Jeopardy! Season 41 (2024-2025)

[ByaNose]

Young Liam looks 12. That said, he’s smarter than me so I doubt he cares what I think. I am curious how tall he is. Unfortunately, the contestants don’t talk center stage anymore so we’ll never know. I miss the center stage conversations and the final shot would close on the current champion. 

I’m currently rewatching Ken’s original run on Jeopardy on Game Show Network. He was so young. It’s great seeing and hearing Alex again. The show isn’t in high definition (from what I can tell) and, I’m not even sure when they started. I think Ken had just his 31st game so we have long way to go. I remember everyone being enthralled and captivated by his history making run. I can’t believe I was only my 40’s. Now, I’m 60 and I feel like I’m 80. LOL!!!!!

 

[30 Helens]

I avoided everything about the GOP convention, so I didn’t see the people with bandaged ears. (Although in retrospect, I do remember hearing something about it.) It makes me think of The World According to Garp, when all the idiots cut out their tongues so they could be more like their idol. Now, if only that trend would catch on in the GOP… 

[proserpina65]

I am out until Liam is gone.  I cannot stand him.

[gonzosgirrl]

I think Liam threw everyone by going directly to a sports category. :)  I died a little inside right along with Ken when he said he'd been to 17 major league games, *almost* one for every year of his life.

[chessiegal]

I like Liam. I hope he has a good run. He's 20 and a senior in college. Good for him for his breadth of knowledge.

[MrAtoz]

2 hours ago, gonzosgirrl said:

I think Liam threw everyone by going directly to a sports category. :)

That surprised me too. Stereotypically, someone so "nerdy" should do poorly in that area, but Liam is a sports fan, so more power to him.

[TaraS1]

After yesterday's FJ and a few other related questions lately, I'm definitely starting to understand why people get irked with all the Bible questions.

[gonzosgirrl]

30 minutes ago, MrAtoz said:

That surprised me too. Stereotypically, someone so "nerdy" should do poorly in that area, but Liam is a sports fan, so more power to him.

If it wasn't for him speaking so enthusiastically about it when Ken asked, I would have wondered if it wasn't a "Sheldon-esque" thing, where he knew all the technicalities of the game (football) but none of the spirit.

[ams1001]

Liam looks like he's trying not to smile during his intro.

[Katy M]

I had no idea on FJ.  I had a feeling it wasn't literally a bridge, but I got no further than that.

I got the missed clues of Sheldon Cooper, moose, mortgage, and Ron Howard.

I got the entire category of age right.

Not a good night.  Again. I may be getting stupid for this game.

[gonzosgirrl]

Not Jeopardy using a Sheldon Cooper answer at this moment in time, and nobody getting it.

ETA: Today I learned that a moose is a deer. I feel like I have to turn in my Canadian passport.

I have to say it. Liam resembles Jim Parson's Sheldon, but Abigail really looks like Young Sheldon.

Edited April 23 by gonzosgirrl

[dgpolo]

11 minutes ago, gonzosgirrl said:

I learned that a moose is a deer

Not only did I know that a moose is a deer but the picture looked like a baby moose, I don't know why no one got that. And the Sheldon Cooper thing was funny.

[ECM1231]

I consider myself the dummy of this group of intelligent Jeopardy -watching posters, so I'm delighted to say I got FJ right, and rather quickly, I might add. IDK why, other than thinking of the year, World War I, President Wilson, and the League of Nations. That's 3 in a row this week, which is probably a record for me. 

[Browncoat]

Not a clue for FJ tonight.  I was rooting for Abigail, though.  Too bad she missed that DD.  

I laughed at Sheldon Cooper being a clue.  I got that one, plus the other TS of stingray, moose, and Ron Howard.

[ams1001]

April 23:

80% / 43% / 61%

Started out well, then went downhill. In J I ran Young Animals and Compound Words, missed one in TV Characters, 2024, and Pour Decisions, and three in Also a Car Part. In DJ I missed one in Ends with AGE, two in Musical Event and 19th Century Lit, three in World Geography, four in Boats & Ships, and all five in Actors by the Films They Directed (I was picturing Ron Howard's face but I could not get his name out of my brain in time; the rest I had no idea). Had no clue for FJ.

TSes: (J had 3 + the DD; DJ had 6) I got Sheldon Cooper, stingray, moose, and Rachmaninoff.

I'm amused that people are saying Liam looks like Sheldon and then no one got the Sheldon Cooper clue. He looked shocked at winning; was he not sure of his math?

[gonzosgirrl]

26 minutes ago, dgpolo said:

Not only did I know that a moose is a deer but the picture looked like a baby moose, I don't know why no one got that. And the Sheldon Cooper thing was funny.

I knew it was a baby moose. I didn't know a moose is a deer.

[SomeTameGazelle]

3 hours ago, ams1001 said:

Actors by the Films They Directed (I was picturing Ron Howard's face but I could not get his name out of my brain in time; the rest I had no idea). Had no clue for FJ.

I got as far as Richie Cunningham. I also pictured Elizabeth Banks and Jonah Hill (it helped that I recently read the Lorne Michaels bio which has a throughline of an episode hosted by Jonah Hill and Lorne not liking Jonah's sketch idea parodying the rather obscure movie he was promoting) but I did get Clooney; didn't recognize Denzel Washington though.

For FJ I foolishly guessed Pennsylvania, obviously based on nothing more than the word Keystone. I had no theory for what the political reference was supposed to be.

