Jeopardy! Season 38 (2021-2022)

[ProudMary]

FJ: Seeing 1957 in the clue, my mind first went to the Everly Brothers, which made no sense as they were already cranking out hits by then, not to mention that real-life brothers wouldn't have *met* at a church fair! My brain quickly pivoted, knowing that teenaged John Lennon and Paul McCartney met in 1957 and that had to be the correct answer.

While Simon and Garfunkel never crossed my mind, I wouldn't have considered them anyway, as I knew (for me, general music trivia knowledge) that S&G, recording under the name Tom and Jerry, had a minor regional hit called "Hey Schoolgirl" in 1957. I didn't know that their friendship went all the way back to 1953, but I knew it had to pre-date 1957.

I was SO happy to get the right answer for the last FJ of 2021 as I had not answered correctly since December 10th! Hopefully this bodes well for '22. 🤞

[bankerchick]

On 12/29/2021 at 11:45 PM, possibilities said:

I was depressed that no one knew who the governor of NY is. They know so many things, i really shouldn't get hung up on any one missing bit of info, but somehow that got to me.

Honest question.  Would a resident of (say) Arkansas or Nevada be expected to know the name of the governor of NY?  In Canada we only have 13 premiers and I couldn't tell you the name (or sex) of 10 of them.  And Bliss, God bless you for even trying to listen to anything our Prime Minister has to say.

I like Amy, and Ken is starting to grow on me, but I really am ready for a new champ.  I was so excited yesterday when all 3 had a chance going into Final Jeopardy (which I guessed as Elton John/Bernie Taupin.)

[dcalley]

I'm pretty sure @30 Helens meant who did the contestants saying Simon and Garfunkel think was the drunk one and fat one (of S&G).

I said Shakira for Jennifer Lopez, but thanks to you all I now know that her face wasn't visible, so I feel better about my mistake.

I noticed Amy leaning her hand on the lectern during Thursday's show, and I got worried that she was tired. I was glad to see her do so well on Friday.

 

[SomeTameGazelle]

8 minutes ago, dcalley said:

I'm pretty sure @30 Helens meant who did the contestants saying Simon and Garfunkel think was the drunk one and fat one (of S&G).

D'oh! I was misinterpreting "they" as referring to whoever described the pair, not the contestants. I wasn't even thinking of Paul as really fat, just somewhere between full-faced and self-deprecating so by extension I wouldn't have imagined any duo had to fit the description exactly. 

Thanks for the clarification. 

[ams1001]

36 minutes ago, bankerchick said:

Honest question.  Would a resident of (say) Arkansas or Nevada be expected to know the name of the governor of NY? 

Probably not. I'd guess they would know Cuomo's name since he was in the news so much in relation to covid and then his resignation (and he's also got famous political and media family members), but Hochul herself hasn't had the same level of media coverage, even in the NY metro area (which I live in); mostly I hear her name in relation to covid stuff since she took office, and I don't think NYC's current situation is at the level of national news it was a year and a half ago. 

I can name a handful of governors of other states and they're all ones that have been in the news a lot in the last couple years, for better or worse. (I can name more now than I would have before the pandemic; in the past I might have known some that made news because of big weather events and stuff like that, but for the most part, no. I could not tell you the governor of Arkansas or Nevada off the top of my head, though after looking them up Arkansas gov's name is familiar; Nevada's not so much.) Possibly since it was pretty recent when the game was taped and the Cuomo story was big news they figured more people might have heard her name.

Edited January 1, 2022 by ams1001

[30 Helens]

29 minutes ago, dcalley said:

I'm pretty sure @30 Helens meant who did the contestants saying Simon and Garfunkel think was the drunk one and fat one (of S&G).

I did! I wonder if they considered that, because I think it factored subconsciously into my guess. If I remember correctly, Simon was a little pudgy back then and didn’t Garfunkel have a substance abuse problem at some point?

