Jeopardy! Masters

[shapeshifter]

4 minutes ago, ebk57 said:

 

For any who cannot see the rest of Amy's post on Twitter/X:

 

[annzeepark914]

Whew! Congrats Victoria 🎉

[LennieBriscoe]

BRAVA!

[susannot]

She was ON FIRE!

[ams1001]

I got the missed clue of asylum in the first game.

Game 2 Final was an insta-instaget.

Today kinda sucked but James not thanking his wife gave me a good laugh, so thanks, James, I needed that. Also enjoyed his final boss death music.

Congrats to Victoria, even though I'm still mad at her for beating Sam.

 

[Browncoat]

Hooray for Victoria!  Of the three finalists, I was rooting for her the most. 

That FJ in the second game seemed a bit easy for a Jeopardy Masters tournament.  

[susannot]

The Henrietta Lacks question?  Not easy at all!  I was able to remember that it was the woman who had donated her cells but certainly not the name.

Edited May 23 by susannot

[SoMuchTV]

1 minute ago, Browncoat said:

That FJ in the second game seemed a bit easy for a Jeopardy Masters tournament.  

I guess they have to keep ‘em guessing on the difficulty of FJ! 

And it’s pronounced EEEVerest, Ken. 

[SoMuchTV]

3 minutes ago, susannot said:

The Henrietta Lacks question?  Not easy at all!  I was able to remember that it was the woman who had donated her cells but certainly not the name.

One of my kids, when she started college, there was a book that all the incoming freshmen read. In her case it was The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, and I thought, that looks interesting, so I read it too. I’d like to think I would have learned about her elsewhere, but I’m not completely sure. 

[Browncoat]

6 minutes ago, susannot said:

it was the woman who had donated her cells

Not exactly -- more like she had her cells taken from her without her consent or knowledge.  If you haven't read "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks" by Rebecca Skloot, I highly recommend it.

[possibilities]

I have developed the theory that James was off his game because he didn't have his eyeglasses, and that slowed him down and made him tired. I can't remember if he always squinted, but all throughout the tournament he had the face of a person who needs his glasses.

[Bastet]

12 minutes ago, possibilities said:

I can't remember if he always squinted,

Yep.  At least, as far as I can recall.  We never saw him in glasses (again, IIRC), and if he needed them or contacts now and left them at home (which happened to another contestant in the regular game at some point), he should have had time to have them overnighted to him early in the process.

I'm so happy Victoria won.  I really wanted her to, but would have been fine with Yogesh, who has never bothered me and who has kept me quite entertained with his asides.  I wouldn't have been truly upset if James did (unlike my mom; she's fairly "new" to J! after a very long absence, so never saw any of them during their original runs, but pronounced herself Team Anyone But James [with Victoria being her first choice] during this tournament, to my amusement), but I'm relieved he didn't.

Him claiming a digit got dropped from his game one FJ wager made me laugh, though.  As did "Um, no" upon being asked if he could BMS and refusing to thank his wife again this year.  I don't hate the guy by any means, I just would almost always prefer someone else win.

Victoria thanking two teachers who encouraged her to be her nerd self was lovely.

I did not get any of the TS in the first game, or FJ.

In the second, I got the asylum and antacid TS and FJ was an instaget (I was not expecting that!).

[30 Helens]

I knew immediately who they were going for in FJ, but could not remember the woman's name. My husband provided that based on my input, so this was another tag team win for us. I really wish Jeopardy would do team events, like Wheel of Fortune does, because I think we'd clean up.

I'm sorry James did not do better, but he made me laugh as always. And he seemed to get his mojo back in these last few games, so good for him.  And good for his long-suffering (with an apparent good sense of humor) wife.

Amy's dignified comments about her journey make me smile. I would expect nothing less. 

YAY VICTORIA!! I was rooting for her from the start, and I love that she won. As a relative newcomer to the elite stage, I think it meant a lot to her. Looking forward to seeing her again on The Chase.

 

[Cotypubby]

Woo! So happy Victoria won, I was rooting for her from the beginning. Super easy FJ for the second game there. Got it instantly. Not that it mattered since it was a runaway victory.
 

