Jeopardy! Season 38 (2021-2022)

[ABay]

That plus everything has to be a conspiracy theory these days.

[Mean Machine]

Who can forget Matt Amodio deciding to lose on purpose one day after 38 consecutive wins.

[853fisher]

I hadn't heard that the two main rounds had fixed times (such as 6.5 minutes each) but I can understand why they might want each game to be played with the same timer running.  I hadn't thought the interviews etc must be taking time away from games, just that they could perhaps trim a little more there when the boards are not completed.  Maybe I'm being obstinate, but I think there may be some give in the fixed time, since we've observed (or maybe only speculated?) that special guest promo categories are played no matter what.

Discussion about the writing apparatus for FJ reminded me of my mom.  When point-of-sale equipment requiring electronic signature was new-ish, Ma worried about the security of these devices (and I think they were often crude in terms of what they captured).  She would, with a flourish, make the most ridiculous mark she could, so her signature wouldn't be in a computer database.  I wonder whether she still does it!  We see each other often but I can't think of the last time we were together that she was asked to sign one of those.

Edited January 31, 2022 by 853fisher

[possibilities]

Another reason to keep the show segments to consistent timing, is the insertion of station/commercial breaks at reliable intervals. It makes it much easier for the affiliates if these things are predictable.

[PBnJay]

One plus to left-over clues, they appear later in the category "Potpourri."

[853fisher]

I really enjoyed today's clues.  The game didn't feel very strong, but the scores seemed to reflect two fair-to-good players, so I wonder what's causing that dissonance for me.

I liked Jay's shirt and wondered if it had any texture to it.  Maybe they'll ask that for me if he sticks around long enough that they're running out of interview subjects. ;)

I thought the "Baryshnikov chased by autograph seekers who didn't realize he was defecting" sounded like an interesting little story and wanted to learn more.  Autocomplete results for "Baryshnikov chased..." were "while defecating" [sic], "by bear," "in a dream," and "by cows."  I needed a cup of tea after that!

[illdoc]

So, let's see--- "Walhberg" (Donny, Mark, Kit) does not get a BMS, but "Auburn" practically did (why was there such a long pause? Did he actually need to say "Auburn University"????)?!!!!!

ETA: My TSs included the Younger Brothers (watch a western!!), Blythe, BF Skinner, Bankers Boxes, Hammock, North Pole (unless I had to include "magnetic"). I also said "highway robber" instead of "highwayman" (yes? no?).

Edited February 1, 2022 by illdoc

[ams1001]

Well that was in keeping with my Monday so far...😕

63% / 57% / 59%

Oh my god pick a clue why is it so hard?! This is the third day in a row they left clues on the board. (Speaking of game timers...does the timer stop when they hit a DD so their figuring out their wager doesn't eat up part of the game?)

Wahlberg should have been a BMS. There is more than one actor in that family.

Was annoyed with myself because I looked up something on Bill Clinton's wikipedia page not too long ago and saw what his birth name was, but couldn't come up with it. (Jay kinda looks like him, no?)

I ran Ballet, of all things...

My TSes were Frankfort, magnetic north pole, Power of Habit, and goats.

No FJ...never read anything by Stein. If that's what it's like, it's just as well, because that would get annoying.

 

[853fisher]

Chatting with a friend who also watches reminded me of something else on my mind.  While I accept that they don't cut into the time available for gameplay, I am finding some of the intros a little overproduced lately,

In part, they remind me of how sports coverage is presented.  While I find things like the new box scores interesting, I think the new EP and various media commentators are overdoing it a bit with comparisons between this trivia-based game show and a sport.

Actually, I felt the same way when Ken prompted Carrie last week about coaching Knowledge Bowl, and her response was something like "yes, it's a sport..."  Well, no, I don't think it is.  To me, a sport is a primarily physical endeavor.  When I did quiz bowl, not even the most serious among us thought we were doing a sport.  

