Jeopardy! Season 38 (2021-2022)

[ams1001]

Meh game again. Glad this week is over. Ran Sci-Fi and Home Renovation. TSes were Tenochtitlan, tongue & groove, Delaware River, Invisible Man (DD), Liebowitz, Terminator.

FJ was an instaget.

[opus]

Does anyone else wish Molly would have answered Michael Caine for the Mick Jaggar photo?

[Katy M]

FJ was an instaget.

I got the missed clues of CT, The Invisible Man, Tower of London and Guinevere.

I did very not good in the first round and pretty well in the second.  Ended up in the black.

[Trey]

A decent enough game to watch and play.

I got Buffaloafer, Invisible Man, longevity and Tower of London.

I said Sojourner Truth for FJ.  Wrong.

[Prevailing Wind]

52 minutes ago, opus said:

Does anyone else wish Molly would have answered Michael Caine for the Mick Jaggar photo?

I yelled it out & scared Stella right off my lap.

[30 Helens]

7 minutes ago, Prevailing Wind said:

57 minutes ago, opus said:

Does anyone else wish Molly would have answered Michael Caine for the Mick Jaggar photo?

I yelled it out & scared Stella right off my lap.

Ha! Me too! (Except for the Stella part.) 

I loved it when David Letterman (my first TV boyfriend) would sing Cats. 

[Mindthinkr]

10 hours ago, Clanstarling said:

 Well, none of us were champions at anything, so we didn't qualify. 😥🤣

Not entirely true. I was a State Champion for years. 

[proserpina65]

I call bullshit on tonight's game.  First, Megan clearly said "Gerick", not "Gehrig" and should've have $2400 deducted from her total.  Second, it definitely looked to me like Sadie did manage to get all of "Harriet Tubman" written, although she accepted the ruling so maybe it just looked complete on my tv screen because of her handwriting.

Another lackluster game from a lackluster champion.

[proserpina65]

4 hours ago, Driad said:

I like that she named her daughter for Rosalind Franklin, who did not get the credit she deserved in her lifetime.

I do like that, but otherwise, she's not really all that good a player.

[Mindthinkr]

My game tonight was a repeat of last night’s game 😳

[proserpina65]

I only ran Such A Peasant Life, but I did get a lot of stumpers: Tenochtitlan, Delaware, The Invisible Man, Leibowitz, sea otter, Guinevere and the Tower of London.  And FJ was an instaget.

[Mindthinkr]

1 minute ago, proserpina65 said:

Leibowitz

Fran? 

[proserpina65]

11 minutes ago, Mindthinkr said:

Fran? 

Clearly it was Kit Leibowitz.

I once had a copy of A Canticle for Leibowitz but I don't believe I ever read it.  Someone must've recommended it when I was deep into my sci-fi period.

[GreekGeek]

23 minutes ago, proserpina65 said:

I call bullshit on tonight's game.  First, Megan clearly said "Gerick", not "Gehrig" and should've have $2400 deducted from her total.  Second, it definitely looked to me like Sadie did manage to get all of "Harriet Tubman" written, although she accepted the ruling so maybe it just looked complete on my tv screen because of her handwriting.

Another lackluster game from a lackluster champion.

I agree regarding "Harriet Tubman." It looked as though Sadie's handwriting was messy but that she did write the whole name. "Gehrig/Gerick" just seems like "Barry/Berry" all over again.

12 minutes ago, Mindthinkr said:

Fran? 

9 minutes ago, proserpina65 said:

Clearly it was Kit Leibowitz.

Since the book's title just has "Leibowitz" and not "Isaac Leibowitz", I doubt they would have required the full name.

[proserpina65]

15 minutes ago, GreekGeek said:

"Gehrig/Gerick" just seems like "Barry/Berry" all over again.

I don't think so.  I rewound and listened, and she clearly ending with the "k" sound.  Lou Gehrig's name is never pronounced with anything except the "g" sound at the end.

[Bastet]

From that screencap posted above, it looks to me like she only wrote the first of the three parts of the N at the end of Tubman.  So, correctly ruled as not the whole name?  I have no idea how "complete" is defined in the FJ rules.

(I'm not going to have time to watch tonight's game in full, so I checked FJ on the archive, which was an instaget, but then I saw the notation about an incomplete answer so I came here to get the scoop.)

Edited June 18, 2022 by Bastet

[stonehaven]

I hated that Mayim interrupted that one contestant as she slightly delayed her answer. Rude and probably threw her off her game. Ken would have done better.

