Season 39 Final Jeopardy! Contest

[shapeshifter]

Week 4: 1/5

Canada was my first guess for Friday, but, alas, I rejected it.

[dankesean]

Week 4: 1/5

Thank goodness for Desmond Tutu or I'd have felt a complete failure this week!

[Welshman in Ca]

10 hours ago, dankesean said:

Week 4: 1/5

Thank goodness for Desmond Tutu or I'd have felt a complete failure this week!

Same here, 1/5 & a thank you to Desmond.

[zoey1996]

Week 4: 3/5

YTD: 11/20

No asterisks yet this season.

The Robert Frost quote and The Green Book were instagets. Before I came up with Tutu, I thought of another Anglican Archbishop whose name I can't now recall.

[Clanstarling]

14 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

Week 4: 1/5

Canada was my first guess for Friday, but, alas, I rejected it.

12 hours ago, dankesean said:

Week 4: 1/5

Thank goodness for Desmond Tutu or I'd have felt a complete failure this week!

1 hour ago, Welshman in Ca said:

Same here, 1/5 & a thank you to Desmond.

So 1 is not the loneliest number. Glad to be at your table.

1/5

[saber5055]

Week 4 • Oct. 3, 2022 — ONE asterisk
11. 20th Century Poem Endings. These 5 words that end a poem are also a proverb; one citation across the centuries includes a reminder not to make the wall too high.
* 12. Asian Country Names. Like the T-U-V in Tuvalu, this landlocked country has 3 consecutive letters in its English name in alphabetic sequence.  *
13. Travel. The 1948 edition of this publication said, “There will be a day…in the near future when this guide will not have to be published.”
14. Nobel Peace Prize Winners. He served as Bishop of Lesotho from 1976 to 1978. Desmond Tutu
15. Countries of the World. It has the most water area of any country, nearly 350,000 square miles, about 9% of its total area.

[DXD526]

3/5, best week of the season. Was 0-2 after Tuesday, but Weds and Thus were instagets, and Friday a good guess!

[SoMuchTV]

Week 4 - 2/5, no *.  Even though on asterisk-day, I accidentally opened TheJeopardyFan too early and saw the clue.  No problem, I was able to promptly put it out of my mind and level the playing field!

[secnarf]

4/5*! It was a great (and very atypical) week for me; the only one I didn't get was the travel one on Wednesday.

As it is Thanksgiving for us this weekend in the country with all the water, I will be bringing a turkey dinner to share with you all.

[saber5055]

Hey, Happy Thanksgiving our friend from the Great White North. I'm bringing a medley of roasted vegetables to add to your feast, they are a favorite of mine, and the house warms up nicely when they are roasting in the oven. That's a win-win. I got a seat at the T41 this week. I could not parse Friday's FJ so thought of a country totally surrounded by water. Feel free to laugh and point at my answer of Greenland.

[j5cochran]

Week four: three of five, with the asterisk! 

If we're celebrating Thanksgiving with our neighbors to the north this week, I'll bring an apple pie. I haven't baked one in ages; it's time I got back into the kitchen!

[helpmerhonda]

An improvement from last week: 4/5, one *

[shapeshifter]

2 hours ago, saber5055 said:

I could not parse Friday's FJ so thought of a country totally surrounded by water. Feel free to laugh and point at my answer of Greenland.

For "It has the most water area of any country," I first thought of Canada, but that seemed too obvious, so I continued to think——not a good idea during the 30 seconds of FJ for someone with a mind that tends to wander——so I thought of those vast Canadian prairies and the expanse of the frozen north, and then focused on the " 9% of its total area" part of the clue until I wrote down tiny "Netherlands"——which, it turns out, is 17% water.😑

Maybe I will stop writing responses for FJ.
I mean, other clues I count as my having responded correctly to were just in my head, and certainly not in the form of a question. 

Regardless, please pass @saber5055's roasted vegetables! Yummm!

Edited October 8, 2022 by shapeshifter

[saber5055]

14 minutes ago, shapeshifter said:

and then focused on the " 9% of its total area" part of the clue until I wrote down tiny "Netherlands"

OMGosh, that was my second choice! Hello, sis!

