Jeopardy! Season 40 (2023-2024)

[ams1001]

October 4:

83% / 83% / 82%

Had a really good game tonight!

In J I ran Earth Science, Please Bear With Me, and State of the Estate, missed one in We Try to Stay Neutral and Art (I meant Mondrian, even pictured his primary-color geometric paintings, but my brain said Modigliani, who is…not Dutch), and three in Mirror Words.

In DJ I ran Where's the Problem?, Animal Verbs, and Looney Tunes, missed one in Merry Melodies and two each in How's the King Taking It and Waxing Philosophical.

Did not get FJ (also guessed Nobel but I wasn't confident in that since I didn't know if he was an American immigrant). But I did get all three DDs and about half the TSes.

TSes: (J had 2, DJ had 7) I got protozoan bodies (assuming that's acceptable), lungs, Alexander the Great (a guess; never seen Die Hard), Tchaikovsky, and Kant (also a guess, thrown out at the last second).
 

 

[Browncoat]

I initially said Nobel for FJ, then switched to Carnegie at the last second.  Either way, I was wrong!

I only got two TS -- the radiolarian bodies, and lungs.

[Prevailing Wind]

I said Nobel for a half-second, when I switched to Pulitzer. Then I thought about one of J!'s favorite prizes - the Pritzker Prize for Architecture.  Fortunately, I stuck with Pulitzer.  Turns out, the Pritzker Prize was founded by a descendant of the immigrant Pritzker, so it wouldn't have fit properly into the clue.

I was under the impression that there aren't enough 5-day winners for the ToC and there are too many contestants with 4- or 3-day wins, so this "tournament" is a winnowing to get to only 15 contestants for ToC. I could be wrong, however, and probably am.

[chicagofan]

J! Archive game day 2. Not a great game but not all that bad either. Katy M, I only measure my "performance" against myself. If I get more than half the clues right it was an o.k. game - if 3/4 or more then I've had a  great game/round. And when I get TSs/missed DD - yay me!

Decent J round - got 4 in "Please Bear With Me", "Art, For Art's Sake" and "Mirror Words". Guessed Cassatt in the Art category since I couldn't see the picture. Got 1 of the 2 TS - Mondrian since Dutch + abstract = Mondrian to me

Didn't do as well DJ. Only got 4 in "Merry Melodies". 2 TSs - Alexander the Great and Tchaikovsky.

Sadly no FJ today, though in hindsight, duh. Couldn't get Nobel out of my head even though I knew it was wrong.

Now back to Celebrity Jeopardy.

[30 Helens]

I got stuck on Nobel even though I did not think he ever immigrated to America. Never thought of Pulitzer, although I’m ashamed to say I did try to think of who might have started the Publishers Clearinghouse Sweepstakes. 🤷🏼‍♀️

[Trey]

An okay game for me.

I didn't get any ts's but FJ was an instaget.  Nobel never crossed my mind since I knew he was not an American immigrant.

[illdoc]

Heads up Chicagoland viewers! According to Andy at thejeopardyfan.com, there WILL be J! today (Thursday) at its regular time.

[chicagofan]

illdoc - last night when I saw that all the MLB wild card series ended with 2 game sweeps I knew i'd be able to watch my Jeopardy today. Don't know what is going to happen next week during the division series. So far I'm not seeing any games on ABC but that doesn't mean there won't be.

[illdoc]

This is what I got when I googled "MLB division series channels": All American League Division Series games will be covered exclusively by FOX or FS1, and all National League Division Series Games will be covered exclusively by TBS. 

So I think we are safe for J! next week.

[chicagofan]

As mentioned above, back to watching Jeopardy live after 2 days of J! Archive games. Yay! 🥳

Not a great game today, but not a disaster either. In the J round I got 4 in "I Have a Preposition for You" and "Frankly". TSs were Siberian Tiger, Taiwan, Frank Loesser and brandy.

Did about the same in DJ. Ran "Numbers 4 Letters" (loved this category) and got 4 in "Look in the Cabinet". 2 TSs - Dublin and Baal.

No FJ today. As I was thinking of possibilities I considered Iceland, but never really settled on anything. Oh well.

 

[Katy M]

As soon as I saw Norway, I knew it must be Iceland, but that was too late.  I didn't know where I wanted to be at all and said Fiji just to say something.  