I liked Ken’s retort back at Yogesh “I think they would pronounce it “Salt ‘n Peppa!” 

[LennieBriscoe]

4 hours ago, SoMuchTV said:

I guess they have to keep ‘em guessing on the difficulty of FJ! 

And it’s pronounced EEEVerest, Ken. 

And you'll notice Ken was NOT HAPPY  about his "correction"'s being corrected, as he then "got back at" Yogesh with "Salt-N-Pepa, much like EEverest," all in good humor, of course.  Heh.  

[chessiegal]

7 hours ago, 30 Helens said:

I really wish Jeopardy would do team events, like Wheel of Fortune does, because I think we'd clean up.

I think those of us at home get to make our own rules, so go for it! 

[Bliss]

So happy for Victoria! I predicted she'd leave 'em in her dust and she did exactly that. Her sincere appreciation for her teachers was heartwarming.

James' not thanking his wife cracked me up, as did Ken's quick salt-n-peppa retort. I'm a banter enthusiast, so all the asides during play made my day. It'll take a while to get back to full enjoyment of the regular games as the Masters are so exciting.

I also appreciate Yogesh's attempts to be funny - sometimes he succeeds! His comment about Y at the beginning of a word being superior to second place comes to mind... however, his mumbling still grates.

Victoria's warm hugs at the finish were perfect... as were James' and Yogesh's awkward embraces.🤣

 

[shapeshifter]

I just watched the last segment on Hulu (fell asleep yesterday) and was very satisfied that Victoria won.
Does anyone know from social media where she shops for her wardrobe? The print on this last blouse was very reminiscent of some fabric I had in the 70s when I still sewed clothes. I've f'loved all of her blouses.

Yogesh had a different kind of win in that it seemed he managed to rehabilitate his public persona, although a couple of times I still wanted to give him a motherly side-eye. But he did manage to overcome his shyness to go all the way over and hug Victoria, and had fun doubling down on her hilarious question phraseology. 
As far as charities go, I might have preferred Yogesh's, but it's hard to say without doing a deep dive into all of them.

I hope James returns. At least his lowball bet wasn't a mistake. Victoria had it sewn up. And next year, James, maybe dedicate everything to your wife? LOL

 

FJ was an instaget for me. When The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks was published in 2010, I listened to NPR reviews, and again in 2017, when the film came out, and then in 2021 her family finally won a lawsuit.
But also…

14 hours ago, SoMuchTV said:

One of my kids, when she started college, there was a book that all the incoming freshmen read. In her case it was The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, and I thought, that looks interesting, so I read it too. I’d like to think I would have learned about her elsewhere, but I’m not completely sure. 

I recall The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks being required reading for First Years Studies at the college where I was librarian.
So, yeah, my reaction to the easiness of that FJ for Masters was:

14 hours ago, SoMuchTV said:

I guess they have to keep ‘em guessing on the difficulty of FJ! 

…but "mileage may vary."

 

Edited May 23 by shapeshifter

[EtheltoTillie]

I was very happy with Victoria’s win, but I enjoyed the whole thing despite my once again atrocious showing in this super speedy format with difficult questions. I also enjoyed the funny question stylings.  I should have known Henrietta Lacks, but the way the question was written just didn’t make anything come to mind. I mean no guesses at all. Then of course it was a head slapper duh when I heard the answer. So kudos to the question writers in this tourney. I did get asylum. 

Speaking of antacid, I also said base, and I was with James when he was asked to be more specific and he said nope got nothing. 

Edited May 23 by EtheltoTillie

[annzeepark914]

What the hey was with Yogesh's holding his buzzer almost over his head? He really had to let everyone know *he* had the answer 🙄. I still consider him a tool and felt he was a damper on the Masters tournament.  

 

 

[possibilities]

10 hours ago, Bastet said:

We never saw him in glasses (again, IIRC), and if he needed them or contacts now and left them at home (which happened to another contestant in the regular game at some point), he should have had time to have them overnighted to him early in the process.

So much for my theory!

How many days did they spend taping the tournament? Does anyone know? I was thinking it might have been all in a day or two.

[Trey]

I enjoyed the tournament but |I'm glad it's over too.  Just an overload of Jeopardy!

