Jeopardy! Season 40 (2023-2024)

[Athena]

Jeopardy! Season 40 will premiere September 11, 2023.

Please remember the basic rules of this forum and thread. Posting about the day's episode should happen after 7PM ET. Before that, it is considered spoilers so please tag it.

Celebrity Jeopardy! has its own forum.

As always, be civil to your fellow posters and no politics. 

Thank you! 

[illdoc]

Well, all I can say is "This season started with a bang." As in, my hope for a perfect week just got blown up with dynamite :(

[Katy M]

FJ was an instaget.

I got the missed clues of Val Kilmer, iron, curvy, owl, jackrabbit, gladiolus, Mount of Olives, Bocaccio and soliliquy.

I got the entire category of bestiary right.  

I missed a few that I knew.  Getting rusty and old.

[ams1001]

Whether you're watching in real time, youtubing, or reading the archive, welcome back! 

September 11:

73% / 47% / 59%

J!: Off to a decent start in the first round of the season…ran A Latin Bestiary, missed one each in Barbie and Kin, and two in Science, Miami, and Sounds Like Food. 

DJ: Not so decent in DJ; ran nothing, missed one in Mississippi Learning and three in everything else (including both DDs).

Did not get FJ.

TS: There were 7 missed clues in J! (including the DD), and 8 in DJ (including one DD). I got iron ore (DD), drumsticks, Val Kilmer, owl, hare/jackrabbit, soliloquy, and galleon.

5 minutes ago, illdoc said:

Well, all I can say is "This season started with a bang." As in, my hope for a perfect week just got blown up with dynamite :(

Me, too. They had to start with British monarchs?

 

[chitowngirl]

So nice to be back!! Missed you Ken. Instaget FJ.

[Browncoat]

FJ was not an instaget, but I got it -- it was a total guess, though.

And I got the TS of drumsticks, Val Kilmer, iron, owl, hare, galleon, Thebes, Gingham Dog, and soliloquy.

Jill was very cheerful.

[secnarf]

Thank goodness for "Queen Charlotte". That is how I knew Queen Victoria.

Also surprised myself with an automatic "Drosophila melanogaster" for the fruit fly question - had no idea that bit of information was still in the recesses of my brain. Maybe it was just a good day for me, but I felt the clues were easier than last year. Curious to see if that continuous throughout the week/tournament.

I didn't remember any of the contestants.

[chicagofan]

Not too bad a start to season 40. Good J round - DJ not as good, but not a complete disaster.

Didn't run anything in the J round, but got 4 in "Welcome to Miami", "A Latin Bestiary", "World of Barbie" and "Kin". TS/missed DD were iron (DD), owl, curvy and Val Kilmer.

Didn't do as well in DJ, but I did run "Mississippi Learning". Got 2 TS - soliloquy and galleon.

No FJ for me. I should have gotten it, but my poor brain knew who it wasn't and couldn't settle on who it was. At least I didn't say Victoria II.

I didn't remember any of the contestant either.

Edited September 12, 2023 by chicagofan
Because there is no such word as rither.

[ProudMary]

My love for both period pieces and biopics definitely paid off here, making FJ an instaget! Thanks to "The Young Victoria" and the BBC series "Victoria", I knew exactly how Victoria had ascended to the throne. Then via "Victoria and Abdul" and the earliest episodes of "The Crown" I knew that the rest of the line through to Elizabeth II, were all direct descendants of Victoria.

 

[GreekGeek]

Nice to have J! back and "see" everyone again.

Good game! Does the decision to lead off the season with a Second Chance Tournament have anything to do with the writers' strike? I haven't followed every detail of how it affects the new TV season.

I wondered if "Kilmer" would have been judged correct, without adding "Val"?

I knew owl, hare, Orlando, Bocaccio, the Thebes DD, Ionian Sea, and soliloquy. Blew FJ though--I got stuck on the abdication of Edward VIII and thought, "Elizabeth II! No, she succeeded her dad...George VI! No, he succeeded his brother..." and never got around to Victoria. Gabriel must be kicking himself for adding "II."

 

[SomeTameGazelle]

37 minutes ago, GreekGeek said:

Gabriel must be kicking himself for adding "II."

At least in the scheme of things it didn't make any difference since Jill got it right and wagered an unnecessarily large amount.

[Cotypubby]

I remember rooting for Jill the last time she was on so was very happy she won this time!

