Jeopardy! Greatest of All Time

[annzeepark914]

I was watching Ken and Brad tonight, thinking about their potential as a new host of Jeopardy. Ken is more like Alex, IMO.  Well, I don't feel very intelligent after watching an hour of these 3 mega champs competing.  I did better in the second half hour (relatively speaking, of course!) Only got one political party (the Whigs) in the first FJ.  I didn't even bother writing down FJ in the second game.  When I saw James unable to answer the clue (starts with an "I") and the clue mentioned Kirkuk, I knew he was not having a good night. I hope it's not on tomorrow night cause I'm exhausted!

[ams1001]

4 minutes ago, annzeepark914 said:

I hope it's not on tomorrow night cause I'm exhausted!

Next match is Tuesday 1/14.

[Prevailing Wind]

NNOOOOOOooooooooooo. It's the HOA's annual meeting on Tuesday. As a board member, I HAVE to be there.

[shoregirl]

I cracked up at Brad's answer of Eagles Superbowl Champions and then his wager of 4133 .  The score of the Superbowl the Eagles won was 41-33.

[stonehaven]

Loved tonight's episode and thanks to Jeopardy, I actually tried to remember all the lyrics to "Dance Hall Days" by Wang Chung.

[mtlchick]

57 minutes ago, ams1001 said:

Next match is Tuesday 1/14.

Doh! Going to be watching Arrow at that time (I need to see Crisis On Infinite Earths all the way through!)

[secnarf]

15 hours ago, JudyObscure said:

Even if you watched it, the questions, and answers, were long.  At least in my head, they were, "Antony Armstrong Jones Lord Snowdon" and "King Edward VIII Duke of Windsor."

And in my head, they were "Tony" and "David".

[SoMuchTV]

1 hour ago, Prevailing Wind said:

NNOOOOOOooooooooooo. It's the HOA's annual meeting on Tuesday. As a board member, I HAVE to be there.

 

10 minutes ago, mtlchick said:

Doh! Going to be watching Arrow at that time (I need to see Crisis On Infinite Earths all the way through!)

Well, if some of us (okay, me) can delay watching The Good Place for this stupid tournament, then y’all can just suck it up. (With all due respect.) 

[lb60]

I got Morticia Addams, which means, for a brief moment in time, I knew more than the three brainiacs. Take that!

I also got the Whig part of FJ.

Yay, me!

 

[Lizzing]

9 minutes ago, lb60 said:

I got Morticia Addams, which means, for a brief moment in time, I knew more than the three brainiacs. Take that!

I also got the Whig part of FJ.

Yay, me!

 

I loooovvvved The Addams Family as a kid and it pains me every time someone forgets that the lovely Carolyn Jones was Morticia decades before Anjelica Houston.   Now all three of these dudes are dead to me. (LOL...jk...kinda)

Anyone know how much of a break there was between tapings?  All 3 guys tonight seemed a little slower and I wondered if it was the length of the day coming into effect.

[bybrandy]

I got garnet and was a little bit surprised that Mr. Sports betting guy thought Diamond might be a school color.  I got the first FJ tonight but the second one not even a little bit.   I'm rooting for Ken but I'd really like to see this go some extra games so I'm also rooting for James and Brad.

[Dobian]

When they were doing Final Jeopardy on the foreign directors, I felt like I was watching the SNL Jeopardy skit.  When it was time to show Ken's answer, I was expecting to see "Turd Ferguson" lol.

[Bastet]

Wow, I played like utter shit in the first round of the first game.  But one of the answers I managed to spit out was the TS of bard and board.  I was better in the DJ round - and I got the Morticia Addams TS (I'm surprised that stumped them) - and got FJ, but it wasn't my game.

Nice reactions from the other two when it was revealed Ken had also bet it all in FJ.

I did much better in game two, including getting James's missed DD of garnet and the treatment, keylogging, and "bring your own device" TS (those last two surprised me as TS, especially since I'm practically a Luddite for how little I know about modern technology).  I only got the Ang Lee half of FJ, but so did Ken and the other two superstars didn't even get that far, so good for me.

I cannot believe George Burns was a picture clue.

LOL at Ken choosing multiple Christopher Plummer clues in a row because "I just want to hear the voice".  And at James's FJ answer, Brad's FJ wager (even though I hate the Eagles, I loathe Patriots so much I cheered that Super Bowl victory), and Alex's reaction to these shenanigans. 

