Jeopardy! Season 41 (2024-2025)

[gonzosgirrl]

If they can qualify for regular Jeopardy, without the softball questions that CJ gets, then I say more power to them.

[MrAtoz]

5 minutes ago, gonzosgirrl said:

If they can qualify for regular Jeopardy, without the softball questions that CJ gets, then I say more power to them.

More seriously, that is one of the things that came up during discussion of Mr. Branum on some of the contestant forums. Anyone can take the Jeopardy test, even famous people, and if they qualify, they can get onto the show. There have been occasional celebrities on the regular show, for certain values of "celebrity."

Paris Themmen, who played Mike Teevee in Willie Wonka & the Chocolate Factory, was a contestant in 2018. Jackie Fox, the bass player for the band The Runaways, was a four-day champion (using her real name, Jackie Fuchs). I actually played against Frank Young, who is a writer for the children's show Paw Patrol. I guess Guy Branum is another example, even if I haven't heard of him. 😀

[Driad]

As another example, Wes Hazard, a Massachusetts storyteller who is a host of PBS's "Stories from the Stage," was a 3-time Jeopardy champ in July 2018.  I recognized him but I don't recall that anyone else in the season thread mentioned knowing who he was.

[Katy M]

I got FJ, but it was a pretty wild guess.

I got the missed clues of Kings of Leon and Scotland.

I got the entire categories of singer and Medieval right.

[ams1001]

April 7:

57% / 53% / 54%

Ugh, not a good game. I blame the fact that I only got a few hours of sleep last night. (Why? I do not know. I almost fell asleep at my desk this afternoon.) In J I ran Dandy (and enjoyed Ken's silly voice for reading the clues), missed two in Ear, Movie Title, and Fine, three in Gang "Way", and four in Nameless in Shakespeare (unless jester is acceptable for The Fool...if so, my score becomes 60% / 53% / 56%). In DJ I ran Her Mom's a Singer, missed two in Malice in Wonderland, Medieval Histories, and Scrabble Scores, and four in Habitats for Humanity and On the "M"ap.

Did not get FJ. My mind blanked on even coming up with an year-appropriate author. I thought of Crane but was pretty sure he was later (looked it up after; he was born in 1871).

TSes: (J had 3; DJ had 2 + 1 DD) I only got Scotland.
 

10 hours ago, MrAtoz said:

I guess this proves how I'm not hip. I've seen several discussions about whether this Guy Branum person is "too famous" for regular Jeopardy!, shouldn't he be on Celebrity Jeopardy! instead, just what are the rules about that sort of thing, etc.

I only know him because I watch CBS's After Midnight* (a reboot of Comedy Central's At Midnight which ran from 2013-2017) and he's been on a handful of times. I have no problem with him being on "regular" Jeopardy; I was just surprised to see a familiar face. It was kind of fun to see him being more serious than I'm used to (since After Midnight tends towards chaos).

*But I watch the clips they post on YouTube the next day because it's past my bedtime.

Edited April 7 by ams1001

[proserpina65]

I call bullshit on them giving Mike credit for Queen Anne in reference to the VICTORIAN houses on Postcard Row.  They are not the same style at all.

[gonzosgirrl]

25 minutes ago, proserpina65 said:

I call bullshit on them giving Mike credit for Queen Anne in reference to the VICTORIAN houses on Postcard Row.  They are not the same style at all.

On the flip-side, I thought it was kind of picky to make him add 'Carter' to Blue-Ivy.

[ams1001]

28 minutes ago, proserpina65 said:

I call bullshit on them giving Mike credit for Queen Anne in reference to the VICTORIAN houses on Postcard Row.  They are not the same style at all.

Wikipedia says "Queen Anne style architecture was one of a number of popular Victorian architectural styles that emerged in the United States during the period from roughly 1880 to 1910."

[Katy M]

27 minutes ago, proserpina65 said:

I call bullshit on them giving Mike credit for Queen Anne in reference to the VICTORIAN houses on Postcard Row.  They are not the same style at all.