43 minutes ago, bankerchick said:

Honest question.  Would a resident of (say) Arkansas or Nevada be expected to know the name of the governor of NY?

This Texas resident normally would, because NY is always in the news. But as @ams1001 said, this governor hasn’t been in office long enough (or done anything scandalous enough— yet) so I had no idea!

 

[possibilities]

1 hour ago, bankerchick said:

Would a resident of (say) Arkansas or Nevada be expected to know the name of the governor of NY? 

Well, it's Jeopardy! So, yes. 

But in general, I guess not, except that it was a big deal when Cuomo got the boot, and Hochul took over, so I think that makes it fair game.

[853fisher]

I found it interesting to take this quiz where you must type the names of all the governors next to their states.  I got 20 and it says the average is 22, although I think it's fair to say that's "average among people who sought out this quiz" rather than "average among all Americans."

I consider myself someone fairly interested in politics, and would still say that I knew most of mine either through personal connections with a state or from their being in the news.  I did actually know the Gov of Arkansas because he was interviewed on the NewsHour ;) but I doubt I would have known, say, New Hampshire or Alabama if not for loved ones there.

I might have argued that there is more reason for Americans generally to know the govs of the states with the largest populations, GDPs, etc., in the same way I bet more people know the mayors of Los Angeles or New York City than of Tuscon or Raleigh.

But then I biffed Texas and Florida, which truly were just on the tip of my brain, and couldn't remember some others with a compelling news story around them ("Stacey Abrams was defeated for Gov of Georgia by...") or even personal connections (in the state I was raised where I still follow the news, I wondered whether I could draw a picture, since his name just wasn't coming).

So now, since I didn't know it, I feel this must be highly specialized knowledge. ;)

[Bastet]

1 minute ago, possibilities said:

But in general, I guess not, except that it was a big deal when Cuomo got the boot, and Hochul took over, so I think that makes it fair game.

Also because, as noted in the clue, she's the first female governor of NY.  We've had a whopping 45 or so female governors in all of American history (and some of those were short-term acting governors), and nearly 20 states have never had a woman in the position, so that made her newsworthy, too.  I just think it was so recent at the time of taping they hadn't yet heard/read about her enough for her name to be readily available in their brains. 

[PBnJay]

4 hours ago, ProudMary said:

S&G, recording under the name Tom and Jerry, had a minor regional hit called "Hey Schoolgirl"

Interesting, since the consensus here is that "schoolboy" in the FJ clue meant the answer had to be a British pair.

[GreekGeek]

56 minutes ago, PBnJay said:

Interesting, since the consensus here is that "schoolboy" in the FJ clue meant the answer had to be a British pair.

I never thought of "schoolboy" as a Britishism. I thought the question was worded oddly, as if it were asking about a pair who performed as a duo--which was why minds went to Simon and Garfunkel. 

[ProudMary]

1 hour ago, PBnJay said:

Interesting, since the consensus here is that "schoolboy" in the FJ clue meant the answer had to be a British pair.

Agreed. I thought that was ironic too.

[MrAtoz]

18 hours ago, ProudMary said:

FJ: Seeing 1957 in the clue, my mind first went to the Everly Brothers, which made no sense as they were already cranking out hits by then, not to mention that real-life brothers wouldn't have *met* at a church fair! My brain quickly pivoted, knowing that teenaged John Lennon and Paul McCartney met in 1957 and that had to be the correct answer.

There are a lot of "Brother" acts--the Righteous Brothers, the Doobie Brothers, the Statler Brothers--who are not really brothers.  But Don and Phil were the real deal.  Their first hit, "Bye Bye, Love," was already on the charts in 1957 when John and Paul met, and they were, of course, a big influence on the Beatles.

If the clue had used the word "fete," which is how I've always heard that gathering described, it would have made it much more obvious that it was British.  That said, I got John and Paul pretty easily, as their first meeting is quite a well-known part of Beatles lore.  They may never have performed as a duo, but it seems to me that "Lennon & McCartney" as a team is a pretty familiar phrase in music history.

