Jeopardy! Season 37 (2020-2021)

[shapeshifter]

1 hour ago, ProudMary said:

Buzzy is doing very well at acknowledging whether each response is correct or not. Other than Ken Jennings, the other guest hosts have been s-l-o-w in this area. But IMO, the reason the game is moving along so quickly is that every one of these contestants has appeared in a minimum of four Jeopardy! episodes. I know that Buzzy is only hosting the TOC over these two weeks, but had he been working with inexperienced contestants, I think the pace would be slower.

If these guest spots are de facto tryouts for the permanent position, then Buzzy hosting only the TOC could make it difficult-to-impossible for TPTB to compare his performance to the others’ which might result in someone else (e.g., Aaron Rodgers) getting the permanent position, especially since the humans deciding might be left with a vague sense that Buzzy’s TOC shows felt “rushed.” Whatever. Life is like that. 

[DrSpaceman73]

Are the clue writers obsessed with salman rushdie?  I swear that's the second clue about him this week.  

Tough game but I did get FJ, though I was completely wrong in my mind which countries bordered the red sea except for egypt and yemen.  I really didn't know if yemen or oman was the one next to the red sea but went with yemen since it was closer to the end of the alphabet.  

[Clanstarling]

12 hours ago, GreekGeek said:

I was surprised that The Handmaid's Tale was a TS, given all the attention the series received. The other TS's I got were Bill Sikes--who in the illustration looked a lot like Oliver Reed, who played him in the 1969 musical--and balcony. I got FJ on a wild guess based on the film Salmon Fishing in the Yemen.

It was the only one I missed in that category - and I watched all but the current season. Smacked my head when the clue was answered.

I got Bill Sikes completely from the illustration. I guess I read that printed version of the book.

I almost ran WWII names. I missed Wallenburg because Schindler popped into my mind even though I knew that was wrong. At least it was in the neighborhood (so to speak).

Otherwise it was pretty hard, which is what one expects in a tournament of champions. The minute the FJ category was revealed, I was sunk. I am terrible at geography. The mister got it though.

[Mindthinkr]

I was unable to watch the game last night and when I looked up FJ I had no clue. Judging by what I’m reading here I would have had a fair game. 

[ams1001]

30 minutes ago, Clanstarling said:

I got Bill Sikes completely from the illustration. I guess I read that printed version of the book.

I did, too, but my copy is not illustrated. Not sure if I've seen that picture before, but from the look of the man, plus the dog, it was the only option in my head.

[Cotypubby]

I recognized Bill Sikes more from the dog than from him! 😆

[ProudMary]

9 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

If these guest spots are de facto tryouts for the permanent position, then Buzzy hosting only the TOC could make it difficult-to-impossible for TPTB to compare his performance to the others’ which might result in someone else (e.g., Aaron Rodgers) getting the permanent position, especially since the humans deciding might be left with a vague sense that Buzzy’s TOC shows felt “rushed.” Whatever. Life is like that. 

I was thinking about this also but I'd imagine that the producers are aware that TOC contestants are in a completely different league than the average Jeopardy! contestant and would take that into consideration regarding the quicker tempo of their game play. Also, and this is JMO, I would think it's a lot easier to get a speedy host to slow down slightly than it would be to get a slow host to speed up. It's easier to take an extra beat before speaking than it is to demand quicker cognition from one's brain. 

Edited May 20, 2021 by ProudMary
Corrected a typo.

[proserpina65]

17 hours ago, Katy M said:

Believe it or not i got FJ right.  I changed my answer towards the end from Somalia, which apparently does not border the Red Sea.

I got the missed clue of Name of the Rose (just read it last year), zebra and balcony.

 

I didn't get balcony but did get the others.  And although I initially went with Saudi Arabia for FJ, I changed it to Yemen in plenty of time to have written it down.  Hell, I probably would've written "1 Yemen Road, Yemen".

17 hours ago, GreekGeek said:

I was surprised that The Handmaid's Tale was a TS, given all the attention the series received.

I'm somewhat familiar with the series although I've never watched, but the clue gave me nothing with which to work, answer-wise.

