Jeopardy! Season 39 (2022-2023)

[TakomaSnark]

2 minutes ago, 30 Helens said:

Have there actually been reports that Ken was going to be replaced? I haven’t seen any.

He and Mayim were announced as co-hosts last July, so not sure why the Sun would be trying to make news now about Ken's status going forward. 

But sadly, the Jeopardy! clickbait machine has been in overdrive since Alex's passing. I can't go a day without seeing at least one piece of J!-related clickbait on the MSN home page.

[bad things are bad]

The US Sun is nothing but a provider of clickbait.

For the love of GOD, stop with the "full name of the category for $X, please ".

[DaveA]

What do you all think?

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/jeopardy-champ-yogesh-raut-criticism-game-rcna67013

[ABay]

Has he ever explained why he bothered going on the show when he despises it?

[ams1001]

 

7 hours ago, 30 Helens said:

I tried to find the article that you’re referencing, but was unsuccessful. 

This is apparently the article (from the 22nd)
https://www.the-sun.com/entertainment/7197178/jeopardy-ken-jennings-sparks-concern-discussing-replacements-show-host/

He was joking on twitter about being replaced by AI: On Saturday, Ken, 48, tweeted: '"It would be extremely easy to replace me with an AI because roughly 60% of the things I say come from the Poochie episode of Simpsons."

7 hours ago, 30 Helens said:

I’m not impressed with the journalistic cred of the US Sun, though, from what little I read. It appears to be one of those rags that make stories out of nothing, just for sensationalism.

That's exactly what they are. Google loves to show me articles about Jeopardy from them on my phone. Sometimes I click just to see what small joke by the host has been blown out of proportion today. (Which of course just makes them give me more of it.)

Edited January 24, 2023 by ams1001

[MrAtoz]

That seems to be a favorite tactic of clickbait media (I haven't paid enough attention to know if it's always the Sun).  Take jokes between Ken and the contestants during the interview portion, and try to make them seem like huge insults or awkward faux pas.

As far as Yogesh's criticisms are concerned, I will say that he is not the first former contestant to complain that women and people of color have experienced sexist or racist treatment in general.  He may just be the one who's gotten the most attention, for whatever reason.

As far as high-level quizzes go, Jeopardy is one of the easier ones.  That's of necessity, as they are trying to appeal to a broad audience, and they want viewers to feel like they know a lot of the answers.  We've observed many times that Jeopardy has their stock answers, that they go back to again and again.  The Daily Doubles also add an element of luck and randomness that a pure trivia quiz probably wouldn't have.  All those things make it more TV friendly.

On YouTube, you can find clips from Quiz Bowl competitions, or University Challenge from the UK.  The questions tend to be much more challenging.  To take one example from the 2022 Quiz Bowl final:  Jeopardy might ask you to name one of the three Axis nations during World War II.  Quiz Bowl asked its competitors to name all three Axis countries, in decreasing order of population at the time the war began.  (The correct answer, by the way, is Japan, Germany, Italy--how many would have gotten that?)  Overall, there are quizzes that are a lot more difficult.  Those quizzes also don't have the high ratings that Jeopardy does.  It's a toss up as to which you consider more important.

There's also a British TV quiz show called Only Connect, that you can find on YouTube.  It's way harder than Jeopardy could ever dream of being.

[TakomaSnark]

1 hour ago, DaveA said:

What do you all think?

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/jeopardy-champ-yogesh-raut-criticism-game-rcna67013

He comes off like the sorest loser ever.

On the 'Inside Jeopardy!' podcast, Davies didn't dismiss the notion of inviting Yogesh back for the TOC. Ratings are ratings, after all. 

 

[Katy M]

12 hours ago, GreekGeek said:

Close. There was once a bad tv show called Pink Lady and Jeff.

I looked it up.  Jeff's not a cop, but the IMDB raiting of 4.3 tells me that it was probably indeed bad.

Quote

 

The trivia savant, blogger and podcaster has been on a weekslong social media rant against the show, asserting that it's not a real quiz contest, questioning its value to society and accusing it of being "fundamentally incompatible with true social justice."

 

"People who know me know that long before I was ever called to be on the show I was saying the exact same things, the exact same sentiment, the exact same words."

 

I'm a little confused.  As someone who loves the show and wants to be on it, I know that you have to actively apply in order to get on.  If he hates it so much, why did he do that?  It's a bunch of BS. He is a sore loser.  