[secnarf]

3 hours ago, 853fisher said:

Hmmmm.  I find this, like a lot of handwriting, ambiguous.  I sure wouldn't like to be the one who had to make the call, especially when it decided the game.

I note that Sadie does appear to have been writing up to the last moment, and that the production team can see what the contestants are writing.  Maybe something about how they watched the word come together convinced them?

Commiserations either way - it's a tough way to lose when she clearly knew it, whether the way she rendered her response conformed with the rules or not.

I 100% feel that I can see every single letter in Tubman...okay, the A looks like a U because of the handwriting/pen, but that wasn't the argument they made.

Also, had she just written "Tubman" it likely would have been accepted and she wouldn't have been rushing as much to write.

I would be super mad at both the J! judges and myself, if I were Sadie.

[30 Helens]

4 hours ago, 853fisher said:

I see “t u b n u s” or maybe “t u l m a y”. I don’t see how you can get an “n” out of  that end squiggle.

My forensic analysis sides with the judges. She should only be mad at herself for wasting time on “Harriet”.

Megan is perhaps the luckiest multi-day champ ever. She doesn’t win so much as stand there while others actively lose.

[853fisher]

On the subject of pronunciation, it was quite right to correct "Bih-zette" for the French composer.  However, the thoroughly American English "George" that came with the correction was just as tragic.  That would be "Zhorzh," s'il vous plaît et merci.

1 hour ago, secnarf said:

Also, had she just written "Tubman" it likely would have been accepted and she wouldn't have been rushing as much to write.

I agree, "Tubman" would almost certainly have been accepted.  This is, I think, the big "lesson" to be taken out of this.  Heck, Ken got "who is Jones" past the judges when they were looking for Marion - Alex said something like "in terms of female athletes, there aren't that many."  I think they are inclined to be lenient in this for FJ since they can't ask for a BMS.  (Incidentally, if that had gone the other way, he'd've lost his first game.)

Edited June 18, 2022 by 853fisher

[Browncoat]

It’s time for breakfast here in sunny(!) Edinburgh, so I checked the archive for yesterday’s game.  Instaget FJ for me.  I think that brings me to three FJ for the week.

[South]

5 hours ago, Bastet said:

From that screencap posted above, it looks to me like she only wrote the first of the three parts of the N at the end of Tubman.  So, correctly ruled as not the whole name?  I have no idea how "complete" is defined in the FJ rules.

(I'm not going to have time to watch tonight's game in full, so I checked FJ on the archive, which was an instaget, but then I saw the notation about an incomplete answer so I came here to get the scoop.)

I remember Alex explaining it as if someone were to read the answer, as it’s written, would it sound correct.  Thus, depending upon the correct answer at hand, it could be misspelled, with letters added or omitted, but still be correct as long as it would sound correct when read.  Of course if the clue predicated a matter of correct spelling, that would be a different matter.  So, even though we all knew that she knew the answer, it wasn’t legible as HT.

[South]

7 minutes ago, South said:

I remember Alex explaining it as if someone were to read the answer, as it’s written, would it sound correct.  Thus, depending upon the correct answer at hand, it could be misspelled, with letters added or omitted, but still be correct as long as it would sound correct when read.  Of course if the clue predicated a matter of correct spelling, that would be a different matter.  So, even though we all knew that she knew the answer, it wasn’t legible as HT.

As an additional possibility, whereas last night’s answer didn’t have clearly written lettering, if one were to write George Washingtin, that would also be wrong. Again, we would all know what was intended, and most of the folks I know, do pronounce it with a short “I”, it would be incorrect.

[South]

2 hours ago, Browncoat said:

It’s time for breakfast here in sunny(!) Edinburgh, so I checked the archive for yesterday’s game.  Instaget FJ for me.  I think that brings me to three FJ for the week.

That sounds dreamy.

[Clanstarling]

On 6/16/2022 at 5:14 PM, Caoimhe said:

I read Cross Stitch (original UK title for Outlander) many years ago but had no clue what Moebius means so that was a miss for me.

I did, and I love and have read all the Outlander books (starting in 1991), and totally whiffed it. Sigh...

On 6/16/2022 at 5:18 PM, kathyk24 said:

I was surprised nobody knew Bette Milder I love her. I thought Outlander was a series of romance novels so I guessed wrong. I thought scone rhymes with stone.