It has been pointed out some people train for the show not unlike athletes do, but it's still odd to me.  Putting in discipline and work doesn't make something a sport.  It feels a bit like an if-you-can't-beat-'em-join-'em thing to me.  I think acknowledging separate spheres in activities makes more room to celebrate different kinds of accomplishments.

I don't know, am I stretching?  I've become less holier-than-thou and black-and-white over the years, I hope, but I find there are big differences between physical and intellectual or artistic pursuits and feel a little funny about the way some folks want to elide them.

Edited February 1, 2022 by 853fisher

[helpmerhonda]

35 minutes ago, illdoc said:

So, let's see--- "Walhberg" (Donny, Mark, Kit) does not get a BMS, but "Auburn" practically did (why was there such a long pause? Did he actually need to say "Auburn University"????)?!!!!!

You beat me to it! I was just coming here to say the same thing.
And hooray for my alma mater getting a mention!

[bankerchick]

Deleted

 

Edited February 1, 2022 by bankerchick
Point Already Made

[Katy M]

I didn't have the foggiest clue for FJ.  I thought it would be a poet.

I got the missed clues of Frankfort, magnetic North Pole, highwayman, Younger brothers and goat.

I got the entire categories of map and outlaws right.

[Browncoat]

I also said Virginia Woolf for FJ, though I suspected it was incorrect.  Never would have come up with the correct response.

TS I got include Frankfort, magnetic north pole, highwayman, B.F. Skinner, and goats.  I might have gotten hammock, but I zoned out for a couple of minutes and missed the clue entirely.

Cosign on Wahlberg needing a BMS. 

 

[Prevailing Wind]

I would have gotten Frankfort if I hadn't been absolutely sure it's in the western part of KY.  Sheesh. As much as I love to read maps...

I had the stray thought that Jay inherited/purchased Trebek's toupee.

I was busy doing "Contact Us" on J.com, complaining about the mugging cartoonish acting game show host, I missed who won today's game.  I said Edith Wharton for FJ.

[bankerchick]

36 minutes ago, 853fisher said:

While I accept that they don't cut into the time available for gameplay, I am finding some of the intros a little overproduced lately,

I thought it was just a way of Ken being able to remind us yet again that he still holds the multiple game record.

[BuckeyeLou]

1 hour ago, Prevailing Wind said:

I would have gotten Frankfort if I hadn't been absolutely sure it's in the western part of KY.  Sheesh. As much as I love to read maps...

I had the stray thought that Jay inherited/purchased Trebek's toupee.

I was busy doing "Contact Us" on J.com, complaining about the mugging cartoonish acting game show host, I missed who won today's game.  I said Edith Wharton for FJ.

I also said Edith Wharton, and I also wondered about the "Toupee"...his hair is very puffy :)

[PBnJay]

2 hours ago, Prevailing Wind said:

I was busy doing "Contact Us" on J.com, complaining about the mugging cartoonish acting game show host,

I enjoyed this sentence so much I read it multiple times. Almost wore it out.

[Prevailing Wind]

21 minutes ago, PBnJay said:

I enjoyed this sentence so much I read it multiple times. Almost wore it out.

You're welcome.

 

[SHD]

Am I crazy or was Ken introduced as “And now hosting Jeopardy...” while Mayim is now introduced as “The host of Jeopardy”?

[Prevailing Wind]

36 minutes ago, SHD said:

Am I crazy or was Ken introduced as “And now hosting Jeopardy...” while Mayim is now introduced as “The host of Jeopardy”?

You're not crazy.

[possibilities]

I got Gertrude Stein! "A world is a world is a world" was the title of a book on my shelf many years ago. I honestly can't remember if I ever read it (it was a gift), but it popped into my head as soon as I saw the clue.

Mayim sounds so fake and strained after Ken. I'm shocked by how much it bothers me, because it didn't bother me at all before. But now I just feel like it's intolerable.

[Bastet]

I wasn't home tonight, so just read the archive.  I got very little sleep last night, but have felt fine today.  I'm still going to go ahead and blame tonight's performance on that.