[GrannySmith]

2/5 no*

[M. Darcy]

3/5

[Fex]

I got 3/5, and the *! Good week for me. That Tuesday clue was tough, thinking of countries, and running the alphabet, with a clock ticking... not surprised none of the contestants got it, and I don't think I would have under any kind of pressure 😬

[Toothbrush]

3/5 no * Afghanistan popped into my mind for Tuesday, but I interpreted the clue as looking for the first 3 letters to be in sequence, like the example given. Thank goodness Wed & Thurs were easy & Friday was a lucky guess, mainly because the clue spotted that it was a big country. Canada is my normal go-to big country and I didn’t feel like thinking any further lol 

[ams1001]

14 minutes ago, Toothbrush said:

3/5 no * Afghanistan popped into my mind for Tuesday, but I interpreted the clue as looking for the first 3 letters to be in sequence, like the example given. Thank goodness Wed & Thurs were easy & Friday was a lucky guess, mainly because the clue spotted that it was a big country. Canada is my normal go-to big country and I didn’t feel like thinking any further lol 

Apparently Tuvalu and Afghanistan are the only two countries that have such a sequence of letters in their names (in English, at least).

[ProudMary]

19 minutes ago, ams1001 said:

Apparently Tuvalu and Afghanistan are the only two countries that have such a sequence of letters in their names (in English, at least).

A good piece of trivia to store in the memory banks. Thanks.

[Trey]

39 minutes ago, ams1001 said:

Apparently Tuvalu and Afghanistan are the only two countries that have such a sequence of letters in their names (in English, at least).

Thank you, because now I don't have to go through every country to see if they have letters in sequence.

[Toothbrush]

56 minutes ago, Trey said:

Thank you, because now I don't have to go through every country to see if they have letters in sequence.

I went through the alphabet trying to come up with a country. When I got to f-g-h, I immediately thought of Afghanistan but took the clue too literally and thought it had to be the first 3 letters like the example I’m the clue. 

[Mindthinkr]

Another 1/5 for me with no asterisks. 

Bringing a lemon meringue pie and have enough to share. 

[saber5055]

1 hour ago, Mindthinkr said:

Bringing a lemon meringue pie and have enough to share. 

Not if I get to it first, so I will be polite and stand at the end of the line.

I've never heard of Tuvalu but it sounded like a place McHale's Navy would have visited. So I looked it up and indeed, it's full of WWII sites and is near the Solomons and New Caledonia. I also found out it is in critical danger of disappearing due to rising ocean levels. Its highest point is just 4.6 meters above sea level. It's expected to no longer exist by the end of this century. So very sad. Presently, it's the fourth smallest country in the world.

[SoMuchTV]

9 minutes ago, saber5055 said:

Not if I get to it first, so I will be polite and stand at the end of the line.

I've never heard of Tuvalu but it sounded like a place McHale's Navy would have visited. So I looked it up and indeed, it's full of WWII sites and is near the Solomons and New Caledonia. I also found out it is in critical danger of disappearing due to rising ocean levels. Its highest point is just 4.6 meters above sea level. It's expected to no longer exist by the end of this century. So very sad. Presently, it's the fourth smallest country in the world.

Tuvalu was only on my radar because of the expansion of url names (from .com, .net, .gov, maybe a few others) to include, I think, one for each nation.  So Tuvalu was designated .tv, which apparently brought them an influx of wealth from sites that wanted to buy .tv names (previously.tv, anyone?).  All that is based on memory with no research to back it up, but that's why I've heard of Tuvalu.

[Prevailing Wind]

I know it by doing the jetpunk "countries of the world" quiz.

[theartandsound]

WEEK OF 3 OCT

4/5, no *

[labresq]

9 hours ago, Mindthinkr said:

Another 1/5 for me with no asterisks. 

Bringing a lemon meringue pie and have enough to share. 

Ditto for me except for making a pie!  I do make a good lemon icebox pie, but haven't in a very long time.

[30 Helens]

2/5 for me. At least I’m in good company!

I’m late checking in because I was out drinking margaritas, but I made sure to save some for the party:

[EtheltoTillie]

What are the rules here?  Report your total at the end of the week?  Or daily?  

[shapeshifter]

4 hours ago, EtheltoTillie said:

What are the rules here?  Report your total at the end of the week?  Or daily?  

Now that you ask, I see that the first post for the Seasons 36 and 37 Final Jeopardy Contests (and perhaps earlier) included:

Quote

**Please: No comments or FJ discussion until the week's clues are posted and scores are posted. Late players thank you!

but this season and last season’s threads do not include the guideline to only post after the week is complete, so I’m guessing we are only restricting ourselves to follow the main Jeopardy! threads’ rules to not spoil the current day’s episode by posting before 7pm ET. 
@saber5055, please set me straight if I’m off base here. 
 

