853fisher

I really just want everyone on stage, especially Keke, to take it down a few notches. It's just a word game for a relatively modest (among contemporary game shows) sum, not Ali vs Frazier. Relax. The high octane is not needed. 2 clues into a word, that can't even decide the round, and Keke's already shouting about how she's going to need therapy? Yes, it'll be interesting to see how they get to "tummy," but just take it easy, for goodness sake. (I also just don't in general like casual / flip references to needing mental health assistance, but that's my baggage.)

Did Jimmy really say that he remembered "Carl Sagan's show 'Cosmo'"? Mamma Mia.

This new ToC format seems interesting. My kneejerk reaction was not positive, but sometimes I think I'm just averse to change. This was a remarkable year or so of play, so I guess it's fair enough to make a few tweaks. I have seen it raised elsewhere that Amy, Matt, and Mattea could be somewhat disadvantaged by their "bye" into the semifinals, because they will be coming in "cold." Maybe they'll work something out for that. My pitch: start the tournament off with a charity match between the three of them. That way they will get a chance to warm up, and further anticipation will be built. I can see some "why nots," but I think it'd be fascinating.

I'd really like to see someone from the PBS NewsHour team. I don't think they get the recognition they deserve. Judy Woodruff plans to retire this year and the scuttlebutt is that they are likely to have Amna Nawaz, who often substitutes on weekdays, and Geoff Bennett, who recently started doing weekends, take over. Maybe this could be an opportunity to give one of them more national exposure? But really, I'd take any of the people associated with that operation.

"Things you try" was a toughie. A new product sample? An unfamiliar food? My dwindling patience? Men’s souls? An attorney's case?

I agree with the general consensus that the second episode was a move in the wrong direction. Heidi's dancing around at the end was ridiculous, but I thought she did a fair job, especially after the lowered expectations that come from telling anyone who would listen to use small words you're familiar with. Hasn't she lived and worked in English speaking countries for decades? When the "Alphabetics" bonus round was introduced in 1979, you'd win $100 per word if you missed the $5000 jackpot, so up to $900/$5000 or 18%. The percentage crept down as they started adding any $5000 not won to a jackpot fund - the highest it ever got was $55000 - $900/$55000 is 1.6% Now, you could win as much as $9000 and double it to $18000 - $18000/$25000 is 72%. That's just a bit of math that interested me. I think, if I had no prior knowledge of the show, I might think it was sort of neat that contestants get so many chances to win good money. For no particular reason I tend to think there should be just a bit more of a gap between the top prize and the not-quite money, but they're playing it much more light than suspenseful, so I guess it works. $5000 in 1979, by the way, would be just over $20000 today. So that's roughly comparable, with a bit of the traditional bump in prizes from daytime to nighttime shows. Oops! I do know they're different people, honest. ;)

I thought this was not far from the best adaptation of the "Password" format that one could reasonably expect in the current TV landscape. Put another way, the things that annoyed me seem to be nearly inevitable these days. I liked the blend of elements from the earlier "1 self-contained word at a time" format and the later "5 words add up to help you solve a puzzle" format with the "10 words in 60 seconds" bonus round. The gameplay was solid, although I fear it may vary with the celebs. I hope they got "it's not Gramps' 'Password,' here's a dirty joke" out of their system with Uranus. However mild, I think there's a time and place to keep it clean, and a slippery slope to the current state of "Family Feud." The bonus round has the most room for improvement. The pause after 30 seconds drains the tension - just let the player pick one celeb and do it all at once. I also thought the words were too easy and an illegal clue should have forfeited the top prize, not led to a replacement word. Also, didn't they say before the first bonus round that the celeb could only guess once before the player had to give another clue? They seemed to break that rule when Jimmy guessed "quick" and then "quiz," but still gave the credit for it. Kiki was doing way too much mugging, and the affected Jackée voice really grated, but maybe she'll calm down. The standing ovations and gasps and so on were too histrionic, but that seems to be the fashion. I guess it's not a dealbreaker for me, just one of those things. I don't know very much about Kimmel since I virtually never watch late-night. I get that this is a pet / vanity project for him but I don't think he is needed in every episode. He struck me as a bit condescending - "buddy" is how you address a toddler, not a fellow adult. But hey, as Allen Ludden once said, "Password's back!" They got a lot closer to what I look for than "Million Dollar Password" with Regis 15 years ago. I've been looking forward to it and think I will enjoy it even if it's not perfect.

"Things you complain about" was definitely tough. I couldn't think of anything that perfectly captured the difference between something about which you'd complain, as opposed to "things that aggravate you," "things that make you unhappy," etc. I wouldn't've known what to do but keep nodding and hope they said it. "Foster Brooks played the lovable..." would have done it for me, but not likely anyone on stage. Lush is also a cosmetics retailer that seems to be trendy the last few years. I recently went to one of their stores and liked it so that what I thought of first, but I don't think I'd've been able to narrow it down quickly from other similar places.

