Jeopardy! Season 39 (2022-2023)

[dgpolo]

2 minutes ago, SomeTameGazelle said:

I was unreasonably delighted to see the Daniel Radcliffe category.

Me too, but he needed to blink a little more.

I did get Louise, Lord of the Flies and Gulliver's Travels. I did not get Joplin, I didn't know he wrote operas. I briefly thought Gershwin also but knew the date was wrong so I had no clue.

[Leeds]

I was sad about the TSs of Lord of the Flies, Gulliver, and Louise, but maybe that's just because I knew them 😁  

(In today's troubling times, I think Lord of the Flies should be required reading in middle school, and for anyone age 13 and up who hasn't read it!)

[30 Helens]

36 minutes ago, Leeds said:

I was sad about the TSs of Lord of the Flies, Gulliver, and Louise, but maybe that's just because I knew them 😁  

(In today's troubling times, I think Lord of the Flies should be required reading in middle school, and for anyone age 13 and up who hasn't read it!)

It isn’t any more? Too bad. I really enjoyed it as a teen, although I felt my English class spent far too much time dissecting Piggy’s glasses.

I, too, got all the TSs you mentioned, but whiffed on FJ. My best guess was Gershwin.

I hope all the people who said they were bailing because of Rowan reconsidered. They were a little more subdued today, but still clearly excited and happy to be there, and I don’t know why that’s a bad thing. Overall, I thought it was a good game (and not just because I did very well, other than FJ).

[853fisher]

I wasn't terribly fond of the clue about how Orson Welles "panicked the U.S." with the War of the Worlds broadcast.  That's the popular legend, but more recent scholarship has shown it was wildly overblown - newspapers seized on isolated incidents of confused citizens calling the police and spun it into a mass panic in order to discredit radio as a trustworthy and judicious source.  I would've preferred it if they'd added just a word or two to make clear that characterization is myth, not fact.

4 hours ago, dgpolo said:

I did not get Joplin, I didn't know he wrote operas.

He usually didn't.  His two operas were "Treemonisha," which was never fully staged in his lifetime, and "Guest of Honor," as mentioned.  Joplin took it on a national tour, during which the cash receipts were stolen.  His possessions, including the opera's score, were impounded by the operator of a theatrical boarding house where he could no longer pay the rent, and he was never able to retrieve them.  I know people who would do unspeakable things to get their hands on a copy, but it will likely never be found.

4 hours ago, Leeds said:

(In today's troubling times, I think Lord of the Flies should be required reading in middle school, and for anyone age 13 and up who hasn't read it!)

It left a powerful impression on me - I can still remember the discussions we had about it and even the cover of my copy, although I can't quite recall what year it was.  I hope they're still reading it in schools.  Somebody is in my city - 38 copies are out now from all our branch libraries!

[ABay]

4 hours ago, 853fisher said:

I wasn't terribly fond of the clue about how Orson Welles "panicked the U.S." with the War of the Worlds broadcast.  That's the popular legend, but more recent scholarship has shown it was wildly overblown - newspapers seized on isolated incidents of confused citizens calling the police and spun it into a mass panic in order to discredit radio as a trustworthy and judicious source.  I would've preferred it if they'd added just a word or two to make clear that characterization is myth, not fact.

ITA.

Also, it's always Lord of the Flies. The writers seem to have read a dozen books in their combined lives. If it involves glasses or it's an island and not Robinson Crusoe, it's Lord of the Flies. If it's American and it isn't Moby Dick, it's Catcher in the Rye, possibly something by Vonnegut (but mostly Moby Dick). If it's about a war, it's Hemingway but they usually just go for his name instead of a title. If it's 19th century, it's Dickens, most likely David Copperfield or A Tale of Two Cities. If it's a mystery, it's Sue Grafton unless it's Agatha Christie.

[Trey]

Wow! Rowan really steamrollered the other two contestants.  I wonder if it will be the same tonight.

My only ts last night was Lake Louise but I did get Scott Joplin, not an instaget but fairly quickly.