[ProudMary]

1 hour ago, MrAtoz said:

There are a lot of "Brother" acts--the Righteous Brothers, the Doobie Brothers, the Statler Brothers--who are not really brothers.  But Don and Phil were the real deal.  Their first hit, "Bye Bye, Love," was already on the charts in 1957 when John and Paul met, and they were, of course, a big influence on the Beatles.

Yes. I said in my comment you quoted that Don and Phil Everly were real-life brothers and that they were already hitmakers by 1957, which is why I immediately rejected the thought as they couldn't have been the correct answer.

Also, two members of the Statler Brothers, who were a quartet, were real-life brothers: Harold and Don. 

The most beautiful harmonies always seem to come from groups containing siblings. John and Paul *almost* fit the bill as brothers of the heart as they met and started performing together at such a young age. Their harmonies were so tight that they're almost sibling-like. Peter Jackson's recently released documentary, Get Back, really highlights the ease of their harmonies as they were creating "Two of Us." Great stuff.

[possibilities]

I think it's hilarious that people are expected to know how two Beatles met, but not who the governors are in NY or elsewhere. Clearly, I follow politics more than music!

[Clanstarling]

50 minutes ago, possibilities said:

I think it's hilarious that people are expected to know how two Beatles met, but not who the governors are in NY or elsewhere. Clearly, I follow politics more than music!

Pop culture is just more fun. 🙂 That being said, I didn't get either clue. 

I said Michelle Wu, the new Boston mayor, instead of Hochul. I got mixed up, but it shows I pay some minor attention. Most of the governors I know are ones who are either in nearby states, or have ticked me off at some point.

Edited January 2, 2022 by Clanstarling

[MrAtoz]

1 hour ago, ProudMary said:

Yes. I said in my comment you quoted that Don and Phil Everly were real-life brothers and that they were already hitmakers by 1957, which is why I immediately rejected the thought as they couldn't have been the correct answer.

Yeah, I wasn't trying to correct you, just adding a bit more info.  Apologies if that wasn't clear.

[ams1001]

January 3, 2022:

Turned on the TV just in time to catch the ABC News closing segment which was a tribute to Betty White. ❤

Why you trying to curse Amy, Ken?!?!

80% / 53% / 67%

J: Ran Fast Food and Deadly Sins...what does that say about me? Got two Billboard hits, which is better than I thought I'd do (and I only knew Olivia Rodrigo because I saw a reference to that song the other day), and four each in the other categories.

DJ: Ran Physical Science, missed one Subtitle, two Quiet, three Political Spectrum, and four each in History Plays and 50s TV. 

FJ: An instaget; let's hope it is a sign of things to come for the week. 

Only got half of one TS (got "red" but not "flag"; the clue referred to socialism/communism so the color seemed obvious).

Edited January 4, 2022 by ams1001

[Bastet]

This was an archive game for me, and I woke the cat up with my groan when I read the first round categories.  Not only did I not get a single clue in the Billboard category, I've never even hard of half those people.  I feared I would blow fast food, too, since I hardly ever eat it, but I guess I've seen enough commercials to have known a couple and correctly guessed the rest.  I did better in poetry than I often do, too, only missing the imagism TS.  I ran geography and sins, but missed one in punch.

I had a great DJ round, probably the closest I've ever come to running one.  I got everything except one each in plays (I could have run that if "Who is Gillian Anderson's ex-boyfriend?" was acceptable for the Peter Morgan clue), political, quiet (I don't think seeing the painting would have helped any), and TV.

And FJ was an instaget, so I'm off to a great start (if that damn Billboard category had been about songs at least 20 years old instead, I'd probably have had one of my best games ever).

