Jeopardy! Season 38 (2021-2022)

[ByaNose]

I kind of wanted to Matt reach #40. Bummer. Although, his “what is” was annoying he seemed like a nice guy and I liked seeing his expression when his winnings were announced. At least, we’ll see him on the Tournament of Champions. After, the death of Alex and the Mike Richards debacle he came at a perfect time for the show and a new era. 

[seacliffsal]

I had no idea Matt lost until just now when I came to this thread.  Why?  Because my local channel rerun Friday's episode and not the new Monday episode.  I am so not happy with my local channel as I would have really liked to watch that episode.  I wanted to see if there would be any obvious changes to the show with Mike Richards no longer acting as executive producer.  Although I liked Matt I didn't like that he didn't give full answers (and Mayim filled in the complete answers for him) and it seemed like they accepted partial answers.  I hope that in future episodes we get back to "who is" being used when appropriate.  

[PaulaO]

Just yesterday I decided I was no longer going to tape J!, so I deleted yesterday's game.  Boo hiss but I found it and will watch tonight.  I've said it before.  I have no problem with Matt, but I loathe and despise runaway games.  I recently said to my sister that Matt must be getting tired given the taping schedule. 

I didn't know til this morning what a Mattsterisk  is, but I got one yesterday! ( found FJ! on the tube of the you.

Edited October 12, 2021 by PaulaO
Spelling counts!

[M. Darcy]

Now I'm really sad that Jessica lost.  If she had won that would have meant that all 3 top players were defeated by a woman. 

[proserpina65]

1 hour ago, Grundoon59 said:

I will give him full props on one of my most important criteria however - he handled his defeat with extreme graciousness.  For me being a good loser is important (likewise being a good winner). 

I think it's pretty obvious that I didn't like him (honestly, it was more that I got tired of him pretty quickly), but I absolutely think he handled himself well, both in victory and defeat.

[ams1001]

1 hour ago, seacliffsal said:

I am so not happy with my local channel as I would have really liked to watch that episode. 

Search youtube for Jeopardy and the date and you should find at least a few uploads of the game.

[saber5055]

11 minutes ago, M. Darcy said:

Now I'm really sad that Jessica lost.  If she had won that would have meant that all 3 top players were defeated by a woman. 

Agree. If Matt had to go out, it should have been by Jessica. Would have softened the blow for me.

[ams1001]

Just now, saber5055 said:

Agree. If Matt had to go out, it should have been by Jessica. Would have softened the blow for me.

If it wasn't for Matt, I would have rooted for her because if there's two men and one woman, or vice versa, I root for the odd one out unless I especially like one of the other players (or especially dislike that player).

[Driad]

16 minutes ago, M. Darcy said:

Now I'm really sad that Jessica lost.  If she had won that would have meant that all 3 top players were defeated by a woman. 

At least she did beat Matt (by a lot), it was just that Jonathan ended up with more.  

[Roaster]

Yeah, Matt has only been beaten by two opponents ever, and both were in yesterday's game.  If you look at the Jeopardy archive you can see the Coryat scores for each contestant - what they would have got if we remove the effects of daily double wagers and final jeopardy.

Matt had the third-highest Coryat score yesterday.  Jessica actually had the highest.  Matt answered incorrectly 5 times, while Jonathan had only two wrong responses, and Jessica had zero.
 

[30 Helens]

2 hours ago, Blakeston said:

What goal did he miss?

He had said his goal was to beat Ken’s record of consecutive days won.

[saber5055]

Just now, 30 Helens said:

He had said his goal was to beat Ken’s record of consecutive days won.

That was a joke Matt said in jest if you read the entire news article that had that bogus statement as a fake-out headline. Matt did NOT say that.

[Good Queen Jane]

So the real reason Matt lost was because he wore new clothes.

[saber5055]

5 minutes ago, Good Queen Jane said:

So the real reason Matt lost was because he wore new clothes.

Oh, man, I totally believe in that. I had lucky clothes I wore to every dog show, and they always came through for me. New clothes = a loss that day.

