Jeopardy! Season 37 (2020-2021)

[possibilities]

Today's host is someone I had never heard of. He seems extremely smooth and competent, almost slick, inoffensive and blends into the background. It's like he's the Platonic Ideal of The Generic White Guy host. I had hoped Jeopardy would expand its horizons, but I get that this guy is practically a carbon copy of The Trebek Aesthetic so maybe that's what they wanted.

I liked all the contestants today, and I noticed they didn't seem to have as much trouble buzzing in as usual. I wonder if Matt is getting tired.

Edited August 3, 2021 by possibilities

[stonehaven]

Matt is growing on me and I am not sure why but as long as I am able to tune out the "what's" part, I'm okay with him.

David seemed to blend in well...if a little generic but at least he wasn't yelling. He seemed to move the game along well...I could see him getting the gig but hopefully, he'd let his personality come through a bit more. Also, his squinting seemed odd but overall, doable....

[Katy M]

FJ was almost an instaget.

I got the missed clues of Carol Brady and rain.

I got he entire category of hills right and the entire category of instruments wrong.

[Browncoat]

I should have gotten FJ -- seems so obvious in hindsight -- but I just had a bad case of mental flatulence and couldn't come up with anything.  Boo, hiss.

I did, however, get the TS/missed DD of Carol Brady, sea angel, rain, robot, and Christine McVie.  

ETA: I have no idea who today's guest host is, but he has a nice voice.

Edited August 3, 2021 by Browncoat

[853fisher]

I have never heard of David Faber, and saw very little anticipatory chat about him anywhere, so I was preconception-free.  I thought he was competent but nothing special.  (Sadly, this was still a relief after last week.)  Call me a fuddy-duddy, but there was too much "yup" and "yah" for me.

I owe my parents an apology.  It turns out, even though I don't enjoy "outdoorsmanship," there was a useful application for all those knots I learned on the way to Eagle Scout.  As far as what I do enjoy, I feel Anna deserved credit for "dual-zone hermostat."  Perhaps when enjoying different varietals, she goes all in. ;)

[shapeshifter]

I guess I’m the only one here who was a tiny bit disappointed that AMERICAN RIVERS category didn’t have a clue about the American River in Sacramento. 
 

After reading the interview with Matt (ew.com/tv/jeopardy-champion-matt-amodio-interview) posted earlier today in the media thread, I noticed how unsure he was of recent pop culture. 

[Cotypubby]

No clue who David Faber is but IMO he’s been the best guest host so far!

FJ was an instaget because it was the only thing that came to mind. My brain: “Waldorf means nothing except Waldorf-Astoria so I dunno, Astor? He’s a famous businessman.” 😄

[secnarf]

4 minutes ago, Cotypubby said:

No clue who David Faber is but IMO he’s been the best guest host so far!

FJ was an instaget because it was the only thing that came to mind. My brain: “Waldorf means nothing except Waldorf-Astoria so I dunno, Astor? He’s a famous businessman.” 😄

My brain automatically linked Waldorf to Astoria - shocking as I couldn't even tell you what Waldorf Astoria was without googling it - but then unsurprisingly I couldn't make the leap from Astoria to Astor, and just blindly guessed (Kit) Astoria. I was surprised none of the contestants made that connection with Waldorf, though.

[The Wild Sow]

“KAT-y-did”?   OK then.  I think I would have asked him to spell it!  I guess Katydid  was in Matt’s reading vocabulary but not his speaking vocabulary.

 So named because of the sound it makes - so what exactly did Katy do? ;-)

[Bastet]

I don't watch much financial news and don't remember David Faber from his Celebrity Jeopardy appearance, but add him to the long list who did a fine job guest hosting.  (I didn't come in until the first round was almost over, and had to check the archive for the clues I missed, so I didn't see how he did with the interviews, but behind the podium he was fine.)  And another great charity.

The rain TS was surprising; I'm sure they all first thought flood and knew that couldn't be right, but I was surprised none of them made the mental adjustment to rain since it had to be four letters.

The Christine McVie TS made me a little sad.

The swipe at how forgettable Kaine's VP slot on the ticket was made me laugh.

I ran that category, along with hodgepodge, idioms, and science in the first round.  I missed one each in the other two.  I only ran instrumental in DJ, though.  I missed ten across the other categories, so not bad for a DJ round.

I got FJ because of the hotel.

[dcalley]

4 hours ago, Bastet said:

The Christine McVie TS made me a little sad.

My stupid brain completely blanked on her last name (ridiculous of me; John McVie is where the "Mac" comes from!), and I gave her maiden name instead (Christine Perfect).