 

14 minutes ago, TakomaSnark said:

He comes off like the sorest loser ever.

On the 'Inside Jeopardy!' podcast, Davies didn't dismiss the notion of inviting Yogesh back for the TOC. Ratings are ratings, after all. 

 

If there aren't enough 5 timers and he qualifies, then he qualified.  Getting on the TOC should just be about the game and not if the contestant is a jerk or not, IMO.

[TakomaSnark]

4 minutes ago, Katy M said:

If there aren't enough 5 timers and he qualifies, then he qualified.  Getting on the TOC should just be about the game and not if the contestant is a jerk or not, IMO.

The producers can make a judgment call about whether or not to invite someone who is on the bubble back.

[annzeepark914]

Has any other contestant complained about being treated poorly because of race or gender? What an arsch loch. 

[TakomaSnark]

4 minutes ago, annzeepark914 said:

Has any other contestant complained about being treated poorly because of race or gender? What an arsch loch. 

It's not just attacking the show as beneath him - which is truly rich, since you have to jump through multiple hoops to even get on there - but crapping on Amy Schneider, Lily (the fashion commenter) and Clare McNear as well. Like dude, we get it, you thought you'd be a thirty-game winner but you weren't. Get over it.

[shapeshifter]

1 minute ago, TakomaSnark said:

It's not just attacking the show as beneath him - which is truly rich, since you have to jump through multiple hoops to even get on there - but crapping on Amy Schneider, Lily (the fashion commenter) and Clare McNear as well. Like dude, we get it, you thought you'd be a thirty-game winner but you weren't. Get over it.

I agree, and yet here we are still talking about him and wasting moments of our lives on someone whose whole schtick is to  attract attention by blaming others for his own shortcomings.

I am often foolishly willing to give people infinite chances to turn over a new leaf of kindness, and when that never happens, I often choose to feel sorry for them viewing life through a lens of misery.
But this guy doesn’t seem to be capable of empathy, which is always a little scary.

[Clanstarling]

1 hour ago, annzeepark914 said:

Has any other contestant complained about being treated poorly because of race or gender? What an arsch loch. 

I believe a former poster here did, and had a valid complaint (though it may have been about another contestant rather than the show itself). But I don't really remember that far back.

I had a pretty good game, though I didn't run anything.

I just finished Demon Copperhead, and had no clue it was a "retelling" of David Copperfield (well, until a read a review of it after I finished). It's worth a read, Kingsolver, as always, brings a lot of insight on social issues in the Appalachians.

When it came to Nieman's question, all that popped into my mind was "xxxx beads" but not his name. LOL.

Didn't come anywhere near the right answer for FJ. Oh well. Things can only improve (or stay the same)

[ams1001]

4 hours ago, Clanstarling said:

I just finished Demon Copperhead, and had no clue it was a "retelling" of David Copperfield (well, until a read a review of it after I finished). It's worth a read, Kingsolver, as always, brings a lot of insight on social issues in the Appalachians.

Don't think I've ever heard of the book, but I like Dickens so just by the title it was pretty obvious. I'm between books right now; might check it out. (ETA: just checked for the ebook at my library; wait time: 13 weeks.)

4 hours ago, Clanstarling said:

When it came to Nieman's question, all that popped into my mind was "xxxx beads" but not his name. LOL.

Exactly.

 

Edited January 24, 2023 by ams1001

[Bastet]

I wasn't home last night, and only took the time to look up FJ, and I had no idea.

So, I went back and read through the whole game in the hopes that would be better.  It was, in the first round anyway.  There, I ran cities, side, and medications and got all but one in the other half (which, in the case of chess, was a pleasant surprise). 

DJ wasn't bad, just not great.  I only ran Afghanistan & Pakistan, but got all but one in peace and potent potables (a category I almost always run, since I'm a lush, but I'd never heard of a pisco sour).  I only missed two in novel, but I was terrible in TV and Where'd you go, missing three in each.

[30 Helens]

Quote

"It is entertaining to watch but it bears the same relationship to real quizzing that 'Holey Moley' does to golf."

I’m going to wager that Jeopardy is to Holey Moley as Ken is to Yogesh: smarter, classier, and in a completely different league.

If Yogesh wanted to cast light on any real issues, perhaps he should have spent his 15 minutes of fame being something other than a whiny, contemptuous grump. If he represents the true “quizzing world”, I want nothing to do with it.

