Jeopardy! Season 37 (2020-2021)

[dcalley]

I was surprised Mayim didn't recognize the name Gorsuch at all.

I was yelling "Becky Sharp" at the contestant named Becky!

I only hear Tom Hanks's voice when I hear the name Tony Randall. Unfortunately I can't find a video of the sketch, but it's from SNL where Tom Hanks is "Mr. Short-Term Memory," and he just keeps being surprised over and over again that he's in the presence of Tony Randall. You can read a transcript here: https://snltranscripts.jt.org/90/90hgame.phtml

edit: I found a video! https://www.nbc.com/saturday-night-live/video/mr-shortterm-memory-the-game-show/2868098

Edited June 11, 2021 by dcalley

[ams1001]

12 minutes ago, dcalley said:

I was surprised Mayim didn't recognize the name Gorsuch at all.

 

Did she not recognize the name or did she misread what was written? Because she did not pronounce it how it was spelled. But it was written pretty clearly. That was weird.

[ProudMary]

26 minutes ago, dcalley said:

I was surprised Mayim didn't recognize the name Gorsuch at all.

Truly. That was very surprising. FJ was an instaget for me.

I got Malachite just from the photo as it's my favorite gem. I have several Malachite necklaces. 

Another gem is Jade. Emerald, on the other hand, is a jewel. I think that was a misleading clue. 

Edited June 11, 2021 by ProudMary

[shapeshifter]

Looking at the TSs I got (adzuki beans, Garanimals, Heinlein, cyberspace) this was a Boomer-friendly selection of clues.

I guessed Kennedy and Kagan for FJ because the other K Supreme Court Justice is too painful for me to recall.

22 minutes ago, ProudMary said:

I got Malachite just from the photo as it's my favorite gem. I have several Malachite necklaces.

My dad made a number of Malachite necklaces, belt buckles, and rings. Sorry, Dad, I couldn't recall it in time, but I can picture you and Mom watching this game and you declaring loudly, "Malachite!"

Edited June 11, 2021 by shapeshifter

[Bastet]

This was an archive game for me, so I couldn't see the pictures, but sometimes they wouldn't have helped me.

I had a bad first round; I did not run a single category, missing two each in half of them and one each in the other half. 

I am so ever-loving sick of Bible categories, but at least this one was combined with theatre, so I got all but one.  I did better in DJ overall; I ran Americans, palindromes, and green (I'm giving myself credit for two I'm sure I would have known if I saw the pictures).  I missed five total; the Judges TS from Biblical Broadway, the Heinlein TS in book-borne, and three in stations (I might have recognized Charing Cross, but I'm not confident, so no credit for that one).

FJ was an instaget, so I managed not to curse myself yesterday - that's four in a row.

[opus]

16 minutes ago, Bastet said:

FJ was an instaget, so I managed not to curse myself yesterday - that's four in a row.

No pressure tomorrow 🙂

[seacliffsal]

IMO it was weird that all of the category titles in Jeopardy were tennis-related.  Reason #127 why I may do well at home, I would never do well on the show as it took me a while to figure out what the categories really were...sigh.

For FJ I got Kavanaugh but not Kennedy. The "answer" seemed long and confusing-took me a while to figure out the intent.  Not my night...

Edited June 11, 2021 by seacliffsal

[secnarf]

I was confused about the wagering - why did Ankit not bet enough to cover Mara's score going into FJ?

Had she bet nothing, she would have won.

[shapeshifter]

1 minute ago, secnarf said:

I was confused about the wagering - why did Ankit not bet enough to cover Mara's score going into FJ?

Had she bet nothing, she would have won.

Was it a long enough long shot that anyone would bet nothing in FJ?

Or maybe made a mistake on his simple math?

I still recall, back in the early 1970s before calculators were used, adding wrong on the last step of a calculus exam and flunking the entire exam because it was a single problem exam.

[Josiemae]

1 hour ago, Bastet said:

I am so ever-loving sick of Bible categories, but at least this one was combined with theatre, so I got all but one. 

Yeah! What's with all the religious content lately?

[Driad]

12 minutes ago, shapeshifter said:

I still recall, back in the early 1970s before calculators were used, adding wrong on the last step of a calculus exam and flunking the entire exam because it was a single problem exam.

