTER WORDS
CHESHIRE CATS

ASIAN CITIES $800 had the first Daily Double of the round! This was Jesse's to play! Scores:

Alana $7,200
Jennifer $3,800
Jesse $3,600

Alex: "You have exactly half of Alana's total". (Psst: This is Alex's code for "Make it a True Daily Double").

Jesse picked up on that! His clue: In 2010 this largest Chinese city overtook Singapore as the world's busiest container port. Jesse's correct response tied Alana for the lead!

This was an easy one for me! I wrote the following question for a trivia game about three months ago:

Interestingly, Jesse managed to take negs on the other four questions in that category!

Shortly after Jennifer took the lead from Alana, she found the final Daily Double, under SUMMER READING $1200! Scores:

Jennifer $8,600
Alana $8,000
Jesse $7,200

Jennifer bet just $600. Her clue: It's Ron Kovic's memoir of his loss of innocence & mobility in Vietnam. Her correct response put her at $9,200 -- but I can't help but think she should have bet more!

Fortunately for her, Jennifer did have the better luck on the buzzer (Alana didn't get in at all after that Daily Double) after that; scores going into Final were:

Jennifer $12,400
Alana $8,000
Jesse $6,000

FJ! category: WORLD LEADERS

FJ! clue: Since 1953 5 consecutive siblings have been this country's head of state

Jesse 6000 - 6000 = 0
Alana 8000 - 5000 = 3000
Jennifer 12400 - 3601 = 8799

Jennifer has enough to stay the champion; she'll come back for Game #3 tomorrow!

Andy here with the recap for Thursday!

Today's players:

Ari was introduced as "a comedy writer".

J! round categories:
A VISIT WITH GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS
THEY OWN IT
BROADWAY TITLE NOUNS
CAIRO
THE BALD & THE BEAUTIFUL
THE "IRON" AGE

I think I'd rather have "A Visit With George Stroumboulopoulos", to be honest!

Patti seemed be very methodical in her clue selection. Jennifer and Ari got in much more often, though! At the end of 15 clues, the scores were:

Jennifer $4,800
Ari $2,200
Patti $0

Patti describes herself as a "Jeopardy! mom" in the respect that she would drive her kids to tryouts! (I guess her kids finally said "Mom, you should try!"

Ari was involved with a comedy wrestling show. Alex seemed genuinely disappointed that there was no mud involved!

Shockingly, the Daily Double wasn't in Stephanopolous; meanwhile, Jennifer seemed to want to let Ari get back into the game, as she decided she had no interest in hunting the Daily Double down in CAIRO! Ari did get it under $1,000! Scores:

Jennifer $8,800
Ari $2,800
Patti $1,000

Ari bet just $2,000. His clue: The Citadel, one of Cairo's top landmarks, is a 12th century fortress built by this Muslim warrior. Ari's correct response put him put him at $4,800 (and left $800 on the table!) Scores at the end of the round:

Jennifer $9,200
Ari $4,800
Patti $1,000

DJ! round categories:
THAT WRITER KILLS ME!
LAKES & RIVERS
"K" ROCK
DOUGH NATION
HOMOPHONIC PAIRS
THE IRON AGE

LAKES & RIVERS $800 had the first Daily Double. Patti played it! Scores:

Jennifer $9,200
Ari $4,800
Patti $1,400

Patti bet just $1,200. Her clue: At Paducah, Kentucky, the Tennessee River meets this other one named for a state. Her correct response put her at $2,600 -- and like her fellow challenger, left $800 on the table.

Considering she's a self-titled Jeopardy! mom who's been watching for over two decades (considering she'd drive her kids to tryouts in the late 80s), you'd think she'd have a better grasp on what to do strategy-wise!

Meanwhile, Ari seemed to want to find the Daily Double. He would hunt. Jennifer would just knock out the lower clue, and Ari would continue to hunt. However, Jennifer's top-to-bottom eventually uncovered the final Daily Double, at DOUGH NATION $1600. Scores:

Jennifer $18,400
Ari $8,400
Patti $3,000

Jennifer bet $500. Her clue: Venezuela uses this monetary unit named for a 19th century national hero. She eventually came up with the correct response and her score went to $18,900!