 

[30 Helens]

9 hours ago, ABay said:

I got "Good day, sir! (I said good day!)" because Jon Stewart used it often on The Daily Show. Willy Wonka was my introduction to Gene Wilder, who I adored, but that line never really stood out to me. Traumatized by those self-righteous orange-faced Ooompa Loompas, perhaps.

I couldn’t believe I missed that, because Willy Wonka is one of my all time favorite movies. Love them crazy Oompas. But I felt a little bit better tonight when I got a TS (“treatment”). Should have gotten Morticia Addams too, but I said Lily Munster instead. I always got those ghoulish ladies confused!

Brad started to come alive in the second game, thankfully. I was starting to get worried about him. 

Still rooting for Ken to win eventually, but I will have to root against him for awhile. I’m not ready for this to be over! 

[blueray]

7 hours ago, Lizzing said:

I loooovvvved The Addams Family as a kid and it pains me every time someone forgets that the lovely Carolyn Jones was Morticia decades before Anjelica Houston.   Now all three of these dudes are dead to me. (LOL...jk...kinda)

Anyone know how much of a break there was between tapings?  All 3 guys tonight seemed a little slower and I wondered if it was the length of the day coming into effect.

I was wondering this too. I couldn't tell if they changed clothes or not. That probably would help, unless they have them change while they are there.

I'm glad that Ken won. And it was nice to see Jame's high five him when he made that huge bet (I guess Ken knew he knew that topic very well). Also liked that Brad did decent both games this time. He actually was in second (the second game). Which was nice to see.

[Egg McMuffin]

None of these three will be the future host. Ken and James have no broadcasting experience, and Brad too socially awkward and unlikeable (if my social circle is any indication, there’s a significant chunk of people who can’t stand him).

[Ailianna]

8 hours ago, SoMuchTV said:

 

Well, if some of us (okay, me) can delay watching The Good Place for this stupid tournament, then y’all can just suck it up. (With all due respect.) 

Not just you!

7 hours ago, bybrandy said:

I got garnet and was a little bit surprised that Mr. Sports betting guy thought Diamond might be a school color.  I got the first FJ tonight but the second one not even a little bit.   I'm rooting for Ken but I'd really like to see this go some extra games so I'm also rooting for James and Brad.

I don't think he thought it was a school color.  Like me, I think he was trying to think of gemstones used as sandpaper (basically), and couldn't think of anything other than diamond, which does fit that part of the clue.

41 minutes ago, blueray said:

I was wondering this too. I couldn't tell if they changed clothes or not. That probably would help, unless they have them change while they are there.

They did change clothes.  And in the regular season they tell people to bring changes of clothes, and they change right there at the studio (not IN the studio though!).  So I suspect they did 3 matches in a day, which is longer than a regular taping day (only 5 games, versus 6).  So I was wondering about them being a little tired.  They are more "on" than the average contestant too, which I think is partially comfort with the set and set-up, but still takes more energy than just answering questions.

[Conotocarious]

James seemed to kind of give up once he realized he couldn’t win in the last game. He seemed tired overall.

I got Walter Isaacson because I’ve read every biography named in the question. 
 

I got the first final jeopardy and half of the second. Alfonso Cuaron is my favorite director.

[AuxArx]

I got the Morticia Adams answer because I’m old enough to remember it when it was a hit TV show.  None of these men were born yet, so maybe that would explain why they didn’t know, although they know a lot of other facts from before their time.

[ams1001]

8 hours ago, Bastet said:

LOL at Ken choosing multiple Christopher Plummer clues in a row because "I just want to hear the voice". 

I loved that. Sometimes when they have someone with a great voice doing the clues for a category I get so annoyed when they keep jumping around instead of finishing the category just so I can hear it. Nice to know it's not just me. 😉

 

[Katy M]

52 minutes ago, AuxArx said:

I got the Morticia Adams answer because I’m old enough to remember it when it was a hit TV show.  None of these men were born yet, so maybe that would explain why they didn’t know, although they know a lot of other facts from before their time.

I didn't recognize the name Carolyn Jones.  For some reason I thought it was Yvonne DeCarlo.  Maybe she was the Munsters lady?  

[Prevailing Wind]

Yes, DeCarlo was Lily Munster.

[libgirl2]

10 hours ago, lb60 said:

I got Morticia Addams, which means, for a brief moment in time, I knew more than the three brainiacs. Take that!

 

Yay, me!

 

Me too! 

