Jeopardy! Masters

[30 Helens]

12 hours ago, possibilities said:

I got the TS of Megillah, and was surprised nobody else did.

It entered my mind, but then I thought, “nah, that’s a gorilla”.

James isn’t a jackass, he just plays one on TV. (I like James. I find his shtick amusing.) And he and Ken clearly love each other.

[possibilities]

I somehow missed they were looking for a bridge, and spent my time thinking about tunnels-- Holland? Lincoln? 

I realized it's been a long time since I've been in NYC, and I couldn't remember the details of either. 

--

Somewhere there is probably a story about how a cartoon gorilla got named Magilla, and it's probably a whole megillah.

 

[dgpolo]

14 minutes ago, possibilities said:

I somehow missed they were looking for a bridge, and spent my time thinking about tunnels-

It didn't say it was a bridge, it was inferred from the phrase -- less famous than an older neighbor,-- that it might be a bridge less known than the Brooklyn Bridge

[Bastet]

I forgot to say last night I loved the spoonerisms category in the first game -- and really enjoyed Matt's reaction when he figured out master plan and plaster man at the last second.

[SoMuchTV]

50 minutes ago, Bastet said:

I forgot to say last night I loved the spoonerisms category in the first game -- and really enjoyed Matt's reaction when he figured out master plan and plaster man at the last second.

For this one - A flexible entryway for a tabby & a thin hat - I said a cat door and a dork hat.  Close.

[shapeshifter]

19 minutes ago, SoMuchTV said:

For this one - A flexible entryway for a tabby & a thin hat - I said a cat door and a dork hat.  Close.

♥️🤣
I wonder if they would've ruled it as acceptable? 
Does spelling count? Because phonetically it works.

[SoMuchTV]

38 minutes ago, shapeshifter said:

♥️🤣
I wonder if they would've ruled it as acceptable? 
Does spelling count? Because phonetically it works.

I mean, I guess it could be considered a little insulting to people who wear flat caps, so…?

[ams1001]

21 hours ago, ams1001 said:

I actually think I did better in these games than I did in tonight's regular game. Might have to check the archive tomorrow and see.

Okay, I only checked the first game, but no, I did not do better.

[SomeTameGazelle]

15 minutes ago, SoMuchTV said:

I mean, I guess it could be considered a little insulting to people who wear flat caps, so…?

I think it would be rejected on the grounds that it is not really spoonerized. Cat door => dork hat just swaps the order of the words. A spoonerism has to swap part of the sound of each word, like Jen Kennings for Ken Jennings. 

[SoMuchTV]

Aww, Sam is such a dad. “That’s right KJ…”

[ams1001]

"Hey, Ken, I know you're busy, but when you have a moment could you please bring it?" 😄 I love Sam.

Hey, I got Stieg Larsson! Never read the books but I was just guessing someone from the general area of the world where kronor sounds like it's from.

I also guessed Nicaragua for the second game's FJ. At least I didn't lose 24K on it.

Edited May 10, 2023 by ams1001

[chicagofan]

1 hour ago, ams1001 said:

"Hey, Ken, I know you're busy, but when you have a moment could you please bring it?" 😄 I love Sam.

Hey, I got Stieg Larsson! Never read the books but I was just guessing someone from the general area of the world where kronor sounds like it's from.

I haven't read the books either, but kroner lead to Norway lead to modern Norwegian author and through cultural osmosis to Stieg Larsson.

Well, even though I thought Norway instead of Sweden I ended up in the right place.

Edited May 10, 2023 by chicagofan
Because Norway and Sweden are not the same country..

[stonehaven]

Diane Warren wrote "Blame it on The Rain"?????? That's news to me.....Okay then...On the plus side, I actually knew a few answers tonight whereas last night, I felt like I was drowning in dumbness....

I really love watching how they all interact with each other. I think they are clearly doing it not just for the money but for the fun of it....and Sam....oh Sam...don't ever change...and Jeopardy bring him back whenever you can....

[IdEatThat]

Not watching the DD reveal, mostly out of rebellion.  I’m really enjoying these players and find the different permutations interesting.   It is however, a lot of Jeopardy in a day, to the point where I’m skipping regular jeopardy and that and Top Chef are the only two reasons my TV is ever on.    I don’t really have a favorite in the game.  Andrew bugged me at the beginning of his run but I grew to at least respect his knowledge and game play.    I wish them all well.  May the best player win.  