[Browncoat]

Instaget FJ for me tonight, too, though I pre-guessed Rodin when I saw the category.  Glad I didn't stick with that...

No TS for me, though.

And I said it often enough about Alex that I'll say it about Ken, too -- lay off the accents!  If that was supposed to sound like Jimmy Carter, it was a major fail.

[Katy M]

Me on final:  Oscar. No that sounds too obvious.  Maybe they had Oscars before that. Emmy.  No, that's probably too early for an Emmy. Tony.  I don't know what those look like (not sure why that's relevant).  Oscar, final answer.

I got the missed clues of red flag and X-files.

I got the entire categories of sin and science right.

Best night I've had for a while.

Just now, Browncoat said:

I pre-guessed Rodin when I saw the category.  Glad I didn't stick with that...

Me, too. That's the only sculptor I know.  OK, I guess not, but he is the first one I think of and I don't know many.

[Prevailing Wind]

3 hours ago, Bastet said:

Not only did I not get a single clue in the Billboard category, I've never even hard of half those people.  I

If you knew half the people, you did better than I did. I have only heard of Nickelback, but I'll be damned if I've ever heard a song of theirs.

[GreekGeek]

3 hours ago, ams1001 said:

January 3, 2022:

Why you trying to curse Amy, Ken?!?!

Yeah, that was strange. I never heard of the "Monday curse." 

 

3 hours ago, Browncoat said:

 

And I said it often enough about Alex that I'll say it about Ken, too -- lay off the accents!  If that was supposed to sound like Jimmy Carter, it was a major fail.

Ken doesn't lay it on as thick as Alex did. I guess the temptation to read a quote by a Southerner in a Southern accent is pretty hard to resist.

 

3 hours ago, Katy M said:

Me on final:  Oscar. No that sounds too obvious.  Maybe they had Oscars before that. Emmy.  No, that's probably too early for an Emmy. Tony.  I don't know what those look like (not sure why that's relevant).  Oscar, final answer.

The Tony.

I knew planter's punch and tacit. FJ was easy, though I wasn't expecting the question to be about a statuette.

[Bastet]

Just now, Prevailing Wind said:

If you knew half the people, you did better than I did.

Half was a generous playing with fractions; out of five clues, I'd heard of two of them (Drake and Nickelback).  This did not lead me to actually come up with either response, but at least on those two I didn't mutter "Who?" at the screen.

2 minutes ago, Prevailing Wind said:

I have only heard of Nickelback, but I'll be damned if I've ever heard a song of theirs.

Their "How You Remind Me" is the only one of the songs listed in that category I recognized, but I only know one line of it and couldn't have said who sings it even with a whole lot more time to think about it.

2 minutes ago, GreekGeek said:

I never heard of the "Monday curse." 

I haven't, either, but, after the game ended, Ken told Amy four of the five "superchamps" lost in a Monday game.  (I knew James and Matt did; Ken says he's the only one that didn't [he lost on a Tuesday]):

 

[30 Helens]

Decent night for me. Got about half the answers, which is not bad for someone who is only able to half listen while preparing dinner. I thought FJ was super easy, to the point where if anyone missed it, I would have lost all respect. 

Amy is beginning to look unstoppable. I just want her there at least long enough to threaten Ken’s title (and maybe overtake it) because having him there to witness and report on it would be great TV. I think he would actually enjoy seeing her snatch the record from him.

[mertensia]

On 1/1/2022 at 2:53 PM, 853fisher said:

I found it interesting to take this quiz where you must type the names of all the governors next to their states.  I got 20 and it says the average is 22, although I think it's fair to say that's "average among people who sought out this quiz" rather than "average among all Americans."

I consider myself someone fairly interested in politics, and would still say that I knew most of mine either through personal connections with a state or from their being in the news.  I did actually know the Gov of Arkansas because he was interviewed on the NewsHour ;) but I doubt I would have known, say, New Hampshire or Alabama if not for loved ones there.