That's awful.  I did some grading in grad school.  The professor and I agreed that I should look at each step of the solution.  A student who did most of the steps correctly, but missed a calculation at the end, would get most of the credit.

[Leeds]

3 hours ago, 853fisher said:

 

"Remembrance in/of Things Past," Proust's masterwork.  I now am curious to read it, after all this discussion, but I have sworn to myself not to buy any more books until I can get through a few more, and the local library is not cutting it for me right now.  It doesn't seem like beach read anyway.  Maybe when the days gets shorter.

Thanks, I've never heard it called "in".

[Bliss]

I was distracted during the show (grrr... it should be against a law to phone someone during J!) and missed the Canadian question tonight.

(Admission: I've noticed your comments about the archive or some other site where you can see the questions?... is there a link?)

I've noticed the games recently aren't quite as exciting as the TOC games... although I feel smarter! Buzzy was a hard act for Mayim to follow, and as @853Fisher said:

3 hours ago, 853fisher said:

I really liked Mayim to start, and wasn't expecting to, but I agree her schtick has gotten a little old.  I wouldn't mind a bit of high spirits, and still don't mind the occasional interjections.  She hasn't mentioned her credentials too often for me, but I understand why others feel that way.

I do wish someone would present Mayim with a stylist who's trained to unleash the genius within... keeping Mayim true to her authentic self, so to speak. Then I want someone to coach her, and guide her in mannerisms. She's got the goods to be a great host, IMO. Mostly because of her voice.

I'm a J! lover and will watch, no matter who hosts. Oh, wait... I lie. Dr Oz is a no for me; however, something tells me that's not going to be an issue.

From the recent news, Ken seems to be in the top spot. I don't mind him - he's a smart guy (and like Mayim, will let you know if it crops up) and I like his personality. Both he and Mayim seem authentic - I get glimpses of their essence every once in a while; however, I don't "enjoy" him because he has a slight nasal tone. For someone like me who suffers from certain sounds, to the point of becoming ill, that tone isn't ideal.  (excessive sniffing was my first experience, noisily slurping soup while also banging the spoon on teeth, followed by LOUD cereal crunching is pure agony, etc., and I kid you not, it is not a fun ride... I actually have to go lie down in silence until the symptoms pass. TMI? Don't get me started on people who chew food with their mouth open. Sorry. I'm Canuck. LOL)

Bottom line: the voice is so very, very important to me. Dimples are a bonus.

FJ was a snap. I didn't know I knew that until it left my mouth - I thought Ginsberg but couldn't come up with another G and then my gut yelled Kavanaugh and I immediately thought K? Kennedy. Easy peasy even when you didn't know you knew it.

This constant changing of hosts reminds me of the weather. I can't do anything about it... so I accept. Doesn't mean I agree (there's a distinction) or like it all the time... and I'll be happy to settle down with someone permanent eventually. This patience lesson is a dilly sometimes. Seems I learn new levels every day.

[chitowngirl]

6 minutes ago, Bliss said:

Admission: I've noticed your comments about the archive or some other site where you can see the questions?... is there a link?

Jeopardy Archive

[shapeshifter]

52 minutes ago, Driad said:

That's awful.  I did some grading in grad school.  The professor and I agreed that I should look at each step of the solution.  A student who did most of the steps correctly, but missed a calculation at the end, would get most of the credit.

I should have gone to the professor and talked about it, but I was very young (barely 17) and it never occurred to me.

And now back to our regularly scheduled program's mathematical category of "SET"...
The Jeopardy Round DD in the $1K spot seemed absurdly easy to me:

• "This type of diagram that uses overlapping circles..." 
• (easy peasy question: What is Venn?)

and I'm guessing Becky wished after she saw it that she had made it a True Daily Double instead of putting up just $800. She had come from out of the red to the lead, and it was the end of round one.
The scores were:
     Mara $4200     Ankit $1800     Becky $5000
So Becky seemingly expected to not know the the highest scoring answer for that category since she bet the exact amount that would have left her in a tie with Mara
--a reasonable assumption, but had she bet it all, the resulting $10K would have been a commanding lead with which to enter Double Jeopardy.
Becky didn't do well in DJ. Perhaps regretting she had not gone for a True Daily Double made her lose focus.