The game came down to the final THAT WRITER KILLS ME $2000 clue (Catherine Earnshaw). Jennifer got it to cement a runaway (that said, even had Ari bet more on his Daily Double, he still would have been short).

Scores going into Final:

Jennifer $19,300
Ari $8,800
Patti $3,000

FJ! category: SCIENCE & INDUSTRY

FJ! clue: 1891 this European said "Perhaps my factories will put an end to war sooner than your congresses"

Patti 3000 - 2500 = 500
Ari 8800 - 2700 = 6100
Jennifer 19300 - 700 = 18600

Of course, Ari went for the laughts on his response. Here it was!

Jennifer's won 3 games and is at $57,000! She'll be back tomorrow to defend!

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. Molly LaLonde $53,300 (4 wins)
19. Carlos Ross $89,774 (3 wins)
20. Adam Holquist $76,299 (3 wins)
21. Sara Garnett $75,403 (3 wins)
22. Salvo Candela $66,195 (3 wins)
23. Neal Pollack $60,798 (3 wins)
24. John Anneken $60,112 (3 wins)
25 Jennifer Blanton $57,000
26. Tim Anderson $56,001 (3 wins)
27. Stuart Anderson $51,601 (3 wins)
28. Bill Tolany $44,200 (3 wins)

Andy here with a recap of Friday's episode (slightly late, I know!)

Today's players:

J! round categories:
ANCIENT ROME
THE BAND THAT MADE ME FAMOUS
ON THE CORPORATE WEBPAGE
FINISH THE SEUSS LINE
THE FEMALE PERSUASION
THE "OOD" LIFE

It was Jennifer who got off to the best start, getting 4 of the first 6 clues, but it was Sunil who had the lead by the time we reached the 15 clue mark! Scores:

Sunil $4,200
Jill $2,400
Jennifer $1,800

Jill has Zorbed (a Zorb is a large inflatable hamster-type ball, which hold three people, rolled down a hill). Jennifer chose to go to Florence and Paris instead of taking a law internship after first year of law school!

Coming out of the interviews, it was Sunil who found the first Daily Double, under ON THE CORPORATE WEBPAGE $800! Scores:

Sunil $4,800
Jill $3,000
Jennifer $2,200

Sunil bet $3,000. His clue: Bank of America's website offers investment options with this subsidiary whose logo is a bull. Sunil said "Prudential" and fell to $1,800.

Over the rest of the round, Sunil actually managed to retake the lead, thanks to some excellent buzzer skill (and 6 of 9 correct to the end of the round). Scores after 30:

Sunil $6,200
Jill $3,400
Jennifer $2,200

DJ! round categories:
IT'S AN EXPERIMENT
IN THE "ZONE"
DUAL BIOGRAPHIES
FILMS OF THE 1920s
FURNITURE
ALTERED STATES

ALTERED STATES was an anagram category! All 3 of our players had plenty of negs in this round, keeping scores down!

The first Daily Double was found by Sunil; he got to play it quite late in the round, at the bottom of DUAL BIOGRAPHIES! Scores:

Sunil $7,800
Jennifer $6,600
Jill $5,800

Sunil bet $1,200. His clue: Sharing part of their names, these 2 sons of slaves, one a scientist & one an educator, are the subject of "Unshakable Faith". He got just George Washington Carver, and fell to $6,600.

Jill got to play the final Daily Double, on the 4th-to-last clue of the round, under IT'S AN EXPERIMENT $1600! Scores:

Jennifer $6,600
Jill $6,200
Sunil $6,200

Jill bet $1,000. Her clue: In the 1940s John Draize did eye irritancy tests of these cute animals; we don't like scientists to do that anymore. Her correct response put her at $7,200!