Edited January 10, 2020 by libgirl2

[driver18]

I got half the first FJ and the second one I got right (I guess I just know my American history even better than I thought... the Whigs are well-known, but the Democrat Republicans are mentioned in Hamilton (the musical); I figured those are better known now too, LOL!).

I don't know Brad, not a fan of James--it really bugs me that he's allowed to get away with just saying the last name (especially when it's a common enough last name) as an answer--and I did see some of Ken Jennings run. So, yeah, definitely rooting for him.

[vibeology]

I got both FJ which made me feel damn smart. I guessed the Whigs and Democratic-Republicans in part because of Hamilton (which is also how I remembered that Madison was short the other day.)

But the moment the 21st Century Oscars category came up I was filled with joy. I am an Oscars fanatic! I actually misread the clue at first and named the other two of the Three Amigos but once I read it again, I realized it had to be Cuaron and that left me thinking until I remembered Crash and the travesty that it won BP over Brokeback. I love Ang Lee.

[Madding crowd]

37 minutes ago, driver18 said:

I got half the first FJ and the second one I got right (I guess I just know my American history even better than I thought... the Whigs are well-known, but the Democrat Republicans are mentioned in Hamilton (the musical); I figured those are better known now too, LOL!).

I don't know Brad, not a fan of James--it really bugs me that he's allowed to get away with just saying the last name (especially when it's a common enough last name) as an answer--and I did see some of Ken Jennings run. So, yeah, definitely rooting for him.

They always accept just  the last name unless there are other possible answers with the same name. For example they would accept Obama but not Bush, unless it was a question where it could only be one of them. It’s not just James. Some contestants do say first and last names but most don’t.

[Dobian]

11 hours ago, Bastet said:

Wow, I played like utter shit in the first round of the first game.  But one of the answers I managed to spit out was the TS of bard and board.  I was better in the DJ round - and I got the Morticia Addams TS (I'm surprised that stumped them) - and got FJ, but it wasn't my game.

I was also shocked when they all drew a blank on Morticia Addams.  Considering the degree of difficulty of the other questions they answer, I thought this one would be a no-brainer and they would be fighting to buzz in first.  It's not like they live under a rock, these guys all know their pop culture.

[bad things are bad]

23 hours ago, Mindthinkr said:

On 1/9/2020 at 10:25 AM, TaraS1 said:

My mother is very concerned about the way Alex looks.  I'd like to think it's the different lighting, but his coloring really does seem off.  It makes me sad.

 

Someone posted in the comments on the NYT article about yesterday's GOAT episode that she was on the show, taping a couple of weeks before the tournament, and SHE remarked that Alex looked much more ill that when she was on. 

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/07/arts/television/jeopardy-greatest.html?searchResultPosition=1#commentsContainer

[saber5055]

1 hour ago, Dobian said:

I was also shocked when they all drew a blank on Morticia Addams.  Considering the degree of difficulty of the other questions they answer, I thought this one would be a no-brainer and they would be fighting to buzz in first.  It's not like they live under a rock, these guys all know their pop culture.

Because that was the first clue in that category and down the board a bit, I took it as the contestants weren't all that sure how the category was to be played since they all did sort of an "Oh, yeah, NOW we get it" when the answer was revealed. The clue confused me too as it was strangely written, as is the tendency sometimes on this show.

15 hours ago, ams1001 said:

Next match is Tuesday 1/14.

Thanks for this. I was wondering how ABC was going to let its cash cow, The Bachelor, be bumped on Monday for a show featuring smart people.

Edited January 10, 2020 by saber5055

[saber5055]

This episode was a shout out to me by showing a pic of my tv/movie boyfriend Denis Leary. I usually tire of my crushes after a while, but Denis will remain in my heart always.

I got keylogging, one of the rare TSs.

Shout out to @Mindthinkr with the clue about three-day eventing, which Brad answered correctly.

This was another episode where I jumped up, clapped and cheered. Yes, I watch alone!

[libgirl2]

1 hour ago, bad things are bad said:

Someone posted in the comments on the NYT article about yesterday's GOAT episode that she was on the show, taping a couple of weeks before the tournament, and SHE remarked that Alex looked much more ill that when she was on. 

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/07/arts/television/jeopardy-greatest.html?searchResultPosition=1#commentsContainer

I look at this tournament not just about the three guys, but  more as a loving tribute to Alex. I am so sad to read he looks so ill. 

