Jeopardy! Season 38 (2021-2022)

[Bastet]

I like Emma and am glad she won again.

Heather's story was long, but I liked hearing her so tickled about a Ray Charles encounter, as he was my favorite celebrity seatmate on a plane -- a total Chatty Cathy!

I got maltese thanks to not being burdened by knowledge.  I have no idea what one is supposed to look like, so the picture was neither here nor there for me, but I know that's a breed of dog, and since I don't know a ton of dog breeds, mentally running through those I do know for one named after an island meant I came up with it in time.

I only managed to guess one dating show (The Bachelorette), and I'm perfectly okay with that.  If you took out that category, I'd have done fine in the first round; I ran purple and naught and missed one each in the rest.

I did well in DJ, and actually ran the Bible category.  I also ran idioms and tributaries (the latter due to several lucky guesses).  I missed one each in everything other than exile, my only bad category, where I missed three.

I joined the contestants in being stumped by FJ, though.  War history is not my jam, but I did consider Eisenhower when going through WWII peeps with the death date in mind (after no jacket immediately sprang to mind), but I'd never heard of a jacket by that name so I moved on.  I have only come up with one FJ so far this week; fingers crossed for tomorrow night.

[BuckeyeLou]

I got a kick out of the Flight Attendant lady in the middle...she was making funny faces & then had a funny come-back to Mayim when she missed an answer...

[ams1001]

20 minutes ago, Bastet said:

I got maltese thanks to not being burdened by knowledge.  I have no idea what one is supposed to look like, so the picture was neither here nor there for me, but I know that's a breed of dog, and since I don't know a ton of dog breeds, mentally running through those I do know for one named after an island meant I came up with it in time.

I've known one or two Maltese pups and their fur was kept short, so the picture was enough for me. But the island bit confirmed I was right.

[Bastet]

7 minutes ago, BuckeyeLou said:

I got a kick out of the Flight Attendant lady in the middle...she was making funny faces

I loved Heather's face - and her "What is the potato?" response - for the lithosphere DD.

(That was the one clue I missed in that category; I knew it was stored somewhere in the recesses of my brain, but I couldn't access it.)

[zoey1996]

My dad was in the forerunner to the Air Force in WW II, the Army Air Corps, as an enlistee. He had an Eisenhower jacket, family legend said it was acquired clandestinely. Also as a Kansan, I was well aware of when Eisenhower died, and I’ve been to his Presidential museum and visited his (& Mamie’s) burial site numerous time. FJ = instaget, before the clue was completed.

[labresq]

3 hours ago, PBnJay said:

I answered FJ before the clue was finished being read. I guess it was in the wheelhouse of people who have military experience and are of a *cough* certain age.

Posting for a friend who, after the TS of "Maltese" was revealed, said out loud, "Bullsh*t." This from the official AKC standard of the Maltese, referencing the coat:

"The coat is single, that is, without undercoat. It hangs long, flat, and silky over the sides of the body almost, if not quite, to the ground. The long head-hair may be tied up in a topknot or it may be left hanging."

And so Jeopardy continues with its long-standing tradition of using super-crap photos of dogs that are not a representation of their breed.

I KNEW that wasn't a good image of a Maltese.  Just no.

[30 Helens]

I watched these last two episodes back to back. And while I’ve never heard of an Eisenhower jacket, I did know Kasparov, so I guess I broke even? (And since the hubs and I had a discussion about Bobby Fischer- his guess -after game 1, we were also amused by the reappearance in game 2.)

Adding to the list of how Mayim is annoying me: Holding on to the sides of the podium while twisting her shoulders back and forth. I can’t tell if she’s trying to look coy or spunky.

[JMarie99]

This was a fun game to watch. I liked all of the contestants. Watching Emma and Zach go back and forth was exciting. 

I got a kick out of Heather. What a great sense of humor! She had me laughing out loud a few times. 

[Clanstarling]

13 hours ago, PBnJay said:

I answered FJ before the clue was finished being read. I guess it was in the wheelhouse of people who have military experience and are of a *cough* certain age.