But, @EtheltoTillie, regardless of the thread spoiler policy, it’s a weekly contest.

Edited October 10, 2022 by shapeshifter

[Good Queen Jane]

3/5, no *.

[Grundoon59]

4/5 with no*   I was lost in space on the consecutive letters clue but am glad to learn the information for future reference (who am I kidding, I will probably misplace it in the great filing cabinet of my mind).  Monday, Wednesday and Thursday were comfortably within my wheelhouse but Canada was a last minute wild guess which is embarrassing when part of the country is less than 15 miles from my front door.

I have some parmesan cheese cracker/biscuit things which are a lighter alternative to rolls that I can offer up for the Thanksgiving table. 

[saber5055]

15 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

please set me straight if I’m off base here.

Thanks @shapeshifter. I had forgotten I was so strict in previous contests! I say all discussions of all FJ clues and all discussions of regular Jeopardy and everything not even related to FJ or Jeopardy are welcome here. If someone hasn't seen that day's episode, stay away. Like me ... I only got home a bit ago after being gone all day and went to TJF to get today's FJ before I entered any of the J threads.

As for you @EtheltoTillie, I keep weekly scores for this FJ contest that will run the entire season. Report your week's FJ correct answers (and a FJ TS means you get an asterisk, highly desirable!) and I record them, then award a winner each week. Winner is based on whatever whim I'm feeling at the time. Final totals are posted at the end of the season, when "real" winners are drawn by number from my magic cottage cheese tub, and those lucky players will receive real actual tangible prizes in the mail, courtesy of the Contest Host. High totals, low totals, doesn't matter. Winners are based on the luck of the draw. But bragging rights are FREE!

If you wish to play, I post the week's FJ clues at the end of each week. We are four weeks in so far, so if you give me your totals for weeks 1-4, I'll add you to the Master List of Players. Bringing cyberfood for our weekly get-together meals is optional. But fun!

[SoMuchTV]

17 hours ago, saber5055 said:

I say all discussions of all FJ clues and all discussions of regular Jeopardy and everything not even related to FJ or Jeopardy are welcome here. If someone hasn't seen that day's episode, stay away.

Just to clarify - are we going by the rule for the season threads (no “spoiler” comments before 7pm ET)?  Or is the day’s episode fair game after it’s aired anywhere (potentially much earlier than that)?  If it’s the latter, I’m going to have to remember to be careful!

[saber5055]

28 minutes ago, SoMuchTV said:

Just to clarify - are we going by the rule for the season threads (no “spoiler” comments before 7pm ET)?  Or is the day’s episode fair game after it’s aired anywhere (potentially much earlier than that)?  If it’s the latter, I’m going to have to remember to be careful!

I say if you haven't seen the day's episode and don't want to take the chance of being spoiled, stay away. No rules here about when to post and no hand slapping is allowed. If the ep has aired in your area, feel free to enter and post. If it has not, enter at your own risk. This is a No Finger Pointing zone! I think the earliest episode for posters here is about 3:30 p.m. CT. It's on at 4:30 p.m. CT in my market, but I get the FJ from TJF around 1 p.m. CT and I don't care about "regular" clue spoilers so I pop in and out through the day.

It seems most action here takes place on Friday and over the weekend when players post their scores. I love hearing how everyone did ... or didn't!

[Driad]

Since Cris has been champ for a while, is it time to start counting C*, i.e. when Cris misses FJ (whether the others do or not)?  Checking the archive, it looks as if there are C* on 9/30, 10/4, and 10/5.

[saber5055]

15 hours ago, Driad said:

Since Cris has been champ for a while, is it time to start counting C*,

Ack! Way to make it more complex! Ha ha, just kidding. Let's see how this week goes for Cris, then this week I'll start the C* like we did for the M* for Matt Amodio. And since you did the hard part of getting the first three C*s ... well, I don't know, except to say thanks! I am hoping Cris stays around a long time, I am enjoying his play and his brilliant brain/smarts.

I would go back and list the C* clues here if we go with that, so everyone can catch up if desired. Thanks Driad!

[Driad]

Thanks, Saber!  In case it matters for your count, I got the three C* that I listed (9/30, 10/4, 10/5) correct.

[Ailianna]

Sorry I'm so late. It's been a week. 2/5 no *.

[30 Helens]

C* = Chris Stumper?