Ah well. I hope she doesn't dwell on it.
Even getting on Jeopardy is an accomplishment, and she did well for a while.

And now I have erased the episode.

 

Edited June 11, 2021 by shapeshifter

[dcalley]

52 minutes ago, Bliss said:

I was distracted during the show (grrr... it should be against a law to phone someone during J!)

(from The Jeopardy Fan, which has any time available)

[853fisher]

Geez Louise, Mayim was absolutely killing me today.  Some of her asides are great, but some are so inane.  I don't care whether she once got off the Underground at Charing Cross, not even a little.  I don't know whether she's too comfortable or still nervous or what, but keep the focus on the content.

"Set" was interesting.  I recognized much of the material from the Discrete Math course I took to fulfill a gen ed requirement.  I had always been weak in math but loved doing geometric proofs in high school, and thought maybe some of the logic in set theory would be similar.  Gosh, it was awful!  It just didn't get through.  I was pleased I retained a few terms for the category.  I recall thinking that some of the concepts were fascinating but there wasn't time to stop and smell the roses.  I've thought about maybe taking a class at City College or something, just to see if I can get my head around it in a different context.  That's why I get invited to so many parties, because I have great stories to tell, like about my ambition to retake discrete math. ;)

6 hours ago, Katy M said:

I got the Hardy Boys, but was surprised that anything that violent happened in one of the books.

I was too!  We inherited a set of the stories as they were printed in about the 1950s, gorgeous blue hardbacks, from a relative.  I didn't remember anything like that in those books.  Apparently her death occurs in the "Hardy Boys Casefiles" books, which were put out in the 80s and had a more mature presentation and plots about espionage.  No thanks!  Keep it to light felonies in Bayport for me.  Apparently she was still alive in the books considered part of the main series, which were still being written as recently as 2005.

Edited June 11, 2021 by 853fisher

[Browncoat]

4 minutes ago, icemiser69 said:

Mayim is running out of things to say, and seems to be stuck on self-absorbed. 

Much like Alex, who managed to turn nearly every interview into something about himself.

[Mindthinkr]

10 hours ago, Bliss said:

For someone like me who suffers from certain sounds, to the point of becoming ill,

Sounds like misophonia and I empathize because I have it too. 
 

Wednesday: I had a fairly good game and ran 3 categories in the first round of Jeopardy. I was shocked that nobody knew Tony Randall (and was sad about it). My TSs included him, Jasmine, brow, pate, and just went blank in FJ. It was one of those V8 moments when I smacked myself on the head. 
Last night was about the same. I got polo, Garanimals, Walter Reed, Oral Roberts, debunk, Moor, Heinlein, and thought emerald was a jewel so didn’t say it. Forget FJ. The Supreme Court is not one of my strong suits. 
   In the beginning I was ok with Mayim, but she has begun to get on my nerves. It’s shallow of me, but I also think there’s a better hairstyle out there for her as it always looks messy. 

. 

[Trey]

It was not a very good game for me at all.  My only ts was Adelie - I knew @Browncoat would get that one too🙂

I was 3 for 3 on FJ going into last night's game but the category told me my run had come to an end.  I hoped that, by some fluke, I might guess it but I did not.  So, this is not my week for 5/5.

[saber5055]

3 hours ago, Browncoat said:

Much like Alex, who managed to turn nearly every interview into something about himself.

So much WORD to this. How quickly we forget.

[Bliss]

1 hour ago, Mindthinkr said:

Sounds like misophonia and I empathize because I have it too.

It is, and thank you for the empathy.

I spent the first 65 years of my life not knowing I had this... so it's a bit of a surprise - and yet, now when I look back, I can identify times when it was evident. (Like when my youngest was learning how to play the clarinet... OMG.) It's only a problem when it is so intense that I get physically ill.

[Clanstarling]

15 hours ago, ams1001 said:

Got the TS of Harry Potter, Garanimals, Oral Roberts, Judges, debunk, Becky Sharp, and Robert Heinlein. Two DDs (Venn Diagram and Godspell). Had no clue for FJ.