Yeah, I thought that was weird.  They are 2 different queens from 2 different centuries.  But, then I googled and I'm more confused than ever.

[Browncoat]

I did not get FJ.  I thought of Crane, but knew his book was set during the Civil War.  Then I thought of Hawthorne, but couldn't make any of his books fit.  I did think of Cooper, but just as time ran out, and didn't write it down, so it doesn't count.

I did get the TS of incus, auricle, Scotland, and accessory dwelling unit, although I guess that last one wasn't technically a TS, since the judges decided to reverse their decision.

13 minutes ago, gonzosgirrl said:

On the flip-side, I thought it was kind of picky to make him add 'Carter' to Blue-Ivy.

And yet accept just Love for Courtney Love.

[gonzosgirrl]

8 minutes ago, Browncoat said:

And yet accept just Love for Courtney Love.

Makes me wonder if they would've accepted just 'Carter' as an answer for Blue-Ivy 🙂

I like Mike - I hope he goes the distance.

[proserpina65]

53 minutes ago, ams1001 said:

Wikipedia says "Queen Anne style architecture was one of a number of popular Victorian architectural styles that emerged in the United States during the period from roughly 1880 to 1910."

But the Painted Ladies on Postcard Row are not Queen Anne style architecture, which is much simpler.

[possibilities]

For FJ, I said: "What is that book by James Fenimore Cooper, the title of which I cannot remember"

I want credit!! 

[BuckeyeLou]

2 minutes ago, possibilities said:

For FJ, I said: "What is that book by James Fenimore Cooper, the title of which I cannot remember"

I want credit!! 

I said 'who is the author of "Last of the Mohicans", lol...at least I was close

[SomeTameGazelle]

I think this was one of those situations where Erin should have stood pat and waited for Mike to be wrong. She probably wasn't going to win if he was right, so she needed to stay above what he would bet to stay ahead of her if she doubled. 

I did not get FJ, but I got Herald and Kings of Léon.

1 hour ago, proserpina65 said:

But the Painted Ladies on Postcard Row are not Queen Anne style architecture, which is much simpler.

I don't know anything about architecture, but the pictures of Queen Anne and various sorts of Queen Anne Revival look fancier to me in shape than Postcard Row. I agree they should not have given Mike Queen Anne because it didn't fit Postcard Row -- and if they had thought it was ambiguous, they should have written the clue more pointedly so that only one response was acceptable. However given how they handled it I would have liked Ken to have spent just a couple of seconds on explaining why Queen Anne was considered acceptable instead of just acting like they were obvious synonyms.

[proserpina65]

11 hours ago, SomeTameGazelle said:

don't know anything about architecture, but the pictures of Queen Anne and various sorts of Queen Anne Revival look fancier to me in shape than Postcard Row

Queen Anne architecture is definitely less elaborate than Victorian architecture.  (Not an architecture expert but have taken enough related classes to have seen a lot of it.)  Edited to note that Queen Anne architecture in the US is VERY different from that actually built in England during her reign, which was what I was referencing.  Like, night and day different.

Here is an example of the style in England:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Queen_Anne_style_architecture#/media/File:Winslow_Hall,_Sheep_Street,_Winslow_-_geograph.org.uk_-_2230591.jpg

11 hours ago, SomeTameGazelle said:

However given how they handled it I would have liked Ken to have spent just a couple of seconds on explaining why Queen Anne was considered acceptable instead of just acting like they were obvious synonyms.

That would've been good.  Just "yes, or Victorian" was completely insufficient.  At least to those of us given to being pedantic. 

Edited April 8 by proserpina65

[ams1001]

April 8:

80% / 67% / 74%

Pretty good first round, meh second (but better than yesterday…). In J I ran Waterfalls and Saddle, missed one in Tuesday and Beginning Words, and two in Chapter and Verse. In DJ I ran Scientific Law Review and Ditch the X, missed two in Not Going Anywhere and Ancient History, and three in TV Roles and National Road. FJ was an instaget.