[Cherpumple]

I immediately thought of Astor for FJ, but second guessed myself because I knew the Waldorf-Astoria opened in the late 1800s and the only Astor I knew of was the John Jacob who died on the Titanic, which obviously didn't fit the timeline in the clue. Turns out, that guy was John Jacob Astor IV (great-grandson of the guy in the clue).

I thought the two challengers today started out great, but they unfortunately faded rather quickly, especially after Matt won the first DD. And then Ann lost everything on her DD, which seemed to shake her confidence. I thought that was a tough clue!

[853fisher]

I said last week that I wondered why some of LeVar's more conspicuous errors weren't edited out.  Various hosts have graciously admitted to getting a bit of help from the cutting room.  I think David did too.  There was a very conspicuous seam between the 15th clue response and the "outro" going into the first commercial, for instance.  I assume he and the contestant talked over each other instead of making a clean break.  That can't be easy, but I wonder why they seem to have fixed that in some cases but not others.

[Mindthinkr]

In hindsight Astor seems like an easy FJ, but my brain didn’t want to function last night. 

[Clanstarling]

13 hours ago, possibilities said:

Today's host is someone I had never heard of. He seems extremely smooth and competent, almost slick, inoffensive and blends into the background. It's like he's the Platonic Ideal of The Generic White Guy host. I had hoped Jeopardy would expand its horizons, but I get that this guy is practically a carbon copy of The Trebek Aesthetic so maybe that's what they wanted.

I love this description. I agree. I never heard of the guy either, but then I never watch any financial news. The only financial presenter I can think of is one I've seen in clips - the kinda crazy guy with a...bell? gong?

11 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

I guess I’m the only one here who was a tiny bit disappointed that AMERICAN RIVERS category didn’t have a clue about the American River in Sacramento.

I'm really bad with rivers, but if I'd remembered there was an American River in Sacramento (which I should have known), I'd have been a bit disappointed too.

 

11 hours ago, secnarf said:

My brain automatically linked Waldorf to Astoria - shocking as I couldn't even tell you what Waldorf Astoria was without googling it - but then unsurprisingly I couldn't make the leap from Astoria to Astor, and just blindly guessed (Kit) Astoria. I was surprised none of the contestants made that connection with Waldorf, though.

My brain was similar - I thought "well, they said Waldorf for a reason...so what connection to Waldorf do we have in America - oh, Waldorf salad! Wait, maybe the Waldorf-Astoria? Is there someone named Astoria?" Astor didn't occur to me because of the dates, and the only one I remember died on the Titanic.

9 hours ago, Bastet said:

The swipe at how forgettable Kaine's VP slot on the ticket was made me laugh.

I'm crap at remembering where most senators are from, but I remember him because I thought he was a terrible choice. I did actually get a couple in the category, so I was happy.

I've never seen a picture of the Appennine Colossus, or heard of him for that matter,  but boy is that a gorgeous sight.

 

Edited August 3, 2021 by Clanstarling

[Trey]

I've never seen this guest host before but he's very good.

My only ts was Carol Brady - those Brady Bunch movies were hilarious and Shelley Long as Carol Brady was perfect.

I knew "Waldorf" was the main word in the clue but my mind wouldn't work.  It kept answering "Bergdorf" instead of Astoria. 

 

[Katy M]

11 minutes ago, Trey said:

knew "Waldorf" was the main word in the clue but my mind wouldn't work.  It kept answering "Bergdorf" instead of Astoria. 

Or Statler would have been a good answer, LOL.  Waldorf and Statler are the hecklers on the muppets, and no, I don't know which is which.

[Prevailing Wind]

Their full names are Waldorf Astoria and Statler Hilton. I, too, cannot tell the geezers apart.

 

[bad things are bad]

I got stuck on the German aspect of FJ and couldn't come up with any early 19th century famous Germans. John Jacob Astor is not a Germanic-sounding name

Didn't the other guy say something about being a Proud American when he picked the American Rivers category? 

Agreed that David Faber did a fine job. Maybe Joe Buck will call in sick next week :)

And here's a poll from the Seattle Times asking who do you want as permanent host. IMO not enough Buzzy https://www.seattletimes.com/entertainment/tv/poll-who-do-you-want-to-be-the-permanent-jeopardy-host/

[Driad]

FJ:  Waldorf ... Waldorf something ... these imaginary apples and walnuts are blocking my vision ... bat them away ... Waldorf Astoria ... Astor!

If they had just asked me Astor's nationality, I would have said British because of Lady Astor, who sparred verbally with Churchill. (It's possible to know too much ans not enough simultaneously.)

