Jeopardy! Season 38 (2021-2022)

[PBnJay]

30 minutes ago, 853fisher said:

The way Mayim's hair was falling on either side of her head put me in mind of Elly May Clampett.  I acknowledge that it has no more bearing on how she hosts than the color of Ken's suits - I still thought it was terribly unflattering.

Well, I suppose you deserve a GFY for looking at her long enough to judge. I try my best to not see her at all so have no comments about her appearance. Maybe I should go to closed captions for the other part I find irksome.

I'm all in for a discussion of Ken's suits, ties and pocket squares. Maybe we'll get a peek at his shoes, too!

[Browncoat]

I actually got FJ!  It was not an instaget, but I finally made it (in my mind) to the west coast in plenty of time to write it down.

I also got quite a few TS, including "To Catch A Thief," Alex, French bulldog, lacerate, laconic, 12, and Neil Simon.

Happy birthday, Johnny Gilbert!

[shapeshifter]

I want to plead "burden of knowledge" for whiffing FJ because any other reason is too embarrassing, given that I lived as an adult in California for 23 years, but I think "burden of knowledge" means you did know it, and I never did, and I have been to Eureka several times.
I lived in Illinois for a total of at least 29 years, and have never heard of its motto either. 
I know New Hampshire's (Live Free Or Die) because it's on their license plates, and, as an adult driver in California traffic for 23 years, I spent a lot of time staring at the license plates from various states (and even another country once) on the car in front of me.

I ran the KJ Bible verses (they were all well known phrases that have been used in popular culture rather than obscure). 
I got TSs of Hawaii, lacerate, and 12.

Edited July 14, 2022 by shapeshifter

[853fisher]

33 minutes ago, shapeshifter said:

I want to plead "burden of knowledge" for whiffing FJ because any other reason is too embarrassing, given that I lived as an adult in California for 23 years, but I think "burden of knowledge" means you did know it, and I never did.

I have lived in CA for not quite a decade and did get it, but I was thinking about this too. I don’t think I know it just from “being around” since it’s not like, as you mentioned, NH’s motto, plastered on everything.

I go by a state office building, decorated with a large seal, fairly often. I had to look it up to be sure but it does have “Eureka” on it. Otherwise, I’m not sure where I would have seen it just by virtue of being here.

I think I might have learned it in relation to the gold rush story. I wonder now. Put that on my list of feature requests for Humans 2.0: “where did I pluck that from” recall. ;)

[Driad]

List of state mottos

[DedicatedFan]

This is late, but I disagree that the question "What is peroxide?" should have been answered by Mayim with "Be more specific."  I say that Mayim should have said, "Need more information."  Because, as stated upthread, the answer called for a compound, and providing the other part of the compound (namely "hydrogen") would have been providing more information.  But I have no real problem with Mayim's complete rejection of "What is peroxide?" because a compound was called for.  I'm reminded of the times that an alliterative term was required, only for one contestant to ask "What are toes?" (when they should have asked "What are last legs?") and "What is a door?" (when they should have asked "What is a Dutch Door?")

[possibilities]

How do you all think "singer" should be pronounced?

[Bastet]

I ran a bible category!  I only knew the Ruth clue thanks to it being quoted in Fried Green Tomatoes, a movie I've watched countless times, and I have no idea where I picked up the "Jesus wept" trivia, but -- I ran a bible category.  Now, if only they could refrain from having another one for a nice long while.

I ran the rest of the first round other than the Welsh category, in which I was terrible and only came up with Dylan Thomas.

In DJ, I only ran L and plays, but it was still an okay round.  I missed three in hodgepodge and two each in the rest.

FJ was an instaget, and I'm sure being a life-long Californian helped with that.

I was initially a bit surprised by the Alex TS, but I guess Family Ties hasn't been syndicated/streamed as much as other popular shows of that era to keep it in the popular consciousness.  The counterfeited TS surprised me a little, as did French bulldogs (I missed that one, too; I couldn't get off Irish Setter, which I knew didn't meet the popularity prong of the clue, but couldn't think of another breed with a nationality in its name in time and did the V8 head smack when it was revealed -- of course, those little guys are everywhere).

[chessiegal]

On 7/12/2022 at 9:58 PM, Roaster said:

I think they should have just ruled Peroxide correct. 

Disagree. There are other peroxide compounds besides hydrogen peroxide (sodium, barium). 

Clue: 

Quote

Of Crest 3D White Professional Ultra White toothpaste, "4%" this bleaching compound

In this case they were asking for the peroxide used in the Crest toothpaste, which is hydrogen peroxide.