Yay for Mike, I like him. 

TSes: (J had 5 + the DD; DJ had 5 + both DDs) I got inception, Lord of the Flies (DD), Esmeralda, David, maxim/maim (DD), and temperature.
 

[Katy M]

I was like Oh what's that place in Hollywood with the stars.  I don't know. I'll just say Hollywood Blvd.  LOL. Talk about lucking into an answer.

I got the missed clues of  Demi Moore, Inception, Lord of the Flies, Esmerelda, play ball, and David.

I got the entire category of saddle right.

Pretty good night for me.

[SoMuchTV]

44 minutes ago, Katy M said:

I was like Oh what's that place in Hollywood with the stars.  I don't know. I'll just say Hollywood Blvd.  LOL. Talk about lucking into an answer.

100% same here!

[opus]

I was panicking on FJ as I knew what they wanted but could only think of Grauman's Chinese Theatre. But then I got the lyrics to The Kinks ‘Celluloid Heroes’ into my head and found the answer.

[Browncoat]

Archive game for me last night, but FJ was an instaget.

I also got the TS of play ball, Esmeralda, temperature, POW camp, Jessica Lange, and David.  David was a total guess.

[chessiegal]

I always feel like such a smarty pants when I get FJ until all three contestants get it. What's the opposite of an asterisk? 😄

Pretty Woman is one of my favorite movies, so FJ came quickly to mind.

[shapeshifter]

1 hour ago, chessiegal said:

I always feel like such a smarty pants when I get FJ until all three contestants get it. What's the opposite of an asterisk? 😄

Yeah. But I do kind of need one easy FJ per week to keep me watching — which might be something they were told to do for ratings? — at least after the TOCs?

But also, having an easy FJ thrown into the mix every so often highlights the importance of wagering strategy. The DDs are so quick that I have to forgive the contestants whose wagers are ill-advised, but on FJ, they don't have that excuse. Other excuses😉, but not lack of time for computing wagers.

In addition to FJ's Hollywood Blvd, I got the TS of David, and instagot "bit" before the wrong guess, thanks to the big hint in the clue of “hope it isn't ‘spit’”🙄.
But then, I wasn't trying to ring in on a buzzer. 

Even without buzzing, I couldn't get Kenneth Grahame to my brain (never mind my mouth) in time before Anise, even though I *just* read some Frog & Toad to my little grandson on Saturday.

[ProudMary]

2 hours ago, chessiegal said:

Pretty Woman is one of my favorite movies, so FJ came quickly to mind.

"Welcome to Hollywood. What's your dream?"

I love Pretty Woman, too. 😉

[Prevailing Wind]

2 hours ago, chessiegal said:

What's the opposite of an asterisk?

TG = Triple Get  LOL

[The Wild Sow]

12 hours ago, opus said:

I knew what they wanted but could only think of Grauman's Chinese Theatre. But then I got the lyrics to The Kinks ‘Celluloid Heroes’ into my head and found the answer.

Heh heh, come and sit by me! That's how I got it too.  I was thinking, Oh, yeah, the Chinese Theatre....but what street is it on?  And Celluloid Heroes popped into my head! Hollywood Boulevard!

ETA:  Wonder if they would have accepted "Stalag" for POW camp?

Edited April 9 by The Wild Sow

[proserpina65]

7 minutes ago, The Wild Sow said:

ETA:  Wonder if they would have accepted "Stalag" for POW camp?

I said stalag as well but did quickly follow it up with POW camp.

Although I was briefly thrown off by the year (thought they started that much earlier), I did get Hollywood Boulevard pretty easily.  I believe I was confusing the stars with doing one's foot/hand prints at Graumann's Chinese Theatre at first.

[The Wild Sow]

23 minutes ago, proserpina65 said:

Although I was briefly thrown off by the year (thought they started that much earlier), I did get Hollywood Boulevard pretty easily.  I believe I was confusing the stars with doing one's foot/hand prints at Graumann's Chinese Theatre at first.