For Wednesday's fJ I had all the pieces of information in my brain but they did not come together so I went with St. Peter's Basilica, same as Do.

[annzeepark914]

12 hours ago, 30 Helens said:

I hope all the people who said they were bailing because of Rowan reconsidered. They were a little more subdued today, but still clearly excited and happy to be there, and I don’t know why that’s a bad thing. Overall, I thought it was a good game (and not just because I did very well, other than FJ).

Whoa! So you're saying Rowan was "a little more subdued"? What in the world was Rowan like the first time around...bouncing off the walls? At first I thought I'd have to skip next week because of their OTT enthusiasm. But, by the end of yesterday's game, I felt a challenge. So, I'll try to keep up with them tonight and next week (cause no one's puttin' Rowan in the corner! 😉)

[bad things are bad]

Team Sadie here but I can't see Rowan losing.  They are insanely fast on the buzzer and very smart.  But too perky for my boring taste,  though.  

[Scott]

On 10/26/2022 at 4:29 PM, Quickbeam said:

Rowan is…a lot.

That sums up the last two nights, and tonight as well I'm sure.  I can't see Rowan not wining tonight, but hopefully will face stiffer competition in the ToC.

[3 is enough]

I remember Rowan from their first appearance last year, mostly because of their unusual job.  I don't remember them being quite so enthusiastic.  I missed most of Wednesday's show and only saw FJ, so I did not see the interview segment.  But I did seem to recall them playing under a different name, although I could not tell you what it was. A quick look at the posts here assured me I was not wrong.  I can always count on the posters here to reassure me that I am not losing my memory. ;)

There are always contestants who irritate some people but I have yet to stop watching for that reason.  I am looking forward to the next two weeks.

I did get Lake Louise last night.  Just another example of strong players getting stumped by Canadian clues.

Edited October 28, 2022 by 3 is enough

[Clanstarling]

16 hours ago, Bastet said:

Wow -- that game was all Rowan, especially in DJ!  Had they not gone up against Matt Amodio, nearly 20 games into his dominating run, the first time around, they almost certainly would have wound up on a winning streak of their own.

I said the same to the mister.

16 hours ago, Browncoat said:

Rowan is a great player, but I think they'd be exhausting to be around for very long.  I'm an extreme introvert, though.  I can't handle that much exuberance.

I'm an introvert (though not extreme) and I like exuberant people - in small doses. So Rowan is just fine since they're only on my tv for a half hour at a time.

I did pretty well, ran Animal Kingdom and almost ran a couple others.

I got FJ by the Booker T Washington and date in the clue. But I thought I'd made a bad guess - which I told the mister (we don't actually tell each other our answers until the time is over). When it was over, he turned to me and said "You made an excellent guess." He is a Joplin fan and knows quite a lot, so it was an instaget for him.

Looking forward to today's game. I can't see Rowan losing - they're such a strong player. But you never know. I would very much like to see them in the TOC - and it would be fun to have them compete against Matt again.

[graybrown bird]

I knew Lake Louise instantly.  It is one of the places my Nebraskan grandparents saw on their cross-continental railway honeymoon in 1922. I have their honeymoon photographs scrapbook..

[MrAtoz]

2 hours ago, 3 is enough said:

But I did seem to recall them playing under a different name, although I could not tell you what it was. A quick look at the posts here assured me I was not wrong.  I can always count on the posters here to reassure me that I am not losing my memory. ;)

During their interview with Ken, Rowan actually mentioned having competed under a different name last time, and how excited they were to be able to appear as Rowan now.

[ams1001]

73% / 50% / 61%

J! - Missed two Books and Latin and one in everything else.

DJ - Missed one Myth, two Second Chances, and three in everything else.

FJ - Had no clue.

My only TS were Sister Carrie and scull (not even sure how I knew that one).

Damn, I thought Jack might pull it out for a bit, there.

Edited October 29, 2022 by ams1001
spelin'

[illdoc]

Final Jeopardy (as a puzzle): 

[PaulaO]

I cheated and looked up Sabena during the think music.  Got the answer as soon as I saw the country.