[ProudMary]

1 minute ago, proserpina65 said:

I didn't get balcony but did get the others.  And although I initially went with Saudi Arabia for FJ, I changed it to Yemen in plenty of time to have written it down.  Hell, I probably would've written "1 Yemen Road, Yemen".

My mind went right there too. 😄

[dankesean]

 

17 hours ago, HissyFit said:

My answer in the "Come hell or high ..." category to the clue "Like pell-mell, it's a hyphenated rhyming term for confusion" was "higgledy-piggledy." What say ye, forum judges?

Given that I shouted out the same thing (and then had to defend myself from the two other people in the room who had never heard the term) I'll give a (very biased) 'we'll accept that'.

Edited May 20, 2021 by dankesean

[ams1001]

3 minutes ago, proserpina65 said:

I'm somewhat familiar with the series although I've never watched, but the clue gave me nothing with which to work, answer-wise.

You'd have to know the main character (Offred) and how the handmaids' names are formed (she is the handmaid of Fred, which the clue said was presumably the man's name). 

[saber5055]

14 hours ago, Cotypubby said:

I’ve visited Israel and while I was there I swam in the Red Sea when I was in Eilat! 

More accurately, you swam in the Gulf of Aqaba. Neither Israel nor Jordan border the Red Sea. If you swam a few hundred miles, you would have/could have/might have made it to the Red Sea.

[bad things are bad]

Quote

Her pronunciation of "Herbs" with the vocalized "H" was bugging me -- mainly because I do not think that is how Michiganers pronounce it

This Michigander pronounces it without the leading H. I noticed it too, maybe she's channeling Martha Stewart :)

But yay Jennifer! I'm rooting for her due to our fondness for Dowagiac, having spent some time at a cottage nearby. Not a touristy town but close to some major recreational areas and the SW Michigan wine trail 

[Trey]

I surprised myself by getting FJ last night.

Nibir is on the verge of being eliminated.  I will keep my fingers crossed for him.

I wonder if Buzzy did some serious training on hosting the show.

[Roaster]

I got William Penn, but I could not come up with the other name.  Kicking myself that I forgot about Lord Baltimore.

These contestants have obviously seen a lot of tournaments and know the wild-card is a good way to get to the semi-finals.  Hence the conservative FJ wagers - not what we would see in regular games.

Mackenzie is now number 4 in the wild card standings, so she advances as long as Friday's second-place contestant doesn't finish with more than $9000.

[ams1001]

Let's see who we remember tonight....just Kevin at first but then Ben came back to me a bit as the game went on.

J!: Got the DD but no TS and didn't get more than 3 in any category. 43%

DJ: Got one DD (Punic Wars) and the TS of Alzheimer's Disease, 4 in Musical Theater, 3 Airports, and a grand total of 6 out of the remaining four categories. 43%

FJ: Nope. Final score: 43%

At least I'm consistent.

My mother needs to stop telling me I should go on Jeopardy.

[proserpina65]

It's a very rare day when I can say I aced the FJ which stumped all 3 contestants on a Tournament of Champions game, but I guess living in the corner of Maryland between Pennsylvania & Delaware, bordered by the Mason-Dixon Line and named for one of the members of the Calvert family finally pays off.  Admittedly I'm not quite sure which Calvert was the Lord Baltimore who got the land grant from Charles I which became the colony and then state of Maryland.  Might've been George or Charles, or hell, even my county's namesake Cecil, but still, Penn & Calvert were insta-answers requiring not the slightest bit of thought on my part.

Okay, I googled, and it was George Calvert, the first Lord Baltimore, who got the land grant.  But his son Cecil was Lord Baltimore when the colony was actually settled and established as a haven for Roman Catholics fleeing persecution in England.

So basically my state started as someplace which actually practiced religious freedom, at least in some form, unlike those Puritans in New England who wanted religious freedom for only those who believed exactly what they did.

Edited May 20, 2021 by proserpina65

[Bastet]

I just checked the archive, since I'm going to be watching something else tonight, so I don't know if I'd have recognized anyone.  Probably not.