I got the missed clues of Dublin, along, dram, Porutgal, Baal and beam.

I got the entire category of numbers for letters right..

[ams1001]

October 5:

50% / 57% / 53%

Abysmal game. Ran I Don't Give A…, but missed two in Prepositions and Frankly, three in Wild Things, and four in Movies and Madeira. In DJ I missed one in Look In the Cabinet, four Ex-Soviet Republics, and two in everything else.

I got FJ, at least; not an instaget but pretty quickly.

TSes: (J had 6 + the DD; DJ had 5) I got Portugal (DD), dram, and Baal.
 

[Browncoat]

Instaget FJ for me tonight.  But the only TS I got were along, dram, and Baal.

[SoMuchTV]

On 10/3/2023 at 11:56 PM, 30 Helens said:

I know they just did this to fill time during the writer’s strike because so many “real” champions were refusing to participate, but… yeah. I’m fine with a second chance tournament as its own self-contained thing. I’m fine with any tournament they want to come up with. But getting to the ToC is a rare and admirable accomplishment. This should be the best of the best, not the best of the best and ok why not, some other folks too. It’s like Jeopardy has turned into Oprah: “You get a ToC slot! You get a ToC slot! Everyone gets a ToC slot!” 

Today’s FJ was totally not a last minute guess. I knew it all along. Truly. I think I’ve earned a place in the ToC?

Being a bit of a devil’s advocate here, but for someone to advance from second chance or champions wildcard to the actual ToC, wouldn’t they have to win a certain number of games?  Not sure if it would be 5 in all cases but it would certainly be more than one or two. I guess I don’t have strong feelings either way about how the current season is going, I’m enjoying the games the same whether it’s new players or returning. 

Edited October 6, 2023 by SoMuchTV
Left out a word

[Quickbeam]

1 hour ago, Browncoat said:

Instaget FJ for me tonight.  But the only TS I got were along, dram, and Baal.

Same ones for me. I knew the population of Iceland so I knew it couldn’t be anything else. And nursing stuffed apothecary measures into my brain forever. 

[Trey]

Another not so great game for me.

Only two ts's, Baal and Siberian tiger.

I said Greenland for FJ and was pleased that I was at least in the right ball park, even if still out in left field.

Edited October 6, 2023 by Trey

[Clanstarling]

On 10/4/2023 at 2:35 PM, Grizzly said:

I've got most of his books if you need to borrow any. They escaped the purge I did last spring.

That's very kind. Turns out my library has them all available online, so I have the first one on hold.

I did surprisingly well in the numbers v alphabet category, so I'm pleased with that. Today's my last day to get an FJ (went with Nobel as well, though the mister said "Pulitzer". I had no idea about either one's immigrant status.

I only have today to get an FJ or I'll be zip for the week. Oh well...

I don't even try to parse what's going on with the tournament(s). There are too many these days for me to worry my aging brain about. So I just show up on my couch and watch what's on.

 

[proserpina65]

On 10/4/2023 at 7:22 PM, ams1001 said:

If I said radiolarian ooze is made up of protozoan "bodies" instead of skeletons/shells, would that be acceptable?

Sure, why not?  (To be honest, I only recognize half of those words, lol.)

I thought of Nobel but was sure that wasn't correct.  Came up with Pulitzer in plenty of time.

[proserpina65]

On 10/4/2023 at 7:56 PM, ams1001 said:

Alexander the Great (a guess; never seen Die Hard),

That one was an instaget for me because I adore Die Hard and can quote pretty much all of Alan Rickman's lines plus most of everyone else's.  It was obvious that Brendan realized what the correct answer was as soon as his was ruled incorrect.

It took me a moment but once I realized what tectonic plates were in the clue, I got Iceland.  A recent Amazing Race had contestants swim along the Silfra Fissure there which was the only reason I knew the answer.

 I actually recognized Joe.

1 hour ago, Clanstarling said:

There are too many these days for me to worry my aging brain about.

That's part of the problem for me - too many tournaments devalue the TOC.

[chicagofan]

5 hours ago, proserpina65 said:

It took me a moment but once I realized what tectonic plates were in the clue, I got Iceland.  A recent Amazing Race had contestants swim along the Silfra Fissure there which was the only reason I knew the answer.

TAR reference! Yay! Maybe I'll learn something from the current season that will help me with Jeopardy in the future since i didn't think of that this time. Maybe about pomelos?