I might have argued that there is more reason for Americans generally to know the govs of the states with the largest populations, GDPs, etc., in the same way I bet more people know the mayors of Los Angeles or New York City than of Tuscon or Raleigh.

But then I biffed Texas and Florida, which truly were just on the tip of my brain, and couldn't remember some others with a compelling news story around them ("Stacey Abrams was defeated for Gov of Georgia by...") or even personal connections (in the state I was raised where I still follow the news, I wondered whether I could draw a picture, since his name just wasn't coming).

So now, since I didn't know it, I feel this must be highly specialized knowledge. ;)

To be fair the Tucson mayor (Regina Romero for the record) doesn't do a lot. The city council is really what does.

[shapeshifter]

8 hours ago, ams1001 said:

Why you trying to curse Amy, Ken?!?!

At the end of the after-show chat, Ken does say sincerely, “I don’t want to jinx anybody.”👇

Ken does seem to make a fair number of gaffes, but at least these days he seems to catch them fairly quickly and apologize. 
 

 

8 hours ago, Bastet said:

Not only did I not get a single clue in the Billboard category, I've never even heard of half those people

I’ve heard of 4 out of 5, seeing them on late night TV shows or mentioned on entertainment news shows, which I still try to watch a few minutes of to keep up with trends. But I don’t know them well enough to even recall their names in my mind in the time it takes for Amy (or others) to buzz in and say “Who is…?” 
I was a little surprised the clue for Nickelback didn’t reference them being the butt of critics’ jokes, but maybe that’s why they got a $1000 clue—or maybe it was because their poor reputation made the Jeopardy! clue team figure they were less well known?

Similarly, I guess the reason the Jimmy Carter clue was $1K was because it was so surprising that he was ever interviewed by Playboy and said he had “looked on a lot of women with lust.”

[bad things are bad]

Aw, I thought Ken's Jimmuh was funny 😄

[ams1001]

10 minutes ago, bad things are bad said:

Aw, I thought Ken's Jimmuh was funny 😄

I didn't even notice it...

[Mindthinkr]

All the fresh air did me well. I came up with Planters Punch, the missed DD of The X-Files, and FJ. 
I did not know one of those Billboard music answers. Kudos to those of you that did. 

[MrAtoz]

4 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

maybe it was because their poor reputation made the Jeopardy! clue team figure they were less well known?

The only context in which I've ever heard of Nickelback is "that band that everybody hates."  I have not, as far as I know, heard any song of theirs.

[Clanstarling]

13 hours ago, ams1001 said:

Only got half of one TS (got "red" but not "flag"; the clue referred to socialism/communism so the color seemed obvious).

Same for me.

13 hours ago, Browncoat said:

And I said it often enough about Alex that I'll say it about Ken, too -- lay off the accents!  If that was supposed to sound like Jimmy Carter, it was a major fail.

I didn't even notice.
 

10 hours ago, Prevailing Wind said:

If you knew half the people, you did better than I did. I have only heard of Nickelback, but I'll be damned if I've ever heard a song of theirs.

I can't recall hearing a song of theirs, the only thing I know about them is that they are joked about. My husband knew they were Canadian, so he got the clue. But otherwise we were clueless.

9 hours ago, 30 Helens said:

Amy is beginning to look unstoppable. I just want her there at least long enough to threaten Ken’s title (and maybe overtake it) because having him there to witness and report on it would be great TV. I think he would actually enjoy seeing her snatch the record from him.

It would be great TV, and I think Ken would be gracious about it.

4 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

Similarly, I guess the reason the Jimmy Carter clue was $1K was because it was so surprising that he was ever interviewed by Playboy and said he had “looked on a lot of women with lust.”

I vividly remember that article (or the news about it, anyway). That was the first presidential election I could vote in - the one before it you had to be twenty one, and then they changed the law.