I am disappointed that James didn't win but I'm okay with Victoria winning. 

 

[annzeepark914]

1 hour ago, Trey said:

I enjoyed the tournament but |I'm glad it's over too.  Just an overload of Jeopardy!

I am disappointed that James didn't win but I'm okay with Victoria winning. 

 

Me too. And to think a year ago I couldn't stand him 😁. I think I started liking him because he started showing us his fun (& real) side. He & the professor are so funny. I also admire him for his charitable work. Good guy!

[EtheltoTillie]

Here's the skinny on Victoria's green flowered dress.  A web site called Shop Your TV.

It's by DVF.

https://www.shopyourtv.com/jeopardy-masters-season-2-episode-7-victoria-groces-green-printed-wrap-dress/

@shapeshifter What kind of flower was that?  I have not checked for the other blouse. 

Edited May 23 by EtheltoTillie

[possibilities]

I can't enlarge it well enough to be sure, but I think that green dress is the one with ginkgo leaves.

[shapeshifter]

55 minutes ago, EtheltoTillie said:

Here's the skinny on Victoria's green flowered dress.  A web site called Shop Your TV.

It's by DVF.

https://www.shopyourtv.com/jeopardy-masters-season-2-episode-7-victoria-groces-green-printed-wrap-dress/

Ooo! The blouse I was lusting after is linked there too, but, alas, it is $222!
(It has fabric-covered buttons.)

Thanks for finding the site, @EtheltoTillie!
If I was going to be on TV I could justify it. 
Or it would have even worked at my daughter's outdoor wedding in 2019.
I'm vicariously thrilled Victoria has one. 

 

44 minutes ago, possibilities said:

I can't enlarge it well enough to be sure, but I think that green dress is the one with ginkgo leaves.

Thank you for saving me from obsessively finding the episode where she mentioned the flowers/leaves. I'm 99.99% sure she said ginko. Plus, they look like ginko.

Here's a photo of the ginko leaves:

And here's a lovely watercolor depiction:

[Bastet]

5 hours ago, possibilities said:

How many days did they spend taping the tournament? Does anyone know? I was thinking it might have been all in a day or two.

The quarterfinals alone took two days.  They normally (meaning, on the regular show) tape five games per day, but since there were 12 QF games, they shot six per day. 

Then there were four semi-final games and the two finals, so they could have done those on day three, but I don't know (the archive has not been updated since QF game 10) if that's what they did or if they did the semis one day and the finals the next so the finalists were fresh.

[ams1001]

8 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

And next year, James, maybe dedicate everything to your wife? LOL

I was thinking, he won one and lost one, so what will he do if there's a next time?

 

[possibilities]

@shapeshifter thanks! And yes-- those are definitely ginkgo leaves!

[secnarf]

22 hours ago, 30 Helens said:

I knew immediately who they were going for in FJ, but could not remember the woman's name. My husband provided that based on my input, so this was another tag team win for us. I really wish Jeopardy would do team events, like Wheel of Fortune does, because I think we'd clean up.

I got an email not too long ago for "pop culture" Jeopardy that will stream on Prime I think? Looking for teams of 3.

23 hours ago, possibilities said:

I have developed the theory that James was off his game because he didn't have his eyeglasses, and that slowed him down and made him tired. I can't remember if he always squinted, but all throughout the tournament he had the face of a person who needs his glasses.

He also squinted during the "interview" portion of the show though, and he wouldn't have needed to read anything there, right?

 

 

[chessiegal]

9 hours ago, secnarf said:

I got an email not too long ago for "pop culture" Jeopardy that will stream on Prime I think? Looking for teams of 3.

Yes, it will stream on Prime Video. The info is on the J! web site.

Quote

Pop Culture Jeopardy! will stream exclusively on Prime Video.

Pop Culture Jeopardy

[LennieBriscoe]

From the above linked article:

"Academic rigor" and "Pop culture." 

Yeah, no.   

Edited May 24 by LennieBriscoe

[bad things are bad]

https://www.facebook.com/story.php?id=203232&story_fbid=10107292918065533&__n=K

Long but very interesting.  A different take on Yogesh 

[annzeepark914]

I'm too weary of him to go back and provide links to his vitriolic attacks against Jeopardy. He must be working hard to improve his nasty image. 

