Jeopardy! Season 40 (2023-2024)

[SoMuchTV]

14 minutes ago, Grizzly said:

Since Andrew won the last Master's, and Amy and Sam were finalists, why do they have to win this tournament to get back in? Wouldn't they be locks to get an invite? This has been bugging me all JIT long.

Wait, what? I thought James won, with Mattea and Matt as runners up. Sam, Amy, and Andrew were the “losers” which gave them an invite to the JIT. 

[SoMuchTV]

25 minutes ago, Grizzly said:

Edited April 7 by SoMuchTV
Sorry, double post and I can’t seem to edit

[shapeshifter]

1 hour ago, Prevailing Wind said:

Didn't think of NSA. Thought "spies"... Commie Spies! and said HUAC.

I said HUAC too, but "knew" it was a wrong.
It was formed much earlier
(1938, see wikipedia.org/wiki/House_Un-American_Activities_Committee)
plus the clue included "Committee" and then referred to the response as "this body":

• U.S. GOVERNMENT
  The formation of the Brownell Committee out of concern over U.S. communications intelligence led to the 1952 creation of this body

But "Misery loves company," so thanks for sharing, @Prevailing Wind!

[Shrek]

11 hours ago, Grizzly said:

Since Andrew won the last Master's, and Amy and Sam were finalists, why do they have to win this tournament to get back in? Wouldn't they be locks to get an invite? This has been bugging me all JIT long.

The winner of the previous Masters tournament or any tournament for that matter should always be given the opportunity to defend their title.

[Cotypubby]

12 hours ago, Grizzly said:

Since Andrew won the last Master's, and Amy and Sam were finalists, why do they have to win this tournament to get back in? Wouldn't they be locks to get an invite? This has been bugging me all JIT long.

Andrew didn’t win. The finalists were James, Matt and Mattea with James winning.

[SomeTameGazelle]

2 hours ago, Shrek said:

The winner of the previous Masters tournament or any tournament for that matter should always be given the opportunity to defend their title.

I can't think of any Jeopardy tournament before the Masters that was structured so that it was assumed the winner would defend their title. Certainly not the TOC or any of the special teen, seniors, college, etc.  

[SomeTameGazelle]

13 hours ago, SoMuchTV said:

Wait, what? I thought James won, with Mattea and Matt as runners up. Sam, Amy, and Andrew were the “losers” which gave them an invite to the JIT. 

That's correct. Andrew placed 4th overall. If I recall correctly, Sam and Amy were cut and only James,  Mattea, Matt, and Andrew played in the semifinal round. Then Mattea edged out Andrew and only James, Matt, and Mattea played in the final round.

[Shrek]

30 minutes ago, SomeTameGazelle said:

I can't think of any Jeopardy tournament before the Masters that was structured so that it was assumed the winner would defend their title. Certainly not the TOC or any of the special teen, seniors, college, etc.  

I think in general the winner of any title (Jeopardy or anything) should be allowed to defend said title, if they so choose. Like they do in a normal Jeopardy season since the days of 5 wins & you're done.  

 

[Grizzly]

1 hour ago, SomeTameGazelle said:

That's correct. Andrew placed 4th overall. If I recall correctly, Sam and Amy were cut and only James,  Mattea, Matt, and Andrew played in the semifinal round. Then Mattea edged out Andrew and only James, Matt, and Mattea played in the final round.

My mistake. So Andrew, Amy and Sam were TOC finalists?

[possibilities]

I thought Mattea won something recently. Time and tournaments have become scrambled in my  brain.

[Bastet]

1 hour ago, Grizzly said:

My mistake. So Andrew, Amy and Sam were TOC finalists?

Yes, the 2022 ToC finals were between Amy, Andrew, and Sam.  Amy won.  (Andrew came in second, Sam third.)

Not to be confused with the ToC is the first Masters Tournament, which they invented in 2023 to get the same people back on our screens right away.  In that one, Sam was eliminated in the quarter-finals, and Amy and Andrew were both eliminated in the semi-finals; James, Matt, and Mattea competed in the (two-day, best cumulative score wins) finals, with James winning.  (Mattea came in second, Matt third.)

Also in the mix was the one-game "special exhibition" before that 2022 ToC started, where Amy, Mattea, and Matt played for fun.  Mattea won.  (Matt came in second, Amy third.) 

Edited April 7 by Bastet

[Clanstarling]

On 4/6/2024 at 11:19 AM, illdoc said:

Except the phrase isn't "bananas and splits"--it's "banana splits". So, I vote "not acceptable".