On "Barney Miller," the police sometimes took people having mental problems to Bellvue Hospital.  One of the detectives had many nicknames for the hospital, including "Waldorf Hysteria."

[Katy M]

27 minutes ago, bad things are bad said:

And here's a poll from the Seattle Times asking who do you want as permanent host. IMO not enough Buzzy https://www.seattletimes.com/entertainment/tv/poll-who-do-you-want-to-be-the-permanent-jeopardy-host/

I'm surprised Katie Couric is in the top 5.  Aaron Rogers was a bit too slow for my taste.  Basically I'm not too picky, though.  Anyone who can get the questions out fast enough to clear the board is good with me.

[illdoc]

Waldorf & Statler: 

Q: Which Muppet is Statler and which is Waldorf?

Per Wikipedia: Waldorf is the one with the pug-like face, mustache, and white hair. In almost all productions, Statler appears on the audience's right and Waldorf on the left. Despite constantly complaining about the show and how terrible some acts are, they always return for the following week and occupy their usual pair of seats in the balcony. Their reasons for doing so are a mystery even to them, according to one version of the Muppet Show theme (Waldorf: "Why do we always come here?" / Statler: "I guess we'll never know").

Edited August 3, 2021 by illdoc

[The Wild Sow]

2 hours ago, Katy M said:

I'm surprised Katie Couric is in the top 5.

Should we ask Katie (Katy) what she "did"?

[Gimmick Genius]

3 hours ago, Driad said:

 

If they had just asked me Astor's nationality, I would have said British because of Lady Astor, who sparred verbally with Churchill. (It's possible to know too much ans not enough simultaneously.)

Lady Nancy (nee Langhorne) Astor was American, born in Danville, Virginia. Her second husband was (wait for it...) WALDORF Astor, born in New York. They lived in England for several years where he entered politics and became the PM for Plymouth in the House Of Commons. When he was made a viscount and moved up to the House of Lords, his wife won his previous seat in the Commons from 1919 to 1945. So saying Lady Astor's nationality was British ... well, not quite.

[Katy M]

25 minutes ago, The Wild Sow said:

Should we ask Katie (Katy) what she "did"?

Speaking of which, what was that crazy pronunciation of Katydid that Matt did last night?  It pronounced just like it looks.

2 hours ago, illdoc said:

Their reasons for doing so are a mystery even to them, according to one version of the Muppet Show theme (Waldorf: "Why do we always come here?" / Statler: "I guess we'll never know").

 

I think they spent their whole lives there.  They're too lazy to leave.

[shapeshifter]

1 hour ago, Katy M said:

Speaking of which, what was that crazy pronunciation of Katydid that Matt did last night?  It pronounced just like it looks.

Alex would have just said, "No, I'm sorry," right?
Or is there some rule about alternate pronunciations being okay provided you don't have to put in a wrong letter to make that pronunciation? 
Even the closed captioning had: Kat--A--Did
He said the A with a schwa sound.
I dunno. Can a Y ever make a schwa sound?

[possibilities]

Maybe they didn't clean up LeVar's hosting with edits because he's so popular, they wanted to pick someone else, and they didn't want to make it any harder on themselves by making him look any better than they had to.

[ams1001]

19 hours ago, Bastet said:

The rain TS was surprising; I'm sure they all first thought flood and knew that couldn't be right, but I was surprised none of them made the mental adjustment to rain since it had to be four letters.

That surprised me, too. But I got a good laugh out of that story when I first read about it and I got another good laugh being reminded of it, so thanks, Jeopardy!

1 hour ago, possibilities said:

Maybe they didn't clean up LeVar's hosting with edits because he's so popular, they wanted to pick someone else, and they didn't want to make it any harder on themselves by making him look any better than they had to.

I was thinking that, too. I thought I was just being cynical but at least I'm not alone.

[Bliss]

Wow. Matt's impressive. That was an exciting DD. Whew.

I missed the Ken reign, but witnessed most of the rest of the long-standing winners, and am always amazed at how much they know- and how quickly they access info.

I know Matt's day will come eventually when he relinquishes the champ seat... in the meantime, I'm enjoying him!

There were a couple of his misses that I knew, and that always makes him more human to me... as in, "well, he didn't know THAT!" (and "that" is always one of those IEIYKI)

[Roaster]

Today was a good game even if it did end up being a runaway.

Was Christina the toughest opponent Matt has faced? In the first round it was looking that way.

All three contestants won true Daily Doubles.

FJ - The July 4 reference made me think it was a country that gained independence from the US.  1946, Asia - it was obvious.
 