But mainly, they were asking what's on the label, which specifies hydrogen peroxide, not just peroxide.

Edited July 14, 2022 by chessiegal
Additional info

[anniebird]

40 minutes ago, possibilities said:

How do you all think "singer" should be pronounced?

Sing + Er ------ Mayim pronounces it Sing + Ger

[30 Helens]

Corpus Christi?? Greek?? Ok, then.

Nobody knew To Catch a Thief or Neil Simon? I was disappointed in all of them.

55 minutes ago, possibilities said:

How do you all think "singer" should be pronounced?

The right way.

[Prevailing Wind]

54 minutes ago, Bastet said:

I was initially a bit surprised by the Alex TS,

On the other hand, I said, "What is Alex P. Keaton?"

FJ: Asking for the name of a city implied a one-word motto and the only one I could think of is Latin and not the name of a city - I said "Dirigo" (Maine).  Googling, I discover their toll highway pass is called DiriGO. Hahahaha. Anyway, I got it wrong.

[Cotypubby]

1 hour ago, possibilities said:

How do you all think "singer" should be pronounced?

Sing-er. Not Sing-ger.

I said Truth or Consequences for FJ because I was trying to think of a city that was also a phrase. 😆 The only state mottos I actually know are New York (cause I live there) and New Hampshire (because of Breaking Bad.)

[mertensia]

I knew Jesus wept from one of the Little House books.

[HyeChaps]

It was also mentioned on The Waltons.

[zoey1996]

I couldn't come up with a state motto that was also a city. I know Virginia (Sic Semper Tyrannis) and Kansas (Ad Astra Per Aspera), but no cities/towns there!

[Trey]

An okay game for me.  I got the ts's of Liberty bell, Tudor, To Catch a Thief, Alex, Ottawa, and the missed DD of twelve. I know there are juries of nine people but twelve is more widely known so I was surprised the contestant said nine.

I came so close on FJ.  Said Excelsior which is one word and starts with E but there the similarities end. It is a Latin word, not Greek, and, as far as I know, there is no city called Excelsior in New York. I do know the California state motto but it is way back in the messy corners of my mind.  I know the New Hampshire state motto from watching Northwoods Law.

I always feel bad when one contestant doesn't get to play FJ.  I do like the new champ.

[30 Helens]

52 minutes ago, Trey said:

I always feel bad when one contestant doesn't get to play FJ. 

Me too. That must be so disappointing.

[Clanstarling]

12 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

I want to plead "burden of knowledge" for whiffing FJ because any other reason is too embarrassing, given that I lived as an adult in California for 23 years, but I think "burden of knowledge" means you did know it, and I never did.

I lived in CA for longer than that, and though I did get it, my husband did not.

10 hours ago, Bastet said:

I ran a bible category!  I only knew the Ruth clue thanks to it being quoted in Fried Green Tomatoes, a movie I've watched countless times, and I have no idea where I picked up the "Jesus wept" trivia, but -- I ran a bible category.  Now, if only they could refrain from having another one for a nice long while

I thought of you when the category came up. I whiffed the easiest one - Jesus wept!

I had a pretty good game, and FJ was an instaget - not because I knew the state motto, but because when I was a school librarian, I was fond of a book about Archimedes - and immediately tied it to Eureka. I think the clue could have been better written, despite my instaget.

[ABay]

I got Eureka from the philosopher bit, got that it would have to do with discover of gold, and waffled between California and Alaska before settling on California.

And I got Jesus wept from Andy Dalziel in one of the books by Reginald Hill.

[30 Helens]

I don’t know where I got Jesus wept, because it’s ubiquitous. Same with the other Bible phrases. I am far from a biblical scholar, but I don’t mind the biblical categories. Like it or not, Christianity is part of the American culture, so it’s part of the general knowledge everyone should have.

[853fisher]

"Jesus wept" always makes me think of the (underrated, IMO) last season of "Community," with Dean Pelton in the virtual reality machine.

4 hours ago, Trey said:

I know there are juries of nine people but twelve is more widely known so I was surprised the contestant said nine..

I wondered whether she was thinking of the Supreme Court.

[Trey]

3 hours ago, 30 Helens said:

I don’t know where I got Jesus wept, because it’s ubiquitous.

3 hours ago, ABay said:

And I got Jesus wept from Andy Dalziel in one of the books by Reginald Hill.

Yes, it is ubiquitous but I'm pretty sure I got it first from Andy Dalziel.