Sunil, however, got the final 2 clues for $3,600 and the lead! After the end of the round, the scores were:

Sunil $9,800
Jill $7,200
Jennifer $6,600

FJ! category: BRITISH AUTHORS

FJ! clue: The Pharmaceutical Journal praised her 1920 first novel, saying it dealt "with poisons in a knowledgeable way"

Jennifer 6600 - 3201 = 3399
Jill 7200 + 5001 = 12201
Sunil 9800 - 1000 = 8800

Even though I think she did the math wrong (2 times 6600 is $13,200), Jill's the new champion! She'll be back to defend on Monday!

Hello! Andy here with a recap from Monday!

This week's players:
Shloka Ananthanarayanan - New York, NY (WABC)
Melinda Dudley - Hayden, CO (KMGH)
Christi Esterle - Colorado Springs, CO (KKTV)
Beverly Garcia - Quincy, MA (WBZ )
Matthew Harney - Springfield, IL (WAND)
Howard Ray - East Longmeadow, MA (WWLP)
Jill Rowley - Baltimore, MD (WBFF)
Sally Sheinberg - Palmdale, CA (KABC)
Kay Thanaporn - Decatur, GA (WXIA)
Jeff Versteeg - Cleveland, OH (WOIO)
Ben Zimmer - Jersey City, NJ (WABC)

If you want to watch the Howdies, you can see that Jill seemed really nervous in her Howdy. Alex even seemed to notice nerves on her part last Friday, but she claims to be less nervous. I'm not so sure!

Today's players:

J! round categories:
MAN OVERLORD!
3-LETTER WORDS
TV HOSTS
REMEMBER THE ALIMONY
POTENT POTABLES
A MODEL OF FORD, &...

Both of our challengers got off to an excellent start; however, Jill got on a bit of a roll in TV HOSTS to have the lead at the first break! Scores at the first break were:

Jill $3,000
Ben $2,800
Melinda $2,400

Melinda collects National Park stamps; she collected over 100 of them in her first year! Jill, a flight attendant, once had Vanna White as a passenger!

A MODEL OF FORD $600 had the Daily Double; it was Melinda's to play! Scores:

Melinda $4,000
Ben $3,200
Jill $3,000

Melinda bet $2,500. Her clue: A thermonuclear reaction. Melinda couldn't come up with it, and her score fell to $1,500!

REMEMBER THE ALIMONY was interesting -- it was about divorce law in different US states!

Over the rest of the round, Melinda nearly was able to catch up to her two opponents after the miss, but it was Ben who jumped from third to first by claiming the final $1,000 clue of the round! Scores after 30:

Ben $5,400
Jill $4,800
Melinda $4,700

DJ! round categories:
MASHED-UP BOOK TITLES
WILDLIFE
ONE-HIT WONDERS
U.S. COLONY NAMES
"EAU", NOT SORRY
LASTS

Ben did quite well in ONE-HIT WONDERS to jump out to a big lead! Then, Jill had some excellent gets in both EAU and WILDLIFE to regain that lead! However, Melinda got MASHED-UP BOOK TITLES $400, and $800 had the Daily Double for her to play! Scores:

Jill $12,000
Ben $11,800
Melinda $5,100

Melinda bet just $3,000. Her clue: "'A' is for Trespass". Melinda gave the two answers and went to $8,100! (I can't help but think that she left $2,100 on the table, though!)

A key clue at U.S. COLONY NAMES $800 (Rhode Island may be named for a place in this sea). Jill got a "be more specific" on "Meditterannean", followed by a neg, Ben picked up the rebound! $1200 had the Daily Double! Scores:

Jill $16,800
Ben $11,400
Melinda $7,300

Ben bet just $4,000. His clue: Massachusetts means "at the big" one of these; colony governor John Winthrop said, "We shall be as a city upon" one of these. His correct response put him at $15,400. Again, I think he bet too small.

Ben couldn't quite get into the lead! Scores going into Final:

Jill $18,800
Ben $15,800
Melinda $7,300

FJ! category: 1970s FILMS

Alex commented that somebody didn't look happy when they saw the category!