[annzeepark914]

31 minutes ago, chicagofan said:

I haven't read the books either, but kroner lead to Norway lead to modern Norwegian author and through cultural osmosis to Stieg Larsson. So now I guess if it's Norwegian it's Ibsen or Larsson.

Steig Larsson was Swedish. I just looked this up as Norwegian names usually end in "sen" and Swedish names end in "son" so I was curious. Never read his books so I had no idea who the author was.

[chicagofan]

3 minutes ago, annzeepark914 said:

Steig Larsson was Swedish. I just looked this up as Norwegian names usually end in "sen" and Swedish names end in "son" so I was curious. Never read his books so I had no idea who the author was.

Oops!

[desertflower]

I was shocked that I knew Tycho’s crater and they didn’t. I feel pretty good on a regular Jeopardy game when I know an answer they don’t, but on a masters game, wow! I felt really smart for a minute. Until we moved on to all the other questions they knew that I didn’t. Lol! 

[SomeTameGazelle]

Loved the nailbiter and seeing yesterday's underdogs come out on top. I didn't want this tournament to be a blowout for anyone so I hope to see more movement and everyone get at least one win.

ETA: Why did it take me until today to be sure that the interviews are happening before Double Jeopardy and not mid-[Single] Jeopardy?

 

Edited May 10, 2023 by SomeTameGazelle

[dcalley]

After mentioning how "effect" can be a transitive verb yesterday, I was amused to see intransitive verbs come up in the first match tonight.

[possibilities]

I take back what I said about not liking James. That project helping unhoused teens won me over.

I'm finding this tournament fun. It's similar to Celebrity Jeopardy in the way the contestants joke around, but it's also serious in that they actually know the info being sought, at least most of the time. 

 

[Cotypubby]

I really like how all the contestants joke around with each other. It makes it so much fun!

Does anyone know what Mattea’s tattoo is? Because it totally looked like two cowboys involved in something that can’t be shown on TV, so I’m wondering what it really is! 🤣

[30 Helens]

I liked James’ Vegas-themed podium signature.

Fun game, but as others have mentioned, this is a LOT of Jeopardy in a row. The habit at my house is to watch regular Jeopardy as we eat dinner, followed by whatever shows are on that night. So for the past two nights, it’s been Jeopardy followed by Jeopardy followed by Jeopardy. My brain is tired. I wish Masters was either one episode per night (making the run twice as long), or one double episode per week (making it last 10 weeks). if I continue to watch like this, I fear I will be burned out on Jeopardy long before this is over.

Edited May 10, 2023 by 30 Helens

[kathyk24]

James outsmarted himself tonight. I wonder if it were points instead of money he would have bet differently?

that should be money instead of points.

[Bastet]

The first game's line-up had me quite excited for half a second, since it featured my top three, and then I realized, oh shit, no -- only one can win and they all need the points at this stage.

It still feels like homework to keep track of my performance for an hour just half an hour after watching the regular show (which itself airs right after I quit working for the day, so I'm watching in my office and can easily track on the computer) so I've decided to just note when I know something that stumps all three masters. 

In the first game, I got seismometer (well, maybe - I said seismograph, and they're used interchangeably enough I think they'd have given credit), Sgt. Schultz, Wampanoag, and Up Close and Personal.  (There was one clue fairly early in the game I didn't hear because I had water running, and I turned it off just as Ken finished giving the answer, so that was a TS I'll have to check the archive to see if I'd have known.)

I did pretty well in that game overall; per tradition, I blew the Bible category entirely and was also pretty bad in TV, but otherwise had a good game.  I didn't know FJ, though.

I enjoyed Sam's "If you have a moment, could you please bring it" take on his usual.

In the second game, they didn't have many TS, so I was pleased to get most of them -- Jane Fonda and cleave.

I did not do anywhere near as well in that game.  I did switch to wine, but it's still just too much J! in one night, especially at this level.  I knew fuck all in paint, but didn't have any other terrible categories, I just didn't generally nail any categories, either.  And I didn't know FJ.

While I generally dislike cutesy writings of contestants' names, I liked James doing his like the Vegas sign.

I was rooting for Matt - more to root against James and Andrew than to specifically root for him although I do generally like him (and don't dislike them, I just don't actively like them) - so got excited when he nailed his DD in DJ and then was nervous in FJ.  Whew!

(I'm not sure about accepting his Shaq response; normally, yes, of course, but the whole point was rhyming, and that required O'Neal's full name -- I might have pulled out a BMS prompt.)