I knew the book, knew Becky Sharp, but what I said was "Becky Thatcher" - wrong book, wrong woman. Sigh...

15 hours ago, illdoc said:

Yellow Fever = Walter Reed. How could no one have gotten that?!!

It took me a bit to remember the name - focusing on the name of the hospital. But I can see that it might be a bit of niche knowledge. A military brat like me (and and old one) knew who he was since I was a little girl. But I'm not sure too many study about yellow fever anymore.

On 6/10/2021 at 7:37 AM, Katy M said:

On 6/9/2021 at 7:00 AM, Trey said:

My thought exactly! It's like showing a field of tomatoes and saying the answer is ketchup.

If there were a tomato field where all the tomatoes were grown exclusively for ketchup, then yeah.

Vinyard doesn't refer specifically to wine making, but grape growing, and I imagine there are also tomato farms used exclusively for ketchup production. Some companies use specific varieties for specific products, and to me it seems more than likely there'd be ketchup destined tomato farms.

[bad things are bad]

18 hours ago, Leeds said:

RITP

Typo, sorry. Should have been ROTP

[bad things are bad]

Quote

Ranking the guest hosts (so far..)

Well, I disagree profoundly with their rankings. Aaron Rodgers in second place?? I don't think so, Al

[ams1001]

11 minutes ago, bad things are bad said:

Well, I disagree profoundly with their rankings. Aaron Rodgers in second place?? I don't think so, Al

If you read the comments, you'll know you're not alone. I liked Aaron but I wouldn't put him second.

[853fisher]

15 hours ago, ams1001 said:

Did she not recognize the name or did she misread what was written? Because she did not pronounce it how it was spelled. But it was written pretty clearly. That was weird.

"Gorsuch" and "de Havilland" were odd moments indeed.  I can't imagine that she hadn't heard of either one, and they did seem to be written pretty clearly.  She also gets a peek at them in her podium in advance.  Does she find it especially difficult to read handwriting, perhaps?  I can't imagine that she had heard of neither person.  Perhaps they should help her in her earpiece.

[Bliss]

13 hours ago, chitowngirl said:

Jeopardy Archive

Thank you! I just explored... and found the question I missed - Bieber!

[Bliss]

12 hours ago, dcalley said:

(from The Jeopardy Fan, which has any time available)

Great idea!

[PaulaO]

Rule number 1.  Do not answer the phone during Jeopardy!  You know it’s nobody you need to talk to.  Friends don’t call friends during J!

Nobody asked me, but I prefer Anderson Cooper over Ken.

I had to mute a Pringle’s commercial last night due to excessive crunching.  I thought I was going to lose my mind.

 

 

[Prevailing Wind]

Speaking of covers of "Dock of the Bay" - Glen Campbell did it once on his Goodtime Hour (SmoBro summer replacement show) and, of course, he was lip synching. When it got to the whistling part, he was just huffin' & puffin' his heart out. NOBODY whistles like that.  For me, it was an unforgettable, hilarious moment.

I got Kennedy/Kavanaugh just as the music ended, but I'm gonna count it as correct. LOL.

I was amazed at all the ones I got last night. It was an "on fire" night for me, which are few and far between. I'm tired of Mayim's blazers.

[Trey]

2 hours ago, PaulaO said:

Nobody asked me, but I prefer Anderson Cooper over Ken.

Your opinion is always welcome.

My top four, starting with number 1, are Buzzy, Anderson Cooper, Ken, then Mayim.  She started out equal to Buzzy but she's been losing me along the way.

Edited June 11, 2021 by Trey

[DonnaMae]

1 hour ago, Prevailing Wind said:

I'm tired of Mayim's blazers.

Her clothes are very boring. 

[Clanstarling]

43 minutes ago, Trey said:

Your opinion is always welcome.

My top four, starting with number 1, are Buzzy, Anderson Cooper, Ken, then Mayim.  She started out equal to Buzzy but she's been losing me along the way.

Right now I can only go with my top two - Buzzy, then Ken. I'm guessing Lavar Burton will be up there, but you never know until you see them. I am fond of him, but I'm also fond of Anderson and just thought he was okay. (he'd probably make the top four, I just don't have enough data yet).