Are these the questions that were written before the writer’s strike? I thought I read they were going to re-use questions from earlier seasons, but the film Chevalier only came out in April and I don’t remember seeing that clue. Or are they mixing old clues with new ones?

[Ancaster]

Did anyone else think that was a terrible photo of Sally Field?

Edited September 12, 2023 by Ancaster
Missing word

[Ancaster]

3 hours ago, ProudMary said:

My love for both period pieces and biopics definitely paid off here, making FJ an instaget! Thanks to "The Young Victoria" and the BBC series "Victoria", I knew exactly how Victoria had ascended to the throne. Then via "Victoria and Abdul" and the earliest episodes of "The Crown" I knew that the rest of the line through to Elizabeth II, were all direct descendants of Victoria.

 

I was a bit surprised at Victoria II and definitely surprised at Ken saying Victoria I.  You can't have a I until there's a II. 

[Katy M]

3 hours ago, Ancaster said:

I was a bit surprised at Victoria II and definitely surprised at Ken saying Victoria I.  You can't have a I until there's a II. 

I think he was just explaining why Victoria II was wrong.  Also, maybe he's psychic and knows there will be a second in the future.

[Bliss]

Great to be back! Hi to all.

I don't keep score in any way (yay for retirement where "living my best life" means eliminating all unnecessary stress); however, we had a guest watching with us and she said, "you should get on this show" and I laughed and laughed. Note the above stress comment.

FJ was a lucky guess.

Lastly, I never thought I'd say this as I wasn't a Ken fan during his run... I've grown to truly enjoy him. I'm such a Ken fan now. He could be the 'only' host and I'd be oh-so-happy. His comment about H&R Block was hilarious.

[lambertman]

7 hours ago, Ancaster said:

Did anyone else think was a terrible photo of Sally Field?

No such thing!

[Good Queen Jane]

Gabriel was introduced as a "script writer. I couldn't help but wonder if TPTB deliberately sought him out to show there was nothing wrong in filming new shows during the strike. I also wondered what the Writer's Guild thought about his appearance. It is my understanding that there are different rules during the strike for appearances on game shows and daytime talk shows. 

[shapeshifter]

J! Archive seems to have gone dark in support of the strike(s), right?

13 hours ago, Cotypubby said:

Are these the questions that were written before the writer’s strike? I thought I read they were going to re-use questions from earlier seasons, but the film Chevalier only came out in April and I don’t remember seeing that clue. Or are they mixing old clues with new ones?

Maybe a Jeopardy! writer attended the 2022 Toronto International Film Festival and saw Chevalier there??? (wikipedia.org/wiki/Chevalier_(2022_film)#Release)
Or maybe it's just the fruits of the 2022 Network Television Code Agreement that cover:

Quote

...programming in nearly all non-primetime and all non-dramatic primetime television, as well as digital media. Covered programs include morning news shows, talk shows, serials (soap operas), variety, reality, game shows, sports and promotional announcements. Current programs covered by this contract include Good Morning America, Tamron Hall, The Young and the Restless, Jeopardy, Saturday Night Live, The Voice, So You Think You Can Dance, Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, the Academy Awards and the Super Bowl.

https://www.sagaftra.org/members-ratify-2022-network-television-code-agreement

Ken seemed to be reading a script at the beginning.

 

I was sad that none of these youngsters knew Ginger Baker as a drummer on the 1960s Cream and Blind Faith albums (SOUNDS LIKE FOOD for $800).
It was my only TS.

Edited September 12, 2023 by shapeshifter
correction

[chicagofan]

11 hours ago, SomeTameGazelle said:

At least in the scheme of things it didn't make any difference since Jill got it right and wagered an unnecessarily large amount.

What was Jill thinking? I was rooting for her, but after she wagered it all in FJ when she should have wagered $1,001 to cover a Derek double up, I may rethink things going forward.

[chicagofan]

19 minutes ago, shapeshifter said:

J! Archive seems to have gone dark in support of the strike(s), right?

Yesterday's game is up on the J! Archive. That's how I confirmed my correct responses and TSs.

[sugarbaker design]

11 hours ago, Ancaster said:

Did anyone else think that was a terrible photo of Sally Field?

It seems to me Jeopardy always uses the worst pictures of its subjects.  That one of Rachel Weiss was awful also.

[proserpina65]

I really hate these Second Chance tournaments.  None of these people deserved a second chance.  In fact, the only person in last year's who did was the woman who was wrongly told that she hadn't finished writing "Harriet Tubman" when she very clearly had.  If the producers are just going to give random contestants second chances, they should call me, damn it.