FJ! clue: In 2013 Mario Cuomo said he finally saw this film, which he had boycotted for personal reasons, & called it "maybe...a masterpiece"

Melinda 7300 + 3000 = 10300
Ben 15800 + 3000 = 18800
Jill 18800 + 12801 = 31601

I couldn't tell from the betting who looked unhappy with the category!

Jill's now a 2-day champ, $43,802! I'll be back tomorrow with that recap too; see you then!

Andy here with a recap from Tuesday's episode! No pictures, though!

Today's players:

Howard Ray, Shloka Ananthanarayanan (man, am I thankful for copy & paste!), and Jill Rowley are our players; Jill won $43,802 over her first two days!

J! round categories:
WORLD HERSTORY
BAND OF BROTHERS
CHARLESTON CHOOSY
DOGGING THE "WAG"
SUGAR LAND
INCREDIBLE MACHINE

A Triple Stumper, and a nod to the North on this Canada Day (BAND OF BROTHERS $800): Grammy-winning indie rockers out of Canada: Win & William Butler)

After 15 clues, the scores sat at:
Howard $2,600
Shloka $2,000
Jill $800

Howard wants to use his winnings for a second honeymoon, after 25 years!

Alex decided to play to stereotype, talking with Shloka about the Bollywood radio show she ran at Wellesley!

Meanwhile, the gist of Jill's interview? Alex was taken aback by the fact that there were coyotes on the runway at O'Hare!

Howard was steamrollering his competition, but it was Jill who played the Daily Double, on the final clue of the round! Scores:

Howard $8,600
Jill $2,800
Shloka $2,200

Jill went for the True Daily Double. Her clue: Duckett Hall isn't very fortress-like, it's in the Moorish style of much of the campus of this college. There was a picture of the hall as well; Jill got the correct response to put her score at $5,600!

DJ! round categories:
3-NAMED AUTHORS
BEASTLY VOCABULARY
"P"LACES
THAT'S SPOOKY!
ANCIENT SCIENCE
CANYUCKS

CANYUCKS was about Canadian comedians! I was happy to see that on Canada Day!

ANCIENT SCIENCE $1200 had first the Daily Double. Shloka nearly had caught up to Howard, but he got to play it! Scores:

Howard $11,000
Shloka $9,000
Jill $5,200

Howard bet $3,000. His clue: Around 400 B.C., Democritus proposed that all matter is composed of these tiny units. His correct response put him at $14,000!

"P"LACES $1600 had the final Daily Double! Shloka got to this one, meaning all 3 of our players got to a Daily Double! Scores:

Howard $15,600
Shloka $10,600
Jill $8,800

Shloka bet $5,000. Her clue: North America's largest oil field lies in the area surrounding this Alaskan Bay. Her correct response put her at $15,600 and tied for the lead!

There were very few Triple Stumpers in the DJ! round, meaning that the scores were very high! Shloka did slightly better than Howard did, meaning our middle player had the lead going into Final!

Scores going into Final:

Shloka $20,400
Howard $19,600
Jill $8,800

FJ! category: THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE

FJ! clue: The first official use of this 4-word term is at the declaration's beginning, immediately after "the thirteen"

Jill 8800 - 2000 = 6800
Howard 19600 + 10600 = 30200
Shloka 20400 - 20000 = 400

Well, Howard's our champ, and he'll be back to defend tomorrow!

A little rain must fall

No bad weather here!

Faith Love & Charity

Jeopardy! imitates life

A contestant demonstrates a rout

Oh, the place I'm going

Live By The Sword, Die By The Sword

Congratulations, Alex!

Facepalm

Left In The Dust

Jeanie gets a (Sports) Jeopardy! audition

Trebek breaks a rudeness record

Nunas For Sale, $1500

Nebraska Alert

Limburger queens

Big, Big, Small?

Just For Laughs

Not Quite In The Zone?

Hopefully Not A Whole Week Of Bad Wagers

Happy Canada Day!