Jeopardy! Season 41 (2024-2025)

[Katy M]

FJ was an instaget again.  I would feel quite smart instagetting 2 nights in a row with no contestant getting it right, but the rest of the game says that can't be true.

I got the missed clues of red-handed and geometry right.

and I got the entire clues of bay and mall wrong (and I actually just went to the mall earlier this week. And went in an Old Navy).

 

[Browncoat]

I did get FJ, but it was not an instaget.  Aqueduct took me to Rome, and Oceanus made the water connection that led me to the correct response.  I wasn't certain of it, though.  Yay, asterisk again!

I also got the TS of Starliner (assuming they would have accepted it without Boeing), frilled, long-tailed, and geometry.

[SomeTameGazelle]

2 hours ago, ams1001 said:

TSes: (J had 3 + the DD; DJ had 5 + 1 DD) I got pillbox hat, long-tailed pangolin.

I didn't know any varieties of pangolin so I confidently shouted "pine cone!" 

I knew geometry and I went with the Trevi Fountain for FJ, although when Ken started to stress aqueducts I started to doubt myself.  

[secnarf]

My logic was a little less educated: Aqueduct = water, Pietro Bracci = Italian. Looking for a landmark to do with water in Italy with multiple carvings/statues, and from there the Trevi Fountain was easy for me, as I am lucky enough to have been there. If I hadn't been, I'm not sure I would have got it.

[ams1001]

39 minutes ago, SomeTameGazelle said:

I didn't know any varieties of pangolin so I confidently shouted "pine cone!" 

Me, neither, but it needed a descriptor ending in -ed and its tail looked pretty long, so...

[Prevailing Wind]

1 hour ago, secnarf said:

My logic was a little less educated: Aqueduct = water, Pietro Bracci = Italian. Looking for a landmark to do with water in Italy with multiple carvings/statues, and from there the Trevi Fountain was easy for me, as I am lucky enough to have been there. If I hadn't been, I'm not sure I would have got it.

Yes, you would have. I've never been to Europe and I got it right, using the same logic.

 

[shapeshifter]

3 hours ago, Browncoat said:

I also got the TS of Starliner (assuming they would have accepted it without Boeing),

The opposite for me.
Any chance "Boeing" would satisfy the clue of "one of these spacecraft"?

[Bastet]

1 hour ago, shapeshifter said:

Any chance "Boeing" would satisfy the clue of "one of these spacecraft"?

No. 

I didn't keep track, but I had a pretty "meh" game.  I think Starliner and FJ* may have been the only TS that didn't also stump me.  I did manage to get all but one in the Bible category, so that was impressive.

*I correctly guessed FJ based on the Italian landmark involving water logic.

[30 Helens]

The return of sportsball (is this almost over??) means I’m out again until Monday. I read the FJ clue on j-archive, but I had no idea.

[ams1001]

March 28:

77% / 57% / 67%

Pretty good first round! Ran Angels and Modern Lingo, missed one in Book Title Adjectives and Something to Wear, two in US Geography, and three in Your Name is a Sentence. In DJ I missed one in Opera and Science, two in Pop Culture Titles in Roman Numerals (but I missed the Ariana Grande clue because I didn't know the song, not because I wouldn't be able to figure out the Roman numeral) and Business Terms, three in From "M" to "M", and four in the 19th Century (but so did they so I don't feel so bad).

FJ was an instaget. Never heard of the Land of the Morning Calm, but I knew NK was the Hermit Nation.

TSes: (J had 6 + the DD; DJ had 7) I got Robin Quivers, Stinky (Cheese Man), miniskirt (DD), Theo Van Gogh, and spleen.
 

[Katy M]

I said Tibet and Nepal, but since one of the contestants did also, it couldn't have been that bad of an answer.  is this 3 nights in a row of none of the contestants getting FJ?  that's pretty rare.

I got the missed clues of stole, John Tyler and Theo Van Gogh.

I am absolutely shocked that I only missed the $400 clue in opera.  That is crazy.

[Browncoat]

I really didn't have a clue for FJ, but "Hermit Nation" sounded like North Korea, so I took a guess.  Woo hoo!  5/5 this week!

I also got the TS of Lake Powell, stole, mini skirt, stinky, Big Little Lies, Theo Van Gogh, and spleen.

Every time Ken said Mike's name, all I could think of was Mike Wazowski from Monsters, Inc.

[ProudMary]

Three TS in a row for FJ. Wow. I managed to get two of them, but not tonight's. 

For the $400 clue in Well, That's Just Science, in my head I heard the voice of CJ Cregg saying, "And the chemical abbreviation for table salt is NaCl."

 

[secnarf]

I thought tonight's FJ was an instaget - the "Hermit nation" is something I have heard before about North Korea. I don't think I would have known South Korea just from that part of the clue, but paired with the Hermit nation, it came to me easily.