[possibilities]

I think I missed several different events in the string he's talking about. 

It sounds like he asked for an accomodation and was told they didn't have to make it? If Jeopardy thinks it's not subject to the ADA and is not a public accomodation under the law, I invite someone to sue them into the ground and will applaud him if he does it. But I had not heard anything about that element of the conflict. Maybe I'm misunderstanding what he means by being told J is not a public accomodation (I'm more steeped in disability rights jargon than other types; maybe this is not what he's talking about at all).

I also don't know what some of the other items are that he references. 

 

[opus]

A letter in the paper here today. Agree or disagree with the suggestion?

Edit— Any chance June posts here?

 

 

Edited May 25 by opus

[shapeshifter]

2 hours ago, opus said:

A letter in the paper here today. Agree or disagree with the suggestion?

2 hours ago, opus said:

This suggestion for the Masters: 

• “not having Daily Doubles…It would level the playing field because as it stands now, whoever finds and gets the Daily Doubles correct almost always wins. It takes away some of the excitement of the game.”

doesn't make sense to me, but I can't seem to wrap my mind around the J! Masters statistics available here: j-archive.com/showseason.php?season=jm

Specifically, how many of those Masters games were a foregone conclusion going into FJ. 
But wasn't there an instance — maybe last year? — when someone's FJ wagering math was off by a dollar and it changed the result? 

Doesn't the writer's premise pre-suppose that one person lands on and correctly responds to at least 2 DDs?
I thought there were at least a couple of the games in this tourney where all 3 Masters contestants won a DD. 

My questioning of DDs in Jeopardy! in general is that it becomes a game of chance, to some degree. Back when Matt Amodio was winning non-stop in regular Jeopardy!, I don't think he ever missed a DD and always wagered everything, so that was no gamble — but also more of an anomaly. 
Anyway, life is a gamble.

 

[annzeepark914]

IMHO, the DD's add a little excitement to the game due to the risks of the wagering. However, I've never really liked it when the game suddenly stops for them. 

[DXD526]

I debated about whether to watch - as some have stated, the daily show and Masters is a lot of J! - but glad I did. A really entertaining tournament. Congrats to Victoria!

I recently, finally, got around to reading The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks. Just finished it a couple of weeks ago, so the tourney's final FJ was beyond instaget for me (which was not the rule for the tourney in general)!

When breaking for commercial, I liked the shot of Mattea, Andrew, and Sam all sitting together in the audience. It's fun to watch the closeness of all these J! heavyweights! 

[annzeepark914]

On 5/23/2024 at 9:30 AM, annzeepark914 said:

What the hey was with Yogesh's holding his buzzer almost over his head? He really had to let everyone know *he* had the answer 🙄. I still consider him a tool and felt he was a damper on the Masters tournament.  

 

 

Well...I just learned that I've been banned from the Jeopardy section of Reddit for a week for posting a similar ^^^^ comment. Maybe because I referred to him as a "creature" (but I didn't call him a tool; sheesh, that might've gotten me banned from the whole site!)

[opus]

A rebuttal to the letter I posted the other day.

Maybe Katherine posts here?

 

[opus]

Two more, including the return of June. I’m determined to post these till the conversation stops.

[possibilities]

I am loving that I do not have an opinion about Daiily Doubles one way or the other. It's so rare that I don't have one, it's like a special day whenever it happens.

[Prevailing Wind]

Nevermind.

Edited May 28 by Prevailing Wind

[Scott]

Finally caught up with the tournament (this really is just too much Jeopardy).  Basically can summarize my viewing experience in one sentence:  Yogesh is a ****.  

[DXD526]

If I had never heard of Yogesh prior to this tournament, I would have had no problem with him. I think he comported himself well. But remembering what a poor sport he was, and how he badmouthed J! after he lost during his first stint, I just couldn't root for him. 

Victoria seems delightful, I was glad to see her win. And unlike some here (!), I like James just fine, and would have been fine with him winning. But I'm glad it was Victoria 😁