7 hours ago, ams1001 said:

 On Saturday, Ken, 48, tweeted: '"It would be extremely easy to replace me with an AI because roughly 60% of the things I say come from the Poochie episode of Simpsons."

LOL. And this is exactly why Ken cannot be replaced.

[ABay]

8 hours ago, MrAtoz said:

There's also a British TV quiz show called Only Connect, that you can find on YouTube.  It's way harder than Jeopardy could ever dream of being.

I've raved about Only Connect several times. It's the best quiz show ever. Blows Mastermind and University Challenge out of the water.

The Chase and Eggheads shouldn't even be mentioned in the same paragraph.

[Lady Lucy]

Quote

If there aren't enough 5 timers and he qualifies, then he qualified.  Getting on the TOC should just be about the game and not if the contestant is a jerk or not, IMO.

He only won 3 games so I would hope all those who won 4 games would be invited before him. I never want hime to darken my screen again. 

[Katy M]

I got FJ right.

I got the missed clues of fraud, antifreeze and lavender.

I got the enire category of Dante right.

[ams1001]

January 24:

73% / 67% / 70%

Continuing my meh start to the week, though better than yesterday…in J! I ran Dante's Circles of Hell and Advertising, missed one in Seasons and Bad in Books, two in Finding Nimoy, and four Fish. In DJ I missed one each in Symbols, January, Pop Culture Goes to Mars, and Opera, two in Last But Not Least, and four in Europe.

TS were fraud, antifreeze (surprised no one got those), and Richard Strauss (with an assist from Troy saying Strauss, but I got the right first name before he gave his more specific (wrong) answer).

But FJ was beyond an instaget (that felt like a $200 question), so I redeemed myself a little, there.

Edited January 25, 2023 by ams1001
tie-poes

[Prevailing Wind]

Didn't we just have a "foreign-born authors" category not too long ago?  I recall pre-guessing Asimov. I did the same this time. Bummer.

[ams1001]

8 minutes ago, Prevailing Wind said:

Didn't we just have a "foreign-born authors" category not too long ago?  I recall pre-guessing Asimov. I did the same this time. Bummer.

January 3rd...Isabel Allende (the clue was about her translating romance novels and changing dialogue to make the heroines smarter).

[Bastet]

It continues to bug me that the hosts now say the leader in a runaway game "had a big lead" instead of just acknowledging "couldn't be caught" like Alex did, because it plays like trying to create a false sense of suspense in viewers who can't do math, but I've decided to get over it because a) that's a stupid thing to be annoyed by and I have enough actual aggravations, and b) it is actually more appropriate since they could be beat if they made a really stupid wager and got FJ wrong.

The anti-freeze, lavender, and fraud TS all surprised me a little.

I ran advertising and fish and got all but one in Nimoy and circles of hell (I said blasphemy instead of heresy), but I missed three in books and two in seasons, so I was a little off my game in the first round

Other than missing three in opera - not remotely surprising - I did well in DJ; I ran pop culture (a pleasant surprise, especially in DJ), the vocabulary category, and symbols and got all but one in history, and missed two in Europe.

FJ was an instaget.

[ams1001]

3 minutes ago, Bastet said:

The anti-freeze, lavender, and fraud TS all surprised me a little.

I didn't get lavender, then felt a little dumb since I have multiple lavender-scented things in my home (and occasionally my car).

[GreekGeek]

I wondered if "theft" would have been acceptable as an alternative to "fraud." It's not exactly the same, but it seems wrong to look for a specific five-letter word when asking about a work most English speakers have probably read in translation and not the original Italian.

On FJ, I thought of Updike and Roth before I remembered the category name and came up with Nabokov.

[Katy M]

1 hour ago, GreekGeek said:

I wondered if "theft" would have been acceptable as an alternative to "fraud." It's not exactly the same, but it seems wrong to look for a specific five-letter word when asking about a work most English speakers have probably read in translation and not the original Italian.

I don't remember the exact clue but I don't think theft would have been accurate.  Having nothing to do with Dante or the Inferno (which I've never read in translation or otherwise) but because of the definition of the crime they put in the clue.

[SomeTameGazelle]

41 minutes ago, Katy M said:

I don't remember the exact clue but I don't think theft would have been accurate.  Having nothing to do with Dante or the Inferno (which I've never read in translation or otherwise) but because of the definition of the crime they put in the clue.

I agree. Here's the wording: "Eighth, containing alchemists & seducers: Legally this 5-letter word is any activity that uses deception to gain money." 

[Trey]

My only ts's were fraud and anti-freeze.