[Bastet]

16 hours ago, The Wild Sow said:

It looks like he crossed out Germany (which would make no sense.) 

Well, he did say "flock" for the gaggle TS when flock was right there in the clue, but, yeah, hard to imagine he even started to write Germany.

6 hours ago, M. Darcy said:

I think people who are saying Matt threw the game aren’t being fair to the other two contestants who played an awesome game. 

I agree.  People disrespected Emma the same way when she beat James. 

Add me to the list wishing it was Jessica who'd come out about $400 ahead of Jonathan instead of the other way around; I love that it was so close between first and second place, given the way they both played in DJ and wagered in FJ, but I'd have really loved if it had once again have been a woman who topped a J! giant.

[Katy M]

49 minutes ago, saber5055 said:

That was a joke Matt said in jest if you read the entire news article that had that bogus statement as a fake-out headline. Matt did NOT say that.

Whether he said it or not, it probably was his goal. It would be the goal of anyone on a streak, I would think.

[saber5055]

15 minutes ago, Katy M said:

Whether he said it or not, it probably was his goal. It would be the goal of anyone on a streak, I would think.

My goal would be to get through and win that day's game, not be looking forward to winning my X-zillionth game in the far distant future. But I guess that's just me, I'm a one-step-at-a-time person. Obviously, YMMV.

[seacliffsal]

Shapeshifter came to my rescue and sent me a link to the episode.  Thanks Shapeshifter!

Matt did okay in Jeopardy, it was Double Jeopardy when his game started falling apart.  I can understand why he started writing Germany as part of the answer had the four occupational zones in it.  But, I don't understand Poland unless he was just very, very tired.

Matt had a good run and should be proud of himself.  We'll see him again (Tournament of Champions) and it would be great if Ken Jennings hosted that.

[Hpmec]

16 hours ago, The Wild Sow said:

It looks like he crossed out Germany (which would make no sense.)  Poland is nowhere near the Danube, and it doesn't have any Alps!

And Matt knows the Danube doesn't flow through Poland and there are no Alps there either. His answer made zero sense, especially for a guy who aced just about every geography question that came up. 

[SoMuchTV]

4 minutes ago, seacliffsal said:

Matt did okay in Jeopardy, it was Double Jeopardy when his game started falling apart.  I can understand why he started writing Germany as part of the answer had the four occupational zones in it.  But, I don't understand Poland unless he was just very, very tired.

Well, in Matt's defense (because I know he's been waiting for me to defend him), I was trying to think of a country that got a raw deal coming out of WW2, and Poland bubbled to the top of my mind.  Annual viewings of The Sound of Music apparently had absolutely no effect on my mind bubbling.

[Blakeston]

They really need to give Jessica another shot to play somewhere down the line.

[Clanstarling]

7 hours ago, illdoc said:

During the game, I said "Picky" instead of "Finicky" in the "Icky" category. Acceptable?

I think so. Of course, I said Picky too, so I'm biased.

7 hours ago, M. Darcy said:

I think people who are saying Matt threw the game aren’t being fair to the other two contestants who played an awesome game.  Sometimes is comes down to someone having a bad game and someone having a good one. 

Totally agree. The two contestants played a great game, and the winner deserved his win. Winning streaks never last. Though it did seem like that wouldn't be true with Ken. But even he lost eventually.

7 hours ago, 3 is enough said:

Well, I am sad.  I really wanted Matt to hit 50 wins or 2 million dollars.  I have been reading his tweets and he seems like a genuinely nice guy, not full of himself at all.  I hope he can settle back into his grad student routine fairly quickly. I do wonder how much more time he has before he defends his thesis?  My son got his PhD in a different field, and it took him 4 1/2 years.  Matt never mentioned how long he has been at Yale.

I might be mistaken, but I think Matt said he had been there four years, and that he was working on his dissertation this school year.

5 hours ago, Phebemarie said:

I knew Austria because I directed The Sound of Music many years ago and still watch it when it's aired every year for sentimental reasons.  