 

[Grizzly]

Darn, Mike was hot. Josh starts slow, he seems beatable. Then he gets on a roll, clears some categories, and finds the DDs. It's a good formula for success. He's pleasant enough but I could use a change.

[The Wild Sow]

Missed FJ this time. I may have been too busy giggling over “Animal Locomotion.” Because to get to my daughter’s house, you turn from the main road onto Fox Chase, then turn right on Pheasant Walk, then another right onto Elk Rush! On the way you pass Deer Run, Beaver Run, and Ruffed Grouse Drive (how do their feet reach the pedals?)

We always say her neighborhood should be called Animal Locomotion!

[Bastet]

8 hours ago, ProudMary said:

For the $400 clue in Well, That's Just Science, in my head I heard the voice of CJ Cregg saying, "And the chemical abbreviation for table salt is NaCl."

Same here.  I probably would anyway, but I recently re-watched seasons one through three, so the C.J. vs. Sherri Wexler smackdown was fresh in my mind.

I watched with friends, so didn't keep track, but I know I had a great game.  In the first round, I was terrible in book, only getting immortal, but I think I ran everything else.  I did very well in DJ, too.  And FJ was an instaget; I'm not sure where along the way I picked up and retained that North Korea = the hermit nation, but I did, so even though I'd never heard of the other nickname, I was all set.

[possibilities]

Josh is getting stronger. I wonder if it's because of getting better with his buzzer timing.

I was shocked to get everything in the business word category.

Thinking about the issue of replying in languages other than English, I propose they add a bonus scoring incentive along these lines: if you answer correctly in a language other than English, you get a bonus equal to double the point score of whatever the clue was-- but it can only be used once per game.  Not once per person per game, but once per game by whoever uses it correctly first, period. So you'd have to use strategy to decide when to use it, and on what clue. It would add a little interest, without becoming a total distraction with constant work for the judges to look it up and then have Ken clarify and translate for the audience. It's a small thing, like the Daily Doubles, but it would be an added challenge. Even if it was used every game, it wouldn't be a problem. And if it was only used once in a while, it would be like a wildcard adding interest.

[proserpina65]

I ran the Opera category on Friday's show, as I always expect I will, and would've bet everything on that DD.  I did not, however have a single clue for FJ.  I did get the Trevi Fountain for Thurday's FJ at least.

 

On 3/27/2025 at 10:00 PM, secnarf said:

My logic was a little less educated: Aqueduct = water, Pietro Bracci = Italian. Looking for a landmark to do with water in Italy with multiple carvings/statues, and from there the Trevi Fountain was easy for me, as I am lucky enough to have been there. If I hadn't been, I'm not sure I would have got it.

Mine was "Pietro Bracci is not a Roman name so it has to be later and Oceanus belongs on something water-related in Rome, Trevi Fountain!"

 

On 3/28/2025 at 8:01 PM, Browncoat said:

I also got the TS of Lake Powell, stole, mini skirt, stinky, Big Little Lies, Theo Van Gogh, and spleen.

I got mini skirt, stinky, Big Little Lies, Theo van Gogh and spleen.

Edited Monday at 05:05 PM by proserpina65

[proserpina65]

On 3/29/2025 at 6:18 PM, possibilities said:

Josh is getting stronger. I wonder if it's because of getting better with his buzzer timing.

I was shocked to get everything in the business word category.

Thinking about the issue of replying in languages other than English, I propose they add a bonus scoring incentive along these lines: if you answer correctly in a language other than English, you get a bonus equal to double the point score of whatever the clue was-- but it can only be used once per game.  Not once per person per game, but once per game by whoever uses it correctly first, period. So you'd have to use strategy to decide when to use it, and on what clue. It would add a little interest, without becoming a total distraction with constant work for the judges to look it up and then have Ken clarify and translate for the audience. It's a small thing, like the Daily Doubles, but it would be an added challenge. Even if it was used every game, it wouldn't be a problem. And if it was only used once in a while, it would be like a wildcard adding interest.

Too complicated, and they've already made too many changes to the game already.

[gonzosgirrl]

39 minutes ago, proserpina65 said:

Too complicated, and they've already made too many changes to the game already.

I've only started watching regularly in the last few months or so. I haven't noticed any obvious changes since the last time I watched on a regular basis (probably around the time of Ken's original run). What am I missing?

[proserpina65]

53 minutes ago, gonzosgirrl said:

I've only started watching regularly in the last few months or so. I haven't noticed any obvious changes since the last time I watched on a regular basis (probably around the time of Ken's original run). What am I missing?

They added unnecessary tournaments, changed the format of the Tournament of Champions and use a tie-breaker so that there are no longer co-champions (that is not a recent change, though, it's been around for several years).  Plus the judges' rulings have gotten more lenient when previously the host would've indicated that a contestant needed to be more specific.  Those are just a few.