FJ would have been an instaget if I could have remembered his name - just "the guy who wrote Lolita" probably wasn't going to cut it.

[Clanstarling]

13 hours ago, Bastet said:

It continues to bug me that the hosts now say the leader in a runaway game "had a big lead" instead of just acknowledging "couldn't be caught" like Alex did, because it plays like trying to create a false sense of suspense in viewers who can't do math, but I've decided to get over it because a) that's a stupid thing to be annoyed by and I have enough actual aggravations, and b) it is actually more appropriate since they could be beat if they made a really stupid wager and got FJ wrong.

I like it because it seems kinder to me.

2 hours ago, Trey said:

FJ would have been an instaget if I could have remembered his name - just "the guy who wrote Lolita" probably wasn't going to cut it.

That's what my husband said. LOL.

I ran Pop Culture Goes to Mars, but otherwise had an unremarkable game.

I did get FJ, though it took me a bit to remember Nabakov's name, since I hate that book with the burning intensity of a thousand suns.

[annzeepark914]

I just hit the mute, at the start, if I know Ken's going to make a big damn deal over the champ's previous day's walloping of his opponents. 

[MrAtoz]

4 hours ago, Trey said:

FJ would have been an instaget if I could have remembered his name - just "the guy who wrote Lolita" probably wasn't going to cut it.

You've gotta quote Sting to remind yourself:

"Just like the old man in that book by Nabokov."

[PaulaO]

On 1/24/2023 at 6:59 AM, ABay said:

Has he ever explained why he bothered going on the show when he despises it?

I stopped reading the Yogesh article at “fundamentally incompatible with true social justice.”  It’s a game show FFS!  What a maroon.

Edited January 25, 2023 by PaulaO

[dgpolo]

1 hour ago, PaulaO said:

I stopped reading the Yogesh article

One thing I have noticed... I follow some former contestants on Twitter and before this I have noticed that they all 'circle the wagons' on Jeopardy contestants that come under criticism on social media. (especially notable to me was the support of that young woman on the College Tournament that flamed out) Most of the arguments are the 'if you haven't been through it, you don't know what it takes' variety. Yogesh is the first contestant that I've seen former contestants criticize, and though I can't say I follow enough to get a true picture, I can say that I haven't seen anyone defending him.

[DrSpaceman73]

It's not just that yogesh made accusations of racism.  It's that his argument for it is circular and used as an excuse for why people didn't like him.  He claims he is dark skinned so his comments were taken as being mean and threatening by viewers and that is why he wasn't liked. In other words, if you didn't like him you are racist, there can be no other reason. It's not that he was arrogant or a sore loser. No...racism.  that's it

I read the comments on the jeopardy boards where he called people 'white supremacists'.   There was nothing racist. It was mundane typical criticisms of him we've all mentioned here. Buzzer beating, attitude, sore lower, etc. Nothing racist. 

He doesn't give examples of him being treated poorly on the show. He claims the viewers that didn't like him or his show off pissy attitude are racist, there is no other reason not to like him. 

He strikes me as someone who has always been arrogant and thinks he is super important because he is very successful in extremely niche quiz tournaments that 99 % of us have never heard of and don't care about And he thought he would go on jeopardy andcwin 50 games and everyone would be impressed by him. Well it did t happen. He won a modest 3 games and people hated him. But to him the problem is everyone else, not him.  

It's just arrogance on his part. I know jeopardy probably likes the controversy and the ratings.  But if he never appears on jeopardy again it will be too soon.  So go to your other quiz tourneys and have everyone lap up your greatness and kiss your ass if that's what you want. 

[proserpina65]

On 1/24/2023 at 7:48 AM, DaveA said:

What do you all think?

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/jeopardy-champ-yogesh-raut-criticism-game-rcna67013

My reply to this is: Fuck off, Yogesh, you whiny asshole.  You're just pissed you only won 3 games.

[Katy M]

2 hours ago, MrAtoz said:

You've gotta quote Sting to remind yourself:

"Just like the old man in that book by Nabokov."

that's exactly wha i did.

[shapeshifter]

On 1/24/2023 at 7:48 AM, DaveA said:

What do you all think?

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/jeopardy-champ-yogesh-raut-criticism-game-rcna67013

• “People who know me know that long before I was ever called to be on the show I was saying the exact same things, the exact same sentiment, the exact same words."

So his intent was always to get on Jeopardy! in order to gain social media attention by trashing a beloved cultural institution. 