I didn't do well after all, but at least I got FJ. I called out the two (!) sculptors I had in my knowledge bank (Rodin and Michelangelo), but thankful this one was in my pop culture wheelhouse (well, 20th century pop culture, getting a little lost these days)

Edited January 4, 2022 by Clanstarling

[zoey1996]

I have heard Nickelback's "Photograph" many times; it's a favorite of the local radio station. I have no idea why anyone would hate them.

5 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

Similarly, I guess the reason the Jimmy Carter clue was $1K was because it was so surprising that he was ever interviewed by Playboy and said he had “looked on a lot of women with lust.”

I remember that making the news and being discussed when it happened. I don't know about now, but back then, Playboy did publish some good articles. Which was the joke: I only read Playboy for the articles.

[MrAtoz]

1 hour ago, zoey1996 said:

I don't know about now, but back then, Playboy did publish some good articles. Which was the joke: I only read Playboy for the articles.

Quite legitimately, Playboy published a lot of good journalism, and some excellent fiction.  Roald Dahl, Margaret Atwood, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Jack Kerouac, Arthur C. Clarke--all published in Playboy.

[PaulaO]

I just watched 2 minutes of a marble race rally and Andrew Cotter (Mr Andrew Cotter) would effin rock the commentary. 

[dcalley]

21 hours ago, ams1001 said:

Why you trying to curse Amy, Ken?!?!

Somewhat related to this "Monday curse" business, Ken loves to comment on Amy's Daily Double wagers. I think that could easily rattle some players, so I wish he'd stop or at least ease up on it. I don't think Amy is easily rattled, though!

Degas is another sculptor who came up in our house as a possible answer when the FJ category was revealed. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edgar_Degas#Sculpture

[shapeshifter]

4 minutes ago, dcalley said:

Degas is another sculptor who came up in our house as a possible answer when the FJ category was revealed.

As with other home Jeopardy! players, Michelangelo and Rodin were my first pre-guesses—–then Bernini, then Degas. But I decided Degas is more commonly known as a painter, so the category didn’t quite fit—–kind of like Da Vinci and Picasso.  After I mentally rejected those 3, I tried to recall the name of the guy who did Mount Rushmore, but fortunately was interrupted by the clue, which was then an instaget for the Oscar statuette, even though I didn’t know the sculptor’s name. 
Whew! Art and art history are areas I am supposed to know.

[Leeds]

14 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

At the end of the after-show chat, Ken does say sincerely, “I don’t want to jinx anybody.”👇

Ken does seem to make a fair number of gaffes, but at least these days he seems to catch them fairly quickly and apologize. 
 

 

 

He still brought the Monday/Tuesday thing back to himself, though.

As far as I'm concerned, a good host on a serious-minded quiz show should be "seen and not heard", so to speak.  Magnus Magnusson on Mastermind was a great example of this.

[ams1001]

Ugh. 57% / 50% / 52%

In J! I missed one each in Waterlogged Reading and "N"Joy, but missed two adjectives and three each in the others. In DJ I ran Middle "J" and missed one in Science; the rest of my board looks pretty sad. My only TSes were antirejection and Watson. No DDs or FJ. Thanks to Bo Burnham, I did not completely tank Pop Culture. (I knew him, anyway, but I just watched his other two specials on Netflix last week; watched Inside a while ago.) Oh, I also knew Old.

I ran the bottom row in the second round...that's kinda cool.

I laughed at Ken's serious/worried expression when he said he didn't want to risk saying Candyman five times.

Edited January 5, 2022 by ams1001

[Katy M]

I hadn't the foggiest clue.  I said colisseum.

I got the missed clues of Tagus, Borneo, Watson and Molly Brown

I got the entire categories of Europe, N, New Testament and Americans on stage right and the entire category of pop culture wrong.

I had a pretty good night.  I wouldn't have gotten FJ if I'd have had a century and a greek/English dictionary.