I bought the first one from a book club (remember those), because it was a time travel story. When I tried to find the next one in a book store, I couldn't find it - it was shelved under Romance (which is a genre I do not read). Not being a reader of romance, I don't see it as such, as the central romance doesn't begin with "I hate you" and end with "I love you." (oversimplification as well). Also the history is extremely well researched.

22 hours ago, GreekGeek said:

I never saw "Beaches," but I hate the song "Wind Beneath My Wings." Or rather I hate its message: "Thank you for being invisible and always letting me hog the spotlight."

Thank you! I hate the song so much for the same reason.

22 hours ago, PBnJay said:

Maybe if you had been eating your Wheaties that would have been different. 

Could be true. It was sugary cereals for breakfast, Chef Boy RD (?) for lunch. 😄

15 hours ago, opus said:

Does anyone else wish Molly would have answered Michael Caine for the Mick Jaggar photo?

Yep, I did!

13 hours ago, Mindthinkr said:

Not entirely true. I was a State Champion for years. 

To clarify, if that wasn't a joke - I was speaking solely about my family. 😉

13 hours ago, proserpina65 said:

I once had a copy of A Canticle for Leibowitz but I don't believe I ever read it.  Someone must've recommended it when I was deep into my sci-fi period.

I recall it being an excellent book. I think I might have read it for a class (not a sci-fi class). I never got out of my sci-fi period - I just added more genres.

I can't believe my brain froze and I didn't get Outlander - but at least it unstuck on Friday and Tubman was an instaget.

[Welshman in Ca]

9 hours ago, Browncoat said:

It’s time for breakfast here in sunny(!) Edinburgh, so I checked the archive for yesterday’s game.  Instaget FJ for me.  I think that brings me to three FJ for the week.

If you're anywhere near the Kelpies could you make a short detour & say hi to my sister.

I would have given her the FJ as some others have said.

[dcalley]

11 hours ago, 853fisher said:

I agree, "Tubman" would almost certainly have been accepted.  This is, I think, the big "lesson" to be taken out of this.  ...  I think they are inclined to be lenient in this for FJ since they can't ask for a BMS.

The judges can't ask for a BMS in FJ, but I think when they anticipate that a BMS could be needed, they instruct the contestants to write a first and last name. I assume no such instruction was given to these contestants, yet they all chose to write the full name!

[Mindthinkr]

1 hour ago, Clanstarling said:

To clarify, if that wasn't a joke - I was speaking solely about my family. 😉

It wasn’t a joke. I was, but understand. 

[PBnJay]

14 hours ago, 30 Helens said:

I see “t u b n u s” or maybe “t u l m a y”. I don’t see how you can get an “n” out of  that end squiggle.

My forensic analysis sides with the judges. She should only be mad at herself for wasting time on “Harriet”.

To say nothing of the time she wasted on "SQUIGGLE SQUIGGLE CROSS OUT Harriet."

She could have put that final N on Tubma if she hadn't had two false starts (and also skipped "Harriet.") Time was not her friend. But them's the breaks. I'll bet many former Jeopardy! players have sad stories of what they wish they had done/answered differently.

[dgpolo]

Those of you who have been on the show, does the 'pen' stop writing when time is up? I looked at the video on YouTube several times and she is writing right up to, and maybe past?, the time. If the last stroke was done -after- time there would be no suggestion of an 'n' I don't think, but if the pen shuts itself off then they must include it, right? It seems like she was nodding at the determination so she must have agreed with it.

[chessiegal]

This is from Andy Saunders "The Jeopardy Fan" re: FJ.

Quote

Andy’s Thoughts:

As a viewer, you may not *like* the rule, but it is a rule—incomplete Final Jeopardy! responses are incorrect, and you have until the end of the timer to finish. While it is an undoubtedly disappointing ruling for Sadie and those who were cheering for her, this rule keeps things fair for *all* contestants and I personally believe that the ruling is just.

Viewers should also note that the show watches the light pens write from the control room as the responses are being written; thus, “it looked finished to me” is not a consideration or a valid complaint—the judges would not have seen the final N being written.

Bolding mine. So, they are watching what is being written.

[Mystery Author]

Quote

Side note: A poster here knows Ms. Gabaldon. I'm curious if @MYSTERY AUTHOR got FJ correct.

I've even done a panel with Diana at an historical writers conference (I write history-mysteries as well as contemp mysteries). The panel was on...what was it on again?...oh, yeah, Sex (in our books).