[HissyFit]

When "alleviate" was ruled correct in the After All category, I was pleased that Faber went on to say that "allay" also would have been accepted. I wish that would be standard for all answers with multiple possibilities already on the host's card.

[Katy M]

FJ was an instaget.

I guess i didn't get any missed clues.

I got the entire category of religion right.

 

[shapeshifter]

I instagot Play, Polio, and FJ. 
A 5 minute nap 10 minutes before Jeopardy makes a big difference for me.

 

59 minutes ago, Bliss said:

Wow. Matt's impressive. That was an exciting DD. Whew.

Especially after having read Matt's EW interview.
I have a hard time risking money too, so I could feel him biting the bullet, so to speak.

1 hour ago, Roaster said:

Was Christina the toughest opponent Matt has faced?

I don't think Matt would've wagered all in DJ if Christina hadn't been such a strong opponent.
 

 

 

[853fisher]

I never disliked Matt, but I hadn't really been rooting for him before either.  He's been winning me over.  Is he seeming a bit more "natural," or am I just getting used to him?  Either way, that $13K DD was an impressive moment, and I felt totally on his side waiting for him to answer.  I'm excited to see how far he can go!

Interesting boards today.  I'm loving all these different shows and movies about Aretha lately.  I'm looking forward to the biopic coming out with Jennifer Hudson next week but hadn't heard about this National Geographic series.  The documentary that came out a few years ago, depicting her recording the Amazing Grace album that was mentioned at a Los Angeles church, was absolutely stunning.

Since Kissimmee came up, I'll tell you all my favorite joke about that area.  Two Australian tourists fresh off the plane in Orlando stopped off in Kissimmee for a bite to eat.  One said to the cashier, "My friend and I think you have such a beautiful name here, but we can't agree on how to pronounce it.  Would you please tell us where we are, very slowly and clearly?"  She looked them up and down, then said..."BURRRRRRR-gerrrrrr KINGGGGG."

1 hour ago, ams1001 said:

I was thinking that, too. I thought I was just being cynical but at least I'm not alone.

That's at least three of us who think what @possibilities is not out of the realm of...well, you know.  One more in our party and we'll have enough to get a booth!

54 minutes ago, Roaster said:

Was Christina the toughest opponent Matt has faced? In the first round it was looking that way.

10 of Matt's 20 opponents so far have had equal or higher "Coryats," their scores if wagers are disregarded (in other words, if you bet $5K on the $1K clue, you are credited for $1K).  So in terms of that combination of knowledge and buzzer, maybe not his toughest opponent.  But she was the first since Matt's first game to uncover a DD and respond correctly, which really helped her look good in the first round.  For a while there I thought she'd keep going, but I guess it wasn't to be.

[oakville]

1 hour ago, Roaster said:

Today was a good game even if it did end up being a runaway.

Was Christina the toughest opponent Matt has faced? In the first round it was looking that way.

All three contestants won true Daily Doubles.

FJ - The July 4 reference made me think it was a country that gained independence from the US.  1946, Asia - it was obvious.
 

It was a close game. Matt continues to amaze me with his knowledge in so many different subjects.

Matt's 13K bet on Australia paid off !

I have watched David Faber on CNBC for many years. He is a excellent broadcaster who does in depth interviews with CEO's etc. He also has a good sense of humor.

He was very appreciate of all the positive feedback on CNBC this morning.

[Mindthinkr]

All I got was the polio TS besides running that category. I was happy that David ruled him wrong quickly when he failed to say “and” with his “all work, no play” answer. I’m enjoying how Mr Farber moderates. I did however, think Matt should have gotten a BMS when he left the Jr off of MLK. 

[Prevailing Wind]

53 minutes ago, Mindthinkr said:

All I got was the polio TS besides running that category. I was happy that David ruled him wrong quickly when he failed to say “and” with his “all work, no play” answer. I’m enjoying how Mr Farber moderates. I did however, think Matt should have gotten a BMS when he left the Jr off of MLK. 

I wondered how long it would have taken LeVar to rule Matt incorrect for leaving out "and."

Frequently the Jr. is left off MLK and it's always accepted.

 

[possibilities]

I was saying "Dr. King" over here, so I guess I have no right to be scandalized by the informality of "MLK". Mine is more formal, but probably also more vague.

The suspense was intense for me until that DD put the game away this time.

 

[Bastet]

35 minutes ago, Prevailing Wind said:

Frequently the Jr. is left off MLK and it's always accepted.

Yep, it happens a lot, and it bugs me every time.