1 hour ago, sugarbaker design said:

It seems to me Jeopardy always uses the worst pictures of its subjects.  That one of Rachel Weiss was awful also.

I didn't even recognize Rachel Weisz.

FJ was an instaget for me.  I ran Miami, Bestiary*, Food and Mississippi.  Got all but one clue in Kin, Greek Geography and Renaissance Literature.  My triple stumpers and missed DDs were iron, hare* (I said rabbit but I'm counting it since I was picturing the jackrabbits in Night of the Lepus), owl (Thanks, original Clash of the Titans for that one), drumsticks, Thebes, soliloquy, Orlando, Boccaccio and galleon.

I didn't quite understand the Kin category, or maybe I missed the category name completely, because I know Joyce Kilmer wrote Trees.

15 hours ago, GreekGeek said:

I wondered if "Kilmer" would have been judged correct, without adding "Val"?

Given that they have accepted "Roosevelt" and "Adams" without requiring a first name in the past, I'd argue is absolutely should be correct.

14 hours ago, Cotypubby said:

Are these the questions that were written before the writer’s strike?

The strike started at the beginning of May so they probably were written before then.

7 hours ago, Bliss said:

Lastly, I never thought I'd say this as I wasn't a Ken fan during his run... I've grown to truly enjoy him. I'm such a Ken fan now. He could be the 'only' host and I'd be oh-so-happy. His comment about H&R Block was hilarious.

This is where I am on Ken.  In fact, I used to actively dislike him but have since definitely come around.

3 hours ago, chicagofan said:

What was Jill thinking?

Maybe she was thinking it was a great subject for her and worth the risk.  That's how I would've felt about an Opera FJ - who cares how much I have, let's bet it all and go for the big payday in a category I've only failed at once.

[ams1001]

10 minutes ago, proserpina65 said:

I really hate these Second Chance tournaments.  None of these people deserved a second chance.

I didn't even remember any of them.

11 minutes ago, proserpina65 said:

I didn't even recognize Rachel Weisz.

I did, but it took me a second; I got that one more from having seen Agora than from the picture.

12 minutes ago, proserpina65 said:

owl (Thanks, original Clash of the Titans for that one)

I just tried to think of nocturnal birds and owl was the first (and most obvious) that came to mind.

13 minutes ago, proserpina65 said:

I didn't quite understand the Kin category,

The clues were just about famous people and who they're related to.

14 minutes ago, proserpina65 said:

This is where I am on Ken.  In fact, I used to actively dislike him but have since definitely come around.

I can't say I ever thought much about him before, though I always liked him well enough as a player, but I've liked him as host from the beginning. I wouldn't even have seen all his original games, since in 2004 I was working in retail so I didn't exactly have a consistent schedule where I was home at 7 every night. 

[Grizzly]

4 hours ago, sugarbaker design said:

That one of Rachel Weiss was awful also.

From the photo, I said Elizabeth Hurley. But didn't think she fit the clue.

[illdoc]

Quick word on these "2nd Chancers"---I checked the J! archive and most of the 27 contestants were (a) against a "multi-day champ" (b) were leading before FJ (or were very close to the leader) (c) were playing on the first day of a guest host (ie Katie Couric's first day, Mike Richards' first day, etc). To check, just go to season 37, hit "ctrl F", type in a contestant name (you usually don't need the whole name), and you'll be at their game, which you can then click on to see details. That being said, not one of these contestants seems familiar (not unusual given how long ago their games were (2020-2021) and they were only there one day). At least with last year's "2nd Chancers", you knew why they were probably there (ie against a super champ, questionable handwriting, etc). This time, they aren't even bothering to give a reason.

[Katy M]

I said purgatory.  I never claimed to be smart.

the only missed clue i got was Oscar wilde.

And I got the entire category of flu right. 

[ams1001]

September 12:

70% / 83% / 77%

Pretty good game tonight! In J! I ran The U.S. in 1964 and "M"MMMM, missed one in After In Living Color, two in That's T-B-D, and three in Potpour-Everything and African Capital Haiku. In DJ I ran Influenza and Play People, missed one each in Quite a Fox, The Sporting Life, and Georgia on My Mind, and two in Stuck in the Middle Word With You (and now I have Stealers Wheel stuck in my head).

Even FJ was pretty much an instaget (rare for me in a mythology category).

My only TS was Oscar Wilde. (Not a lot of TSes tonight; two in J! and three in DJ.) 

