Jeopardy! Season 37 (2020-2021)

[Katy M]

I said PIke for FJ.  No real reason other than west.

I got the ts of Mandarins and Gigi/Gigli.

I got the entire categories of monkey and authors right.

So-so night.

[Browncoat]

Instaguess FJ for me tonight.  I always associate Yosemite with Muir.  After the first two contestants missed it, I hoped the new champ would, too, so I could get an asterisk.  She's very knowledgeable, but she's a little slow with the clue-picking as well.

Glad they reversed the Dostoyevsky response -- what she said was not Dostoyevsky, even though we know what she meant.  Are we counting that as a TS?  If so, that might have been the only one I got.  I admit I wasn't giving the game my full attention until FJ.

[853fisher]

Just now, Browncoat said:

Glad they reversed the Dostoyevsky response -- what she said was not Dostoyevsky, even though we know what she meant.  Are we counting that as a TS?  If so, that might have been the only one I got.  I admit I wasn't giving the game my full attention until FJ.

The male contestant was grousing good-naturedly on another board about not having had the opportunity to buzz in himself, since he knew it.  Maybe a TS with an asterisk?  I felt for her, since she clearly did know it, but it just didn't make it out of her mouth.

[Katy M]

22 minutes ago, SeanC said:

I overthought the 1790 states question and guessed 36, because I couldn’t remember how quickly Vermont joined.

1791.   Is the fact that i'm from Vermont cheating for that q?

[shapeshifter]

I'm glad Susan won.
Maybe because my hair and glasses were like hers from my teens to my mid-30s?
Or maybe just because she was not annoying, LOL.

Like many, I ran all of Monkey, but for me it may be the first time I did that since I started watching (in memory of my parents, when Alex passed 😞).

Similarly, my instaget for FJ was atypical for me, but I did live in northern California for 20 years. 

 

I didn't think "Doystevoisky" was much closer to "Dostoyevsky" than Susan's "Ampelosaurus" was to "Ankylosaurus," so I was glad they dinged Lisa too. Rules are rules, and fair is fair.

 

 

Edited March 27, 2021 by shapeshifter

[zoey1996]

I got FJ, but hesitated because I knew Muir was from Scotland. When I visited Braemar Castle in Scotland, a Muir re-enactor led a nature walk. I didn’t go, but I listened to the beginning. 
Too bad the champ couldn’t get “that Russian author” spit out. 

[Browncoat]

I'm not counting Gigi and Gigli as a missed one, either.  She got it, just not in time.  Smart, too, to leave herself some $$$ to play in FJ.

[GreekGeek]

Susan was really impressive. I hope she's more than a one and done.

I knew Liev Schreiber, Mandarins, incontrovertible, and Catfish Row. I made a wild guess on FJ and was amazed it turned out to be right.

I can't hear "incontrovertible" without hearing this jingle that I grew up hearing regularly on the radio: 

 

[Bastet]

I cannot believe Lisa thought Forest Whitaker played LBJ!  By which I mean I literally cannot believe anyone would think that, so she must not have paid attention to the clue, and just registered the film, ignoring the role.

The Moscow TS was a bit surprising; it's the $200 clue, go ahead and guess Moscow.

I almost ran the first round, but I missed a dinosaur (the TS) and a number (the Passover one).

In DJ, I did better than I typically do in Opera, which is to say I only missed three.  I only ran the add a letter category, but I only missed one each in the others.

FJ was an instaget, so it was a very good game for me despite the dreaded opera category.

[ams1001]

55 minutes ago, GreekGeek said:

I knew Liev Schreiber

I was so annoyed by that one because I could picture him in my head but his name just would not come.

[shapeshifter]

3 minutes ago, ams1001 said:

59 minutes ago, GreekGeek said:

I knew Liev Schreiber

I was so annoyed by that one because I could picture him in my head but his name just would not come

Hah! That’s what it looked like Paul did too!

[j5cochran]

9 hours ago, MrAtoz said:

How the contestant interview topic was chosen, circa February 2018 (when I recorded) --

The contestant coordinators would help you select three potential anecdotes that you wanted to talk about, and would practice your interview with you.  They would even give you little pointers to help you make your story sound more interesting.  They would also ask you which of the three you most wanted to talk about.

Those three anecdotes would go on the cards that Alex had, and your "most want to talk about" topic would be marked.  Alex would choose whichever of the three he wanted to ask you about.  Sometimes it would be your favorite, sometimes it wouldn't.  He didn't ask me about the one I had marked as my favorite until my fourth and last game, for example!  If you were a returning champion, they would add another story to the card for each game, so that there were always three for Alex to choose from.