I ran ballet, which was unexpected, and silent T, but that was it for the first round; I blew the entire book to TV category, missed three in stupid answers, and one each in the rest.

In DJ, I only ran biopics.  I missed all three of the revealed psychology clues and two each in the rest.

Thankfully, I knew FJ, to end on a high note.

[30 Helens]

I was disappointed to see Mayim return, but also surprised at how much it affected my enjoyment of the game.  She’s not the worst host, but she’s not the right host. I don’t want to pound a dead horse, because the reasons she falls short have been well discussed, but I honestly don’t know if I can continue to watch with her at the podium. For the first time in many weeks, I was bored and disconnected, and that’s no way to spend a half hour.

[Conotocarious]

I left the room to do other things mid-episode. It felt like a different show.

[ams1001]

7 hours ago, SHD said:

Am I crazy or was Ken introduced as “And now hosting Jeopardy...” while Mayim is now introduced as “The host of Jeopardy”?

I guess it's because Mayim was officially hired as one of the hosts and Ken wasn't. Still bugs me, though. He's the host when he's hosting, so just introduce him as the host. (I also saw a comment somewhere suggesting that he wanted to be introduced that way out of some sort of deference to Alex but I don't know if that's true.)

1 hour ago, 30 Helens said:

She’s not the worst host, but she’s not the right host.

It's been said that she's just an actor playing a role, and frankly I don't think she's that good of an actor.

Edited February 1, 2022 by ams1001

[Clanstarling]

14 hours ago, illdoc said:

ETA: My TSs included the Younger Brothers (watch a western!!), Blythe, BF Skinner, Bankers Boxes, Hammock, North Pole (unless I had to include "magnetic"). I also said "highway robber" instead of "highwayman" (yes? no?).

I'd say no - but then, the poem "The Highwayman" is stuck in my head. I loved it as a girl (it's very dramatic and a complete, darkly romantic, story in and of itself). I still remember and can recite bits of it. And I kind of hate poetry.

Quote

When they shot him down on the highway,

         Down like a dog on the highway,

And he lay in his blood on the highway, with a bunch of lace at his throat

13 hours ago, ams1001 said:

No FJ...never read anything by Stein. If that's what it's like, it's just as well, because that would get annoying.

Stein was a wild ***ed guess, I celebrate like a runner breaking the tape at the finish line.
 

8 hours ago, possibilities said:

I got Gertrude Stein! "A world is a world is a world" was the title of a book on my shelf many years ago. I honestly can't remember if I ever read it (it was a gift), but it popped into my head as soon as I saw the clue.

Mayim sounds so fake and strained after Ken. I'm shocked by how much it bothers me, because it didn't bother me at all before. But now I just feel like it's intolerable.

The only thing I remember about Stein (I may have read her) is her comment that "in Oakland there is no there there."

Yes, I had the same experience. I was okay with Mayim before Ken started hosting. He just IS the host, like he was born to do it.

3 hours ago, 30 Helens said:

She’s not the worst host, but she’s not the right host.

Amen.

It wasn't a particularly good game for me, but at least I got FJ.

[illdoc]

5 minutes ago, Clanstarling said:

The only thing I remember about Stein (I may have read her) is her comment that "in Oakland there is no there there."

Isn't she "a rose is a rose is a rose"?

[MrAtoz]

14 hours ago, illdoc said:

So, let's see--- "Walhberg" (Donny, Mark, Kit) does not get a BMS, but "Auburn" practically did (why was there such a long pause? Did he actually need to say "Auburn University"????)?!!!!!

What was particularly strange was that right after "Auburn...........University," they accepted "Purdue" with no "University" at all!

[Clanstarling]

3 minutes ago, illdoc said:

Isn't she "a rose is a rose is a rose"?

Indeed she is (had to look it up).

I just submitted my comment to Jeopardy.com requesting Ken as permanent host.