For "places with sand," I thought of a mandala. It's not really a "place," but the judges don't seem to be observing those finer points. Abe Lincoln's cabin was perfect for "things with logs" - I also thought of "a yule fireplace." I thought she said "dick in a box," which was one of the Lonely Island music videos Andy Samberg did for SNL. IIRC it aired on the show with over a dozen bleeps, and was released online uncensored immediately thereafter, in an early example of "digital extra" content around 2006. (These events are indelibly fixed in my mind since I was attending an all-boys middle school at the time.)

My pleasure! And yes, I think it will be too bad to be without the CC. I doubt they will dispense with video categories, so I think we will get more of the promotional news crews / upcoming documentary stuff, or maybe they will send the hosts into the field like they used to with Alex. I don't think that's been done with anyone since his last episodes.

Here are a few comments from someone who attended the first taping next season. I guess this isn't really "in the media" but it seemed the best place for it. There are no spoilers about the events of the games, just remarks about things like graphics / sound and personnel that sometimes change between seasons. Sounds like hardly any changes we will notice. Most interesting to me is that Ken is now introduced as "the host of J," rather than "hosting J." I think it is right for him and Mayim to be introduced the same way. I always thought it was some kind of contractual thing. I rolled my eyes at the folks who'd insist, with no evidence, that Ken thought only Alex could be "the host of J" and so elected to be introduced differently.

This Reddit post gives synopses on each of the Second Chance contestants. (I'm not entirely sure this belongs in the season thread, but I guess so if the reruns feature many of these players.) I was surprised not to see similar info with the official announcement of their names, and can't say I remembered more than one or two of them (which says nothing about them and everything just about all the many other things in my brain from the past year). I think it's what they're discussing on the first episode or two of the "Inside Jeopardy" podcast, so I guess they want you to go there instead, but I'm just not interested in more media to follow, so I appreciate that this Redditor did the work. Interesting to read about how these reruns are being framed. I have seen a few questions online like "why is Matt back - is this the ToC already?" I hadn't thought to wonder whether they were clearly identified as reruns. Not everyone follows so closely.

Another reason I have heard for the switch to celebs receiving clues in the winners' circle is that "they" ("the powers that be") would rather have the contestants' fate be in their own hands, in the sense that they'd rather have them lose the money if they themselves blurt out something illegal or just can't come up with any good clues, than be let down by the celebs. I don't know what I think about that - to me, it's a team effort either way, but maybe they're trying to avoid some tempest in a Twitter teapot about "_____ cost this hardworking lady $100K" or whatever. Hear hear!

I think that's sharp! (Pun intended.) IIRC Cut-Rite is a product of Reynolds, but "Reynolds wrap" makes me think of tinfoil, so invoking Reynolds mightn't've helped. My idea for waxed: "the 40 Year Old Virgin's chest." For types of torches this week: "the Liberty Statue one" (phrased that way to avoid the no-prepositions rule). I hoped Wendi would do a little better. "The Goldbergs" has been pretty bad for a few years now but she's always seemed very likable to me. I imagine Sunday at 9 is more desirable than Sunday at 10 - maybe a sign the show is doing well? Or "Final Straw" is bombing. It's very lightweight but cute for the background IMO. The season is in the can, I think, so they can't make it less dirty for the new slot. I (Hulu watcher) didn't realize it was ever that late. Actually, I thought this last ep had less "dirty."

I'm with you. My immediate reaction to her name was to recall that she used lower case, but I didn't understand the way the clue was put either. "Making this change to her name" instead of just "making this change" might have been clearer. Thanks! How exciting. Now for a whole new set of questions, since I don't recall this man having been on anyone's radar before now.

Nothing at all on Instagram. I don't know that platform well either but I think it lacks a function like Twitter's "retweet" that allows you to easily copy another's tweet to your own feed (generally understood, in the absence of commentary, as a sort of endorsement). That's what Mayim seems to have done on the latter platform - fifth tweet down including the "pinned" one at the top. She did more or less the same thing on Facebook, just shared the show's blog post about it with no additional message. There seems to be quite a lack of enthusiasm to me - she is more excited about her own podcast and her recent appearance on Justin Long's, on which the blurb says she discussed, among other things, "how she didn't really watch Jeopardy growing up." Well, quite. A quick scroll did not seem to reveal any other posts about Jeopardy since her last episode aired. (During that time Ken has posted about the return of the studio audience, congratulations to Jimmy for his time on the Clue Crew, responses to commentary about game theory, etc. - in other words, nothing she needed to be on air for.) Perhaps Mayim will get some kind of better offer in a few years and move on to that. She does seem to have no shortage of work in acting, although heavens to Betsy I don't know why, from what I've seen of her performances in character. Whatever else happens I can't quite imagine her having taken a place in the proverbial Jeopardy pantheon 10 or 15 years from now. She just doesn't seem to have any real passion for it whatsoever.