I suppose it's probably a similar system for the guest hosts, but who knows how much leeway the guest hosts have in choosing which story to ask about?  The producers may be steering them more than they would have done for Alex, just because the guests don't really have that much experience with this sort of thing.

When I recorded in November 2018, they told us basically the same thing. However, Maggie, the contestant coordinator, added that we should be prepared if Alex asked us about the wrong story. If you are all ready to talk about your trip to Alaska and Alex asked you about your trip to the moon, just smile and tell him it was wonderful. Not that Alex was slowing down or having problems, but that sometimes he might pull out someone else's card!

[Cherpumple]

6 hours ago, Browncoat said:

Glad they reversed the Dostoyevsky response

Me too. I can't believe he let her sputter on for so long, and I was shocked when her response was accepted. I think I'll just chalk it up to the inexperience of the host; he's fine when things are going smoothly, but seems to get tripped up easily when responses aren't phrased exactly how he is expecting.

[GreekGeek]

7 hours ago, Bastet said:

I cannot believe Lisa thought Forest Whitaker played LBJ!  By which I mean I literally cannot believe anyone would think that, so she must not have paid attention to the clue, and just registered the film, ignoring the role.

The Moscow TS was a bit surprising; it's the $200 clue, go ahead and guess Moscow.

Yes, I'm guessing she read The Butler and didn't realize they weren't asking for the title character. Like the ex-champ from a few days ago who responded to FJ with "Los Angeles" instead of a number.

I would have guessed St. Petersburg instead of Moscow. I could hear Alex in my head saying, "No, the other one." Same with Tolstoy and "Dostivoisky."

[shapeshifter]

1 hour ago, GreekGeek said:

I could hear Alex in my head saying, "No, the other one." Same with Tolstoy and "Dostivoisky."

Cool. So when I said Tolstoy and also heard in my head “No, the other one,” were those Alex’s words? 

[Clanstarling]

I was very sleepy and nodding off during the show, but I managed to get FJ through a mind twist. I picture Ansel Adams' work but said "Muir."  Guess I was sleepy enough for my brain to correct me.

[GreekGeek]

34 minutes ago, shapeshifter said:

Cool. So when I said Tolstoy and also heard in my head “No, the other one,” were those Alex’s words? 

Yes, we are channeling Alex.

[Prevailing Wind]

9 hours ago, ams1001 said:

I was so annoyed by that one because I could picture him in my head but his name just would not come.

I don't really know him, but his brother, Pablo, has been memorable for me in his appearances on "Law & Order."

10 hours ago, GreekGeek said:

Susan was really impressive. I hope she's more than a one and done.

I knew Liev Schreiber, Mandarins, incontrovertible, and Catfish Row. I made a wild guess on FJ and was amazed it turned out to be right.

I can't hear "incontrovertible" without hearing this jingle that I grew up hearing regularly on the radio: 

 

i remember that jingle and  I recall in the TV ads, they had the Castro daughter, Bermadette, show how easy it was to open & close the couch - a child could do it.  Later, when the Beatles came to Miami Beach for their second stint on Ed Sullivan, Bernadette invited them out on her yacht. I was SO jealous!

[saber5055]

Just stopping in to say I have a HUGE problem with the 2000 This & That clue, "Seen here a breed growing in popularity is part poodle, part this mountain dog."

A dog with two different breeds as parents is NOT a BREED, it is a MONGREL, more commonly known as a mutt. And a mutt that will carry any of the genetic problems of both parents. That writers called this mutt a "breed" is a travesty and, frankly, BS.

Really raised my hackles, which are still up while writing this.

[Katy M]

4 hours ago, saber5055 said:

Just stopping in to say I have a HUGE problem with the 2000 This & That clue, "Seen here a breed growing in popularity is part poodle, part this mountain dog."

A dog with two different breeds as parents is NOT a BREED, it is a MONGREL, more commonly known as a mutt. And a mutt that will carry any of the genetic problems of both parents. That writers called this mutt a "breed" is a travesty and, frankly, BS.

Really raised my hackles, which are still up while writing this.

I think technically it's more of a crossbreed, or hybrid, than a mutt.  Mutt's are generally unintentional and usually contain more than 2 breeds.