Anyway, on to today's game. Today was a really good game, definitely the best this week. J round would have been outstanding if I could forget about the "Dead Scientists Society" category. Ran two categories - "The Gene Pool" and "2 Words In One" and got 4 in "Pick a Number Between 5 and 477". Got one TS - 77 (I can hear the show theme in my head - 77 Sunset Strip. 🎶 Yes, I am old.

Got exactly the same number of clues right in DJ as in the J round. Ran two categories - "The Crimean War" and "Try "Tri" Again". Running "The Crimean War" category was a shocker, especially since one of the responses wasn't Florence Nightingale. Again, one TS - Sebastopol.

Also got FJ today. With the "French" names in the clue, the first (and pretty much only) French composer I thought of was Debussy. So ending the week on a high. Plus the Bears actually won last night. 🤪

[Katy M]

I said Chopin.  I have not been doing well in FJ lately.

I got the missed clues of 77 and Sebastobol (sp?)

I got the entire categories of virtue and secede right.

[ams1001]

October 6:

60% / 63% / 61%

Better than yesterday..? 😕 Missed one in Gene Pool and 2 Words in One, two in Pick a Number Between 5 & 477 and The Virtues, and three in Canadian Cities and Dead Scientists. In DJ I missed one in Literary Pop, This or That, and Try "Tri" Again, two in If At First You Don't Secede…, and three in the Crimean War and Swords.

Did not get FJ. For some reason I could not come up with a French composer, though Debussy should have been obvious. (I couldn't get Chopin out of my head, despite knowing he was Polish. His dad was French!)

TSes: (J had 4; DJ had 2) The only one I got was Sebastopol.

Fun Facts:

1. Moby's real name is Richard Melville Hall; according to an archived CNN article referenced on his wikipedia page, "He says his parents gave him the nickname Moby: 'The basis for Richard Melville Hall -- and for Moby -- is that supposedly Herman Melville was my great-great-great-granduncle.'"
2. I have seen Moby in concert, with David Bowie and The Blue Man Group (and apparently Busta Rhymes, though I didn't remember him because we walked around to see what else was going on during that part). It was the Area2 Tour; a little googling tells me it was July 31, 2002. I think I still have a button from it somewhere. Somebody heckled him and he heckled back. 😄
3. My dad's name is Gene.

Also, because somebody had to:

 

Edited October 6, 2023 by ams1001

[Browncoat]

36 minutes ago, Katy M said:

I said Chopin.

 

26 minutes ago, ams1001 said:

(I couldn't get Chopin out of my head, despite knowing he was Polish. His dad was French!)

I got stuck on Chopin, too, so no FJ for me tonight.

And the only TS I got were 77 and Red River.  Not my best week.

[ProudMary]

For FJ, they were obviously looking for a French composer. The only one I could think of was Bizet.

[Packerbrewerbadger]

Are no new people trying out for Jeopardy?  I missed some shows , why are these people getting another chance?

[Trey]

1 hour ago, Packerbrewerbadger said:

Are no new people trying out for Jeopardy?  I missed some shows , why are these people getting another chance?

They don't have enough 4 game and up winners for ToC so they are having this tourney to get another person.  I don't know why these people in particular were chosen to get another chance.

It was a decent enough game for me; I got the ts's or possibly missed DDs of 77 Sunset Strip, Red River (that was a clue about it forming most of the border between Minnesota and North Dakota just a few weeks ago), New Brunswick, Sevastopol, and pommel.

However I did not get FJ, being another one who went with Chopin.

[Bliss]

Was almost Jeopardied-out last night after the tournament game and then Celebrity J! (I'd taped it)... the latter was so much easier! Obviously, I've missed my calling and should be a celebrity rather than an ordinary schmuck/redneck. Not!

[Clanstarling]

1 hour ago, Bliss said:

Was almost Jeopardied-out last night after the tournament game and then Celebrity J! (I'd taped it)... the latter was so much easier! Obviously, I've missed my calling and should be a celebrity rather than an ordinary schmuck/redneck. Not!

We save Celebrity Jeopardy for the weekend - that way we don't get Jeopardied out. ;)

I did very poorly, and won't even say who I said for FJ because it was ludicrous. A hint for those who might know - there's a delicious chocolate marzipan candy named for this composer.