Edited May 10, 2023 by Bastet

[chicagofan]

34 minutes ago, kathyk24 said:

James outsmarted himself tonight. I wonder if it were points instead of money he would have bet differently?

that should be money instead of points.

Tournaments are always points instead of $ aren't they since the cash winnings for each contestant aren't determined until they are eliminated or the tournament ends. In this tournament the goal is to win the game to amass the most points and James has a history of betting big on DDs to get an insurmountable lead and secure the win before FJ. More often than not he's successful. And it seems that most if not all of the players are following his example.

Finally found the J! Archive for last night's games. I did o.k. in the J rounds - got more than half right each game with 4 correct in 3 categories in game 1 and 4 correct in 2 categories in game 2. DJ, however is a total disaster - got 10 or less correct in each game - ouch! No TSs - not that there were all that many of them.

I too am enjoying the camaraderie and banter between the players and with Ken. So glad he's hosting since he's part of the club as it were and gets it.

Edited May 10, 2023 by chicagofan

[MrAtoz]

I enjoyed Sam's visible shock and confusion that "Klink" was wrong on the Hogan's Heroes clue, until he heard the correct answer of "Schultz," and gave a rather embarrassed, "Ah, yes, you're right, Ken."

[ams1001]

8 hours ago, Bastet said:

It still feels like homework to keep track of my performance for an hour just half an hour after watching the regular show (which itself airs right after I quit working for the day, so I'm watching in my office and can easily track on the computer) so I've decided to just note when I know something that stumps all three masters. 

One of my problems with keeping score in the primetime games is that the categories aren't available on the archive ahead of time, and I don't care to try to type them as they're revealed. I always get lost when I do that. For the regular game I can go to the archive a few minutes before the game starts and set up my scorecard.

8 hours ago, Bastet said:

(I'm not sure about accepting his Shaq response; normally, yes, of course, but the whole point was rhyming, and that required O'Neill's full name -- I might have pulled out a BMS prompt.)

I agree. If the category calls for a rhyme, they should have to give the rhyme.

 

[chicagofan]

8 hours ago, Bastet said:

I'm not sure about accepting his Shaq response; normally, yes, of course, but the whole point was rhyming, and that required O'Neill's full name -- I might have pulled out a BMS prompt.

I agree - if there's something in a category's description that prompts it the contestant's response should have to fulfill that criteria.

I also thought that Matt should have gotten a BMS in his game on Monday.  In the Alliterative History category he gave a response of Pope Pius which fit the category. But there have been 12 of them so which one? (FYI it was Pope Pius I).

Edited May 10, 2023 by chicagofan

[Trey]

I noticed "Carnegie" was an answer in both games last night.

I didn't get either FJ but I answered more clues than I did on Monday and even got the ts of cleave.

I dithered between watching this or FBI but I'm glad I chose this.  I liked seeing Monday's losers become Tuesday's winners, both in a dramatic fashion.  I am pulling for Mattea (who is looking very stylish) but I like Matt a lot too.

[shapeshifter]

The wonderfully good sportsmanship makes this Jeopardy! Masters tournament a wonderful oasis in our fraught times. 
James Holzhauer's inner nice guy was shining through even before they mentioned his charitible giving. 

I just watched last night's today on Hulu at 11a.m., so I did at least get the second FJ of Haiti. 
Being of an age when sundowning is starting to look like a state of mind, I knew there was no way I would enjoy watching it at 8pm after regular Jeopardy!
And just based on a few comments here of viewers feeling overwhelmed by the amount of Jeopardy! to take in per evening, If they have a Masters in the future, I would think it best to have just one half-hour per night, which could immediately follow the regular Jeopardy! in many areas.

I'm glad my Jeopardy! son, Matt Amodio, got a win. 
And I was happy for Matteo too. 
Hey, the Matt's ruled last night! 

 

[Caoimhe]

I’m enjoying this more than I expected and players I found a bit annoying during their long runs are entertaining to watch here.  Still not an Andrew fan though of course his knowledge is really impressive.  Since I’m not watching “regular” Jeopardy these days it’s nice to have this on.

[chicagofan]

6 hours ago, Trey said:

I dithered between watching this or FBI but I'm glad I chose this.  I liked seeing Monday's losers become Tuesday's winners, both in a dramatic fashion.  I am pulling for Mattea (who is looking very stylish) but I like Matt a lot too.

Me too. I decided that I would rather watch Jeopardy! Masters live since I could easily watch FBI on the CBS website after the fact, even though I don't have Paramount +. I watched it - FBI - this morning.