• ‘A "Jeopardy!" spokeswoman declined to comment Monday.’

Smart. 
I’ll stop now.

[Browncoat]

4 hours ago, MrAtoz said:

You've gotta quote Sting to remind yourself:

"Just like the old man in that book by Nabokov."

That's what I did, too.  Definitely an instaget FJ Tuesday night.

But the only TS I got were antifreeze and lavender.

[illdoc]

Today's TS: Harem pants, cafe & chafe, Italicizing (see what I did there), and Al Franken. I did get FJ, because the cities sounded Russian and I thought "Russian landmark = Kremlin".

[ams1001]

Is anyone else getting a kind of tinny sound while watching? Not sure if it's just my TV or what...just started noticing it yesterday but didn't notice it while watching Night Court later.

January 25:

53% / 57% / 56%

J!: Ugh. Ran 3-Letter Responses, and missed one in How Do I Get There?, and two each in Stories and Wear. Clearly I don't know my Pacino movies; missed all but one, and my brain was just not working fast enough for the H-Plus…I got none of 'em.

DJ: Ugh part 2. Ran nothing…missed one each in Classical and SNL, two in Dotted Letters and Counting, three in Good Luck, and four in Book of the Year.

FJ: Yay! Got that, at least…(with the same thought process as illdoc).

TS: turtleneck, Al Franken, italicizing
 

[Katy M]

4 minutes ago, ams1001 said:

s anyone else getting a kind of tinny sound while watching? Not sure if it's just my TV or what...just started noticing it yesterday but didn't notice it while watching Night Court later.

Yes.  I was thinking it was the station, but maybe not.

I guessed correctly on FJ, but was not very confident with my answer

I got the missed clues of turtleneck and italicizing before the wrong answer of ialicize.

I go tthe entire category of 3 letters right.

I had a fairly good night.  Especially compared with recent performances.

[bankerchick]

Was that supposed to be a Canadian accent, Ken??  Because nobody I know sounds like that, but I guess the closest would be residents of Newfoundland, which is an island in the Atlantic, not Pacific, like Vancouver.

[dgpolo]

12 minutes ago, ams1001 said:

Is anyone else getting a kind of tinny sound while watching?

I haven't noticed a tinny sound but I did hear a definite difference just as Kristina? hit the DD and then it went back to normal just a minute later. I thought maybe they had to retape something?

[ams1001]

11 minutes ago, dgpolo said:

I haven't noticed a tinny sound but I did hear a definite difference just as Kristina? hit the DD and then it went back to normal just a minute later. I thought maybe they had to retape something?

I'm hearing it on and off throughout; especially with the music. Almost like a metallic echo sort of sound. Seems like it's not just me, though, so hopefully it's something they can fix soon. Wondering if it's something in the taping or in the broadcasting end...

Edited January 26, 2023 by ams1001

[Browncoat]

Instaguess FJ tonight for me.  I had zero confidence in my guess, but I did write it down, so it counts!  

As for TS, I only got two -- cafe & chafe, and Al Franken.

[secnarf]

14 minutes ago, Browncoat said:

Instaguess FJ tonight for me.  I had zero confidence in my guess, but I did write it down, so it counts! 

Same - I thought it was wrong but only thing I could think of.

[annzeepark914]

Got FJ tonight. There was a clue in DJ (can't recall the correct wording) that was about people visiting the top person in the church which, of course, was the Pope. Wasn't that too easy to be in DJ?

[dgpolo]

I did get FJ and my only TSs were cafe/chafe and ..Parsifal!! I was shocked when I was right, not even sure why I said it, I didn't have any idea what is was about or even if it was written by Wagner. But I got it.

I was kinda glad David didn't win, not only did I want Troy to get his 5th win but David was kind of -shouty-.

[Prevailing Wind]

I didn't include the "and" and just said Café Chafe and then thought, "What a horrible name for an eatery."

I miss Al Franken, so I got the correct response. LOL

ETA: There was some clue (I don't remember which) where my response was SO wrong, all I could do was guffaw at myself. I may live alone (but for Stella, the cat) but I do have fun.

Edited January 26, 2023 by Prevailing Wind

[GreekGeek]

40 minutes ago, dgpolo said:

 

I was kinda glad David didn't win, not only did I want Troy to get his 5th win but David was kind of -shouty-.

I'm glad I wasn't the only one thinking this. I got worried when he came within catching distance of Troy. This was one time I was hoping for a runaway!