I ran constitution, cities, and jobs in the first round, and only missed four total across the other categories.  Things went downhill in DJ as usual - and then some.  I didn't run a single category.  And I only came up with two each in battles (I hate war history!) and authors.  I missed one or two each in all the others, for 12 total.  (It could have only been a nice, round ten if I'd picked the other gang from West Wide Story and been able to get Norgay from my brain to my mouth in time.)

No clue on FJ, so I was just as stumped as the contestants.

[Katy M]

i was so close.  I said Baltimore and Pitt.

i got the missed clue of Alzheimer's, although it was a guess and I had no idea it was a leading cause of death.

I got the entire category of first names wrong.  

I sucked pretty badly tonight.

[Browncoat]

I said Lord Baltimore and Lord De La Warr.  Close, but no cigar.  

And of the missed clues, I only got the missed DD of Love.  Probably because I've flown through DFW so much.

The middle guy looked familiar tonight, but I didn't recognize either of the others.

[853fisher]

Airpots and Musicals are dream categories for me.  I'm glad I cleared both of those.  For "alliterative jobs," I said "rat racer" instead of "pencil pusher."  I don't think that'd fly, since it's more about hectic modern lifestyles generally than about bureaucratic work specifically, but I think it was cute.

I know what base 10 is, generally speaking, but can't understand "4 factors."  I tried Google too, although not very hard.  All these years later, and we do have calculators in our pockets, but some bits of math remain Greek to me.

Edited May 21, 2021 by 853fisher

[Roaster]

4 minutes ago, 853fisher said:

 

I know what base 10 is, generally speaking, but can't understand "4 factors."  

I think it's that 10 has four integers that can be multiplied with each other to form 10:

1, 2, 5, 10

while 12 has six integers

1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 12

I remember seeing someone say we (the human race) screwed up by using base 10 when base 12 would make mental arithmetic easier.

[BuckeyeLou]

Being a History nerd, I got the FJ tonite...I knew Mason & Dixon were surveyors who laid out the line between Pennsylvania(Penn) and Maryland(the Catholic colony under Lord Baltimore), so I applauded for myself :)

[853fisher]

21 minutes ago, Roaster said:

I think it's that 10 has four integers that can be multiplied with each other to form 10:

1, 2, 5, 10

while 12 has six integers

1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 12

I remember seeing someone say we (the human race) screwed up by using base 10 when base 12 would make mental arithmetic easier.

Thank you!  That's very helpful.  I see now, the numbers 10 and 12 have factors, not the ideas "base 10" or "base 12."  Trying to parse that, I was reminded of the blind panic I experienced in that class sometimes. ;)  When I'm not being "tested," I enjoy learning about these concepts much more than I did.  I admit I still don't understand why that would make mental math easier.  Fortunately, I do OK with that in base 10.

Edited May 21, 2021 by 853fisher

[shapeshifter]

43 minutes ago, 853fisher said:

I know what base 10 is, generally speaking, but can't understand "4 factors."

The $200 clue was “Some say we should move to base 12, with 6 factors, & away from base this, with 4 factors,” and I just knew that “we” use base 10, so I didn’t worry about the “4 factors.”

After that, the rest was mostly a blur since I only slept 3 hours last night, but I did know Ticket Taker before it was spoken, and I did enjoy the Impeachment clue.

[GreekGeek]

I did not get FJ, not having lived in that part of the country, but I did know Curia, nobility, and Daniel Patrick Moynihan. 

Like many of you, I am having trouble remembering most of these ex-champs. 

I'm wondering why there has been no mention of Brayden Smith, the last 5-time champ under Alex, who passed away very young recently.

[shapeshifter]

10 minutes ago, GreekGeek said:

I'm wondering why there has been no mention of Brayden Smith, the last 5-time champ under Alex, who passed away very young recently

My guess would be it’s the family’s preference. 😪

[secnarf]

For anyone curious as to why some people argue for the base 12 system: https://io9.gizmodo.com/why-we-should-switch-to-a-base-12-counting-system-5977095

[saber5055]

46 minutes ago, GreekGeek said:

I'm wondering why there has been no mention of Brayden Smith, the last 5-time champ under Alex, who passed away very young recently.