[Bastet]

9 hours ago, chicagofan said:

I also thought that Matt should have gotten a BMS in his game on Monday.  In the Alliterative History category he gave a response of Pope Pius which fit the category. But there have been 12 of them so which one? (FYI it was Pope Pius I).

I'm fine with them not asking a contestant to BMS in a situation like that -- where it's an I.  If it's II and beyond, no, you can't get away with just saying the name (which is why I miss so many clues about kings, queens, popes, etc.), but I have no problem with an I not being included.  You aren't really an I until an II comes along, right -- so at some point you were just the name?  (Like John Doe is just John Doe until he names his son John Doe Jr., and then he starts getting referred to as Sr.)

[chicagofan]

Didn't do as well last night as I did on Monday - didn't hit 50% in any of the 4 rounds. It doesn't help that these guys/gals so quick on the buzzer that I don't have much of a chance to think even if I might know the answer. And then I'm still thinking about the previous clue when they've already moved on.

Two TSs in game 3 - Sergeant Schultz and Patmos. None in game 4. Now off to see how I did in the regular game today before we do it all over again.

[SomeTameGazelle]

19 hours ago, Cotypubby said:

I really like how all the contestants joke around with each other. It makes it so much fun!

Does anyone know what Mattea’s tattoo is? Because it totally looked like two cowboys involved in something that can’t be shown on TV, so I’m wondering what it really is! 🤣

Mattea has reassured ABC that it is entirely innocent and suitable for broadcast. 

https://twitter.com/mattearoach/status/1656424480544006146?s=20

Edited May 10, 2023 by SomeTameGazelle

[ams1001]

15 minutes ago, SomeTameGazelle said:

Mattea has reassured ABC that it is entirely innocent and suitable for broadcast. 

https://twitter.com/mattearoach/status/1656424480544006146?s=20

I figured if it was something not safe for TV they would have made her cover it up and not even have mentioned it.

[ams1001]

I actually got Balmoral Castle! I am not a Royals follower, but I guess all the coverage of Queen Elizabeth's death caused something to seep into my brain. (First I said Windsor, but then thought, "wait, that sounded Scottish" and then managed to come up with "that castle in Scotland that they mentioned in connection with QE"...)

[annzeepark914]

These games just go so fast. Got FJ in game 1--Rome, and a TS in game 2--Austin. Austin-Healy was a beautiful sports car. Other than that, I was lucky to shout out a few correct responses to various clues. Mattea was incredible in DJ.  

[chicagofan]

So close on getting both FJs. In the first game. I debated between Constantinople, Jerusalem and Rome, but picked the wrong one (Jerusalem).  Then in the second game I successfully made the transition from Caledonia to Scotland to Balmoral.

Will have to wait to check the archive, but I'm not holding out much hope about my performance in the J and DJ rounds.

[SomeTameGazelle]

20 minutes ago, annzeepark914 said:

Mattea was incredible in DJ.  

I always thought that she could adapt to more aggressive wagering when the stakes are match points. Happy to see it pay off. 

James feeling uncomfortable when Ken tries to get him to boast of his philanthropy is delightful. He could learn a thing or two from recent champ Lisa Sriken about deflecting.

So no Masters tomorrow but it's back Friday?

[PaulaO]

How many famous Finnish composers are there???  To use Sebelius as  a DD in a master’s tournament is ridiculous.

[chicagofan]

Yes, Masters resumes Friday and then Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday of next week.

[LennieBriscoe]

Knew "Ozymandias" because I taught it innumerable times. Knew the bridge.  Didn't  know the 21st C. author. I forget the others.

I am of the opinion that the "answers" should be more difficult, all across the board; that none of the categories should be of the "imaginary/portmanteau/creative writing" type; and that the "location of the Daily Doubles" is a silly add-on. 

Are they accumulating points or real money? IDGI. 

I'm rooting for Amy and The Professor. ("What is a new ABC sitcom about two former TV quiz show contestants teaming up to use their arcane knowledge to solve crimes?")

 

 

[Bastet]

1 hour ago, PaulaO said:

How many famous Finnish composers are there???  To use Sebelius as  a DD in a master’s tournament is ridiculous.

Yeah, that would have annoyed me even if it hadn't so heartily benefited James.  I don't know how many more there are because composers aren't in my wheelhouse, but I do know he's pretty much the only one asked about on J!

That was a rough game for Amy; she got beaten on the buzzer a lot, especially in the first round.