[saber5055]

18 minutes ago, Katy M said:

I think technically it's more of a crossbreed, or hybrid, than a mutt.  Mutt's are generally unintentional and usually contain more than 2 breeds.

Talk to me when you have cred as a professional dog person who has bred and handled more than 200 AKC champions and put groups and BISs on dogs in all seven groups. Any dog not of pure parentage is a mongrel/mutt. These "designer" dogs are nothing more than mongrels and the bane of veterinarians who have to attend to their multiple genetic problems and diseases.

Showing that photo and having that clue on a so-called "respectable" quiz show was a disgrace.

[Gimmick Genius]

If you'd asked me last week who played LBJ in "Lee Daniels' The Butler" I wouldn't have remembered. But a couple of days ago a Facebook friend asked for examples of movies where "the casting director was obviously drunk." I said The Butler on the basis of John Cusack as Richard Nixon, then looked up the other presidents. Robin Williams as Eisenhower, James Marsden as Kennedy, Alan Rickman as Reagan (with Jane Fonda as Nancy) -- and Liev Schreiber as LBJ. All decent actors, but too recognizable to disappear into the roles.

Edited March 28, 2021 by Gimmick Genius
spelling

[Prevailing Wind]

I always think of (nutcase) Randy Quaid when the subject is "who played LBJ?"  I don't recall which film* he played him in, but I don't remember anyone else, so he's my go-to answer.

*And it's not important enough to look it up.  i'm lazy today.

Why is it I can rarely remember th FJ category as soon as they go to commercial?  I'll even say it aloud...and then it's gone. Makes it hard to pre-guess and/or decide how much I would wager.  I have a FB friend two bought two bottles of Prevagen to help her memory. Took one & forgot where she stashed the other one. I don't think that's the answer.

 

[Clanstarling]

32 minutes ago, Prevailing Wind said:

I always think of (nutcase) Randy Quaid when the subject is "who played LBJ?"  I don't recall which film* he played him in, but I don't remember anyone else, so he's my go-to answer.

*And it's not important enough to look it up.  i'm lazy today.

 

And because I'm killing time, I decided to look it up. It was LBJ: The Early Years (a tv movie in 1987)

[853fisher]

I did like Oz's brief remarks about Alex at the beginning of Friday's show.  I hoped the various hosts would continue to share their memories or impressions, but was concerned they might overdo it.  I think all four hosts so far have done a good job of paying tribute to the master without seeming insincere, trite, or maudlin, and I would characterize myself as fairly cynical about these types of things.  IMO they are threading that needle well during this transitional time.

Edited March 28, 2021 by 853fisher

[Bklyndeb]

On 3/26/2021 at 10:03 PM, GreekGeek said:

Susan was really impressive. I hope she's more than a one and done.

I knew Liev Schreiber, Mandarins, incontrovertible, and Catfish Row. I made a wild guess on FJ and was amazed it turned out to be right.

I can't hear "incontrovertible" without hearing this jingle that I grew up hearing regularly on the radio: 

 

Bernadette Castro was New York State’s Parks Commissioner under Governor Pataki.  We had a series of Castro Convertibles.   My parents were softies and always let relatives who were just getting settled,  stay with us till they got on their feet. 

[853fisher]

Today's opening remarks were an anatomist's desperate pickup lines.  "Three pounds of synapses" indeed.

That was a great comeback from Bryce.  It seemed that, as he got his bearings and perhaps relaxed a little, his gestures became more dramatic.  They didn't drive me up the wall like those of the contestant last week, maybe because they were less sharp?

I knew Travers right away.  I'd like to read a biography of her one of these days.  They seemed to miss the usual brief explanation when a clue alludes to something not immediately obvious from the response alone.  Sloppy, like some other moments lately.

Ah well.  A good game to start the week, with a lot of money to charity.  Tough to complain too much.

[HissyFit]

Why??? It seems that half of the channels on my cable lineup are sports channels that I do not watch. So why can't one or 37 of THOSE channels carry the March Madness tournament instead of pre-empting Jeopardy!? 

[ams1001]

I didn't keep score but FJ was an almost-instaget.
TS I got: bread, demons, George Burns, and Michelin (missed DD).

Is it just me or are the contestants having more and more difficulty picking the next clue lately? WHAT IS THE HOLDUP?! 

I'll be happier when Oz is gone.

[shapeshifter]

3 minutes ago, HissyFit said:

Why??? It seems that half of the channels on my cable lineup are sports channels that I do not watch. So why can't one or 37 of THOSE channels carry the March Madness tournament instead of pre-empting Jeopardy!? 