Yep, for once my military brat brain got it in an instant. Have a picture somewhere of my Dad wearing his uniform with the Ike jacket. I remember he really liked that uniform. I also remember when Ike died, oddly enough.

10 hours ago, BuckeyeLou said:

I got a kick out of the Flight Attendant lady in the middle...she was making funny faces & then had a funny come-back to Mayim when she missed an answer...

I did like her energy.

Other than FJ, I didn't do all that great. I didn't come close to running anything, but I got a fair number of them. Is it wrong that I take a little pride in not knowing any of the reality show. (not that I haven't watched any, just these particular shows).

 

Edited February 4, 2022 by Clanstarling

[ams1001]

10 minutes ago, Clanstarling said:

Other than FJ, I didn't do all that great. I didn't come close to running anything, but I got a fair number of them. Is it wrong that I take a little pride in not knowing any of the reality show. (not that I haven't watched any, just these particular shows).

I loved Zach's pained admittance that he knew 90 Day Fiance. (I knew most of them just by osmosis; I've watched my share of trash TV but not the dating shows (except the first few seasons of Married at First Sight, which obviously did not help me here).)

[proserpina65]

14 hours ago, Browncoat said:

I had no idea for FJ.  I considered Eisenhower, but discarded it.  I also considered flak, but  discarded that because I didn't think it was a person.  In the end, I didn't write anything down.

And the only TS I got was Maltese.  Bad night for me.

All I could think of was Patton, and I knew the date of death was too late for him.  So I had no answer for FJ.

Otherwise I had a pretty good game, although I did not get Maltese.  I've heard it and probably even seen pictures before but it was not in my brain.

15 hours ago, 853fisher said:

Mayim, the apostrophe is your hint not to say "de alma."  And I wish they'd just mark things like "[Operation] Desert Storm" for her since she clearly can't figure them out herself.

Yep.  If it's actually in the clue, you don't need to put it in the answer.  Although Mayim is not the only post-Alex host to hesitate on things like that.  Heck, Alex himself might've done that on occasion, so I won't criticize her too much for that.

14 hours ago, ams1001 said:

"flak" is a German contraction for Fliegerabwehrkanone, "aircraft-defense gun"

I knew it was related to the anti-aircraft gun, but did not know the exact history of the term.  Shrapnel, on the other hand, was actually the name of the British officer who invented a type of exploding, fragmenting shell during the Napoleonic Wars.  No jackets named for him that I know of, though.

14 hours ago, PBnJay said:

I answered FJ before the clue was finished being read. I guess it was in the wheelhouse of people who have military experience and are of a *cough* certain age.

As soon as Mayim said the answer, I could picture the exact jacket.  My dad had one from his time in the army.  I didn't know what it was called.  Now I do.  Jeopardy is educational as always.

[HyeChaps]

My Dad was also in the Army Air Corps in WW II. His Eisenhower jacket is hanging in my closet 

[MrAtoz]

11 hours ago, ams1001 said:

I've known one or two Maltese pups and their fur was kept short, so the picture was enough for me. But the island bit confirmed I was right.

Doing a Google image search on Maltese, I see almost as many pictures of dogs with short hair as with long hair.

[ams1001]

2 minutes ago, MrAtoz said:

Doing a Google image search on Maltese, I see almost as many pictures of dogs with short hair as with long hair.

I doubt most people who have them just as pets and not show dogs keep their hair long. Same with Yorkies.

Edited February 4, 2022 by ams1001

[proserpina65]

12 hours ago, Bastet said:

I only managed to guess one dating show (The Bachelorette), and I'm perfectly okay with that.

I shamefacedly admit to also knowing 90 Day Fiance (I don't watch it but Lifetime runs a kajillion commercials for it during The Closer) and the TS of Ex on the Beach (again, have only seen the commercials).  I did enjoy the face Zach made when he gave the 90 Day answer.