I don't remember any of these people, either. Also, my ears are all clogged so I could barely hear the game. My left ear cleared for a little while and then got all blocked again just as the game was starting. 😒
 

[SoMuchTV]

5 hours ago, proserpina65 said:

Maybe she was thinking it was a great subject for her and worth the risk.  That's how I would've felt about an Opera FJ - who cares how much I have, let's bet it all and go for the big payday in a category I've only failed at once.

Wait did she actually get the money? I thought in the tournament it was a win or don’t win thing. So just wager enough to beat the next closest competitor?  But even given that, I guess I can see she may have forgotten that in the moment? Maybe?

[Trey]

Monday:

Hi, everyone! It's great to be back and to see you all here again.  It was such a quiet six weeks.

It was a pretty good game for me and I enjoyed watching it.

I didn't write down my ts's but I know I got drumsticks and soliloquy plus a couple more that I can't remember.

Instaget FJ.  It felt good to start off the week and the season right.

Tuesday:

Not such a great game tonight. My only ts was Vietnam and I felt so stupid for missing Oscar Wilde.

No FJ for me tonight.  I also said purgatory.  I suppose "flood" and "brook" should have indicated something watery to me but they didn't.

[illdoc]

Yeah, I was a "purgatory" as well. My problem, I don't think of "The River Styx" as a place (the category was "Mythological Places"). It's an object to me. So even if I had thought of Styx, I wouldn't have said it.

[MrAtoz]

57 minutes ago, illdoc said:

My problem, I don't think of "The River Styx" as a place

That's where I was. I said "Hell," even though it seemed way too general. I figured it couldn't be Purgatory, because the clue specified Dante's Inferno. Purgatory is dealt with in Dante's Purgatorio.

[Clanstarling]

On 9/11/2023 at 4:37 PM, ams1001 said:

Me, too. They had to start with British monarchs?

From the Victoria series to Upstairs Downstairs, to The King's Speech, and The Crown - I've got Victoria's lineage nailed down. And they say TV rots the brain. 🤪

On 9/11/2023 at 8:53 PM, Cotypubby said:

I remember rooting for Jill the last time she was on so was very happy she won this time!

Are these the questions that were written before the writer’s strike? I thought I read they were going to re-use questions from earlier seasons, but the film Chevalier only came out in April and I don’t remember seeing that clue. Or are they mixing old clues with new ones?

I think they said that there were questions written before the strike that were to be included in this season.

23 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

J! Archive seems to have gone dark in support of the strike(s), right?

I thought it was too, until I saw the teeny listing for Monday's game. I just never looked at J!Archive when there weren't a bunch of shows.

21 hours ago, sugarbaker design said:

It seems to me Jeopardy always uses the worst pictures of its subjects.  That one of Rachel Weiss was awful also.

I didn't recognize Rachel at all.

15 hours ago, ams1001 said:

Even FJ was pretty much an instaget (rare for me in a mythology category).

It was for me too, but I had zero confidence in it. So I was happily surprised.

Thanks @illdoc for clarifying how the 2nd Chancers were picked. It makes a lot more sense to me now.

Edited September 13, 2023 by Clanstarling

[DXD526]

I thought of the Styx, but discounted that answer, because it's NOT a 'place,' IMO! Maybe that's the kind of writing we're going to get while the strike is on? 

[sugarbaker design]

Just now, DXD526 said:

I thought of the Styx, but discounted that answer, because it's NOT a 'place,'

That's what threw me off also.

[chicagofan]

Yesterday was a flip flop of Monday's game - good DJ round this time, but bad J round.

I did have 2 decent categories in the J round as I got 4 in "The U.S. in 1964" and "African Capital Haiku" (which was a total shocker as that's the type of category I could totally miss). But the other 4 categories were a major disaster. No TSs, but at least there were only 2 of them in the round.

Good DJ round. Didn't run anything, but got 4 right in "Quite a Fox", "The Sporting Life", "Influenza" and "Stuck in the Middle Word with You". One TS - George Washington - which was a total guess. I couldn't think of anyone else who could be the Commander of the Continental Army so I just blurted out his name.

No FJ. I couldn't figure out a "place" that they were going for other than Hell which I didn't think was right as it seemed too easy. And I'm with those of you that were questioning a river being a place. But what do I know since all 3 contestants hot it right. Oh well!

Side note - I've been to Hell...in the Cayman Islands - been there, bought the t-shirt.