[HelenBaby]

14 hours ago, Prevailing Wind said:

I would have gotten Frankfort if I hadn't been absolutely sure it's in the western part of KY.  Sheesh. As much as I love to read maps...

I had the stray thought that Jay inherited/purchased Trebek's toupee.

I was busy doing "Contact Us" on J.com, complaining about the mugging cartoonish acting game show host, I missed who won today's game.  I said Edith Wharton for FJ.

It’s funny what you say about Jay’s hair. I commented that he had a great head of hair and my SO said “that’s a wig” but it looks like his real hair to me? Lol

[M. Darcy]

Sigh. I hope Mayim’s current hosting run is short.  Especially since with the upcoming college tournament that seems to mean we’d have to watch her twice a day. 
 

I guessed Virginia Woolf for FJ. 

Edited February 1, 2022 by M. Darcy

[shapeshifter]

22 minutes ago, M. Darcy said:

I guessed Virginia Woolf for FJ.

Same.
Hopefully next time I come home late and half asleep from New Grandparenting I will *at least* remember to NOT watch the show on YouTube until I've had a few hours of sleep.
But I would not have known FJ anyway. 
My mom would have.
I agree with most of the above comments, especially the acceptance of Wahlberg as if the brothers are interchangeable. 

[dgpolo]

If this should be in a different thread just let me know. Amy's streak made me think about Ken's, I know this has probably been discussed somewhere, sometime but... should Ken's 'streak' be considered two consecutive streaks? He won 38 games in season 20 and 36 in season 21. There was a break between, right? So he got to rest? So, Amy's 40 games is really remarkable.

[HelenBaby]

3 minutes ago, dgpolo said:

If this should be in a different thread just let me know. Amy's streak made me think about Ken's, I know this has probably been discussed somewhere, sometime but... should Ken's 'streak' be considered two consecutive streaks? He won 38 games in season 20 and 36 in season 21. There was a break between, right? So he got to rest? So, Amy's 40 games is really remarkable.

Both are extremely remarkable. I don’t know how your brain doesn’t turn to mush even playing ten games over two days. Even though Ken was off for a couple of months doesn’t take away the fact that once he jumped back into it that was his reality. 

[Trey]

2 hours ago, Clanstarling said:

but then, the poem "The Highwayman" is stuck in my head. I loved it as a girl (it's very dramatic and a complete, darkly romantic, story in and of itself). I still remember and can recite bits of it.

A favourite of mine as well.

16 hours ago, illdoc said:

I also said "highway robber" instead of "highwayman" (yes? no?).

I'd give it to you but I don't know if the judges would.

Didn't write down my ts's but I know I got the Younger brothers and magnetic north pole.

I thought Chevrolet was named after horses, not goats.

I forgot Mayim was going to be back so it was a great disappointment to see her.

I did not get FJ, would have sat there a long time before her name came up. But I loved the rejection letter😄

[MrAtoz]

1 hour ago, Trey said:

I thought Chevrolet was named after horses, not goats.

I forgot that one!  Me, too.  I very confidently said "horses," and was scornful of the guy for not answering it immediately.  "Chevrolet," obviously related to "Chevalier" and "Chivalry."  Horses, right?  What else could it be?

[SyracuseMug]

4 hours ago, Clanstarling said:

I'd say no - but then, the poem "The Highwayman" is stuck in my head. I loved it as a girl (it's very dramatic and a complete, darkly romantic, story in and of itself). I still remember and can recite bits of it. And I kind of hate poetry.

The poem was set to music back in the nineties by the Canadian singer Loreena McKennitt. She also performed "The Lady of Shalott" by Alfred Lord Tennyson. Both songs can be found on YouTube with a quick search. I've been enjoying them for years.

[proserpina65]

On 1/28/2022 at 7:25 PM, 853fisher said:

I also think it was generous to take Carrie's FJ response.  Maybe they decided not to analyze it closely since it didn't affect the outcome, but I thought she did not complete it, and what it appeared she did write flunks the rule that they'll take a misspelling if it's phonetically the same.  They've got to be consistent.