It's true that the pairs in the answers all have "and/&" in them, but the category title just says quasi related pairs. I don't remember if the explanation of the category said anything about "and." But you are probably right. I tend to be a lenient judge. 😉

Edited April 7 by Clanstarling

[proserpina65]

On 4/6/2024 at 11:42 PM, Grizzly said:

Since Andrew won the last Master's, and Amy and Sam were finalists, why do they have to win this tournament to get back in? Wouldn't they be locks to get an invite? This has been bugging me all JIT long.

Imo, none of them should be involved in this year's Master's tournament, but TPTB didn't ask me.

[ams1001]

April 8:

50% / 40% / 44%

I did not have a wicked good game…In J! I missed one in Aches & Pains, two in Working Hard and Slanguage, three in "A" to "A" countries (preguessed Argentina and Albania and that was all I got) and Pop Culture, and four in Parenting. In DJ I missed two in Novel Title Characters and Colleges & Universities, three in Consonant-Vowel x3 and It Pleased the Lord, and four in A Secret Chord and David Played. Had no clue for FJ.

TSes: (J had 5; DJ had 1) I got Miss Congeniality and standing on business (never heard of that but I guessed it from Taking Care of… in the clue.

As much as I'm ready to get back to "normal" games, I'm rooting for Andrew tomorrow!

Was a little surprised they didn't have an eclipse category...

Edited April 8 by ams1001

[Katy M]

Boy did I have a bad game. Again.  I'm really getting stupid.

I said the riddle of the sphinx.

I got the missed clues of Miss Congeniality, phat and business.

I got the entire category of parenting wrong, but fear not, I don't have kids and that ship has sailed.

I read Silas Marner and Adam Bede and they have to put those in the clue and make something else the answer.  How rude!

And it would have been wicked embarrassing if I had missed wicked, but luckily I didn't.

[Quickbeam]

Victoria was on fire! Good for her. FJ was an instaget. 

[Browncoat]

Somehow I managed to pull the correct response for FJ out of my hat at the last second.  It was a complete guess, but it counts!  

The only TS I got was Miss Congeniality.  I love that movie.

[PaulaO]

I don’t like Victoria.  Just cuz.  I said Gordon Knot for FJ!

[SoMuchTV]

2 minutes ago, PaulaO said:

I don’t like Victoria.  Just cuz.  I said Gordon Knot for FJ!

So close but yet so far!  All I could come up with was the prisoners’ dilemma, even though I was pretty sure it couldn’t be right. 

[Driad]

Tom Lehrer, "Alma"

[SomeTameGazelle]

2 hours ago, Browncoat said:

The only TS I got was Miss Congeniality.  I love that movie.

I got Easter Parade as well.

For Final I confidently said "the one that Alexander just cut through" but then got stuck on the name Sword of Damocles until I managed to sort out that it was unlikely that cutting through the thread would have solved Damocles' problem and what I meant was the Gordian Knot.

[Trey]

13 hours ago, Katy M said:

I said the riddle of the sphinx.

So did I but with no great confidence. And my lack of confidence was justified.

I think my only ts was Easter Parade; at least I don't remember any others.

It would be nice if Andrew could win tonight's game but he hasn't really been doing too well against the two dynamos.

I am rooting for Amy but any of the three winning will be fine with me.

[ABay]

12 hours ago, Driad said:

Tom Lehrer, "Alma"

That's exactly how I knew. He's 96 today, btw, and put all his songs into the public domain years ago. ❤️

[proserpina65]

FJ seemed exceptionally easy to me, but then I love Greek mythology.

15 hours ago, Browncoat said:

The only TS I got was Miss Congeniality.  I love that movie.

I was really surprised that none of them got it.  Great movie, and that's one of my favorite parts.

I also got Easter Parade.

[Bastet]

Excellent win by Victoria.  She and Amy are making these finals a lot of fun to watch.

I didn't keep track of my own performance last night as I was watching elsewhere, but I know I did pretty well by tournament standards.  I had no idea on FJ, which is what I expected based on the category, but I held my own in the rest, including getting a few TS -- Miss Congeniality, phat, and business (I've never heard "standing on business" but at only $200 what else was it going to be based on the clue?). 

I loved the A-to-A countries category, since I not only knew all of them I pre-called most of them.  The only category I was terrible in was parenting, which is appropriate as I'd rather have myself drawn and quartered than raise a child.

I had seen the word "situationship" for the first time on Sunday, so had that clue appeared last week instead I would not have known it.

Edited April 9 by Bastet

[ams1001]

April 9:

60% / 37% / 48%

Well, I got more than half in the first round, at least…But overall I didn't even get half.  In J! I missed one in Business, three in Cities, and two in everything else. In DJ I missed two in Reboots & Remakes and Kneel Before Zed, three in Nobel Prizes, Measure, and Opera, and all five in Ancient History. Jeez, I'm glad this tournament is over.