[proserpina65]

On 7/13/2022 at 1:45 PM, MrAtoz said:

Something else people may not know: you can write your wager, but then if you change your mind, one of the contestant coordinators can hit a button somewhere on the podium that will erase it, and you can write a new wager.  When you are absolutely, positively sure of your wager, they will hit another button that locks in the bet.  You can't change it after that.

That's how it worked in 2018, at least.  I assume it still does.

That's what I did with my final wager.  Of course, if I hadn't changed it, I think I would've finished in second, not third, so . . . 😒

I had a mixed game last night.  Ran 3 categories in the first round (Reel Estate, Shores & Horses, Anagrammed), but only 1 in DJ (Plays & Playwriting).  On the other hand I only got 2 stumpers in round 1 (Hawaii & To Catch A Thief), but 4 in DJ (Ottawa, Neil Simon, 12 & Alex).  I should've gotten Owen Tudor but instead said Owain Glyndwr and was busy congratulating myself on pronouncing it correctly when I heard the right answer; wouldn't have run that category anyway because I couldn't remember Catherine Zeta-Jones.

I had no clue for FJ, though.

On 7/13/2022 at 2:00 PM, PBnJay said:

Plus side: Ken is back next week. And yes, BMS can be prompted in DJ. I'll bet Ken does it when needed. Wait and see!

Thanks, I couldn't remember.  I knew that correct phrasing is a first round only prompt.

20 hours ago, 853fisher said:

Oh boy, another "how closely have you read your Bible?" category, my favorite!  (In fairness, a few were common expressions, but still...)

Psalm 23 is one of those things which gets read at every Christian funeral, wedding and baptism I've ever attended, which is the only way I know it, including weddings I attended last month.  And yet I still said still waters instead of green pastures.  Even though it has absolutely no religious meaning for me at all, the King James version is a beautiful piece of poetry.

[dcalley]

8 minutes ago, proserpina65 said:

Psalm 23 is one of those things which gets read at every Christian funeral, wedding and baptism I've ever attended, which is the only way I know it

I only know it from the TV show The Vicar of Dibley.

[proserpina65]

19 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

I know New Hampshire's (Live Free Or Die) because it's on their license plates

Yep, that's one of the few I know, for that reason.  I do know that my state's motto is "Manly deeds, Womanly words", although the accepted translation from the Italian was changed in 1993 to "Strong deeds, Gentle words", which might be less offensive but isn't actually the English for "Fatti Maschii, Parole Femine".

I was prepared to answer "Home of Tax-Free Shopping" if they'd asked about Delaware's motto.  Okay, not really, but I'd have been very tempted.  Apparently it's "Liberty and Independence" but I doubt anyone knows that, even in Delaware.  I'd have said "The First State" although that's just its nickname.

18 hours ago, possibilities said:

How do you all think "singer" should be pronounced?

For me, it's "sing-er", with the soft g sound.  As opposed to "sing-ger".

[Bastet]

6 hours ago, 30 Helens said:

I am far from a biblical scholar, but I don’t mind the biblical categories. Like it or not, Christianity is part of the American culture, so it’s part of the general knowledge everyone should have.

Of course it will be asked about, and I've never seen anyone complain it shouldn't.  But religion/mythology in general is perhaps asked about more than it should be, and Christianity certainly is.  As I've noted before, when it was at its worst, I checked two weeks worth of games and six of those ten had a religion category (and others had scattered religious clues in other categories), with most of those being about Christianity.  That's utterly ridiculous. 

That it's a subject I'm terrible in isn't even the issue, just a separate annoyance -- I'd have the same objection if the NFL, Motown, the Constitution, potent potables, the feminist movement, or '80s music came up so frequently, even though I'd have a good chance at running every single one of those categories.

8 hours ago, Trey said:

I know there are juries of nine people but twelve is more widely known so I was surprised the contestant said nine.

From her reaction when Mayim said "12, to make up the jury" I think Emily didn't put it together that a courtroom drama with a certain number of people selected for audience participation meant jury in the first place.

[853fisher]

No BMS for "Adams"?  Really?  Eyebrows up.

Here is some info about electric unicycles, in case you are curious.  I hadn't heard of them before they became somewhat trendy in San Francisco a few years ago, usually among young "techie" types.  I think they're an interesting idea, because they would be easier to take on a bus / train and store at a destination than a bicycle, but balance is not among my outstanding qualities, so I haven't tried one yet.  They're also quite expensive - often $2K or $3K.

Edited July 14, 2022 by 853fisher

[annzeepark914]

Yup...he got away with just providing the last name of the second US president when he was supposed to name a cousin of the 2nd president.