[ams1001]

March 31:

63% / 57% / 60%

In J I ran Constitutional Amendments, missed one in Rhyme Time, two in Simple Machine and Big as a Whale, and three in Country Music and Cars. In DJ I missed one in Religion, two in "A.B.", Nepo Parents, and Oxymorons, and three in Birth of a Nation and 20th Century Novels. Did not get FJ.

TSes: (J had 1; DJ had 5) I only got Swann.

[Katy M]

I said Morse code even thought i was pretty sure that was developed by Morse code.  I kept thinking 8 x 8, but that didn't help. 

I got the entire category of amendments right.

I got the missed cluse of Swann and Little Big Man.

 

[dgpolo]

3 minutes ago, ams1001 said:

 Did not get FJ.

I guess I misunderstood the clue, I thought of Braille but I thought it had an immense number of combinations, I mean, it spells words and there are a lot of words! then I thought semaphore, boo.😛

[ams1001]

17 minutes ago, dgpolo said:

I guess I misunderstood the clue, I thought of Braille but I thought it had an immense number of combinations, I mean, it spells words and there are a lot of words! then I thought semaphore, boo.😛

I also guessed semaphore. I didn't even think of Braille.

[Browncoat]

My initial thought for FJ was Morse code, but I didn't think Morse was a student.  Then I thought semaphore, but discarded that, too.  I landed on the right response in the nick of time.

The only TS I got was Little Big Man.  I love that movie.

And I loved the "Got me a car" category.

[secnarf]

36 minutes ago, dgpolo said:

I guess I misunderstood the clue, I thought of Braille but I thought it had an immense number of combinations, I mean, it spells words and there are a lot of words! then I thought semaphore, boo.😛

It spells words, but with "letters" - and there are far fewer letters/numbers/symbols than there are words.

I also initially thought too few for Braille, and then realized that the math makes sense for letters/numbers/symbols.

[chessiegal]

My newspaper has a "Today in History" feature. I often think many would make good J! clues. The 23rd amendment was mentioned last Saturday. 

[SomeTameGazelle]

1 hour ago, ams1001 said:

I didn't even think of Braille.

I rejected Braille because I thought 64 was too many for 26 letters + 10 digits even if there were a few punctuation marks and I didn't realise there was a set of 6 dots. I did realise that 64 was 2 to the power of 6 and even though I knew that the binary system has to be able to get to more than 64 I thought maybe it was some rudimentary use that required an adjective I couldn't think of. 

1 hour ago, Browncoat said:

And I loved the "Got me a car" category.

I sometimes complain about unnecessary stories mixed in with clues, but when Ken read the categories I wanted *all* the lyrics and was happy to hear them spread throughout the car clues. 

Exciting for it to be such a close game.

Edited Yest. at 01:25 AM by SomeTameGazelle
And another thing!

[Ancaster]

.

 

Edited Yest. at 02:30 AM by Ancaster

[dgpolo]

4 minutes ago, Ancaster said:

Am I the only one who found them all missing the Amendment clue shocking?

? am I missing something? All the amendment clues were answered, 2 by Josh, 2 by Bryce, 1 by Allison.

[possibilities]

I used to use Braille a lot-- I wrote it and sight read it. A Braille cell is two dots horizonatlly and 3 vertically. That's 6, not 8. I don't really understand where the 8x8 idea is coming from.

Each letter of the alphabet is formed by a particular combination of those dots inside a cell.

There are also a few codes that are used for punctuation and to indicate numbers, and a few words also have a cell (like "and"). 

 

 

[dgpolo]

2 minutes ago, possibilities said:

I used to use Braille a lot

Eddie Timanus wrote on Twitter: It pretty much goes without saying that this was a #Layup for me.

[SomeTameGazelle]

27 minutes ago, possibilities said:

That's 6, not 8. I don't really understand where the 8x8 idea is coming from.

It's 2^6 or 2x2x2x2x2x2 which happens to be the same as 8x8. The clue just specified 64 but trying to solve it using 8x8 didn't lead anywhere.

[bad things are bad]

10 hours ago, Browncoat said:

And I loved the "Got me a car" category

It's as big as a whale! Since I'm going to see the B-52s next weekend,  I REALLY loved these category names! 

[proserpina65]

15 hours ago, Katy M said:

I said Morse code even thought i was pretty sure that was developed by Morse code. 

I vacillated between Morse code and Braille because I didn't think either of them was invented by a student.  Went with the wrong one.

I'm kinda skeeved out by the new guy's beard so I hope he's a one and done.  He did, however, name his cat "Soren Catkegaard, so he does get points for that.

15 hours ago, dgpolo said:

then I thought semaphore,

That crossed my mind, but I knew it existed long before 1824.  "England expects that every man will do his duty" was the semaphore signal Nelson had sent to his fleet before the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805, and it wasn't a new thing then, either.  (See, I do know stuff about the British Navy, I swear!)