[ams1001]

35 minutes ago, saber5055 said:

Because that was the first clue in that category and down the board a bit, I took it as the contestants weren't all that sure how the category was to be played since they all did sort of an "Oh, yeah, NOW we get it" when the answer was revealed.

 

That's one of the problems with jumping around the way they do. Sometimes the first clue is written to help clarify what kind of response they're looking for. If you pick a clue further down the board they don't always make as much sense.

[Mindthinkr]

34 minutes ago, saber5055 said:

Thanks for this. I was wondering how ABC was going to let its cash cow, The Bachelor, be bumped on Monday for a show featuring smart people.

Right, it’s nice to know who their target audience of marketing goes to lol. 

 

30 minutes ago, saber5055 said:

Shout out to @Mindthinkr with the clue about three-day eventing, which Brad answered correctly.

I was thinking of you too at that exact same moment. I’m always excited to see something about the equestrian world. Good for Brad. 

Count me as another poster who admired Ken for his all in. He understood his competition and did so wisely. Well, not if he hadn’t have gotten the answer, but he did. I got garnet, bring your own device (which was a guess), and treatment for the TSs. I ran the Christopher Plummer category and thought that was an interesting bit of trivia about Donald Sutherland. I only got Whig in the FJs, but enjoyed the game. Their kidding around and sportsmanship more.  

[illdoc]

Here's the Jeopardy! TV schedule for the entire tournament:

Episode  Date  Time (TV channel)

Match 1 Tuesday, Jan. 7 8-9 p.m. ET (ABC)

Match 2 Wednesday, Jan. 8 8-9 p.m. ET (ABC)

Match 3 Thursday, Jan. 9 8-9 p.m. ET (ABC)

Match 4 Tuesday, Jan. 14 8-9 p.m. ET (ABC)

Match 5 (if necessary) Wednesday, Jan. 15 8-9 p.m. ET (ABC)

Match 6 (if necessary) Thursday, Jan. 16 8-9 p.m. ET (ABC)

Match 7 (if necessary) Friday Jan. 17 8-9 p.m. ET (ABC)

[saber5055]

2 hours ago, bad things are bad said:

SHE remarked that Alex looked much more ill that when she was on. 

If Alex looks ill or a weird color, I put the blame directly on his makeup department. He and other show hosts wear more makeup than a drag queen, and the makeup person can use any color he or she wishes to make the subject look good. I noticed on the TMZ clip shown last night that Alex was yellow, including his hair, which is suppose to be white with a touch of grey.

People are looking for signs of sickness IMO. On regular shows, lots of characters look overly red or have green tingles on my HDTV. Blame wardrobe/makeup/lighting, not the actor/host. I personally think he looks fine. Don't put the guy in his grave before he's ready.

[HurricaneVal]

I think Alex's face is a little puffier than usual--probably due to steroids or other medications for his treatment and comfort--which is much more obvious in a 3/4 view rather than straight on or profile.  But if you aren't looking for it, he just looks "off."  His hair also seems oddly.....fixed.....so it is likely a wig.  It may be that his skin is more sensitive now, so they may have had to change his makeup and/or hair products to accommodate that.

[peeayebee]

15 hours ago, bybrandy said:

I got garnet and was a little bit surprised that Mr. Sports betting guy thought Diamond might be a school color.  

As Alex (and I) first started reading the clue, I thought diamond but then realized it wouldn't be a school color. Then I pictured what I thought were the school colors and said ruby. 

Got Morticia Addams. That's it.

I used to be so good at Oscar stuff. I was thinking of Cuaron but couldn't remember his name. Ang Lee never occurred to me. I said Guillermo del Toro.

Loved James calling Alex GHOST, Greatest Host of Syndicated TV. 

Very happy with how well Ken did. Brad did better than before, but he needs to step it up!

[Bliss]

I think it's only natural to notice changes in Alex as he's making his journey through this evil disease. I also think he looks fantastic, given the circumstances. Let's not forget he's pushing 80 yr old.

In one of his interviews several months ago, he mentioned having been sick between tapings. What fortitude! If that was me, I'd need a lot more than fancy makeup to get me back onstage.

He also mentioned "missing" his hair. He's such a handsome man and I'm sure this ego-blasting change is unleashing all sorts of growth for him as a human being.

Keep up the good work, Alex! We're cheering you on as the GHOAT! (Greatest Host Of All Time)

Or, if you prefer, James' GHOST! (Greatest Host of Syndicated TV)

[dcalley]

 

[proserpina65]

On ‎01‎/‎08‎/‎2020 at 9:05 PM, Katy M said:

I got Brad's missed DD again, 22.  I figured there are 23 pairs and only sex pair, so that leaves 22.  Sounded too easy to me, but logic prevailed for once.