[SomeTameGazelle]

3 hours ago, Trey said:

It was a decent enough game for me; I got the ts's or possibly missed DDs of 77 Sunset Strip, Red River (that was a clue about it forming most of the border between Minnesota and North Dakota just a few weeks ago), New Brunswick, Sevastopol, and pommel.

Daniel did get pommel at the last minute. 

I assume Jamie must have been thinking of the Aaron Sorkin series "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip". For some reason my brain wondered if it was 222 instead of 77. I don't know what that was about.

3 hours ago, Trey said:

They don't have enough 4 game and up winners for ToC so they are having this tourney to get another person.  I don't know why these people in particular were chosen to get another chance.

This seems like a problem they created for themselves. Previously they didn't have a fixed date for the TOC so they just determined the cutoff when they had a full slate. But when they decided that the TOC should be annual it forced them to come up with ways to make sure they had enough contestants even when they had fewer champions because of long streaks, or because there weren't enough 4+ day champs. I guess by having another round they aren't just arbitrarily putting more 3- or 2-day champs directly into the TOC, but I think I preferred just waiting to schedule the TOC and if that meant waiting more than a year, so be it. 

[ProudMary]

4 hours ago, Trey said:

They don't have enough 4 game and up winners for ToC so they are having this tourney to get another person.  I don't know why these people in particular were chosen to get another chance.

If what we've been hearing in the contestant interviews is any indication, these are the only people who were willing to answer their phone even if it said "Scam likely" or "Unknown caller."

😄

 

[secnarf]

8 hours ago, Clanstarling said:

I did very poorly, and won't even say who I said for FJ because it was ludicrous. A hint for those who might know - there's a delicious chocolate marzipan candy named for this composer.

If it's the one I am thinking of, it's my absolute favourite.

I couldn't come up with anybody for FJ, so even a bad guess is better than no guess at all?

[Quickbeam]

I’ve never felt older in my life when no one got 77 Sunset Strip. My favorite TV show! 😩

[chicagofan]

11 hours ago, Clanstarling said:

A hint for those who might know - there's a delicious chocolate marzipan candy named for this composer.

I know exactly who that composer is. However, one person's delicious is another person's yuck! I absolutely loathe marzipan, so the elaborate boxes filled with that confection hold no interest for me. 😝 A like-minded friend calls them "banana noses" because of the fruit shaped pieces of marzipan she would find in her Easter basket. Then she and her brothers would spend the day trying to offload the marzipan into each others baskets since none of them liked it.

 

Edited October 8, 2023 by chicagofan
Because auto correct is usually not my friend.

[Prevailing Wind]

6 hours ago, Quickbeam said:

I’ve never felt older in my life when no one got 77 Sunset Strip. My favorite TV show! 😩

My mom had an obvious crush on Zimbalist.

[Trey]

20 hours ago, SomeTameGazelle said:

Daniel did get pommel at the last minute. 

I missed that somehow.  Oh, well, one less ts for me.

[Clanstarling]

10 hours ago, chicagofan said:

I know exactly who that composer is. However, one person's delicious is another person's yuck! I absolutely loathe marzipan, so the elaborate boxes filled with that confection hold no interest for me. 😝 A like-minded friend calls them "banana noses" because of the fruit shaped pieces of marzipan she would find in her Easter basket. Then she and her brothers would spend the day trying to offload the marzipan into each others baskets since none of them liked it.

The chocolate marzipan candies I'm talking about aren't banana shaped. I've thought of two different hints, but both are in the grey area of not for polite company... so I'll leave it be.

Edited October 8, 2023 by Clanstarling

[Clanstarling]

21 hours ago, SomeTameGazelle said:

I assume Jamie must have been thinking of the Aaron Sorkin series "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip". For some reason my brain wondered if it was 222 instead of 77. I don't know what that was about.

There was a Room 222 comedy back in the very early 70's.

12 hours ago, Quickbeam said:

I’ve never felt older in my life when no one got 77 Sunset Strip. My favorite TV show! 😩

I only remember lyrics of the theme song.

[Trey]

3 hours ago, Clanstarling said:

I only remember lyrics of the theme song.

The only lyrics were "77 Sunset Strip" plus a lot of doo doo's

[ProudMary]

8 hours ago, Clanstarling said:

I only remember lyrics of the theme song.

As soon as the clue was revealed, I started singing the theme song in my head!