14 hours ago, Browncoat said:

And I loved the "Got me a car" category.

That one was a lot of fun.  And of course got Love Shack stuck in my head.  Which isn't a bad thing, obviously.

[Prevailing Wind]

21 hours ago, proserpina65 said:

They added unnecessary tournaments, changed the format of the Tournament of Champions and use a tie-breaker so that there are no longer co-champions (that is not a recent change, though, it's been around for several years).  Plus the judges' rulings have gotten more lenient when previously the host would've indicated that a contestant needed to be more specific.  Those are just a few.

And there's an overabundance of religious (mostly Judeo-Christian) topics and clues.

 

ETA: My first inclination for FJ was the one I went with - a huge shrug and "I got nuthin'."

 

Edited 23 hours ago by Prevailing Wind

[Clanstarling]

16 hours ago, Katy M said:

I said Morse code even thought i was pretty sure that was developed by Morse code.  I kept thinking 8 x 8, but that didn't help. 

I thought short hand, even though 64 doesn't make sense (lots of letter combinations, I think). I wouldn't really know - the only shorthand I took was in 8th grade German Realschule, which I flunked miserably - at the end I was just making s**t up. 🤣 (to be fair, I started 3 weeks late and the teacher did not help me catch up)

14 hours ago, SomeTameGazelle said:

I sometimes complain about unnecessary stories mixed in with clues, but when Ken read the categories I wanted *all* the lyrics and was happy to hear them spread throughout the car clues. 

Me too. I love that song. My husband did not like me pointing out the lyrics, he was concentrating on the clues.

[Bastet]

3 hours ago, proserpina65 said:

I'm kinda skeeved out by the new guy's beard so I hope he's a one and done.  He did, however, name his cat "Soren Catkegaard, so he does get points for that.

I hate facial hair, period, beards most of all, and really hate that particular one, so, yeah, I won't complain if I don't have to look at it much longer.  But that's cute about the cat name, so I'll just think of that to counteract every "ugh" thought (I generally skip the interviews, so didn't know about the kitty.)

I watched with my mom so didn't keep track, but neither of us got FJ.  I otherwise had a great game, though; I know I almost ran the entire first round, and did well in DJ other than in novels, in which I don't think I came up with a single one

[Katy M]

I got FJ very unconfidently.

I got the missed clues of Pillsbury Dough Boy and infrared (after ultraviolet).

I got the entire category of albums wrong.

[ams1001]

April 1:

77% / 63% / 69%

In J I ran Mascot Mania, Words Within Words (all of which ended in -ent; I realized the pattern after the third one), and Something to Sneeze At, missed one in All Pauls, and three in Old West and Film Cameos.

In DJ I ran A Little Cause Play, missed one in Geograph"E" and I Don't Feel Seen, two in Biology, three in New to the OED, and four in Songs from the Hit Album (I knew most of the artists but I don't really know albums; I am a little annoyed I couldn't think of Nevermind, though. If I had to ID the artist from the album I would have gotten three).

Did not get FJ.

TSes: (J had 4 + the DD; DJ had 9 + 1 DD) I got Pillsbury Doughboy, Paul Robeson, The Scorcerer's Apprentice (DD), Neil Patrick Harris, slime mold, Ebro (total guess; I don't know where it came from and I wasn't even sure it was a real river when it popped into my head), infrared, and Tortured Poet's Department (but only after she gave me 2/3 of it)..
 

[Browncoat]

I got FJ on a lucky guess, with a tiny amount of knowledge of Italian geography.  

And I got the TS of Pillsbury Doughboy, The Sorcerer's Apprentice, Neil Patrick Harris, slime mold, serum, inner planets, and infrared. 

[dgpolo]

I got FJ because of the series The Borgias and Ronan Vibert playing Giovanni Sforza.

[gonzosgirrl]

Bryce is smart, but man does he look awkward on screen. I won't be sorry when his run is done.

[ams1001]

New opener!

 

[Driad]

Yawn, runaway games are boring. Hoping for strong competitors tomorrow.

As for beards, I like some but not others. I don't like Bryce's. IMO, some men look better with beards. I dislike is the "several days' scruff" look: either grow a beard or don't.

[Quickbeam]

My husband hates the Amish beard look and won’t stop talking about it. I also had to explain the Florence category yesterday. #betterwatchingalone 🤣

[ProudMary]

I can't believe that the Pillsbury Doughboy was a TS! I would have had it as a $200 clue, but I guess that $1,000 placement turned out to be appropriate. 🤷‍♀️

[30 Helens]

When I look at the current champ, all I can see is Mose from The Office. 

 

Also: Ken’s “correct correct” for the Little Caesar’s response made me laugh.

Edited 3 hours ago by 30 Helens