I questioned that at the time.  My cat agreed with me that she shouldn't have been credited with a correct response.  I was going to ask if it made a difference between 2nd & 3rd places but upon check the archive I see that it didn't.

[rcc]

15 hours ago, SHD said:

Am I crazy or was Ken introduced as “And now hosting Jeopardy...” while Mayim is now introduced as “The host of Jeopardy”?

I hate it!

[proserpina65]

On 1/28/2022 at 10:55 PM, possibilities said:

'd love to see Amy as a host,

That would be the death knell for Jeopardy for me.

On 1/29/2022 at 1:18 PM, 853fisher said:

but the state of my birth, Maryland, recently became one of only two states with no official song, when it ditched its awful martial poem to the tune of "O Tanenbaum."  Among other things, it refers to the Union as "northern scum"; calls Lincoln a tyrant, a vandal, and a despot; and declares that "Virginia should not call in vain...sic temper [tyrannis]."  Real wining stuff, in other words.

I actually miss it, in a "the first verse is fine and all anyone ever sings, but check out the rest" kinda way.  But honestly, I only ever think about it during the Preakness, so as long as what eventually replaces it isn't lame, I'm not going to lose sleep over it.

On 1/29/2022 at 4:33 PM, ProudMary said:

Triple Stumpers: concord, the liberation of Rome, a Mandarin collar, hamster, Riverdale, provenance, Family Matters, building the second temple of Jerusalem, gaff, Six Degrees of Separation and Elijah.

I got Mandarin collar, hamster (a wild, but correct, guess), provenance (all those art history courses paid off), Family Matters and Six Degrees of Separation.  I would've gotten the liberation of Rome if I had looked up in time to see the picture of the colosseum.

 

On 1/30/2022 at 5:05 PM, JudyObscure said:

I was interested in this last week and found an article about how the writers come up with clues and categories, then make a mock board for single and double jeopardy after which they're filed and games are pulled out randomly, possibly years later.

That was a Vulture article I can no longer get, but here's another interesting one.  The vulture piece said Alex (2017) had a brief look at it ahead of time, probably so he could be sure about pronunciations.

https://www.jeopardy.com/jbuzz/cast-crew/inside-jeopardy-writers-room

That's how it was done when I was a contestant.  And the challengers for each game were chosen by a member of production choosing two index cards with names which had been placed blank side up on a table.  We were able to watch them select the players for the games.  It was cool.

On 1/31/2022 at 12:56 PM, 853fisher said:

but I think there may be some give in the fixed time

There is no give in the fixed time for clues.  If a celebrity clue reader reads too slowly, the board doesn't end up getting cleared.  Having a strict set time is the only way to make it fair for every contestant.  (Almost typed "sex time" - what does that say about me? lol)

[proserpina65]

20 hours ago, illdoc said:

ETA: My TSs included the Younger Brothers (watch a western!!), Blythe, BF Skinner, Bankers Boxes, Hammock, North Pole (unless I had to include "magnetic"). I also said "highway robber" instead of "highwayman" (yes? no?).

I only got Younger and highwayman.  I was confused by the North Pole question and somehow managed to answer South Pole instead.  That, the Hammacher Schlemmer clue and the Betsy Ross one were not really stupid answers.

20 hours ago, ams1001 said:

I ran Ballet, of all things...

I should've run ballet.  I got 4 clues correct and then missed the Baryshnikov one by answering Nureyev instead despite having adored Misha back in the day.  For some reason I found myself debating whether the year was too early for him and decided poorly.

20 hours ago, ams1001 said:

No FJ...never read anything by Stein. If that's what it's like, it's just as well, because that would get annoying.

I can honestly say I have never read anything Stein ever wrote either, so this FJ was a complete mystery to me.  I said Beatrix Potter, despite the year, because the quote sounded like something sing-song from a kids' book.