Well, now I know who to blame for my Salzburg-born mother making me watch it over and over again. 😂

To be fair, I came to love it as an adult, as much for the story as the lovely and familiar views of my adopted hometown.  It also has a special place in my heart because I realized I was pregnant with my first child I broke into sobs watching the movie on video.

Edited October 12, 2021 by Clanstarling

[SoMuchTV]

Regarding being spoiled - I got spoiled from this very site, but it was my own stupid fault.  I got a notification that someone had reacted to one of my posts, before I'd seen the show but after the "magic" hour of 7pm ET.  I figured I'd just go to the link and see what post they reacted to, and not read any further, but the next post after mine started with "Well dangitall...".  As much as I wanted that to be a comment  about Mayim's wardrobe or their local scheduling or something, I couldn't get it out of my head.  And to be clear, the member who posted that was totally within the rules, legally and ethically.  I just have to resist the urge to click on the show thread in the hour or so before it airs for me.

[dcalley]

8 hours ago, 3 is enough said:

I hope he can settle back into his grad student routine fairly quickly. I do wonder how much more time he has before he defends his thesis? 

In one of his interviews/stories (on the show), he said he's aiming to finish at the end of this year.

[saber5055]

2 hours ago, SoMuchTV said:

Regarding being spoiled - I got spoiled from this very site, but it was my own stupid fault. 

I was surprised there were no leaks on tv, radio or Internet about Matt's loss, and I work online and always have radio or tv on. So I was stunned when I went to TFJ to get that day's contest clue and saw what happened. Actually, stunned is a gross understatement.

On James' losing day, it was broadcast during the wee hours that morning on Chicago radio; I was barely awake when I heard it. I also heard and saw it various other places during that day, before the show aired. So I guess there's that.

Edited October 13, 2021 by saber5055

[ams1001]

John C. Reilly vs Jeopardy Jonathan

[853fisher]

I think that was the first game of the season in which all clues weren't revealed.  I'm looking forward to another streak of completion starting tomorrow!

I was ready to get pissy about how Mayim pronounced "Capernaum," but it would seem she was correct and every religious and lay teacher I had was wrong.  Imagine that.

I really liked the linear play in the first round, starting at the beginning and going down each category one by one and would be happy to see more of that.

I can't recall the last time a contestant was as visibly nervous as Robinson-Gisette, but good for them for sticking with it and coming up with some responses from the bottom.

[SHD]

Glad getting rid of Matt resolved that runaway game issue so many people hated. LOL
 

 

[ams1001]

77% / 45% / 60%

Ran Bands, missed one in Lead Singer, organ, and triangle, and two in bases and audience.

Totally tanked DJ. Not even worth summarizing. My two best categories I only got three correct.

Got one DD, my only TS was chandelier, and missed FJ.

Is it just me or did this game feel extremely slooowwwww?

1 hour ago, 853fisher said:

I think that was the first game of the season in which all clues weren't revealed. 

I saw your comment at halftime; at the rate they were going I was surprised it was only one.

Edited October 13, 2021 by ams1001

[SHD]

6 minutes ago, ams1001 said:

Is it just me or did this game feel extremely slooowwwww?

I saw your comment at halftime; at the rate they were going I was surprised it was only one.

They could’ve finished the board if the third contestant had decided to just go by RG.

[saber5055]

41 minutes ago, 853fisher said:

I think that was the first game of the season in which all clues weren't revealed.

This from Andy at TJF: "Today ends a 23-game streak where we saw all 61 clues; the longest since 2002. The last time a clue went unplayed was August 11."

43 minutes ago, 853fisher said:

was ready to get pissy about how Mayim pronounced "Capernaum," but it would seem she was correct and every religious and lay teacher I had was wrong.  Imagine that.

Meanwhile, I WAS pissy about how Mayim pronounced "sing-ger." Such a pet peeve of mine.

[Katy M]

I thought Harper but for whatever reason decided to say McMillen instead.  Oh well.

I got the missed clues of straight line and grate.

Pretty not good night for me.

1 hour ago, 853fisher said:

I was ready to get pissy about how Mayim pronounced "Capernaum," but it would seem she was correct and every religious and lay teacher I had was wrong.  Imagine that.