I'm always a little sorry to see reruns approaching, but that's tempered by this show's remarkable consistency when it's in season. As I think I've said before, hardly any other shows on TV other than newscasts seem to consistently deliver every day / week / etc of their scheduled run anymore. Curious - when did it became usual for game shows to take a summer break? AFAIK new episodes year-round was still the norm for daily network (maybe that's the difference?) games well into the '80s. I guess production was probably less involved on something like "Password" or "Pyramid" than on "J!"

The difference between Ken's heartfelt thread and Mayim's perfunctory retweet, between advertisements for her podcast and memes about her sitcom, says a lot to me. Genuine connection to the show and material alone doesn't make a good host (see Burton, LeVar), but I think it can help make a good host great. I will be interested to see what comes of these spinoffs. I hope Davies learned his lesson, from his time on the original primetime "Millionaire" with Regis, about overexposing a hot property. I can't say I'd watch a pop culture spinoff, but I'd look forward to a masters tournament (although "it's a sport!" still makes me roll my eyes). I tend to agree with you, especially since it wasn't a matter of saying goodbye to someone who still had episodes left to air or that kind of thing. I guess there may have been moving parts we are unaware of, but I don't see why they didn't hash terms out and put us out of our collective misery months ago. Yes, he thanked "the camera guys on [as yet unannounced project]" for recommending some product to him, and later posted a cryptic Yoda GIF in response to a game show blogger's speculation that someone other than Mayim could be hosting in primetime. I'm not sure we have yet learned what this new project is, but I guess we know what it isn't.

I said Joan Jett for FJ. I thought I had seen something about her in relation to the HoF recently. It looks like she was inducted with the Blackhearts in 2015 but not as an individual.

I think this is a mistake if true (and sources reporting it have had the scoop these last 18 months or so). Consistency is such a big part of the appeal of the show to many. I imagine even some without a strong preference between Ken and Mayim might prefer to have one or the other. I've given it some thought and, the way my mind works, I think I'd rather have the host I like less on the show full-time, and have to get used to them or watch something else, than experience the sensations of "on weeks" and "off weeks," tracking when they're coming and going, etc. This just feels like an incomplete transition. I don't think it is the way to go.

Who else is watching "The Final Straw" with Janelle James on Sundays? It's a Jenga-type game with fun production design, silly and cute and with enough extra so you're not just sitting there watching them pull things out for an hour. Janelle and the unseen announcer pitch their jokes just about right. The contestants have also been pretty good, not as relentlessly "on" as some games seem to like. I started watching largely to support a member of the cast, but I've kept with it because, although it's a bit slow-moving, it's quite charming and good escapism.

I am surprised to see Matt leave so soon. I liked him and wouldn't've minded seeing him play a few more games, but I like Emmie too. I thought Matt might have bet a little more on the last DD, which would have allowed him to put a bit more room between him and Emmie, but perhaps he wasn't confident in the category. Re Hong Kong, spoiler tagged just to cut down on length (TLDR: I do agree with Ken's comment and might have been reacting to general shifts in discourse around political issues more than anything on J! in particular):

I bet you are right, although I would argue that "Woolworth" should have been accepted if it had been offered - that was the formal name of the company and some contemporary media did refer to it that way. I don't recall where / whether she said where specifically she was from. What I read stated that test transmissions began in Johannesburg in May of 1975 and more followed in Cape Town and Durban in July. National service on a regular basis started in January 1976.

I knew "the Dutch" was supposed to make me think of New York, but for some reason, I associated Sleepy Hollow / Washington Irving with New England. Having thoroughly confused myself, I said the Boston Post Road. Oh well. I was surprised by Ken's aside about Hong Kong. I continue to think very highly of him overall but do think he lacks a filter at times. I agree with what he said, this time, but I still think it is best to leave direct comment on politics out of it.

I managed to remember a little snippet of the "vesti la giubba" aria, which even had the title of the opera in it, and still said "Rigoletto." Oops! For future reference, Rigoletto was a jester and "pagliacci" means "clowns." "Yogi the Bear" set my teeth on edge too. One of the more tortured arguments I've seen is that perhaps they were prepared to accept "Yogi" and considered "the bear" additional correct information the player is permitted to add. My eyes rolled into the back of my head. As just mentioned above, on Monday "The House of Seven Gables" was accepted, rather than "...the Seven Gables." Some poster elsewhere claimed this had come up in the past and someone had been able to find an edition or two without "the." So perhaps in some media somewhere, our friend from Jellystone Park is "Yogi the Bear," and the writers knew that already? I don't know, I've got nothin'. I was curious about the radio quiz Catherine mentioned. I couldn't quickly find anything more than that it ran on Springbok Radio from 1967 to 1985 and had the tagline, "the exciting, dangerous quiz game." I would certainly have guessed that TV service started earlier in South Africa than 1976, since I knew it existed in less economically advanced countries, but it turns out that there was significant opposition from the government. Concerns were raised about its general corrupting influence, and various sociopolitical points particular to South Africa: for example, they could easily have imported English-language programs, but that would have been at the expense of broadcasting in Afrikaans, with which prospect the ruling coalition was not pleased. But when South Africa was one of the few countries where it was impossible to watch the moon landing live, that proved a turning point.