Edited September 13, 2023 by chicagofan

[Browncoat]

Archive game for me for Tuesday night, so I'm catching up now.

I got FJ, because of the water references.  I didn't think I was right when I wrote it down, though.

The only TS I got was Vietnam -- a total guess based on the spelling in the clue, since I couldn't see the picture.

[Clanstarling]

6 hours ago, chicagofan said:

I did have 2 decent categories in the J round as I got 4 in "The U.S. in 1964" and "African Capital Haiku" (which was a total shocker as that's the type of category I could totally miss)

My summer project was learning the countries of the world and their capitals. It really paid off. I use the sporcles quizzes because they have map quizzes, which help the way I memorize (lists don't do it for me) 

Of course now I have this unfortunate habit of saying the name of a capital out loud whenever a country is mentioned. But I have an indulgent spouse who thinks it's cute. So it works out. 🥰

[chicagofan]

Meh kinda game - thought I should have gotten some clues I missed but lost track of the category leading to some head smacks.

Only 1 good category in each round - 4 in "I'm Just a Bill, Billy or William" in the J round and 4 in " 'C's the Day" in DJ.  2 TSs/missed DDs - butterfinger and The Scarlet Letter (DD).

Still no FJ. 🙁 When I saw the correct response I immediately said "of course, the Statue of Liberty". Sigh!

[ams1001]

September 13:

80% / 60% / 69%

J!: Started out great...Ran I'm Just a Bill, Billy or William and Straight Fire, one in Mammals and "I"s In Your Stars, State of Congress, and 3 Consecutive Consonants.

DJ: Continued not so great...Missed one in To Sir Paul, With Love and "C"s the Day, two in Also a Candy, Novel Title, and 15-Letter Words, and four in Pueblos Magicos.

FJ: Not a clue.

TS: (J! had 2, DJ had 5, including both DDs) I got Butterfinger and The Scarlet Letter (DD).

"Who is Statue of Liberty Guy?" 🤣

[Katy M]

I had no idea on FJ. Even if my mind went to statue of liberty, I don't know the sculpotrs name.  Just to say something, I said Van Gogh because I thought the time was about right and he was Dutch but lived in France.  Like I said yesterday, I never claimed to be smart.

the only ts  I got was Butterfinger.

I got the entire categories of Bill, 15 letter and c day right and the enitre category of fire wrong.

[Ohiopirate02]

35 minutes ago, ams1001 said:

 

"Who is Statue of Liberty Guy?" 🤣

Technically correct, and also my answer.

[Browncoat]

I didn't even know it was the Statue of Liberty Guy -- I had nothing for FJ tonight. And I was doing so well this week, too!  I suppose you could say she Clavin-ed it -- Cliff Clavin with his FJ response of "Who are three people who've never been in my kitchen?"

As for missed clues, I only got The Scarlet Letter and Taxco.  I should have gotten Butterfinger, but I forgot which category we were in.

[secnarf]

1 hour ago, ams1001 said:

"Who is Statue of Liberty Guy?" 🤣

I was watching with my mom and we both laughed when it was revealed as her answer, because I was right there with her! I don't think I ever would have come up with the name, though.

[kathyk24]

Double Jeopardy was a dream board for me. A category about Paul McCartney and The Count of Monte Christo was an answer. I also knew Rhode Island. Attention Jeopardy viewers from Boston. Friday shows will be on Channel 38 during football season.

[Cotypubby]

I knew instantly who they wanted for FJ but could not pull his name out of my brain in time! My answer was “The guy who created the Statue of Liberty! Damn what’s his name? The French guy!”

The funny thing is I remember this clue being a FJ in the past and I couldn’t remember his name then either!

[Ancaster]

Knowing where Paul McCartney was born seems pretty KG level Jeopardy to me.  Certainly not Double Jeopardy worthy.  Just me?

Edited September 14, 2023 by Ancaster

[GreekGeek]

7 hours ago, Ancaster said:

Knowing where Paul McCartney was born seems pretty KG level Jeopardy to me.  Certainly not Double Jeopardy worthy.  Just me?

The Beatles split up more than 50 years ago, so Kids These Days might not know even basic trivia about them.

[Ancaster]

41 minutes ago, GreekGeek said:

The Beatles split up more than 50 years ago, so Kids These Days might not know even basic trivia about them.

I am weeping here in my corner, rocking, rocking, rocking.

[illdoc]

I'm quickly heading to my first zero of the season. I'm going to blame it on being rusty after having the summer off!