So I should have gotten the answer right, right? Nope. I didn't know what a damnfool Möbius was.

As for Wheaties, piece of cake...I mean piece of 100% Whole Wheat. I have an unopened box with the Denver Broncos on the front. The John Elway Broncos, not the Peyton Manning Broncos.

[Montreal Meany]

11 hours ago, South said:

As an additional possibility, whereas last night’s answer didn’t have clearly written lettering, if one were to write George Washingtin, that would also be wrong. Again, we would all know what was intended, and most of the folks I know, do pronounce it with a short “I”, it would be incorrect.

Almost certainly "Washingtin" would be accepted. There's far more leeway given to incorrect vowels.  

[30 Helens]

1 hour ago, chessiegal said:

So, they are watching what is being written.

Should I take that to mean the pen does not shut off automatically when time is up? I would think it has to, otherwise what would prevent a player from quickly squeezing in that last “n” just after the music stops? And we’ve all seen people frantically trying to scribble after it’s clearly over…

[chessiegal]

I'm sure the pen stops working when time is up. I remember seeing partially completed letters.

[Browncoat]

5 hours ago, Welshman in Ca said:

If you're anywhere near the Kelpies could you make a short detour & say hi to my sister.

I would have given her the FJ as some others have said.

I will be in Falkirk on Monday.  I’ll wave in her general direction!

[labresq]

1 hour ago, 30 Helens said:

Should I take that to mean the pen does not shut off automatically when time is up? I would think it has to, otherwise what would prevent a player from quickly squeezing in that last “n” just after the music stops? And we’ve all seen people frantically trying to scribble after it’s clearly over

It looked to me like she ran out of room to write, with all the final letters crammed in together.  But I don't know how much writing space there is.

[Bastet]

25 minutes ago, labresq said:

It looked to me like she ran out of room to write, with all the final letters crammed in together.  But I don't know how much writing space there is.

From the screencap upthread, there's plenty of blue space off to the right to finish the N, so I don't think she ran out of space, just time. 

[PBnJay]

3 hours ago, Montreal Meany said:

Almost certainly "Washingtin" would be accepted. There's far more leeway given to incorrect vowels.  

Yeah, like Berry/Barry. (Heavy sarcasm and extreme snark intended.)

[Montreal Meany]

3 hours ago, PBnJay said:

Yeah, like Berry/Barry. (Heavy sarcasm and extreme snark intended.)

My take on that fiasco is that since it affected only 2nd and 3rd place, they didn't want to embarrass Alex, at that time, with an overrule. They may even have quietly paid Betsy (I did have to go look up her name) the $1000 she was done out of.

[EtheltoTillie]

I couldn’t believe everyone missed Outlander. I never read the series or watched the show, but it was still an obvious answer. 

[chessiegal]

3 minutes ago, EtheltoTillie said:

I couldn’t believe everyone missed Outlander. I never read the series or watched the show, but it was still an obvious answer. 

I've never heard of Outlander.

[Bastet]

2 minutes ago, chessiegal said:

I've never heard of Outlander.

I've heard of it (as a TV show, via some of the Everything Else TV threads here), but couldn't tell you a single thing about it other than it exists (and now, thanks to FJ, that it's about time travel).  And, while I know what a Möbius strip is on a very basic level, I don't associate it with time travel, so even if I knew that's what Outlander was about, that wouldn't have pointed me to it.  Basically, I had zero shot at that one, no matter how long I sat here.

[proserpina65]

36 minutes ago, EtheltoTillie said:

I couldn’t believe everyone missed Outlander. I never read the series or watched the show, but it was still an obvious answer. 

Not to me. Not in the least. And I know what a Mobius strip is. And am familiar with the books. Of course,  I would not call it historical fiction.  To me, Outlander is romance. 

[Alvin Sr]

I really have a problem with one incomplete answer being accepted "John Denve..." by Ken Jennings and another incomplete answer "Harriet Tubma..." NOT being accepted by Mayim Bialik. 

This inconsistency is very troubling. 

You might say that it's because the host is different, but that should NOT be a factor. ...And wouldn't it be the same production team in both of their ears?

Maybe Ken accepted it because it was obvious what the contestant was going for, but that same logic should apply to the other contestant as well. It was pretty obvious that she was on the right track as well. 

Just to compound the inconsistency, this same contestant was also dinged for not saying the name of a Mayan tribe 100% correctly, when it was abundantly obvious that she was on the right track. She pronounced the name correctly except for the possible addition of an extra "T". 