[Katy M]

I said Picasso.

I got the missed clues of Sister Carrie and beehive.

I got the entire category of books right and capitals wrong.

Bad night.

[annzeepark914]

Sure... Belgium, owner of Sabena Airlines. But who the heck ever heard of this artist? I rest my case 😄.  Good game with some real competition for Rowen.

[Browncoat]

I had no clue for FJ.  I have heard of Magritte, and I love his works, but I didn't know that one.

But I did get the TS of scull, Madison, Nashville, and beehive.  Do you think they would have accepted "people mover" instead of moving sidewalk for the Norfolk, VA airport clue?  (In Norfolk, VA, it's pronounced something like "Naw-fuck"). 

[Driad]

Examples of Magritte paintings.  I didn't recognize the Sabena painting, but it seemed like something Magritte might have painted.

[Mindthinkr]

All I got was scull (my niece was a coxswain at an Ivy League) and beehive. Forget FJ. 

[shapeshifter]

34 minutes ago, annzeepark914 said:

Sure... Belgium, owner of Sabena Airlines. But who the heck ever heard of this artist? I rest my case 😄.  Good game with some real competition for Rowen.

That's how I feel about a lot of opera, Latin, mythology, and other categories' correct responses. 😉

As soon a Ken said "Sabena was the national carrier of Belgium" I knew it was Magritte. 
My guess, which I figured was wrong, was Dali, who at least was a fellow Surrealist of Magritte.

I guessed the TS of Beehive, but only because I had extra time thanks to Sadie's ants.

I noticed when Jack was ahead, Rowan lost some enthusiasm. 

Ryan Long looks like Monday's (quiet) buzz saw, and then it seems like more evenly matched contestants until Rowan will burst onto the stage Thursday: jeopardy.com/contestant-zone/2022/tournament-champions

[annzeepark914]

Is Rowan the real deal? Can they take on the champions? 

[AuxArx]

Finally got a fj this week. One of my all time favorite artists, plus that picture was on the sleeve of an album by the Rascals (another favorite) back in the 60s. 
 

Also, I’m a retired art teacher, which helped…

[jsm1125]

I feel like Eric Ahsaic will be a good dark horse in the tournament. I was quite impressed with him during his original run.

[SomeTameGazelle]

51 minutes ago, shapeshifter said:

As soon a Ken said "Sabena was the national carrier of Belgium" I knew it was Magritte. 

I didn't recognize Sabena and had no idea Magritte was Belgian. My wild and deranged guess was Chagall.

[dgpolo]

1 minute ago, SomeTameGazelle said:

I didn't recognize Sabena and had no idea Magritte was Belgian. My wild and deranged guess was Chagall.

Me too, to all of it.

[Bastet]

I didn't keep track of my performance tonight, as I was watching this at a friend's house, but I think I did okay (not great, and possibly not even good).  I know I ran the "Picture the Hit" category because that was fun, but I think I only ran a couple of others in the first round.  No bad categories there, though.

In DJ, I know I ran TV Law, even though I've never watched any of the shows, and African American Firsts, but I'm pretty sure that was it.  My only bad category was - you guessed it - mythology.

I had absolutely no idea on FJ and could have sat here until I died and not come up with it.  I was picturing all the airport windows I've stared out of, but couldn't picture an airline with that symbol (and didn't know the airline name), but even if I had come up with Belgium, I would not have guessed the artist.  I've heard the name, but couldn't tell you anything about him.

The Rx clue amused me, as it made me remember asking my mom a string of questions (back when if your parent didn't know you had to look it up in the encyclopedia) about something I'd just read, including "What does Rx stand for?"  Upon being told prescription, my obvious follow-up was "Huh?  How'd they get Rx from prescription?"  My mom did not know, and it bugged me until I could look it up the next day.

[possibilities]

What is a chart caller? They said that's Rowan's profession.

[Bastet]

9 minutes ago, possibilities said:

What is a chart caller? They said that's Rowan's profession.