The Spanish Armada was clearly the answer to the Marquis de Santa Cruz clue, and I did get it, but was a little confused because everything I'd ever read about the armada discussed his replacement, the Duke of Medina-Sidonia, in greater detail.  Of course, it has been a long time since I dealt much with the Spanish Armada.  I always felt sorry for Medina-Sidonia because he didn't want the command and knew his lack of naval experience would be a serious problem but his letter to Philip II trying to refuse was intercepted by officials who thought they knew better.  He spent the rest of his life deeply regretting his role in the failure of the Armada despite the King still thinking highly enough of him to keep him in command of the Spanish navy.  (Here endeth the lesson.)

[ams1001]

6 minutes ago, proserpina65 said:

I shamefacedly admit to also knowing 90 Day Fiance (I don't watch it but Lifetime runs a kajillion commercials for it during The Closer) and the TS of Ex on the Beach (again, have only seen the commercials).  I did enjoy the face Zach made when he gave the 90 Day answer.

I knew it because I watch My 600 Pound Life (no less shameful...) and there are plenty of 90DF ads during that, and also a bunch of people in the M600PL live chat who watch it so it comes up during chat sometimes. Also, Legal Eagle on Youtube did a "Lawyer Ruins" video on it.

[3 is enough]

I got Maltese. The island part of the clue gave it away, but also I used to see quite a few of them at the dog park and they all had that haircut.  The show cuts are just not practical for a family pet. I had a Westie and he never had the skirt cut for the same reason.

Again with "Single Jeopardy".  No.  You can't just change the terminology after 38 years.  C'mon Mayim! It's the Jeopardy round.

[853fisher]

11 hours ago, 30 Helens said:

Adding to the list of how Mayim is annoying me: Holding on to the sides of the podium while twisting her shoulders back and forth. I can’t tell if she’s trying to look coy or spunky.

I think she has a NordicTrack under there or something.  There was a shot of her yesterday from her right in which I swear I saw her left leg tucked behind her at a 90 degree angle.  I thought there was no way that could be comfortable.

[ams1001]

Apparently Ken is back on Feb 14th...Happy Valentines Day ❤️

[853fisher]

I didn't think the challengers were any schlubs, but unfortunately they just had too many incorrect answers.  It must be hard to stop swinging as you fall behind.   Emma has been a pretty consistent performer and it'll be interesting to see how far she can go.  I wouldn't bet against a few more days.

If ever there were a category I'd risk a Clavin-esque wager on, it'd be that Final.  I was sure I'd know anything mainstream enough to feature, and I was right.  That felt nice.  Who said all that time screwing around at amusement and theme parks, and reading and writing about them, wouldn't pay off?

[ams1001]

6 hours ago, 853fisher said:

I think she has a NordicTrack under there or something.  There was a shot of her yesterday from her right in which I swear I saw her left leg tucked behind her at a 90 degree angle.  I thought there was no way that could be comfortable.

She does appear to have a platform; it looked like she took a step up when she went to her podium tonight.

63% / 67% / 64% Not a great week; all my scores (individual rounds and totals) were in the 50s and 60s.

Ran Not An Answer, missed one each in Dance, Mammals, and Bells & Whistles, and four each in R Town and Stage Manager. Didn't run anything in DJ but I missed only one Book, one Beach, and one Word Puzzle. No FJ (I also thought of GE but I was just guessing on an old company that might have been involved in amusement park rides; just looked it up and GE wasn't founded until 1892. Not familiar with the ride in question, though even if I knew it was an elevator I'm not sure I would have gotten to Otis in time.) 

My TS were hippopotamus, Big River, Killing Kennedy (DD), and Bobby what's-his-name-who-played-Billie-Jean-King-in-the-Battle-of-the-Sexes. (What do you mean that last one doesn't count?)

[Prevailing Wind]

I thought today's FJ was kind of easy to guess. Tower = height = elevator.

Mayim's boring.

ETA: I knew "hippo" because I actually spent money at a carnival to see the blood-sweating hippopotamus.

Edited February 5, 2022 by Prevailing Wind

[Browncoat]

Almost instaget FJ for me tonight.  It should have been an instaget, though -- I love that ride.

TS I got include Shirley MacLaine, Fred Astaire, and Bobby Riggs.