Steve Moulds, who played in Tuesday's game, was moved into Brayden's spot. The show might still do a tribute to Brayden before the ToC is over as it has done for other contestants who have passed away.

[saber5055]

@teebax, if you are out there, is Ben Henri the winner of your tournament? I can't keep years straight or remember who won when you competed.

[853fisher]

1 hour ago, secnarf said:

For anyone curious as to why some people argue for the base 12 system: https://io9.gizmodo.com/why-we-should-switch-to-a-base-12-counting-system-5977095

Thank you too! :)

1 hour ago, GreekGeek said:

I'm wondering why there has been no mention of Brayden Smith, the last 5-time champ under Alex, who passed away very young recently.

I'm sure I read there was going to be something.  Perhaps they are reserving it for a later phase of proceedings?  At least two of this week's episodes have had the extended credits they use when they have a little time to fill, so if it was just a question of when they had 30-60 seconds to say a nice few words, I'd think they have.

[Cotypubby]

Got a few TS’s tonight, Leyte Gulf and Daniel Moynihan (which seemed like a rather obscure clue that I only knew because I’ve been in Penn Station since the new concourse opened. Would a non-New Yorker know that?)

Not even a chance at a guess on FJ. 

[ProudMary]

I got the missed DD of Love Field, the TS of Daniel Patrick Moynihan and I easily got the TS of Leyte Gulf. I grew up knowing about it because my Dad fought in the battle. Thanks for your service (and the knowledge) Dad!

[Scott]

38 minutes ago, Cotypubby said:

Daniel Moynihan (which seemed like a rather obscure clue that I only knew because I’ve been in Penn Station since the new concourse opened. Would a non-New Yorker know that?)

Didn't remember him from the concourse (although after the fact, I do remember reading about it), but knew him from his photo and the "long-time New York senator" clue.

[Bastet]

46 minutes ago, Cotypubby said:

Daniel Moynihan (which seemed like a rather obscure clue that I only knew because I’ve been in Penn Station since the new concourse opened. Would a non-New Yorker know that?)

I'm a Los Angelena, and correctly guessed that one even without seeing the picture (which would have confirmed it) based on "longtime NY senator" but I think one might need to be a bit of a policy wonk to get it.

4 hours ago, 853fisher said:

For "alliterative jobs," I said "rat racer" instead of "pencil pusher."  I don't think that'd fly, since it's more about hectic modern lifestyles generally than about bureaucratic work specifically, but I think it was cute.

I said "paper pusher" and am so confident that would have been accepted I'm surprised it wasn't noted as an alternate answer.

[shapeshifter]

6 hours ago, Bastet said:

I said "paper pusher" and am so confident that would have been accepted I'm surprised it wasn't noted as an alternate answer.

Has Buzzy been mentioning alternative answers? I can’t recall.

[Katy M]

59 minutes ago, shapeshifter said:

Has Buzzy been mentioning alternative answers? I can’t recall.

I forgot the word, but he did say one word could be pronounced either away (and there was an extra syllable in one way, so yes, it made difference scoringwise.).

[shapeshifter]

12 minutes ago, Katy M said:

I forgot the word, but he did say one word could be pronounced either away (and there was an extra syllable in one way, so yes, it made difference scoringwise.).

Now that you mention it, I recall Buzzy mentioning the alternate pronunciation. But has he mentioned any completely alternate answers? Too be fair, I guess there aren't that many, and probably usually the judges have to decide on the spot.

Anyway, if I was a judge, yes, @Bastet, we will accept "paper pusher!" 🙂

[MrAtoz]

10 hours ago, secnarf said:

For anyone curious as to why some people argue for the base 12 system: https://io9.gizmodo.com/why-we-should-switch-to-a-base-12-counting-system-5977095

As that article mentions, some other cultures have used different bases, particularly base 20 and base 60.

Supposedly (as in, I heard it on some podcast somewhere), the ease of dividing 12 various ways is why we tend to measure baked goods in dozens, and why the clock is based on 12.  We use base 10 largely because we have 10 fingers, but mathematically, 12 has a lot of advantages.