[saber5055]

3 hours ago, DonnaMae said:

Her clothes are very boring. 

WTH does that even mean. She's suppose to wear sparkles and bedazzled low-cut form-fitting dresses and while we're at it, hook a mess-load of extensions in her hair so she looks like she just got a rose on The Bachelor? This is Jeopardy!, not Temptation Island.

Edited June 12, 2021 by saber5055

[Prevailing Wind]

3 minutes ago, saber5055 said:

WTH does that even mean. She's suppose to wear sparkles and bedazzled low-cut form-fitting dresses and while we're at it, hook a mess-load of extensions in her hair so she looks like she just got rose on The Bachelor? This is Jeopardy!, not Temptation Island.

I was about to defend the idea of her blazers being boring, but the guys all dress alike and we don't think they're boring. Why do the ladies have to wear different outfits & different styles when the guys don't? That said, I still think Mayim's blazers are clunky-looking.

[DonnaMae]

7 minutes ago, saber5055 said:

WTH does that even mean. She's suppose to wear sparkles and bedazzled low-cut form-fitting dresses and while we're at it, hook a mess-load of extensions in her hair so she looks like she just got rose on The Bachelor? This is Jeopardy!, not Temptation Island.

Of course not!  But she could be a little more stylish than wearing schoolmarm blazers, dark colors, and loafers.  I'm not a fan of Katie Couric, but I thought she chose stylish clothes when she hosted.

 

[Ailianna]

I think Mayim is stylish too, but just not the same style as Katie Couric. Katie is really very traditional media while Mayim is dressing with a quirk. She's not a corporate personality; Katie has been vanilla forever so she doesn't offend anyone anywhere with her clothes. I prefer Mayim's style, personally. And I'm someone with twenty years in a field that requires me to dress like Katie.

[Prevailing Wind]

[ams1001]

48 minutes ago, Prevailing Wind said:

Should we start referring to Triple Stumpers as Igornance Tones?

[ams1001]

My Ignorance Tones for the evening: Louis and Ferdinand (although after her reaction to the players not knowing it I'm a little annoyed to give Mayim the satisfaction). 

Did not know FJ.

Don't remember if I ran any categories and I'm too lazy to check. 

[Katy M]

I said clef, but I knew enclave was right when I saw it.

I got the missed clues of Louis, maids-a-milking, adroit, facile, and Ferdinand.

I got the entire categories of education and groups of 12 right and the entire category of baseball wrong.

 

[Browncoat]

Congrats to Katie!  Especially since she was in the red at the beginning.  Did I imagine it, or was middle guy bouncing slightly?  

I got FJ, but I had to think about it for a bit.  

The only TS I got was Ferdinand.  

 

[shapeshifter]

That bright shade of pink Mayim wore today on her last Jeopardy guest hosting is *her* color!
But I also get why she couldn't exactly lead with that color on Jeopardy.
{end of fashion commentary}

Mom would have totally run the baseball category. I got bupkis.

Mike was a strong contestant, but Katie is the one I wanted to see more of, so I'm glad she won. 

Ankit was right, IMO, to bet as much as he did on the DD he lost; it was probably his only real chance of winning against the 2 other strong opponents. I felt bad that he beat himself up over it, but I was glad that he managed to get back on the Jeopardy horse and ride a good number of clues to correct questions.

After a long but great afternoon with extended family that followed a night of just a few hours of sleep, I could only see the correct faces that matched the clues --not name them (e.g., Frida Kahlo and Ferdinand the Bull). I probably should have gone back to sleep when my Jeopardy alarm woke me from my 15-minute nap and watched the recording later, but I was too groggy to make such a wise decision, LOL. But I did still manage to come up with some Science answers before they were spoken.

 

Edited June 12, 2021 by shapeshifter

[Driad]

20 minutes ago, Katy M said:

I said clef, but I knew enclave was right when I saw it.

My music education took me from key to clef, which fortunately took me to enclave.

[Bliss]

Taking a stand for women here. I really enjoyed Mayim as host - unlike some of you, I enjoyed her interjections of her own story, like mentioning her sons (makes her 'real' to me) - and although I doubt she'll be the permanent host, she's welcome on my tv. I know she giggled a lot... so do I... what soap is to the body, laughter is for the soul.