Right, the footprints/handprints have been going on since the 1920's, starting (I think) with Mary Pickford.  But the theatre is on Hollywood Blvd., so there's that!

[Clanstarling]

18 hours ago, Katy M said:

I was like Oh what's that place in Hollywood with the stars.  I don't know. I'll just say Hollywood Blvd.  LOL. Talk about lucking into an answer.

Same.

58 minutes ago, The Wild Sow said:

ETA:  Wonder if they would have accepted "Stalag" for POW camp?

I think they would have. I believe it just meant a prisoner camp in WWII. They might not have accepted it right away, but I'd bet they'd have come back with a favorable ruling.

[ProudMary]

2 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

Yeah. But I do kind of need one easy FJ per week to keep me watching — which might be something they were told to do for ratings? — at least after the TOCs?

The thing is, there's no way to qualify what an easy clue is. Yes, last night's contestants all responded correctly, but as Ken mentioned, you had to know what Burt Lancaster and Joanne Woodward did for a living. For most of us of a certain age, those were household names, but Burt Lancaster's been dead for over thirty years and Joanne Woodward hasn't acted on-screen for twenty years. (She did a bit of voice work after that.) If last night's contestants were just a bit younger, they may not have recognized their names at all. 

OTOH, I'm 2/2 for this week's FJs so far, and Monday was a TS for the contestants. I wouldn't say it was an instaget for me, but I made an educated guess that it was Cooper based on the time frame and the type of novels he wrote.

Short version: You can't predict what  subjects are in anyone's wheelhouse. 🤷‍♀️

[dgpolo]

1 minute ago, ProudMary said:

Short version: You can't predict what  subjects are in anyone's wheelhouse. 🤷‍♀️

Or, as my daughter says after I look at her incredulously for not knowing something I think is obvious, 'You don't know what you don't know'

[ProudMary]

1 minute ago, dgpolo said:

Or, as my daughter says after I look at her incredulously for not knowing something I think is obvious, 'You don't know what you don't know'

I'm still trying to get over the Pillsbury Doughboy being a TS last week! 😱

[ams1001]

April 9:

73% / 63% / 69%

Meh-ish game overall. In J I ran 2000-Era Mall Rat and Clickbait Goes to the Movies, missed one in 3-"G", two in State Facts and Biblical Art, and three in Specific Potpourri. In DJ I ran On the Left Hand Side, missed one in Authors' Appearances and Duchy, two in 11-Letter Words, three in Long Song Titles, and four in Our Green Planet. 

But I got FJ! Wasn't sure but it made sense so I went with it.

TSes: (J had 2 + the DD; DJ had 7 + 1 DD) I got Misery, redhead, optometrist, and glasses.

I cracked up at Ken's comment on Se7en: "Yeah, worst unboxing video ever."

Also, Mike's sugar glider named Suge Knight. 😄

[Katy M]

I knew it wasn't right, but I couldn't get my brain to leave Stonehenge.  I ende dup saying the Berlin WAll, because i thought when it was torn down it had pain, but there was also joy.  Hey, at least I had a thought behind my answer for once.

I got the missed clues of Queen of Sheba, BB King (alway my answers for blues), optometrist, and eucalyptus.

I got the entire category of Bible art right.

[Browncoat]

25 minutes ago, Katy M said:

I knew it wasn't right, but I couldn't get my brain to leave Stonehenge.

Same here!  

But I did get the TS of Virginia & Tennessee, chestnut tree, redhead, optometrist, eucalyptus, and glasses.

[ams1001]

6 hours ago, Clanstarling said:

Same.

I think they would have. I believe it just meant a prisoner camp in WWII. They might not have accepted it right away, but I'd bet they'd have come back with a favorable ruling.

I agree..."'Stalag' is a German abbreviation for "Stammlager," meaning "main camp," and was used to refer to German prisoner-of-war camps for enlisted personnel during World War II." (Google's AI overview.)