And why does Rochester only air Jeopardy on CBS where it is preempted by sports instead of on ABC like most cities?

Bigger question: Why don’t the stations that preempt Jeopardy with sports use one of their Jeopardy rerun slots to air the preempted show instead of reairing last year’s show twice???

grumble grumble grumble…

[Katy M]

I just stared at the screen blankly for FJ.  then felt stupid as I saw Saving Mr Banks just last year, Oh well.

I got the ts of Michelin, George Burns, and demon.

And I got the entire category of word origins.  So-so night again, but missing FJ put me in the hole.

[Browncoat]

Instaget FJ for me tonight.  Then I spent the rest of the time second-guessing myself.  Fortunately, I couldn't think of anything else it could be, and stuck with my initial response.  

I also got the TS/missed DD of bread, Michelin, George Burns, and demons.  It made me sad that no one knew George Burns.  

Gee, I'm sorry if the categories aren't to your liking, but you're going to have to pick one of them, so just pick already! 

I am glad that "Kennedy" was insufficient as a response.  It might have been Kit Kennedy.

[ams1001]

9 minutes ago, Browncoat said:

Instaget FJ for me tonight.  Then I spent the rest of the time second-guessing myself.  Fortunately, I couldn't think of anything else it could be, and stuck with my initial response.  

I got Mary Poppins right away; it took me a few more seconds to think of the author.

 

[SoMuchTV]

35 minutes ago, Browncoat said:

I am glad that "Kennedy" was insufficient as a response.  It might have been Kit Kennedy.

I have mixed feelings on that. As far as I know, there has been only one Kennedy who was a mother of a president, but there have been more than one Marshall on the Supreme Court. 

[Bastet]

My goodness, they all were often slow to answer or pick a clue tonight!

The bread TS surprised me a little in that someone had incorrectly guessed dough; I thought that would put one of the others on the right track and come up with the baked version.

The demons, George Burns, and John McCain TS surprised me to varying degrees, too (especially demons).

I was terrible in the books category; I haven't read any of them and could only correctly guess two.  I did well otherwise in the first round, with reef my only other miss.

In DJ, it was the Netflix category that was my weak spot; I missed two of the three revealed.  Other than that, I just missed two, one each in Asia and summoners.

I wouldn't have come up with FJ if the "Think" music lasted a day; I knew immediately it was whoever wrote Mary Poppins (and that there was a movie about it), but didn't know her name.

[Clanstarling]

2 hours ago, Katy M said:

I just stared at the screen blankly for FJ.  then felt stupid as I saw Saving Mr Banks just last year, Oh well.

I got the ts of Michelin, George Burns, and demon.

And I got the entire category of word origins.  So-so night again, but missing FJ put me in the hole.

I figured the musical was Mary Poppins, even thought of Saving Mr. Banks. But it took me awhile to get the name. Somehow I visualized the cover of the original book and got it from there with time to spare. Complete with her initials.

Edited March 30, 2021 by Clanstarling

[GreekGeek]

3 hours ago, 853fisher said:

 

That was a great comeback from Bryce.  It seemed that, as he got his bearings and perhaps relaxed a little, his gestures became more dramatic.  They didn't drive me up the wall like those of the contestant last week, maybe because they were less sharp?

I knew Travers right away.  I'd like to read a biography of her one of these days.  They seemed to miss the usual brief explanation when a clue alludes to something not immediately obvious from the response alone.  Sloppy, like some other moments lately.

What do you want to bet Bryce flops tomorrow?

I knew Travers from Saving Mr. Banks, even if the movie did sugarcoat a few things. It suggested Travers was crying for joy at the Mary Poppins movie premiere, when she was actually grieving at the bowdlerization of her creation. If you want a good biography of her, I recommend Mary Poppins, She Wrote by Valerie Lawson.

I also knew Jaws, bread, the Michelin DD, George Burns, John McCain, and demon.

2 hours ago, SoMuchTV said:

I have mixed feelings on that. As far as I know, there has been only one Kennedy who was a mother of a president, but there have been more than one Marshall on the Supreme Court. 

The show has a weird hangup about demanding the full names of Kennedys when they don't require it elsewhere. There was one clue a some time ago asking for JFK that included the word President. The contestant who said "Who is Kennedy?" was told to BMS. I know there have been lots of Kennedys in politics, but only one has been President.