How did they pronounce it?  Just curious.  Never heard it any other way except for in my head before actually ever hearing it in church.  My way was cap-er-nay-um.

[kathyk2]

Kudos to Mayim for not asking Johnathan about defeating Matt. I had no clue for Final Jeopardy.

[Fostersmom]

1 hour ago, ams1001 said:

John C. Reilly vs Jeopardy Jonathan

He looks like a creepy porcelain doll. Between that, Matt having lost, and my dislike of Mayim, I'm already not feeling the need to watch every night. I did see the last double Jeopardy question and final Jeopardy after I got out of the shower, and that was enough for me. 

[ProudMary]

1 hour ago, ams1001 said:

John C. Reilly vs Jeopardy Jonathan

Jonathan actually reminds me of a young Roy Clark. (Yes, I'm old.)

content://com.android.chrome.FileProvider/images/screenshot/16340839926381408199829.jpg

[853fisher]

24 minutes ago, Katy M said:

How did they pronounce it?  Just curious.  Never heard it any other way except for in my head before actually ever hearing it in church.  My way was cap-er-nay-um.

It was maybe marginally closer to cap-er-nee-um, at least as I heard Mayim say it.  But I swear I heard something between cap-er-num and cap-er-naum from several different people over multiple years.  Never ever an extra vowel sound between "n" and "um"/"aum."  Am I ever glad I did a little research before I mouthed off about it!

[Blakeston]

I thought the clues were unusually hard tonight.

Also, I found Robinson-Gisette completely fascinating, and if they have any kind of podcast (or something to that effect), I'd totally listen.

[DrSpaceman73]

New champ seems pretty damn smug. 

[ams1001]

19 minutes ago, Blakeston said:

Also, I found Robinson-Gisette completely fascinating, and if they have any kind of podcast (or something to that effect), I'd totally listen.

I had to look this up (I've heard of chimerism, if only because I've watched a number of medical dramas which love to do "you can't be my real parent...oh, wait, you are!" stories, but not the specific form):

Quote

Tetragametic chimerism is a form of congenital chimerism. This condition occurs through the fertilization of two separate ova by two sperm, followed by aggregation of the two at the blastocyst or zygote stages. This results in the development of an organism with intermingled cell lines. Put another way, the chimera is formed from the merging of two nonidentical twins (a similar merging presumably occurs with identical twins, but as their genotypes are not significantly distinct, the resulting individual would not be considered a chimera). As such, they can be male, female, or have mixed intersex characteristics.

Also, it says most marmosets are chimeras. Who knew?

[saber5055]

6 minutes ago, ams1001 said:

Also, it says most marmosets are chimeras. Who knew?

Actually, that I DID know. (I'm better with animals than people.)

[secnarf]

22 minutes ago, Blakeston said:

I thought the clues were unusually hard tonight.

Also, I found Robinson-Gisette completely fascinating, and if they have any kind of podcast (or something to that effect), I'd totally listen.

This comment made me google Robinson-Gissette and skim through their Twitter/Instagram pages. Yes, completely fascinating - especially how chimerism affects their entire being.

I don't know that I would listen to a podcast (not really a podcast person) but a short trip through social media was quite interesting.

 

I actually did notice that all of the directors in that category were female before Mayim commented on it...and then was supremely disappointed that they had Mayim comment on it, as if to say "look, we can do all-female categories without sticking 'women' in the category title!"

[Bastet]

I'm relieved the "Who Directed It?" category wasn't called Women Directors, or even Female Directors - it was just a category in which all the clues were about women, just like all the categories where all the clues are about men don't specify "Men [Whatevers]" in the category.  More of that, please (and then maybe don't point it out).

I think the straight line TS was because they all over-thought the clue.

So close - I got everything except bandersnatch and Fibonacci in the first round (and could have sat here all night and not come up with either one).

In DJ, though, I only ran "In".  I missed three Jesus clues, another three in short stories, two each in history and directors, and one in education (I knew Framingham was in an M state, but didn't guess the right one).