I'm glad Molly at least got herself out of the hole so she could play Final.

[Driad]

FJ: I know zilch about Disney attractions, but figured a tower would have an elevator.  I know elevators have been available since the 1800s because when a Downton Abbey character was pregnant, I checked whether an elevator would be possible, so she could give birth in a "dramatic" setting. (It would have been possible but they didn't go that way.)

[Katy M]

I was not at all confident in my answer, but I did get FJ.

I got the missed clues of hippo (after rhino was eliminated) and Rio de Janeiro (after Rome was eliminated) and Rouen.

I didn't run any categories, but there were a bunch I only missed one, so I ended up doing pretty well.

[bankerchick]

Yikes, that birth story was waaaay too long.  

I'm sorry Shirley MacLaine was a TS.

 

[Mindthinkr]

I’m angry as I had to go to Jeopardy Archive to do tonight’s game 🤬
In my area they showed a repeat with Amy. 
I did come up with FJ. 

[853fisher]

2 minutes ago, bankerchick said:

Yikes, that birth story was waaaay too long.  

The setup was odd too.  I wondered how dull her other stories must be if that was the best one!

59 minutes ago, Prevailing Wind said:

I knew "hippo" because I actually spent money at a carnival to see the blood-sweating hippopotamus.

I think that's the plot of the "Nightmare Alley" remake, but I'm not sure: I fell asleep for a while. ;)

[Grundoon59]

I don't know which TS hurt my musical loving heart the most - Shirley McLaine, Big River or Fred Astaire.  Shirley's is the classic understudy being discovered because the star couldn't go on.

Big River is one of my favorite musicals (I do have many).  I was lucky enough to have seen the original touring cast with Ron Richardson who had a voice that could lift your soul.  It also had John Goodman in a supporting role.  Mother Grundoon and I also loved the revival we saw on Broadway which included hearing impaired and non- hearing actors in many roles - it was an amazing production.  

But for sheer sentiment, Fred Astaire probably hurt the most.  The parental Grundoons saw Royal Wedding while they were "courting".  They always claimed 'How could you believe me when I said I love you when you know I've been a liar all my life?'  was "their" song.

[Prevailing Wind]

My mom loved that song. I bought her the VCR just so she could watch that scene over and over. I swear, there are three characters - Him, her, and her skirt. I love the way her skirt dances.

I sure am glad Paul Newman's picture wasn't a TS. Bad enough young MacLaine was...old Newman would have broken my heart.

[HelenBaby]

At least if Emma wins one more, she’ll eliminate the guy who definitely didn’t flash a white power sign from eligibility for the TofC.

Edited February 5, 2022 by HelenBaby

[Bastet]

Good job by Emma, who only got one wrong, while the others had quite a few incorrect answers; those add up to an insurmountable deficit in a hurry.

The Rio de Janeiro and Big River TS surprised me, as did tubular and Bobby Riggs a bit.  The Shirley MacLaine TS made me sad; the picture was old, but I thought she was readily recognizable if you know who she is.

I missed two in R and one in stage managers (unlike the contestants, I knew stage managers were part of the DGA, but, unlike them, I didn't know the name of the movie about Barnum), but got everything else in the first round.

I was on fire in DJ, getting all but two!  (I missed the Gone Baby Gone and Sea of Azov TS.)

I didn't know FJ, though.  I'm not familiar with that ride, so didn't think of an elevator  - although I certainly should have based on "tower", but my mind wasn't working that way; not knowing the ride, I skipped right to thinking of companies of that era with technology that might later be used for this purpose.  If I had made the elevator connection, Otis would have been my immediate guess.  Alas, I wound up guessing nothing - interestingly enough, after dismissing the other two contestants' answers, Kodak and GE, as not yet being around in 1853.

[chessiegal]

I had a banner FJ! week - first time I've gotten 3 in a week. I did some research recently on elevators because I was watching a show set in the 1870s that featured an elevator. I had no idea that Otis started his company in 1853 before I looked it up.

[853fisher]

1 hour ago, Grundoon59 said:

Shirley's is the classic understudy being discovered because the star couldn't go on.