[Katy M]

After first saying Stalin, I decied that was too early for him and changed to Lenin. One of the few times changing my answer actually worked out.

I got the missed clues of deductible and copay, raw, tundra, gasoline, Angela Merkel, Dodie Smith, beach volleyball (actually I just said volleyball, but I'm certain I would have been prompted for a BMS and equally certain I would have said beach), Indus, and Savannah.

I got the entire categories of villain, measure and 4 letters right.  I had a great night even if you take beach volleyball away from me.  Although I'm mad at myself on he Dewey clue. I totally know that, but for some reason said Alf Landon, who wasn't even from the same time.  I don't know where my head was.

21 minutes ago, annzeepark914 said:

Yup...he got away with just providing the last name of the second US president when he was supposed to name a cousin of the 2nd president.

Oh, yeah, that was egregious.

[Prevailing Wind]

Aw, damn. I wanted the veterinarian to win.

[Browncoat]

I had to think about FJ for a bit -- I knew it would be the Russian leader, but had to decide which one.  I first thought Stalin, but changed my mind at the last second to the correct response.  Fortunately, it's a short name, so I had time to write it down.  History is not my strong suit.  I feel lucky to have been able to think of any Russian leaders!

I also got the TS of raw, tundra, A Mighty Wind, Angela Merkel, and beach volleyball.

[ams1001]

How the hell does Adams not get a BMS?

Got 83% in the first round! Ran Earth, Units of Measure, and Terrible Supervillain Names (a terrible category), missed one each in Founding Fathers and That's Cold!, and three in TV Shows (the only one I've even seen is The Simpsons but I recognized the character name from The Good Place because I've heard the actor in an interview or two). Not so great in DJ; ran Romance Languages, missed one in I Know What You Did, two in Pop Culture, and three each in the rest. I also said Stalin for FJ.

TSes were deductible/copay, tundra, meat locker, gasoline, Angela Merkel.
 

3 minutes ago, Prevailing Wind said:

Aw, damn. I wanted the veterinarian to win.

Me, too. Somehow I was not expecting that voice from him..

[annzeepark914]

I was pulling for the woman on the right (wasn't paying attention during introductions and quick interviews). Something about the champion just doesn't appeal (not sure what). I still miss dear ol' Ryan 😊.

[possibilities]

2 hours ago, 853fisher said:

No BMS for "Adams"?  Really?  Eyebrows up.

37 minutes ago, ams1001 said:

How the hell does Adams not get a BMS?

That really bothered me, too.

I don't know if I can tell the difference between sing-er and sing-ger. I don't remember noticing when Mayim said it, and I don't know if that's because I can't tell the difference, or because I've only ever heard it one way. 

How did you all find out Ken is coming back next week? Whatever feed that is, I need to subscribe to it.

I am still so bothered by Mayim not telling players how much they can bet if they find a Daily Double early in the game, that I just can't get over it. A lot of her other quirks have been toned down, but that one is still there. I blame the producers as much as I blame her. If they cared, they'd make her do it. 

I also hate the intro/recap narratives at the beginning of each game. Clearly not her fault (I hated it when Ken did it, too) and something the showrunners want, but I hate it.

I wonder what other things the folks in charge are going to do.

[chessiegal]

1 hour ago, possibilities said:

How did you all find out Ken is coming back next week? Whatever feed that is, I need to subscribe to it.

Google is always a good place to start. 😉

Ken Jennings returning July 18

[DrSpaceman73]

Adams with no bms....

Just atrocious. 

[ProudMary]

3 hours ago, 853fisher said:

No BMS for "Adams"?  Really?  Eyebrows up.

2 hours ago, annzeepark914 said:

Yup...he got away with just providing the last name of the second US president when he was supposed to name a cousin of the 2nd president.

2 hours ago, ams1001 said:

How the hell does Adams not get a BMS?

Let's face it, this is what the great game of Jeopardy! has become. Mayim Bialik is not changing. I do not believe she's even making an attempt to improve. 

Seriously, I can't take it any more. It took away from my enjoyment of the rest of the round. I realized that I hadn't paid attention to the following five clues because I was stuck on just how outrageous the omission of this particular BMS was.

I will watch tomorrow's game, only because it's her final game of the season and we're getting Ken back on Monday. I will not watch games hosted by Bialik next season. Why should I continue to watch when it brings me annoyance, not enjoyment?

This saddens me as I have been a Jeopardy! fan since I was a kid watching Art Fleming and playing the original board game. They've lost me.

Edited July 15, 2022 by ProudMary
Fixed bad grammar.