FJ: I have never even heard of the Sea of Marmara.

TSes: (J had 2 +  the DD; DJ had 2 + both DDs) I got "to thine own self be true" (DD). Is this the first time all tournament they missed all the Daily Doubles?

Glad it's over, hoping for better games to come (by better games, of course, I mean my personal score because I'm starting to feel really dumb here), but I really didn't want Victoria to win. So boo.

[Quickbeam]

I’m so happy Victoria won. But FJ? I had no idea. 

[kathyk2]

Who's the sixth person playing in Jeopardy Masters? We have James Matt Mattea Victoria and Yogesh. I had no clue for Final Jeopardy.

[Grizzly]

I didn't like Victoria's style of belt over sweater. But I can't begrudge her the win. She's smart and quick. Hope she does well at Masters. 

I was FJ adjacent, I said Black Sea.

[ams1001]

13 minutes ago, kathyk2 said:

Who's the sixth person playing in Jeopardy Masters? We have James Matt Mattea Victoria and Yogesh. I had no clue for Final Jeopardy.

It's a "Producer's Pick" which they apparently will announce on Friday (April 12).

[SoMuchTV]

I haven’t been in the “get these people off my screen and get back to real people” camp, but I am looking forward to the possibility of getting more than one FJ per month correct. 

[chessiegal]

The contestants must not watch much TV. I see an ad for Grainger multiple times a day.

[Quickbeam]

29 minutes ago, chessiegal said:

The contestants must not watch much TV. I see an ad for Grainger multiple times a day.

Or live in the Midwest….we bought our storage shelves from them. 

[ProudMary]

30 minutes ago, ams1001 said:

It's a "Producer's Pick" which they apparently will announce on Friday (April 12).

Ooh, I wasn't aware of that. I thought the field was all set. My fingers are crossed that the producers will surprise and allow Buzzy to play in Masters. I'm doubtful, though.

[shapeshifter]

51 minutes ago, chessiegal said:

The contestants must not watch much TV. I see an ad for Grainger multiple times a day.

I used to drive by the big Grainger signs about once a week, and I didn't get it.

I had wanted Andrew to win today, but after the heartwarming postgame, I was happy with the outcome.

Plus, ditto on this:

56 minutes ago, SoMuchTV said:

I haven’t been in the “get these people off my screen and get back to real people” camp, but I am looking forward to the possibility of getting more than one FJ per month correct. 

[SoMuchTV]

56 minutes ago, chessiegal said:

The contestants must not watch much TV. I see an ad for Grainger multiple times a day.

I guess it’s regional? Grainger didn’t ring a bell at all for me; I had to go to the archive to see what the clue even was. 

[shapeshifter]

9 hours ago, SoMuchTV said:

I guess it’s regional? Grainger didn’t ring a bell at all for me; I had to go to the archive to see what the clue even was. 

Probably regional. I was living 30 miles north of Chicago when I used to drive past the Grainger property, and the clue was:

• William W. of this last name founded his eponymous "for the ones who get it done" industrial supply company in Chicago in 1927

Still, I didn't get it. 
But I did leave the area 3+ years ago and have an aging memory filled with other stuff — little of which seems to be FJ material.

But, then again, I don't recall ever seeing or hearing that motto — just riding past their huge campus and wondering what kind of business it was. IIRC, there was a stop light at their entrance.

10 hours ago, chessiegal said:

The contestants must not watch much TV. I see an ad for Grainger multiple times a day.

Which station? I had canceled cable in 2009, so I use antenna, Hulu, etc.

Edited April 10 by shapeshifter

[chessiegal]

I'm in the Mid-Atlantic. I've never seen a Grainger store. I'd never heard of the company until I saw a Grainger ad on TV. The ad always includes "for the ones who get it done". That phrase is all I needed.

[Bastet]

Well, bummer that it's already over - I was hoping Andrew would win today and then either Amy or Victoria would take home the championship tomorrow - but hooray for Victoria!  I'd have been just as happy if Amy had won (and, in fact, she's who I was rooting for coming into this tournament, but I really took to Victoria), especially because she has to deal with so many more ugly online comments than cisgender contestants; the thought of those bigots' heads exploding upon her victory would have been a nice little bonus.  I wish Amy and Victoria could somehow both be in the Masters.

It was a different vibe this game, with them missing all three DDs, but still a nicely competitive match.  And a lovely moment between the three afterward, and then with Andrew raising Victoria's arm in victory.  Nice expressions of camaraderie.