I think I've learned this multiple times but for some reason keep forgetting it.  Maybe I'm kidding myself, but I think someone onstage might have recognized a photo that wasn't so young.  (I did know her.)

Tangentially related, my favorite understudy story came when Ethel Merman did "The Lucy Show."  Vivian Vance had been Merman's understudy in "Red, Hot, and Blue" in the 30s.  Just before they went out to do the show, she whispered to Merman, "this is the first time I've stood in the wings with you and didn't hope you'd drop dead!"

55 minutes ago, HelenBaby said:

At least if Emma wins one more, she’ll eliminate the guy who definitely didn’t flash a white power sign from eligibility for the TofC.

I think that's not right.  Kelly will still be 12th/15 if Emma wins Monday.  It would take 4 more 4X (or 3X with more than $80K) winners to definitely bump him off.  You only definitely qualify for this ToC if you win 4X (this has been 5X in the past), so the show could use any reason or no reason to pass over him, but I'm just rooting for those 4 people to do what they need to do.  I bet the show is hoping for the same.  They don't want to have address that affair again from any angle.

Edited February 5, 2022 by 853fisher

[PBnJay]

13 hours ago, Clanstarling said:

Yep, for once my military brat brain got it in an instant.

If I had $100,000 going into Final Jeopardy, I would have bet it all that @Clanstarling would easily answer "Eisenhower." 

10 hours ago, 853fisher said:

22 hours ago, 30 Helens said:

Adding to the list of how Mayim is annoying me: Holding on to the sides of the podium while twisting her shoulders back and forth. I can’t tell if she’s trying to look coy or spunky.

I think she has a NordicTrack under there or something.  

Thanks for this laugh. It's bugged me from the git-go, Mayim's death grip on the podium sides and her twisting and head bobbing. Freaks me big time. But now I can just imagine her working out on her NordicTrack back there and I might be able to move past THAT one irksome thing about her. Now if only I could fix the 100 other things ...

Valentine's Day ... Looking forward to my Jeopardy gift.

[30 Helens]

I have no knowledge of the FJ ride, but because it’s a tower, I thought it might be similar to that horrible drop tower at Six Flags that I rode once and hated, not just because my sunglasses flew off my head and were never seen again, but because I don’t know what’s worse, the sensation of free falling to your death, or that brief terrifying pause when you get to the top and know you’re about to be dropped, and there’s not a damn thing you can do about it. So based on that, I guessed Otis.

Still never getting on that ride again.

[GreekGeek]

I got Hippopotamus, Funky Chicken, Shirley MacLaine, the Killing Kennedy DD, Sea of Azov, Fred Astaire, Big River, and Bobby Riggs. I loved that "Actors Breaking Bad" category. And I figured FJ out. I still like Emma, but I hope we aren't in for another bunch of runaway games.

As for long interview stories, I remember one some years ago that was so long Alex didn't even get to interview the other two contestants! And there was one fellow that told a weird rambling story about having jet lag in Paris and mistaking the sun for a full moon (?!) So the tales of meeting Ray Charles and having a super fast labor didn't bother me.

[possibilities]

I got hippopotamus, Rio de Janeiro, and Riggs. When I shorten it to "Hippo, Rio, and Riggs" it feels like a swinging trio.

Mayim didn't offend me today. I just found her exhausting, like she's trying too hard. 

[possibilities]

My DVR tells me that the show, which in my location airs on NBC, will air at 1:30pm instead of 7:30pm, during the Olympics. Anyone who missed it today might be able to find it elsewhere on the schedule than its usual spot.

[Cotypubby]

I half pre-guessed that FJ. When I saw the category I thought “it’d be cool if they asked about the Tower of Terror since that’s my favorite ride and I just watched a show about the making of it recently.” 😏 Needless to say, that was an instaget. (I remember when I went to Disney World a couple years after the ride first opened, it was near the end of the day and the park was empty so no lines, I rode that attraction like 7-10 times in a row, lol.)