For FJ, "Harper" popped out of my mouth almost instantly, and I spent the rest of the Think music wondering if that was right (maybe they were the Collins brothers?  The Simons?  The Schusters?  The Macmillans?), but decided to go with it; since I had no idea, I might as well go with the first thing that sprang to mind when thinking of publishing companies with last names in the title.  I don't know why Harper is the one my brain pushed out first, but thanks, brain.

[shapeshifter]

1 minute ago, Bastet said:

I don't know why Harper is the one my brain pushed out first, but thanks, brain.

Probably because the clue emphasized magazines: "whose company published magazines with their name as well as books"?

[GreekGeek]

3 hours ago, SHD said:

Glad getting rid of Matt resolved that runaway game issue so many people hated. LOL
 

 

I was one of the posters complaining about all the Matt runaways, but I'm not going to gripe unless Jonathan does it repeatedly--like, say, 19 out of 20 games. If Jonathan had been a one-and-done, somebody would grumble about that.

 

4 minutes ago, shapeshifter said:

Probably because the clue emphasized magazines: "whose company published magazines with their name as well as books"?

Right--Harper's Bazaar and Harper's Weekly.

[30 Helens]

7 hours ago, saber5055 said:

That was a joke Matt said in jest if you read the entire news article that had that bogus statement as a fake-out headline. Matt did NOT say that.

I thought I had read that in more than one place (which I can’t find now), but it very well could be bad reporting. That’s what I get for getting my news from blogs. Thanks for the correction.

[possibilities]

4 hours ago, dcalley said:

In one of his interviews/stories (on the show), he said he's aiming to finish at the end of this year.

Do we know his topic? I recall that he's in Computer Science, but that's not very specific.

--

This game is not kind to people who stammer.

[ams1001]

42 minutes ago, Bastet said:

The Simons?

That was Carly Simon's dad.

 

39 minutes ago, shapeshifter said:

Probably because the clue emphasized magazines: "whose company published magazines with their name as well as books"?

I work in books so I had too many options pop into my head. I couldn't connect any of them to magazines, though now Harper's Bazaar occurs to me.... I said Putnam just to pick one.

[ams1001]

18 minutes ago, possibilities said:

Do we know his topic? I recall that he's in Computer Science, but that's not very specific.

I just googled to see if I could find it and the first thing that comes up is his LinkedIn page. The About section says (and now that I read the first line it sounds familiar; don't know if I read it elsewhere or he said it on the show): 

"Matt is getting his PhD with a focus in Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence. He is interested in data-driven decision making and always looking for challenging problems to solve. In his professional experience he has built predictive models for massive data sets in fields such as social media networking, natural language processing, geospatial routing, cybersecurity, and computational advertising. In his free time, he does the same for baseball data."

Under education it specifies PhD in Artificial Intelligence at Yale, plus MS in Artificial Intelligence from U of Wisconsin-Madison, MS in Applied Statistics from Ohio State, and a BS in Actuarial Science (with Honors, Summa Cum Laude), also from Ohio State.

Damn.

[dcalley]

37 minutes ago, possibilities said:

Do we know his topic? I recall that he's in Computer Science, but that's not very specific.

More on his research, from https://seas.yale.edu/news-events/news/who-matt-amodio-jeopardy-champion:

How would you describe your area of research?

"In the broadest sense, I’m in the department of Computer Science, but I focus on artificial intelligence and deep learning - specifically, neural networks. And within that, by virtue of being in Smita Krishnaswamy’s lab - she works in Genetics as well as Computer Science - my big thing is applying neural networks on biological data."

[Bastet]

1 hour ago, shapeshifter said:

Probably because the clue emphasized magazines: "whose company published magazines with their name as well as books"?

Oh, yes, as in Harper's Bazaar (and others).  Duh; that indeed makes all the sense in the world.  But if that's why my brain went there, the connection was a very subconscious thought.  Because I didn't even think of that in wondering after the fact why that was my first thought, let alone in contemplating whether Harper was the right pick among all the big last names in publishing.  I think it was actually a good clue that went over my head and I got lucky, but, sure, let's pretend I sussed it out.