[ams1001]

1 minute ago, Katy M said:

I hadn't the foggiest clue.  I said colisseum.

So did I.

 

[Driad]

FJ:  Colosseum was the first word I thought of, but I think it's related to "colossal." Luckily that took me to the Circus Maximus.  

[SoMuchTV]

1 hour ago, Leeds said:

He still brought the Monday/Tuesday thing back to himself, though.

Well, in Ken’s defense, he didn’t bring the missed “Watson” response back to himself. Although we know he welcomes our new overlords. 

[secnarf]

Nickelback's How You Remind Me was on my first "mixed CD" gifted to me by my cousin for Christmas in 2002 (I think...maybe +/- a year). I was so amazed that he could to do that 😂 Needless to say, I easily got Nickelback.

 

[ams1001]

2 minutes ago, secnarf said:

Nickelback's How You Remind Me was on my first "mixed CD" gifted to me by my cousin for Christmas in 2002 (I think...maybe +/- a year). I was so amazed that he could to do that 😂 Needless to say, I easily got Nickelback.

That song has been stuck in my head all day.

[shapeshifter]

I waffled between Arena and Colosseum for FJ, not confident in either, settling on Colosseum. 

I did run "N" Joy, which is probably the first time in months I've run a category. 

I got the $2K TS of antirejection, which seemed like a no-brainer. 

 

[853fisher]

I enjoyed Model Railroading.  A dear friend has put up a layout in each new home and even did one on the yard for the holidays.  I loved watching him show it off to passing children and adults.  He had to build about 20 trestles for the upper tracks, and gave me several updates along the way, but "trestle" was one of the two I missed, because I never asked him what exactly a trestle was.  The other was Caboose Hobbies, because I was trying to think of an automobile brand rather than a train car.   Oh well!

No matter how many Neuriva gummies Blossom takes, I doubt she will ever be in-the-moment and on-the-ball enough to do things like pick up on the "Ozma of Oz" banner in the photo clue and relate it to the anecdote Amy told, what, 4 or 5 tape days ago?  She probably would have told us a story about when she read Baum's books herself or something.  God be my witness, I've considered suffering through "Call Me Kat" just to help her get whatever ratings she needs for a renewal so Sony might move on.

Edited January 5, 2022 by 853fisher

[SomeTameGazelle]

3 hours ago, Driad said:

FJ:  Colosseum was the first word I thought of, but I think it's related to "colossal." Luckily that took me to the Circus Maximus.  

I rejected colosseum for the same reason and went to circus on the theory that it had a round sound and I could imagine the Greek κίρκος. If Maximus had come into my head I might have worried circus was too Latin. Arena didn't cross my mind at all and I know it relates to sand. 

[Bastet]

I didn't write things down tonight, but I know I came nowhere close to last night's great performance.  I blew the entire recent pop culture category and missed several in a few others.  I think I only ran four categories.  I did, however, manage to come up with all but one in the bible category! 

I was gobsmacked by the Molly Brown and Watson TS.  Antirejection surprised me a bit, too (I didn't know that one specifically, but I figured it pretty common knowledge the medications transplant recipients are given are to prevent rejecting the organ, so between that and the category's hint there was a J in the middle, I figured a contestant would join me in figuring antirejection.

For FJ, I guessed amphitheater, then thought - even though etymology is not at all a strong suit - that didn't sound like something derived from Greek.  My next guess was arena, but that didn't sound right, either.  So I was at least thinking like the contestants.  I had no third guess, and would have sat here all week without coming up with circus.

[853fisher]

6 minutes ago, Bastet said:

I was gobsmacked by the Molly Brown and Watson TS.

I had no idea Molly Brown was an actress later in life.  Wikipedia describes her as a "socialite and philanthropist," which is all I knew.  I was trying to think of someone principally known as an actor who was on the ship. Watson...sure, it seems obvious to me now!  ;)

Edited January 5, 2022 by 853fisher