It's a horse racing thing (a sport I loathe, for the treatment of the horses and the jockeys, so I had to look it up).  Here's an article from a trade publication about Rowan's first appearance on J! (it uses their former name, but the proper pronoun; I've fixed the name in this excerpt about their job and its intersection with trivia/J!):

Quote

If you've ever been to the racetrack, you've seen what a chart caller does. You open the program and see the notes about how far apart the leader was from the rest of the field and the short comments in the chart describing the trip. That was all written by a chart caller. That's all data collected or written by a chart caller.

“It boils down to getting all the info and describing it in the most useful manner,” Rowan explained. But there is no such thing as chart-caller school. Rowan took this new job with no training, no experience. They had to learn it all on the fly and develop methods for watching races and recording information that was a mixture of other people’s best practices and their own ideas and techniques. “And trivia brain certainly helps in that case. Because if you're doing something new, no matter how interested in it you are, there's always going to be some facets that you don't know about if you're moving into a particular role. And the quicker you can internalize them, tie them to other facts in your head, the quicker you're going to get the hang of how to do the job and how to do the job well. And I really have always been a pretty quick learner.”

Trivia brain helped Rowan in more ways than just enabling them to quickly adapt. In a way, the chart caller at the racetrack is a historian. They are recording all of the information and observations that make up the historical record of each day at the track. They are in every way the scribe, the chronicler of racing history. And what, if not historical minutiae, is trivia? And who better, if not a trivia brain — a sponge that retains all it absorbs forever and ever — to do this job?

Edited October 29, 2022 by Bastet

[Irlandesa]

2 hours ago, annzeepark914 said:

Is Rowan the real deal? Can they take on the champions? 

It depends.  But I think their amazing performance yesterday followed up by losing today just highlights what a feat some of these super champs did.  Granted, the competition is a little higher in this tournament than the daily players but with both 2-day tournaments, the player that looked so strong in the first game faltered on the second day. (Faltered might be strong.  Rowan certainly played well today.  Just not as well as Jack and likely would have lost today's game if they didn't have to take yesterday's total into consideration.)

I think they could take a game in the TOC.  I don't think they could defeat Matt, Amy or Mattea.

I listed to today's show instead of saw it.  Did they show the picture or did Ken just describe it? Because I am very surprised that all of them chose Picasso.

[possibilities]

They didn't show a picture. 

Speaking of pictures, I thought that rose looked like a tulip. It confused me.

Thanks for the info about chart calling!

[30 Helens]

29 minutes ago, Bastet said:

Here's an article from a trade publication about Rowan's first appearance on J! (it uses their former name, but the proper pronoun; I've fixed the name in this excerpt about their job and its intersection with trivia/J!):

This was very interesting to me, but for a different reason than you intended: I have had zero recollection of Rowan’s original appearance until I opened that article and saw their former name, and then immediately remembered them. That name has no significance for me, so I have no idea why it triggered my memory while their face did not. Weird.

I had a great game today. The category gods were with me, and even gave me one of my favorite FJ categories… which is where it fell apart. I should have guessed Magritte, even though I didn’t know the painting, but I blanked. I assumed it was a surrealist painter, but the closest I got was Duchamp.

4 hours ago, Browncoat said:

Do you think they would have accepted "people mover" instead of moving sidewalk for the Norfolk, VA airport clue? 

We had a debate about that at my house, because I thought the two terms were interchangeable. My husband insisted that people movers are enclosed trams, but I argued that moving sidewalks move people, too! I just looked up the term “people mover” and…it appears he was correct. But I’m not going to tell him.

I did make him laugh, though, when I answered the clue of “he used Medusa's head to rescue his mom & get King Polydectes seriously stoned” by shouting, “Who is Harry Hamlin!” Half of what I know about mythology, I think I learned from that movie. 😄

[3 is enough]

I got FJ.  I knew Sabena was the Belgian airline, and I knew Rene Magritte was a Belgian artist.  