I don't care what she wears; however I still wish she'd hire a stylist who'd fit her properly. For whatever reason, I feel uncomfortable watching anyone (male or female or non-gender) with buttons straining on their jacket. When I was a professional city slicker, I wore high heels, silk and satin... now, I'm country chic and love my flannel and fleece. Cotton in summer. Sandals as soon as the snow melts. Comfort is my style! The looser, the better. Mind you, I'm not a tv host.

(I might be weird, and that's okay - I do notice the men's outfits! Especially their choice of tie! I remember a guy - Elliott - on the Chase who wore an exceptional suit. IMO)

Taking another stand... for Alex. For those of you who don't hold him in high regard, I will simply skip your posts in future, or maybe I'll just put this thread in the trash along with others that hurt my heart. (I'd miss some of you!) I find it totally disrespectful to speak of him, after 37 years hosting, with sarcasm or criticism. He's gone! He can't defend his reputation anymore. I realize those of you who don't 'love' him the way I do will think I'm being ridiculous. So be it. I'm not here for the love - I get lots of that from my dog ;-)

What you don't realize is that when I read your hurtful words, I weep. Real tears. I feel a sense of shame for my fellow J! fans who don't respect Alex's legacy. I think of his wife and children who MAY read what's written negatively about him - and that hurts too. He gave so much to our world and was IMO an exceptional human being who honed his craft, admitted his weaknesses, and shared his wealth with the less fortunate.

Everyone has opinions. Everyone has judgments. Unfortunately, the anonymity of the internet makes it too easy for people to state theirs without (obvious) consequences.

Our world is chock full of cruel words and actions, hate and fear, and I'm sad thinking of the challenges my grandchildren will face if we don't start forgiving shortcomings, mistakes, quirks, clothing choices, or interjecting personal anecdotes while hosting... along with accepting others' race, culture, religion, language, and what gender they choose to be and love.

Perhaps a robot would make a good host so there'd be less fuss here. Imagine: No clothing. No personality. The voice would probably drive me crazy though...

If I'm banned for this post, please just remember to be as kind as you can be. You can be intelligent, funny, witty, insightful, even constructively critical, and still be kind. It costs nothing to spread love! Que sera, sera.

[Bastet]

Knowing FDR's middle name belongs in the Toddler Tournament, not a regular game.

The way Mayim said, "Come on, guys, who is Ferdinand?" was funny.

I came so close to running the first round, but missed the maids a-milking TS in Groups of 12 and boxer in Also a Dog Breed.  I almost ran DJ, too; I only missed two in Ghost, one in Buster, and adroit in Skillful Words & Phrases, which annoyed me because I usually run vocabulary categories.

For the first time this week, FJ was not an instaget, but I did come up with it just in time, so I still finished out the week with a great game.

[shapeshifter]

58 minutes ago, Bastet said:

For the first time this week, FJ was not an instaget, but I did come up with it just in time, so I still finished out the week with a great game.

Congratulations, @Bastet!❕  👏🏻👏🏼👏🏽👏🏾👏🏿

[853fisher]

I'm pleased Mayim had one last opportunity to remind us that she is both an actor (drink!) and a scientist (drink!).  How nice that Jeopardy! was able to provide the ideal platform for these many skills to coalesce.  I said yesterday that I hadn't minded the reiterations of her background, but today, oy.

I said "learning aid" instead of "visual aid."  I don't see how they could rule that wrong, having not tied it to a definition from a specific source.  Unless I'm missing something, that was a pretty vague question.  I did get everything under "Skillfull," but that's all.  Kinda defeats the point, doesn't it?

All three contestants were pretty likable.  It was nice to see Katie surprise herself.  Maybe she'll be more confident next week.  By the way, in case it comes up, the title of the book about the peace-loving bull is not "Ferdinand the Bull" but "The Story of Ferdinand."  Although he's so agreeable, he'd take it either way.

[ProudMary]

This was the second show in a row where a jewel was incorrectly referred to as a gem. (The Diamond Head clue.)   /Pet Peeve

Baseball categories are my favorites. I ran it with ease, especially with photographs of Josh Gibson and Barry Bonds, both of whom I recognized before reading the clue.