Only two TS, and I didn't know either of them.  I didn't do very well overall; they're so damn fast -- if I didn't know by the time I finished reading the clue, which I do faster than the host says it, I often could not think of it by the time someone buzzed in -- but there were also more clues than typical where I just plain had no idea.

Sam's "Huh" when a guess turns out to be correct is fun, as is anyone playing with him saying "Bring it" if they're the one to select the final clue.  I also liked James's "No more French".

The second game was more enjoyable all around -- after scaring the hell out of me in the first round, Mattea (my leaps and bounds favorite of these three) came away with the most points, and these folks gave me a little extra time to answer.  They had five TS and I got three of them -- Austin, dashes, and The Last Picture Show.  That one surprised me, so they must have forgotten the category.  And my FJ guess was correct (unlike in the first game, when I didn't even come up with a guess).

[Leeds]

 

On 5/8/2023 at 8:12 PM, laredhead said:

I thought Matt looked bored, and at first I thought he was perched on a swivel chair because he kept turning to his right.  I don't remember that mannerism when he played a couple of years ago. I'm old so I'm rooting for Sam.

I always thought he looked bored during his season, and if I remember correctly, he was a "rocker" back then too.  Just his natural affect/normal stance, I think.

On 5/8/2023 at 8:57 PM, 30 Helens said:

 

Lots of very hard clues, which is to be expected, but also lots of gettables. I can only assume they dumbed it up a little for the audience, because if I can do as well as I did at a Masters level game, I don’t think it’s really Masters level. I didn’t know the Manhattan Bridge, but I very confidently knew Ozymandius. 

 

I was disappointed because the questions to me don't seem anymore difficult than the normal season.  Shouldn't these supposed masters/geniuses/whatever have a bit more depth and breadth of knowledge and not just be the quickest on the buzzer because they're pretty confident they'll know the answer?

2 hours ago, PaulaO said:

How many famous Finnish composers are there???  To use Sibelius as a DD in a master’s tournament is ridiculous.

You mean you've never heard of Einojuhani Rautavaara?  😄

[illdoc]

9 hours ago, LennieBriscoe said:

Are they accumulating points or real money? IDGI. 

Just points. Whoever ends up with the most points at the end of each (1/2 hour) game gets 3 "tournament points (TP)", second most 1 TP, third place 0 TP. They will add up each player's TP for all their games played to get the rankings (Ken shows current rankings at the end of the show).

Current Rankings (courtesy of thejeopardyfan.com): (through May 10)---# correct is the "tie-breaker"
1st: James Holzhauer (6 points, 2 wins, 78 correct)
2nd: Mattea Roach (6 points, 2 wins, 51 correct)
3rd: Andrew He (5 points, 1 win, 59 correct)
4th: Matt Amodio (3 points, 1 win, 48 correct)
5th: Sam Buttrey (2 points, 0 wins, 56 correct)
6th: Amy Schneider (2 points, 0 wins, 43 correct)

 

Next Games:
Games 7 & 8: Friday, May 12
Games 9 & 10: Monday, May 15
Games 11 & 12: Tuesday, May 16
Games 13 & 14: Wednesday, May 17
Semifinals, Games 1 & 2: Monday, May 22
Semifinals, Games 3 & 4: Tuesday, May 23
Finals: Wednesday, May 24

[Trey]

I was glad to see Mattea pull up her socks and get the win; she was doing so poorly at first.

I got both FJs and the ts of Austin as well as FJ in the regular game - I felt very smart last night.

[possibilities]

It's interesting to me that the tie-breaker is number of correct responses, and they don't weight it by the "dollar value" of the clues, since some are presumably more difficult than others (i.e. if you get a 200$ clue vs a 1000$ clue, for example, the latter is expected to be tougher).

[Grizzly]

Thursday is the only night I don't have something I normally watch at 8 and was going to check this out. But no, it's more important to air Station 19 🙄. 

Go Sam!

[ams1001]

1 hour ago, Grizzly said:

Thursday is the only night I don't have something I normally watch at 8 and was going to check this out. But no, it's more important to air Station 19 🙄. 

Go Sam!

I'll be watching Young Sheldon and Ghosts.

This tourney has such a weird schedule. I need to make sure I don't forget to watch tomorrow night since I don't watch anything on Fridays normally and just turn the TV off after J! is over at 7:30. (And I'm off tomorrow so I already keep thinking it's Friday today.)

Edited May 11, 2023 by ams1001