Whereas I was going "WTF?  Who the hell knows that?", lol.  Clearly not me (or Brad).  Although I did know mitochondria, so there's that.

I was surprised at how long it took James to come up with Le Havre, but then again I grew up across the river from a city named Havre de Grace, so . . . although we do not pronounce it the French way.

Overall, I'm feeling pretty darned stupid.

On ‎01‎/‎08‎/‎2020 at 9:05 PM, Katy M said:

I got half of the second fj, but that's not really impressive.  I was trying to think of who the czar of Russia was at that time.  I didn't know, but it turned out it didn't matter.

I said Bismarck which, given that he wasn't born until 1815, was quite unlikely to be correct.  An American president made much more sense.  I might've come up with Madison due to the War of 1812 if I'd thought more about it.

On ‎01‎/‎08‎/‎2020 at 9:08 PM, ByaNose said:

Brad will always have his looks and old money to lean on.

By old money, you mean old Jeopardy money, right?  :-D

Brad seems to realize that he's at a disadvantage, buzzer-wise.  Certainly Ken isn't out of his league because he's beaten him multiple times.  But you can't win if you don't manage to ring in first on a regular basis.  And getting most of your Daily Doubles wrong doesn't help.

On ‎01‎/‎08‎/‎2020 at 10:25 PM, Browncoat said:

It made me sad that none of them knew, "Good day, sir!" from the best Willy Wonka movie. And a little surprised, too.

Me, too, although I'll confess to not being able to drag it out of my brain in time.

 

[proserpina65]

On ‎01‎/‎09‎/‎2020 at 2:40 AM, nuraman00 said:

 

I don't remember if I saw Brad's original run.

I did.  That's where I first developed my crush on him.  He's been my Jeopardy boyfriend ever since.  The fact that he's from a city not that far from me (and still pronounces it the local way rather than as the California "Lan-Caster") doesn't hurt.  I've always wondered how long a run he'd have managed if contestants hadn't been limited to 5 wins at the time.

Of course, now I wonder how much money Ken would've won if he'd have bet more aggressively.  Still, even if Ken wins the tournament, he still won't have won as much money as Brad.

On ‎01‎/‎09‎/‎2020 at 3:35 AM, UpTooLate said:

Interesting, too, to hear his pronunciation of Lancaster as "Lank-ster." I've never heard it said by a native before.

More like "Lankaster" all smushed together, but yeah, that's how the locals say it.

On ‎01‎/‎09‎/‎2020 at 1:40 PM, saber5055 said:

Yes, as KatyM said, they were asking for the decade, and when AT hesitated when Brad said 1500, Brad clarified by saying the decade before 1510, or something similar.

Actually that particular clue asked for the century - as in "the first decade of this century".  Ideally the answer would've been the 16th century, which I imagine was the reason for Alex's hesitation, but the 1500s is the 16th century so Brad's answer was still correct, if not phrased exactly the way Alex expected.

On ‎01‎/‎09‎/‎2020 at 1:40 PM, saber5055 said:

No one else here was happy at the category of Goats? Just me?

I was, even though I don't know all that much about them.  I did get two answers correct (butting and the Naval Academy); should've gotten chevre since I actually eat the stuff, but again, slow brain in the way.

On ‎01‎/‎09‎/‎2020 at 1:40 PM, saber5055 said:

I find Brad remarkably handsome. So he wins that contest in my book, hands down.

Yep.  Not that Ken and James are dogs, but still, yum.

19 hours ago, mtlchick said:

Speaking of Canadians...Christopher Plummer category!  

Damn, that voice!

19 hours ago, mtlchick said:

Finally, aside that my brother and I combined on the second FJ (he got Lee, I got Cuaron), I would totally watch the Jeopardy! Comedy Hour starring the GHOST not named Pat Sajak.  (I admit I did tear up at that.) 

I got Lee, but was sure Cuaron had directed a Best Picture winning film.  Oops.

[calpurnia99]

I loved Ken's doing his imitation of James smile. He was spot on! It was kind of missed because the audience was laughing about something else at the same time. 

[proserpina65]

17 hours ago, lb60 said:

I got Morticia Addams, which means, for a brief moment in time, I knew more than the three brainiacs. Take that!

I also got the Whig part of FJ.