[mertensia]

I have been on Tower of Terror and knew it was the elevator company but my mind somehow came up with Otto, not Otis. I knew that was wrong, but tell that to my brain.

[illdoc]

10 hours ago, GreekGeek said:

As for long interview stories, I remember one some years ago that was so long Alex didn't even get to interview the other two contestants!

I remember that! The contestant did some long story about getting yelled at (twice) for taking pictures with a flash in some museum. Fortunately, the other two contestants were co-champions, so it's not as if one contestant got screwed out of an interview (having done one the day before).

[Clanstarling]

12 hours ago, 853fisher said:

The setup was odd too.  I wondered how dull her other stories must be if that was the best one!

I think she was just nervous - the actual event (having had a similar one) is the opposite of dull. I've honed my story telling on mine  (though I'd never use it on Jeopardy).

10 hours ago, PBnJay said:

If I had $100,000 going into Final Jeopardy, I would have bet it all that @Clanstarling would easily answer "Eisenhower."

For this one yes, but I haven't had a perfect record (to my embarrassment and shame), so it would be a risk. 😉

10 hours ago, 30 Helens said:

I have no knowledge of the FJ ride, but because it’s a tower, I thought it might be similar to that horrible drop tower at Six Flags that I rode once and hated, not just because my sunglasses flew off my head and were never seen again, but because I don’t know what’s worse, the sensation of free falling to your death, or that brief terrifying pause when you get to the top and know you’re about to be dropped, and there’s not a damn thing you can do about it. So based on that, I guessed Otis.

Still never getting on that ride again.

I didn't even make the tower/elevator connection. For some reason it made me think of electricity instead, so I said GE even though I was positive I was wrong.

I rode one of those drop tower rides once. I'm with you - both the fall and the wait for the fall were too much for me. I'm never getting on one again too.

I did pretty well in general, I ran Books and Authors and nearly ran (4 out of 5) Good Actors Break Bad, Historic Offspring, and Stage Manager. On the other hand, I reverse ran Ukraine Drops.

I got the TS Shirley Mclaine (wasn't she so pretty and cute when she was young?), Bobby Riggs, and Killing Kennedy. I hate, absolutely hate, those book titles.

 

[DrSpaceman73]

So I guess Bobby fisher is dead....

Which explains why he couldn't have been the answer to FJ the other night.  

[HyeChaps]

Again they were too young and missed Shirley MacLaine and Fred Astaire!  

[Driad]

5 minutes ago, DrSpaceman73 said:

So I guess Bobby fisher is dead....

Which explains why he couldn't have been the answer to FJ the other night. 

The clue referred to a "special consultant," which might have referred to someone whose writings and other work inspired the writers of the show.

[DXD526]

Quote

I have no knowledge of the FJ ride, but because it’s a tower, I thought it might be similar to that horrible drop tower at Six Flags that I rode once and hated

I encountered this ride back in the day as Free Fall. There was no way I was going on it, but my friend took the plunge, quite literally. He described the moment when the cage was dropped as "the worst feeling I've ever had". Pretty much confirmed my instinct to stay far away. That, and the screams of the people on it. 

Quote

I got hippopotamus, Rio de Janeiro, and Riggs. When I shorten it to "Hippo, Rio, and Riggs" it feels like a swinging trio.

I was thinking law firm!

Mayim does ok, but Ken has really made the hosting job his own, IMO. 

[rejnel]

Can't believe they called belly dancing "exotic." 
I liked this trio of contestants. Generally, the players have been kind of fun and expressive lately, which I find refreshing. 

[Clanstarling]

41 minutes ago, rejnel said:

Can't believe they called belly dancing "exotic."

Well, in 1983 1893 (sorry, typo) it was pretty exotic. And probably for the greater part of the 20th century.

Edited February 5, 2022 by Clanstarling

[Browncoat]

I went on a single drop ride at Universal after many many rides on the Tower of Terror, and I found the single drop ride boring in sort of a "That's all there is?" kind of way.  The Tower of Terror is so much more than just a drop ride -- it's a multi-drop ride, and the drops are not created equally.  It seems like I would hate it, but I really love it.