I don’t think I have ever looked forward to a TOC more than this one.  I am especially looking forward to seeing Matt again. He pretty much vanished to concentrate on his PhD once his run was over, and I really admire that.  Even though he won a considerable amount of money it did not deter him from accomplishing his goal. 

[South]

On 10/26/2022 at 7:29 PM, Quickbeam said:

Rowan is…a lot. It’s the kind of contestant behavior that makes me back away from the TV.

A whole lot.  Everything cannot be amazing/amusing/incredible/.  When everything is, nothing is.   The connection made with me was the same as it would have been if every reply was given in a Steven Wright tone, or Garfield for that matter.  Cheerful is great, but that isn’t what that was.  That type of presentation is fatiguing.  On the other hand, they played a strong tourn…well, you know.

On 10/26/2022 at 7:49 PM, PaulaO said:

If she gets into the ToC I will kill myself.  Doubly if she is in the same game as Mattea who I cannot stand.

Partner South said they are as irksome as Mattea.  I’m not sure I can compare the two.  Both are so uniquely bothersome.

[South]

On 10/26/2022 at 8:01 PM, Browncoat said:

Instaget FJ for me tonight.  I didn't even second-guess myself, I was so sure.

I also got the TS of Yorick, smokes, erne, Where The Crawdads Sing, and A Fish Called Wanda.  I am terribly sad that no one knew A Fish Called Wanda -- one of the funniest movies ever.

I would like to thank all the crossword puzzles I've done for knowing erne (can also be spelled ern).

I also gave a nod to the zillions of crossword puzzles I’ve done when Erne/Ern popped up.

[South]

On 10/26/2022 at 10:29 PM, Bastet said:

Great performance by Rowan; they were able to ring in on over half the questions, and got 30 of them correct.  I'm rooting for Sadie, but if Rowan wins I won't be mad. 

I'm bummed A Fish Called Wanda was a TS; I love that movie!

That Pentagon clue had no business being worth $800. 

I only ran snap and brain in the first round, but I got all but one each in Peaks & Valleys and birds, and those two were both TS, so at least I was in good company.  I missed two in lit and three in music; that should have only been two as well, but I couldn't get Three 6 Mafia from my brain to my mouth in time.

In DJ, I ran law slaw, middle O, and sculpture and got all but one (the Taft TS) in D.C.  I missed two in seconds and three in movies, so that's good for a DJ round.

For FJ, I guessed the Trevi Fountain pretty quickly, but then looked at the $3500 daily average and thought there couldn't possibly be that much and started trying to think of something else.  I couldn't, so stuck with it, but I'm flabbergasted by the amount.

I thought the clue read $35000!

[annzeepark914]

On 10/26/2022 at 7:49 PM, PaulaO said:

If she gets into the ToC I will kill myself.  Doubly if she is in the same game as Mattea who I cannot stand.

Rowen and Mattea. I hadn't contemplated that possibility. 

[SHD]

For FJ I came up with “the guy who did the apple face painting” which, while technically correct, would probably not have been accepted. LOL

[ABay]

12 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

As soon a Ken said "Sabena was the national carrier of Belgium" I knew it was Magritte. 
My guess, which I figured was wrong, was Dali, who at least was a fellow Surrealist of Magritte.

Same here. If I'd known Sabena was a Belgian airline, I would've said Magritte. I thought of Dali and Chagall but the description of the painting didn't sound quite right for either of them.

[PaulaO]

Is Rowen still in Chicago?  All the tracks round here save one have closed.  I wonder if they write for tracks outside the area?  Side note:  I know a woman who named her horse Rowen Mayfair after a character in the Anne Rice books.  Every time I hear the name Rowen I silently add Mayfair.

[Cotypubby]

15 hours ago, illdoc said:

Final Jeopardy (as a puzzle): 

Ahh, if I had seen that I would have known it was Magritte! From the description alone I had no clue. I had never heard of Sabena Airlines (I also assumed it sounded Spanish) and was trying to think of an airline with a bird logo.