[Mindthinkr]

 I did miss the first 10 minutes of the game, but came in time to hear their chit chat. I loved hearing how Ben kept up with fellow players over the pandemic and formed a support group. 
I was stumped by FJ, but in good company. 

[Trey]

I didn't get any ts's or at least didn't write any down.

I did get William Penn for FJ but couldn't think who the second man might be.  I was tempted to say Mason-Dixon like the one contestant did😄

[853fisher]

11 hours ago, Cotypubby said:

Got…Daniel Moynihan (which seemed like a rather obscure clue that I only knew because I’ve been in Penn Station since the new concourse opened. Would a non-New Yorker know that?)

I live in California and have seen several stories about the new train hall. I wish I could remember exactly where but I browse “New York Times” headlines a few times a week, think it was been covered by a transit news aggregator I follow, and recall it even ended up in my Facebook feed through a few friends.

All that is to say that I guess I can imagine people from around the country having seen a mention of it. I have several friends involved with railroading and am interested enough in planes and trains to have watched Amtrak’s 50th anniversary celebration online this month, where the train hall also was mentioned, so I guess I’m not really sure about “normal” people, but it did seem to be in the air.

Or…they might just have recognized him from the photo and “long-serving Senator,” but I prefer to do things the hard way. ;)

[shapeshifter]

15 minutes ago, Trey said:

I was tempted to say Mason-Dixon like the one contestant did😄

I had decided that might have been my response if I were there, even though I knew it was wrong, so Buzzy's response to it being (I think?) "logical" was nice. I've noticed all of his responses feel respectful of the player, whether to correct a wrong response or to acknowledge a correct response.

[PaulaO]

I have no knowledge of or interest in colonial America.  My first reply was Lewis and Clark, then I changed it to George Washington and George III.  

[saber5055]

A tribute to Brayden is happening on today's episode, Friday. The clip is posted on the Jeopardy YouTube channel here if anyone missed it.

[proserpina65]

15 hours ago, Scott said:

Didn't remember him from the concourse (although after the fact, I do remember reading about it), but knew him from his photo and the "long-time New York senator" clue.

I know the name but had no idea he was from NY.  D'oh.  I did get Love Field and Leyte Gulf, at least.

[HissyFit]

8 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

Has Buzzy been mentioning alternative answers? I can’t recall.

I wish he had mentioned "higgledy-piggledy." ( @dankesean probably does, as well.) It was one of the many silly-sounding words my grandmother delighted in using. Until I was grown, I mistakenly thought she made them up to make me laugh.

[shapeshifter]

6 minutes ago, HissyFit said:

I wish he had mentioned "higgledy-piggledy." ( @dankesean probably does, as well.) It was one of the many silly-sounding words my grandmother delighted in using. Until I was grown, I mistakenly thought she made them up to make me laugh.

I thought the same about words my grandfather used. Turned out they were Yiddish, LOL.

 

 

2 hours ago, saber5055 said:

A tribute to Brayden is happening on today's episode, Friday. The clip is posted on the Jeopardy YouTube channel here if anyone missed it.

Thanks for posting that, @saber5055. Buzzy certainly delivered it well. I think having been a non-celebrity contestant himself gave it more meaning to Buzzy.

[Roaster]

Veronica accumulated over $22K with the help of only one Daily Double (and only $1000 from that Daily Double), which is pretty good.  She didn't know FJ, but neither did I (although it seems obvious in hindsight.)

Gotta love a contestant with an alliterative name: Veronica Vichit-Vadakan.

 

[ams1001]

Not a lotta TSs tonight…and I didn't get any of 'em. But I did get the Pegasus DD, and ran She Sang it in a Movie, Corporate Jargon, and T-Pain.

Actually did better in the second round than the first. Got 60% in the first round (my third highest first round score this week) and 77% in the second (a full 30 points more than my next highest DJ score).

I got FJ but only because I accidentally scrolled down too far in the archive and saw the word Edgar (quoting Buzzy's comment about who the character was) at the top of the box. I'm sure I would not have gotten it otherwise, so I am not counting it, for a total score of 67%. Best game of the week.