19 hours ago, Prevailing Wind said:

I was busy doing "Contact Us" on J.com, complaining about the mugging cartoonish acting game show host

I think Call Me Kat is a terrible show but I want it to run forever in order to spare me from Bialik as the permanent host.

6 hours ago, Clanstarling said:

Yes, I had the same experience. I was okay with Mayim before Ken started hosting. He just IS the host, like he was born to do it.

I wasn't that fond of him before, but after having him host over the last week, I was incredibly disappointed to see Mayim last night.

6 hours ago, illdoc said:

Isn't she "a rose is a rose is a rose"?

Is she?  I've heard that phrase but have no idea who said it.

4 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

I agree with most of the above comments, especially the acceptance of Wahlberg as if the brothers are interchangeable. 

Yeah, that's been a long running problem.  Hence our running Kit joke, which came from a set of games where a contestant got a BMS for the Carson for whom the capital of Nevada is name but the current champ got credit for presidents Adams and Roosevelt without having to specify which one.

3 hours ago, Trey said:

I thought Chevrolet was named after horses, not goats.

Me, too.  For "cheval", French for horse.  Which made perfect sense, given that cars have horsepower.  Never mind that the honey chevre (goat cheese) at a local winery is a favorite of mine.  D'oh.

 

Edited February 1, 2022 by proserpina65

[aradia22]

Quote

I thought Chevrolet was named after horses, not goats.

What was the clue? I might have figured it out from knowing French depending on the wording. There are sometimes categories like that where I really feel the bias. Like, I remember one category that was just about being able to decipher things in French whether you knew what the clue was leading you to... if you could translate, you could get the answer. And how jarring it was to get to the black authors category in the professors-themed episodes just highlighted how rarely contestants are expected to know anything outside of a narrow POV even though it seems like the questions are far-reaching.

[ams1001]

18 minutes ago, aradia22 said:

What was the clue? I might have figured it out from knowing French depending on the wording. 

"The name Chevrolet goes back to a word for this animal, or perhaps one who kept them"

[MrAtoz]

I mean, the car is named after Louis Chevrolet, the racing driver who was one of the founders of the company.  I suppose they're really tracing the etymology of his surname.

Cheval = Horse, Chevre = Goat.  Seems like a toss-up to me which one it might be.

Edited February 1, 2022 by MrAtoz

[SoMuchTV]

55 minutes ago, proserpina65 said:

I only got Younger and highwayman.  I was confused by the North Pole question and somehow managed to answer South Pole instead.  That, the Hammacher Schlemmer clue and the Betsy Ross one were not really stupid answers.

I was thinking that several of them didn't seem to be "stupid answers" in the way Jeopardy! normally uses that category.  Looking back at the Archive, I guess "Hammacher Schlemmer" does sort of contain the response "hammock". And the Betsy Ross clue included the word "union".  But I still think most of them had too much distraction in the clue to really qualify as "stupid answers".

[ams1001]

35 minutes ago, MrAtoz said:

I mean, the car is named after Louis Chevrolet, the racing driver who was one of the founders of the company.  I suppose they're really tracing the etymology of his surname.

Yes; the category was Surnames.

[ams1001]

57% / 67% / 61%

Well, I did slightly better than yesterday...

Again only ran one category, Little Things in a Big World. 

TSes were china, Steel Magnolias, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, and The Shield. (I knew what they were going for with The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society but I couldn't get all the words in the right order.)

I was rooting for Zoha but I liked Scott well enough.

[SeanC]

I was disappointed for Zoha, she made a good run at the end there.

[Katy M]

I got FJ.

I got the missed clues of Steel Magnolias, china, and The Shield.  I just realized we had a movie, a TV and a book category this episode.

I got the entire category of more than one meanng right.

[Prevailing Wind]

I got FJ. I was just thinking about Avignon yesterday. Is it true that the first Pope to serve from there was Pope Pourri?

I'm happy with the new champ.