Congrats to Rowan! Yeah they’re a bit exuberant but so what!? They’re on Jeopardy and are playing really well, they’re allowed to be happy. I don’t want to see dull lifeless robots.

[Clanstarling]

I knew Sabena was a northern European airline (picture me waving my hand vaguely in the direction of those countries on a map), but even if I had known it was Belgium, I wouldn't have gotten Magritte. I had no idea he was from Belgium. I chose, instead, Chagall (even though I knew I was wrong), because he did some stuff with people floating in the sky, as I recall. 

All in all I had a pretty bad game, so missing FJ was just ... icing on the top of ....

[annzeepark914]

4 hours ago, PaulaO said:

Is Rowen still in Chicago?  All the tracks round here save one have closed.  I wonder if they write for tracks outside the area?  Side note:  I know a woman who named her horse Rowen Mayfair after a character in the Anne Rice books.  Every time I hear the name Rowen I silently add Mayfair.

Every time they announce the host of Jeopardy, I *still* expect to hear Johnny (Gilbert?) say, "...and here's Alex Trebek!" Every time. Re: horse racing? I wish it would go the way of dog racing. It can only be a sport if the jockeys are running around the track, IMO. 

[bankerchick]

On 10/28/2022 at 11:53 AM, annzeepark914 said:

Whoa! So you're saying Rowan was "a little more subdued"? What in the world was Rowan like the first time around...bouncing off the walls?

8 hours ago, annzeepark914 said:

On 10/26/2022 at 7:49 PM, PaulaO said:

If she gets into the ToC I will kill myself.  Doubly if she is in the same game as Mattea who I cannot stand.

Rowen and Mattea. I hadn't contemplated that possibility. 

Since the first day Alex Trebek walked onto the Jeopardy stage, I never deliberately skipped a game until Mattea made me stop watching.  I would come here every day to see if she won and didn't tune in again until the game she lost.  I have no memory of Rowan at all, but won't watch any episodes with either of them, including the tournament of champions.  Life is too short for that.

[Bastet]

On 10/29/2022 at 4:18 AM, annzeepark914 said:

Rowen and Mattea. I hadn't contemplated that possibility. 

I am now rooting for this.  I can't definitively tell from the bracket which semi-final game (meaning, the one Amy is already in, the one Matt is already in, or the one Mattea is already in) the winner of Rowan's quarter-final game will compete in, but it looks like it would be the one with Matt.  In which case, they'd get their rematch wish if they won.  But I wish they'd go to the one with Mattea, so I could amuse myself with all the online frothing.

Then again, if they went to the one with Matt and won, and Amy and Mattea both won their semi-final games, we'd have Amy, Mattea, and Rowan in the finals.  Imagine all the folks who wouldn't know how to distribute their vitriol among those three.  The only way that could get better would be if Mayim was hosting.

Edited October 30, 2022 by Bastet

[possibilities]

I like everyone lately. Something must be wrong with me. I am going to be both happy and heartbroken during the TOC.

[Bastet]

Oops, I just remembered there's a thread for the ToC.  I'll leave my original post, but continue my ToC thoughts there.

Edited October 30, 2022 by Bastet

[Clanstarling]

22 hours ago, annzeepark914 said:

Every time they announce the host of Jeopardy, I *still* expect to hear Johnny (Gilbert?) say, "...and here's Alex Trebek!" Every time.

Me too. I hear that phantom announcement every time. My husband thinks I'm weird.

16 hours ago, possibilities said:

I like everyone lately. Something must be wrong with me. I am going to be both happy and heartbroken during the TOC.

I rarely hate anyone, but yeah, during the TOC I'll be rooting for pretty much everybody. Except the guy who beat Matt. 😉

[PaulaO]

My mind automatically says “Alex Trebek” after the pause after “and now the host of Jeopardy!”  Not weird at all.  For how many years did you we hear Johnny Gilbert say Alex’s name?

Do you have favorite past contestants?  Mine are Alex Jacobs, Austin, and Buzzy.  Also Julia Collins.