I only ran business in the first round, but I got all but one each in everything else other than vans, in which I missed three.  And music should have been on my "ran it" list, but I could not for the life of me remember Brian Eno's name. 

I got all but one in Nobel and Z, but missed three each in all the other DJ categories, so there was the significant drop-off in my performance that has marked so much of the ToC and this tournament.  (Hopefully ditching that pattern will follow upon getting back to regular play, even though I have enjoyed both tournaments).

And I had no idea for FJ, when I'm usually better than the average bear at geography trivia.  I was trying to visualize the right part of the world, at least, but I did not come up with anything on my mental map.

(As for recent discussion, I see Grainger commercials a lot in Los Angeles - we have the stores here - so the slogan made it an instaget.  But all the other TS stumped me, too.)

[Cotypubby]

4 hours ago, ams1001 said:

It's a "Producer's Pick" which they apparently will announce on Friday (April 12).

Ah, I predict they will choose Amy.

[ABay]

I knew where FJ was but couldn't think of the name. Hellespont? Dardanelles? Bosporus? Close but no cigar.

[laredhead]

I didn't understand Andrew's wager in FJ.  He could have wagered more and won more to come in 2nd.  I wouldn't be a good contestant because of the math involved in wagering.

[dgpolo]

Did not get FJ though I figured it was in that part of the world, but I looked it up to see exactly where it was and Wikipedia says: The Sea of Marmara, also known as Sea of Marmora...  So I think Amy was more correct than Ken made it seem. (and what is 'it's a vowel so the pronunciation doesn't change supposed to mean? what if someone had put an i in ther?)

[chessiegal]

17 minutes ago, laredhead said:

I didn't understand Andrew's wager in FJ.  He could have wagered more and won more to come in 2nd.  I wouldn't be a good contestant because of the math involved in wagering.

The Jeopardy Fan lists FJ betting suggestions/explanations every day. This is for yesterday's game.

Quote

Final Jeopardy! wagering suggestions:

(Scores: Victoria $11,400 Andrew $10,000 Amy $7,200)

Amy: If this is a Triple Stumper, you need to stay above $5,600. Bet no more than $1,600. (Actual bet: $1,400)

Victoria: Standard cover bet over Andrew is $8,601. (Actual bet: $8,601)

Andrew: Standard cover bet over Amy is $4,401. (Actual bet: $4,401)

The Jeopardy Fan

[PaulaO]

I’m done with all tournaments/invitationals/champtionships/wildcards.  I just want regular games!

[chessiegal]

15 minutes ago, PaulaO said:

I’m done with all tournaments/invitationals/champtionships/wildcards.  I just want regular games!

Regular play starts today, April 10.

[ams1001]

9 hours ago, Cotypubby said:

Ah, I predict they will choose Amy.

I'm hoping it's someone we haven't seen in a while. Maybe Brad. I assume Buzzy isn't eligible since he does the podcast and stuff. I'm sure there are others I'm not remembering who could be considered "masters."

[Trey]

1 minute ago, ams1001 said:

I'm hoping it's someone we haven't seen in a while. Maybe Brad. I assume Buzzy isn't eligible since he does the podcast and stuff. I'm sure there are others I'm not remembering who could be considered "masters."

I am ticked still that Mattea wasn't in the invitational.

Did not get FJ but I was pretty sure that the Black Sea would be one of the end seas. I was thinking too far east but I'm pretty sure I wouldn't have got it even I were in the right area.

[SomeTameGazelle]

2 minutes ago, Trey said:

I am ticked still that Mattea wasn't in the invitational.

She wasn't in the JIT because she was in the top 3 of the Masters last year and therefore automatically playing in this year's Masters. Same for James and Matt Amodio. 

[Clanstarling]

On 4/8/2024 at 4:29 PM, ams1001 said:

Was a little surprised they didn't have an eclipse category...

Me too.

18 hours ago, Bastet said:

I loved the A-to-A countries category, since I not only knew all of them I pre-called most of them.

Me too, though I swapped Angola for Algeria (at least they're on the same continent).

5 minutes ago, Trey said:

I am ticked still that Mattea wasn't in the invitational.

She's already qualified for the Masters.

Quote

As a result of making the Jeopardy! Masters final in 2023, Matt Amodio, James Holzhauer and Mattea Roach have automatically qualified for the Jeopardy! Masters 2024 tournament. This means Holzhauer is going to get the chance to defend his title, while Amodio and Roach will try to finish the job this time and beat him.

https://www.whattowatch.com/watching-guides/jeopardy-masters-2024-contestants-and-everything-we-know-about-the-game-show

Oh, @SomeTameGazelle beat me to it before I could post.