3 hours ago, ams1001 said:

 

Is it just me or are the contestants having more and more difficulty picking the next clue lately? WHAT IS THE HOLDUP?! 

It's not just you. I was rooting against Cyndi for that very reason. ETA: Apparently other viewers found all contestants slow to choose, but she was the one who stood out for me.

Edited March 30, 2021 by GreekGeek

[ams1001]

3 minutes ago, GreekGeek said:

It's not just you. I was rooting against Cyndi for that very reason.

Me, too. She was driving me crazy from the first time she rang in. I started out my day driving for several miles behind someone who was going 5-10 mph below the speed limit for no discernible reason (when it went from 50 to 45, we slowed down...we were only going 40 to start with!) then I came home to these looong pauses and an unfinished game! GAH!!! (I didn't have the patience to even try to keep score tonight.)

 

[Cotypubby]

21 minutes ago, GreekGeek said:

The show has a weird hangup about demanding the full names of Kennedys when they don't require it elsewhere. There was one clue a some time ago asking for JFK that included the word President. The contestant who said "Who is Kennedy?" was told to BMS. I know there have been lots of Kennedys in politics, but only one has been President.

I’m glad they waited until she said “Rose Kennedy.” To me, the way the clue was worded it was obvious the name was Kennedy, with the name Fitzgerald given, but would the contestant know the mother’s name, was the question. And it was a DD.

[The Wild Sow]

Why in the heck did Dr. Oz not expand a little on the FJ answer - like "what she wrote!"?  Alex certainly would have.

Wonder if they'd have accepted, "Who was the woman who wrote Mary Poppins?"  <g>

Yeah, I knew who they wanted.  And I even dredged up from some long-lost memory that her first name was Pamela.  And I couldn't come up with the last name for all the money in the world.  Maybe if I'd seen Saving Mr. Banks ...but I didn't.

[opus]

17 minutes ago, The Wild Sow said:

Maybe if I'd seen Saving Mr. Banks ...but I didn't.

I did. Didn’t help.

[Driad]

FJ: I didn't like kidsy stuff even when I was a kid, have not seen the Mary Poppins movie, did not know it was based on a book. I said Agatha Christie.

[853fisher]

1 hour ago, GreekGeek said:

If you want a good biography of her, I recommend Mary Poppins, She Wrote by Valerie Lawson.

Thank you!  It seems to be available at each currently open branch of the city library except the one around the corner.  Ah well, it's always been said that knowledge comes at a price, or something like that. 😉

[Katy M]

8 hours ago, GreekGeek said:

It's not just you. I was rooting against Cyndi for that very reason. ETA: Apparently other viewers found all contestants slow to choose, but she was the one who stood out for me.

Yes.  they were all slow.  She was the worst.  Just pick a clue.  If all goes well, you'll get all of them.  But, not if you take forever.  I'm wondering if that was a strategy.

[Mindthinkr]

I can’t believe nobody knew George Burns. I’m also getting antsy waiting for the players to choose a clue. Keep it moving please. I hate seeing those left behind clues. My losing steak on FJ is still continuing. I need to change something, but I don’t know what. 

[Clanstarling]

6 minutes ago, Mindthinkr said:

I can’t believe nobody knew George Burns. I’m also getting antsy waiting for the players to choose a clue. Keep it moving please. I hate seeing those left behind clues. My losing steak on FJ is still continuing. I need to change something, but I don’t know what. 

Even though he's the one I pre-called when the category came up, I have no trouble believing it despite hating the "before your time" excuse. I guess it's one I accept more easily when it's a popular culture figure.  I mean, I suck at current popular culture - especially music - while I rock older popular culture categories. I'm getting to that age where all the young 'uns look alike and I can't be bothered to remember their names. 🤣

[zoey1996]

I knew Travers, but I wouldn't have included her first hame or initials, because all I could think of was Mary, of Peter, Paul, and Mary.

I was fixing dinner, so I missed a great deal of the show before FJ.

[TaraS1]

OMG the slowness killed me!  And when it causes us to miss two TV clues? Sends me to rage stroke city lol

Bryce seemed so timid at first and then when he started racking up more money, he was all, "In your face, people!" I kinda liked it.

[HyeChaps]

Whenever the contestants can’t give an answer like George Burns, I yell at the tv, “Too young!”

[bad things are bad]

13 hours ago, The Wild Sow said:

Wonder if they'd have accepted, "Who was the woman who wrote Mary Poppins?"  <g>

Hope so. That was pretty much all I could come up with