I only ran Aretha and investing in the first round, but I only missed one each in the others (including religion, so good for me).  In DJ, I didn't run a single category, but I only missed eight clues, so not bad.  And I got FJ, so I had a decent game. 

[M. Darcy]

Sigh. Well, it was a possibility tonight. I just cant stand it when they start with the bottom categories so it’s just been painful to watch. 

[Cotypubby]

7 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

I dunno. Can a Y ever make a schwa sound?

Etymology, syringe, cylindrical, polymer, vinyl.

[Trey]

11 hours ago, Mindthinkr said:

I was happy that David ruled him wrong quickly when he failed to say “and” with his “all work, no play” answer.

Especially when the clue said it was a five word phrase.

I did not get any ts's.

I said Pakistan first for FJ then quickly switched to Philippines, July 4th being the operative date.

[Clanstarling]

17 hours ago, The Wild Sow said:

Should we ask Katie (Katy) what she "did"?

Took me a second, but then I got it. 😀

15 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

Alex would have just said, "No, I'm sorry," right?
Or is there some rule about alternate pronunciations being okay provided you don't have to put in a wrong letter to make that pronunciation? 
Even the closed captioning had: Kat--A--Did
He said the A with a schwa sound.
I dunno. Can a Y ever make a schwa sound?

I left "schwa" far behind me in school. One of those things I really should bone up on again.

13 hours ago, Roaster said:

Was Christina the toughest opponent Matt has faced? In the first round it was looking that way.

I think so. At least, we thought so in our house. I was kind of rooting for her, despite liking Matt.

3 minutes ago, Trey said:

I said Pakistan first for FJ then quickly switched to Philippines, July 4th being the operative date.

I was blank, and then pulled it out at the last second. I was in the wrong part of the world for most of my dithering.

[Bliss]

1 hour ago, Trey said:

Especially when the clue said it was a five word phrase.

This was one of the moments when I thought, "so Matt is human afterall..." - such a simple (easy?) clue that probably all of us got. The 'five' made it even easier.

Having never been a J! contestant, I have no idea of the pressure being under the lights, so I give them slack for those easy-peasy mistakes. I did have a moment with Alex Trebek when I was ~15 yr old, on a Canadian tv teen show called Reach For The Top... I'd just been talking with a gf earlier in the day about a song, and that evening during the show's taping, a question about THAT song came up. I initially froze, and then melted just in time to hit the buzzer and answer (correctly, yay!) - I think it was my first experience of having a brain fart. The first of many! LOL... it's a daily occurrence now.

The song was Harper Valley PTA, the singer was Jeannie C. Riley, and both are permanently printed on my memory bank as is the smile Alex gave me! (He was my first celebrity crush... I think he was ~28 and sooooo incredibly handsome.)

[Browncoat]

Bad game for me last night -- The Philippines didn't even enter my head for FJ.  And the only TS I got was polio.  

And my unpopular opinion is that I am ready for a new champ.  I had  high hopes last night, too.  Oh well.

[Bulldog]

Posted this in the guest host thread, but thought some here might be interested as well.  Mike Richards called frontrunner for permanent hosting gig. 

 

https://variety.com/2021/tv/news/mike-richards-jeopardy-host-alex-trebek-1235034673/

[Prevailing Wind]

Oh, that sucks. He's the damn PRODUCER. Just do your job, man.

 

[DonnaMae]

11 minutes ago, Bulldog said:

Posted this in the guest host thread, but thought some here might be interested as well.  Mike Richards called frontrunner for permanent hosting gig. 

Good.  I thought he was the best, although I am enjoying David Faber.

[853fisher]

Variety is usually not just pulling out of thin air.  Still, it seems agreed it's not quite a done deal yet.  I wonder if this item has been leaked to serve as a test balloon.  They got feedback after Richards' initial run, when he was said to be just filling in since Ken wasn't available longer, but what do people think about him after seeing 10 or however many other candidates?  (I don't doubt they could do market research without planting press items, but it could be one way to go about things.  Or I could be way off!)

I could live with him if he does get it.  Of the purported frontrunners, I'd certainly prefer him to Mayim but liked him less than Buzzy or Ken.  He's a very safe choice, no boats to be rocked there, really a bit plastic for my tastes.  I don't really see him with much future as a cultural icon or a public intellectual, for lack of a better term, but perhaps that suits Sony just fine.  The next question would be who will replace him as EP?  Do they have anyone in-house?

Edited August 4, 2021 by 853fisher

[ams1001]

Sourdough starter named Bread Pitt! 😂

I'm rooting for Nicole just for that.

Edited August 4, 2021 by ams1001