[chicagofan]

8 hours ago, Clanstarling said:

The chocolate marzipan candies I'm talking about aren't banana shaped. I've thought of two different hints, but both are in the grey area of not for polite company... so I'll leave it be.

I know the chocolate marzipan candies you're talking about aren't the banana (or apple, orange, etc.) fruit shaped marzipan candies I brought up. I was just saying that I loathe all marzipan. I believe yours are of the "kugeln" variety that Salieri may not have been fond of.

[Quickbeam]

6 hours ago, Trey said:

The only lyrics were "77 Sunset Strip" plus a lot of doo doo's

Finger snaps! There were a lot of finger snaps! 

[Prevailing Wind]

I remember a song in the top forty, "Kookie, Kookie, Lend Me Your Comb."

 

[Driad]

Are the lyrics to the theme of the old Batman TV show copyrighted, since there is only one word?

[shapeshifter]

41 minutes ago, Prevailing Wind said:

I remember a song in the top forty, "Kookie, Kookie, Lend Me Your Comb."

"Kookie, Kookie, Lend Me Your Comb" was charting in 1959.
Maybe you listened to it in the 60s on your transistor radio under the covers late at night when they played Oldies?

I would have gotten 77 Sunset Strip if I'd listened to or read the entire clue of:

• It's the atomic number of iridium; it also used to be a famous TV address on the Sunset Strip

Unfortunately, I stopped reading/listening after "also used to be a famous TV address" and blurted out: 90210! 
Yes. I know. Not a possible atomic number. At least not on Earth.

 

In addition to this explanation for the reason to select any Second Chancers:

On 10/7/2023 at 1:09 PM, SomeTameGazelle said:

Previously they didn't have a fixed date for the TOC so they just determined the cutoff when they had a full slate. But when they decided that the TOC should be annual it forced them to come up with ways to make sure they had enough contestants even when they had fewer champions because of long streaks, or because there weren't enough 4+ day champs.

…I can't help but suspect they may have bumped up those contestants who appeared likable and didn't have much negative social media buzz. 🤷🏻‍♀️

 

[Mean Machine]

Well, I'm super-stoked to see one of the contestants tomorrow.  Saw on their IG that they would be appearing.  Three-time champ from early 2021, I developed quite the TV crush on this person.  

[Prevailing Wind]

6 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

"Kookie, Kookie, Lend Me Your Comb" was charting in 1959.
Maybe you listened to it in the 60s on your transistor radio under the covers late at night when they played Oldies?

Actually, no. I was 10 in 1959. Heard it as it was climbing the charts and sliding back down.

[Clanstarling]

20 hours ago, Trey said:

The only lyrics were "77 Sunset Strip" plus a lot of doo doo's

I know! I thought maybe there were more that I didn't remember, but I listened to (almost) the whole song and, nope.

16 hours ago, ProudMary said:

As soon as the clue was revealed, I started singing the theme song in my head!

Me too.

14 hours ago, Quickbeam said:

Finger snaps! There were a lot of finger snaps! 

Oh yes, those finger snaps are iconic!

[chicagofan]

Pretty good start to the week - well except for FJ.

Did a little better in the J round than in DJ. Ran "Body Shots", and got 4 in "3rd Graders Know This Stuff" and "The Heavyweight Champion of the World". Only one TS - Buddy Holly.

In DJ I ran "I'd Like to Solve the Puzzle", and got 4 in  "I'm Still Standing" and "Candle in the Wind". TSs/missed DDs were the Artful Dodger, Cosette, paraffin (DD), pillar, Rice and Concentration.

No FJ today. As the think music played I was thinking "I should know this - Austen, 2 Brontes and...Austen, 2 Brontes and...no, I've got nothing". At least once the correct response was revealed I know I could have had all the time in the world and not come up with it.

[Grizzly]

18 hours ago, Mean Machine said:

Well, I'm super-stoked to see one of the contestants tomorrow.  Saw on their IG that they would be appearing.  Three-time champ from early 2021, I developed quite the TV crush on this person.  

I really hope Lucy is your crush.

[Katy M]

I've read 3 George Elliiott novels, but she never came to mind. I said Mary Shelley even hougth I knew that was way wrong.

I got the missed clues of Buddy Holly, mint, Concentration, Cosette, the Arftul Dodger (after Nancy) and Rice.

I got the entire categories of 3rd graders, body shots and puzzles right.