I feel like I’ve gotten a few of those, but I would have to go back and check. And trust that my memory isn’t lying to me in order to appear smarter.

[SoMuchTV]

On 10/11/2022 at 4:31 PM, saber5055 said:

I say if you haven't seen the day's episode and don't want to take the chance of being spoiled, stay away. No rules here about when to post and no hand slapping is allowed. If the ep has aired in your area, feel free to enter and post. If it has not, enter at your own risk. This is a No Finger Pointing zone! I think the earliest episode for posters here is about 3:30 p.m. CT. It's on at 4:30 p.m. CT in my market, but I get the FJ from TJF around 1 p.m. CT and I don't care about "regular" clue spoilers so I pop in and out through the day.

It seems most action here takes place on Friday and over the weekend when players post their scores. I love hearing how everyone did ... or didn't!

Fair enough.  Your game, your rules.  I'll just have to remember the difference from the episode thread if I'm checking the forum in the afternoon/early evening.  (The Jeopardy Fan site says "Please note that the game airs as early as noon Eastern in some U.S. television markets.")  Although, to be fair, I can only remember one instance over the years where the issue has come up here (someone posting their week's results and comments before the Friday episode aired for a lot of people, if I remember correctly).

10 hours ago, 30 Helens said:

C* = Chris Stumper?

I feel like I’ve gotten a few of those, but I would have to go back and check. And trust that my memory isn’t lying to me in order to appear smarter.

I was also thinking along those lines - C* (c-star) which could work as champ-star for any future long streaks.

[illdoc]

On 10/11/2022 at 3:31 PM, saber5055 said:

say if you haven't seen the day's episode and don't want to take the chance of being spoiled, stay away. No rules here about when to post and no hand slapping is allowed.

Actually, there is a rule about when to post: 

From the What are...Mod Notes subforum: 

Jeopardy! spoilers:

Since the show airs at different times in many markets, please avoid posting information about any new episode of the day before 7PM ET / 6PM CT / 5PM MT / 4PM PT. If necessary, you can spoiler tag it. This allows for posters to watch it in their own local TV markets.  Thank you.

[Toothbrush]

3/5 with C* I was surprised that Verne was a TS  

I missed both WWII-era clues. I guessed “the ship that bombed in Pearl Harbor”but hubby was nice 🙄 enough to inform me that it was named after a state, and I guessed Churchill. Perfect week for hubby. 

[Mindthinkr]

I had my best week this season so far. 3/5 with one C*. I’m chuffed. Weekend watch out 😂

[ProudMary]

Week #5:  3/5

[shapeshifter]

42 minutes ago, Mindthinkr said:

I had my best week this season so far. 3/5 with one C*. . .

Same! Which is a much bigger deal for me than for the Average Jeopardy! Contest Bear. 
Mine were Gerber, Woodstock, and Jules Verne. 
Did other 3-ers have the same? 

I am sure I only got today's because my daughter called during the break to tell me that she got a thank you note from her coworker for saving her life and said to thank me too. In 2016 I survived stage 4 colon cancer, and ever since then my oldest daughter has been telling people far and wide (and she travels the world and is on social media) to get colonoscopies. Her coworker was only 37, but her coworker's grandmother died of colon cancer and when her mother had a colonoscopy, she had polyps. After much nagging by my daughter, the coworker went back to the doctor who had told her to wait until she was 45 to get a colonoscopy and convinced him to let her get a colonoscopy at 37. It turned out she had a huge cancerous tumor in her appendix that was about to rupture, which would have killed her. 

And that's why I got today's C* of Jules Verne.

[ams1001]

Week 5: 2/5 with one *

YTD: 10/25 (40%)

33 minutes ago, shapeshifter said:

Mine were Gerber, Woodstock, and Jules Verne. 
Did other 3-ers have the same? 

Only 2, but I got Gerber and Verne.
 

Edit: I have leftover chicken parm and cake from my mom's birthday diner tonight if anyone wants. There was a ton!

Edited October 15, 2022 by ams1001

[ProudMary]

1 hour ago, shapeshifter said:

Same! Which is a much bigger deal for me than for the Average Jeopardy! Contest Bear. 
Mine were Gerber, Woodstock, and Jules Verne. 
Did other 3-ers have the same? 

My three were Gerber, Chamberlain and Woodstock. 

[dankesean]

Week 5: 2/5, no asterisks. Got Gerber and Chamberlain. I guessed Dumas tonight, and I feel a little vindicated that at least that was Chris's wrong answer too.