[Leeds]

On 6/17/2022 at 10:18 AM, DrSpaceman73 said:

Well despite her being in the film she might understand. 

There's a famous story where she is not a big fan of musicals and refused to stand and clap for then friend neil Patrick Harris after seeing rent. 

Also I always thought Neil Patrick Harris should be the Jeopardy host after Alex. 

Where I live (in North America) every live performance, from poorly rehearsed and talentless kindergarten classes to poorly rehearsed and talentless professional performances, gets a standing ovation.  It's very irritating, not least because if you don't stand you're seen as a grinch, rather then someone with some standards.

Do we know that Neil Patrick Harris wanted the job?

2 hours ago, chessiegal said:

I've never heard of Outlander.

I have some vague awareness of it but zero interest in exploring that awareness further.

[ABay]

I understood they were looking for a book involving time travel and I'm familiar with Outlander, but have no idea when it was published so it never entered my mind.

[shapeshifter]

Regarding Thursday's FJ of: 

Quote

Published in 1991, this novel, the first in a series, has been described as "historical fiction with a Moebius twist"

and:

On 6/16/2022 at 11:49 PM, Prevailing Wind said:

In the early 60s, when I was in Jr High, my best friend's younger sister did a project for extra credit in math - Aida made a whole bunch (7 or 8) one-sided objects, all suspended in a cardboard box. I was in awe.  Aida could do anything. She was 12 and could design a blazer, make a pattern, and sew it to perfection.

--It sounds like Aida and I were alike. I too did extra credit (and beyond) with Moebius strips and topology in junior high in the 60s, as well winning the 8th grade science fair with a presentation on the possibility of time travel.
Later I too designed and sewed clothes. 
I wonder if Aida is also left-handed/ambidextrous.
But most important:
     If you can locate Aida online, find out if she too sucks at Jeopardy! 😄
I am a long-time fan of science fiction, but I detest most fantasy because it it often so violent with all that swashbuckling, so, no, I did not know that Outlander was first published as a book in 1991, nor that it has a "Moebius twist," which I'm guessing refers to a wormhole?

__________

For Friday, I saw Harriet Tubman in my mind, but could only come up with Sojourner Truth's name, which I knew was wrong.
I too think Sadie should have been given credit. She looked so distraught before they announced it, that I wondered if the judges were on the fence and discredited her based on her own lack of confidence in the answer being complete enough??
Or was part of the discussion edited out?
Googling 
     jeopardy tubman site:twitter.com
shows 1,970 results, but few from yesterday and today, so I doubt there's enough public outrage for a recount of judges' votes.
At least I also like Megan and her plans for her winnings.

Also on Friday:
I'm guessing "tongue & groove" was a TS because people now call it "click lock," but the clue:
   "This type of flooring named for two parts that fit together . . ."
didn't "fit" 😉 for "click lock."

[Clanstarling]

9 hours ago, Leeds said:

Where I live (in North America) every live performance, from poorly rehearsed and talentless kindergarten classes to poorly rehearsed and talentless professional performances, gets a standing ovation.  It's very irritating, not least because if you don't stand you're seen as a grinch, rather then someone with some standards.

Do we know that Neil Patrick Harris wanted the job?

I have some vague awareness of it but zero interest in exploring that awareness further.

Though I don't like the now obligatory standing ovations, I will do it with gusto for children who need the encouragement, they'll be discouraged soon enough in life. 

For professionals, on the other hand, it's annoying. Still, I will grudgingly go along with the crowd - and if someone was my friend (as I think NPH was) I wouldn't sit through it. Though I don't know what the full story is about that one, I've only read bits and pieces.

Edited June 19, 2022 by Clanstarling

[seacliffsal]

1 hour ago, Clanstarling said:

Though I don't like the now obligatory standing ovations, I will do it with gusto for children who need the encouragement, they'll be discouraged soon enough in life. 

For professionals, on the other hand, it's annoying. Still, I will grudgingly go along with the crowd - and if someone was my friend (as I think NPH was) I wouldn't sit through it. Though I don't know what the full story is about that one, I've only read bits and pieces.

I admit to being old and grumpy, but I don't participate int he expected standing ovations unless there are extenuating circumstances or I truly feel it was an exceptional performance (and, yes, I get looks from other people).  I also don't support "everyone gets a trophy" so there it is.