Yay, me!

 

I got Whig right away and then blurted out Democratic-Republicans because somehow I'd heard the term somewhere.  Never thought it was correct.  WOW - I actually got a political question right!  It's a Dryuary miracle!  (Not that I've stopped drinking, mind you.)

5 hours ago, Madding crowd said:

They always accept just  the last name unless there are other possible answers with the same name. For example they would accept Obama but not Bush, unless it was a question where it could only be one of them. It’s not just James. Some contestants do say first and last names but most don’t.

They are actually incredibly inconsistent about that.  During Alex James' run, they accepted both Roosevelt and Adams as answers in a presidential category when they should've required the exact Roosevelt and Adams, and they didn't accept Carson as the answer to a question about whom the capital of Nevada was named for - hence the whole "Kit" and "Carson" running joke here.  They've also accepted Johnson without requiring the name of the specific Johnson, but at least those two were presidents much farther apart.

[saber5055]

16 minutes ago, proserpina65 said:

Actually that particular clue asked for the century - as in "the first decade of this century". 

You are correct. Even though the category was NAME THE DECADE, the clue asked for the century: "Christopher Columbus makes his last transatlantic trip: the first decade of this century." That's sort of like, category DOGS: "The Budweiser Dalmation rides on a type of wagon named for this man."

[proserpina65]

Just now, saber5055 said:

You are correct. Even though the category was NAME THE DECADE, the clue asked for the century: "Christopher Columbus makes his last transatlantic trip: the first decade of this century." That's sort of like, category DOGS: "The Budweiser Dalmation rides on a type of wagon named for this man."

The clue didn't quite fit the name of the category, when you think about it.  But either way, I'm glad Brad got credit for it.

I've always wondered if Brad was related to the Rutters who own Rutter's Dairy in York, Pennsylvania.  Can't find anything online to indicate it, so probably not, or only distantly.  It looks like it might be a semi-common last name there.

[nuraman00]

Brad's streak of missing so many daily doubles feels like a MLB player (hitter or pitcher) who is in a 2 week slump.

With episodes being shown every day, it's another reason it has that MLB feel to it.

 

I can't believe they didn't know BYOD, or keylogger.

I knew those two.

They know more than me about everything else, but I thought these things were common knowledge, with all of the awareness measures that are out there about cyber security.

 

I'm glad someone explained Brad's Final Jeopardy bet, and why it was that number.

 

Hopefully people continue to provide insight like that on other bets, in case it's not as obvious as being the difference to making sure one isn't doubled.  

 

Did James have a unique bet too, or was it just the difference between he and Ken, or something like that?  There was so much going on with their answers, that I didn't have time to think about the bet numbers.

[nuraman00]

1 hour ago, proserpina65 said:

; should've gotten chevre since I actually eat the stuff, but again, slow brain in the way.

I too should have gotten chevre if I would have had more time, to think about the other name for the thing I get on pizza sometimes.  I knew I had seen the alternate name for goat cheese several times.

[dcalley]

58 minutes ago, calpurnia99 said:

I loved Ken's doing his imitation of James smile. He was spot on! It was kind of missed because the audience was laughing about something else at the same time. 

I missed this, unless you're referring to Ken's Rod Serling impression (The Twilight Zone creator/presenter).

[Madding crowd]

58 minutes ago, proserpina65 said:

I got Whig right away and then blurted out Democratic-Republicans because somehow I'd heard the term somewhere.  Never thought it was correct.  WOW - I actually got a political question right!  It's a Dryuary miracle!  (Not that I've stopped drinking, mind you.)

They are actually incredibly inconsistent about that.  During Alex James' run, they accepted both Roosevelt and Adams as answers in a presidential category when they should've required the exact Roosevelt and Adams, and they didn't accept Carson as the answer to a question about whom the capital of Nevada was named for - hence the whole "Kit" and "Carson" running joke here.  They've also accepted Johnson without requiring the name of the specific Johnson, but at least those two were presidents much farther apart.

You are right about the inconsistency. But I was responding to the poster that said only James has been allowed to use only last names and this is not true.

[ams1001]

51 minutes ago, nuraman00 said:

Did James have a unique bet too, or was it just the difference between he and Ken, or something like that?  There was so much going on with their answers, that I didn't have time to think about the bet numbers.

Did he bet his daughter's birthday (11914)? I know he used it at least once during this tournament but I watched two GOAT episodes and the regular game all in a row so I may be confusing things in my head.