[Bastet]

That Terrible Supervillain Names category was dumb.

As was being able to get away with simply saying Adams.

Quite a few of the first round TS left me varying degrees of surprised: gasoline, tundra, raw, and deductible & co-payment (on that one, I was hollering at Emily to "put them together!" after the two wrong answers each contained one part of the correct response).  The only ones that surprised me any in DJ were Angela Merkel and beach volleyball (since it was a pair and "netted" was given as a hint), but that A Mighty Wind was a TS bummed me out; good film.

I got everything else in the first round, but I missed three TV shows (the only one I've seen was The Good Place, but Springfield = The Simpsons was an easy get thanks to cultural osmosis).  I am really hit and miss with pop culture in general, but especially TV and this just wasn't my category.

In DJ, I only ran I Know What You Did and 4 Of The Same Letter, but I got all but one in winds and languages and missed two in rivers.  I was terrible in literary castles, though, only coming up with one (Hogwarts; I've picked up surprisingly little about Harry Potter, but I do know that). 

FJ came to me pretty quickly.  I'm often not good with remembering who was in charge when, but once I figured it was Russia, I managed to know from the date it had to be Lenin, not Stalin.

[ams1001]

6 minutes ago, Bastet said:

tundra

I didn't even catch the beginning of the clue; I got it from the picture showing trees and the last bit of the clue, "defined by its lack of them," which was the only part of it that my brain actually processed.

[Prevailing Wind]

My theory: Bialik doesn't know there was more than one Adams. She rules it correct immediately, and the judges let it go because of the hassle involved.

I wonder if she'll have a "goodbye, it's been fun" speech tomorrow. We can only hope.

[DrSpaceman73]

1 minute ago, Prevailing Wind said:

My theory: Bialik doesn't know there was more than one Adams. She rules it correct immediately, and the judges let it go because of the hassle involved.

I wonder if she'll have a "goodbye, it's been fun" speech tomorrow. We can only hope.

How can you not know there are at least TWO other adams, John quincy and sam adams in addition to John adams?  

[30 Helens]

• John
• John Quincy
• Samuel
• Jane
• Ansel
• Bryan
• Amy
• Morticia

OK, some of these are stretching it a bit, but the fact remains there are/were a lot of Adamses. Even my husband, who never nitpicks the rules enforcement or lack thereof, yelled out “What the hell?!” If ever there was a time for a BMS, that was it. 

One more day…

[Prevailing Wind]

1 hour ago, DrSpaceman73 said:

How can you not know there are at least TWO other adams, John quincy and sam adams in addition to John adams?  

You ignore the history classes to become a neuroscientist.

[ams1001]

27 minutes ago, Prevailing Wind said:

You ignore the history classes to become a neuroscientist.

She's a neuroscientist?

[dcalley]

4 hours ago, possibilities said:

I blame the producers as much as I blame her. If they cared, they'd make her do it.

Yep. I believe if the judges cared, we would have gotten a BMS for Adams. That is not a hard one to foresee (unlike, say, the river that they denied then accepted in this episode). They obviously don't mind, which is frustrating. I don't really blame Mayim. Someone should do an analysis of BMS or lack thereof under both Ken and Mayim to see if there's any real difference. I'm open to blaming her if the data warrant it.

I got the TS of Dodie Smith (I even got the first name, judges!!!). That might be a book to re-read to get my reading mojo back.

[ProudMary]

3 hours ago, Bastet said:

That Terrible Supervillain Names category was dumb.

This is also a recurring problem. There are too many instances of stupid categories and poorly worded clues. 

3 hours ago, Prevailing Wind said:

I wonder if she'll have a "goodbye, it's been fun" speech tomorrow. We can only hope.

I wish, but I highly doubt it. She's already been named a host of Jeopardy! She'll be around in some hosting capacity. 😒

[Montreal Meany]

On 7/14/2022 at 1:43 AM, mertensia said:

I knew Jesus wept from one of the Little House books.

Who with a heart would not?

[Bastet]

9 minutes ago, Montreal Meany said:

Who with a heart would not?

<Raises hand>

I've never read any of the Little House books and have only seen a few episodes of the show.   

[Browncoat]

6 hours ago, 30 Helens said:

• John
• John Quincy
• Samuel
• Jane
• Ansel
• Bryan
• Amy
• Morticia

OK, some of these are stretching it a bit, but the fact remains there are/were a lot of Adamses. Even my husband, who never nitpicks the rules enforcement or lack thereof, yelled out “What the hell?!” If ever there was a time for a BMS, that was it. 

One more day…

Don’t forget Kit…