[possibilities]

Add me toi the group that today knew what they wanted for FJ,  but I could not remember the name of it. I actually wrote down "What is that street in Hollywood where they have famous people's names with stars?"

 

[secnarf]

26 minutes ago, possibilities said:

Add me toi the group that today knew what they wanted for FJ,  but I could not remember the name of it. I actually wrote down "What is that street in Hollywood where they have famous people's names with stars?"

 

Today's Final Jeopardy answer was the Wailing Wall.

The Lion of Lucerne came into my head first and would not leave. Wailing Wall was obvious once it was revealed, but I couldn't get there on my own.

[possibilities]

25 minutes ago, secnarf said:

Today's Final Jeopardy answer was the Wailing Wall.

Yes, I was referring to yesterday's game.

Tonight, I thought "Lourdes" -- I was so sure, too. Alas!

[30 Helens]

How to screw up an easy FJ (yesterday’s version): See actors’ names, assume an award is involved. Oscars no, Emmys not yet.. what acting award is related to a street? Oh, it must be Broadway! 

At least I redeemed myself by getting today’s right away. (I watched both shows back to back, so I didn’t have to bear the humiliation very long.)

[bad things are bad]

First thought for FJ was Stonehenge,  then went to Yad Vashem, so sort of in the ballpark

[proserpina65]

15 hours ago, Katy M said:

I knew it wasn't right, but I couldn't get my brain to leave Stonehenge. 

I thought of Stonehenge first but then went to Easter Island because I figured giant stone faces might be crying.  Never even got in the same ballpark as the Wailing Wall, although it makes perfect sense in retrospect.

14 hours ago, Browncoat said:

But I did get the TS of Virginia & Tennessee,

I knew Virginia but said Maryland even though I knew that probably wasn't right.  I just couldn't think of any other state that Virginia touched which would've had a lot of Civil War battles.  I forgot that Tennessee does touch a small part of Virginia; I keep thinking that it only touches West Virginia, although during the Civil War that would've still been Virginia.

15 hours ago, Katy M said:

I got the entire category of Bible art right.

Me, too.

[Browncoat]

25 minutes ago, proserpina65 said:

I forgot that Tennessee does touch a small part of Virginia; I keep thinking that it only touches West Virginia, although during the Civil War that would've still been Virginia.

Tennessee doesn't touch West Virginia.

[proserpina65]

4 minutes ago, Browncoat said:

Tennessee doesn't touch West Virginia.

Upon closer examination of an admittedly really small map, I realize it doesn't.  What I thought was West Virginia was actually eastern Kentucky.  Oops.

[Prevailing Wind]

Of course TN & VA abut. Don't y'all remember the GEICO commercial where the Gecko was in Bristol, straddling the state line that runs through the town?

[chessiegal]

Rick Steves would be disappointed in me for missing the wailing wall. He's been my source for so many FJs. 😉

[Katy M]

I guessed FJ.  I knew Albert and Victoria were cousins, but I thought surely if her name is in the name, too, the clue would indicate that.

I got the entire category of rhyme time wrong.  I'm usually pretty good with that.  Off night I guess.

Did much better in DJ than the first round.  Which is good.  Because the value is higher.

 

[Browncoat]

Instaguess FJ for me tonight, and I had zero confidence in it.  I was pleasantly surprised to be correct.

The only TS I got were lazy daisy and stable table.  Not my best night.

[ams1001]

April 10:

53% / 60% / 57%

J! was not my board. Sports? Mystery? Ugh. I ran Going to Pieces, missed two in Rhyme Time and Games, three in Sport Nickname and Mystery, and four in California History.

Not much better in DJ…ran "With" or "Without", missed one in Medical Talk, two in Latin Class, and three in No A in Country, Single Life, and Economics.

I did get both DDs in the second round and FJ, so at least there's that.

TSes: (J had 5; DJ had 4) I got Mr. Curling (a guess after hockey was wrong), stable table, Super Mario Brothers.
 

[Quickbeam]

The Winklevi! Oh that Ken.