I liked Abigail a lot and console myself slightly that on the one hand if she had got that first DD, Liam would probably have overtaken her by betting more on his DDs in the DJ round -- but on the other hand if she had wagered more carefully in FJ she could have won. 

Edited April 24 by SomeTameGazelle
Spelling

[shapeshifter]

Abigail seemed upset with herself for not winning. 
She was an unusually strong player, but I cringed at that $7,800 "true daily double" wager.

I am enjoying Liam's sweet personality.

 

5 hours ago, ams1001 said:

[Liam] looked shocked at winning; was he not sure of his math?

I glanced at their final scores going into FJ and had no idea what recommended wagers would be. 
Maybe Abigail's wager was not what Liam anticipated, or maybe he guess a range?
After Abigail got FJ wrong and and then Liam did too, there wasn't really enough time for him to do the math, and he couldn't change anything at that point, so presumably just waited to hear it announced because it was so close. 

[possibilities]

Abigail was fierce with the buzzer! I thought she was going to win, until the DD loss. She came roaring back but I do think she got a little deflated at first when she fell down to zero, and then took too long to regain her momentum. I had started imagining her having a long, dominant, and exciting run. Alas!

I felt bad for Eric, who it seemed was a good player and a fun guy, but he was up against two dynamos. Also, it's interesting to me that Liam and Abigail have totally different styles of play, but I'm thinking of them as both being dominant.

I think I was enjoying Abigail's aggressive style of play because it's rare that we get a female player who is high energy and like a racehorse with the buzzer. It was giving ME energy!

Ken seemed to be having a good time, too. He seems to be loosening up more lately. It's fun, because he manages to do it without taking focus off the players. Somehow his playfulness supports them rather than stealing glory or seeming like he just wants attention on himself. That's a great skill and makes watching more enjoyable for me. I get tense watching people compete! He helps me chill out.

[ByaNose]

Young Liam looked genuinely shocked. I guess answering the question wrong and the wager overwhelmed him. He was so happy. Abigail made a horrible wager in my opinion but who am I to judge. I hope Liam is a five day champion. I always hope the contestant who has 3 or 4 wins becomes a 5 day champion. After that, it’s gravy and potentially a lot more money. LOL!!!!!

[30 Helens]

I was rooting for Abagail. If not for that failed “all in” DD, she would have been a force to be reckoned with. Luck was just not on her side.

Today my husband, unprompted, said Liam looks like an Alfred E. Neuman bobblehead figure. I feel seen.

[bad things are bad]

Both hubby and I worked in automotive all our lives and neither of us came up with transmission. I was yelling for Abigail not to go all in because I figured it would be tricky. Hope she comes back in a second chance tournament 

[chessiegal]

This is what Andy Saunders (The Jeopardy! Fan) had to say about FJ bets:

Quote

Final Jeopardy! wagering suggestions:

(Scores: Liam $18,800 Abigail $14,000 Eric $0)

Liam: Standard cover bet today is $9,201. (Actual bet: $9,201)

Abigail: Bet no more than $4,400 and hope for a miss from Liam. (Actual bet: $4,801)

Eric: (By rule, did not participate in Final Jeopardy)

 

[MrAtoz]

Given the date and "Uncle Sam sleeping," I figured it had to be about the League of Nations in some way, although I couldn't really make the bridge thing make sense. Still, I would have gotten it right had I but been there.

As TheJeopardyFan calculations above demonstrate, Liam bet enough to be ahead of Abigail by a dollar in the case that she bet everything and got it right. He probably didn't do the calculations as to what would happen if they both got it wrong, so I don't blame him for being surprised that he won.

[Driad]

The broadcast of today's game is rescheduled (at least where I am) because of a sportsball thing.  Check your schedules.

[chessiegal]

Both Fox out of Baltimore and ABC out of DC are airing J! at their regular times.

[ams1001]

1 minute ago, chessiegal said:

Both Fox out of Baltimore and ABC out of DC are airing J! at their regular times.

My listings show it at normal time as well (ABC out of NYC).

[opus]

1 hour ago, ams1001 said:

My listings show it at normal time as well (ABC out of NYC).

That's where I am. NFL Draft coverage starts at 8 pm ET so no conflict tonight. Tomorrow though coverage starts at 7 pm ET so no Jeopardy.

[Quickbeam]

10 hours ago, bad things are bad said:

Both hubby and I worked in automotive all our lives and neither of us came up with transmission. I was yelling for Abigail not to go all in because I figured it would be tricky. Hope she comes back in a second chance tournament 

I had my transmission fail on my way to my 50th high school reunion a few years ago. They had to fly a new one in from across the country at a mind exploding cost. And I didn’t get ‘transmission’ either! 

[ams1001]

April 24:

73% / 87% / 79%

Did pretty well tonight! In J I ran TV Title References, missed one in Anatomical Phrases and 18th Century America, and two in In the Cards, From Whence They Came, and "OK" Boomer. In DJ I ran Blank Verse, Movie Genres, and Objection Your Honor!, missed one in Light and Fantastic, and two in Tripping. Did not get FJ.

Lotta TSes! (J had 8; DJ had 12) I got Night Court, head rush, Discover Card, Community Chest, Stowe, speculation, leading question, polarized, candela, stellar, fettle, and June..

[Katy M]

I finally had a good game.

I guessed FJ right.

I got the missed clues of Night Court, Barcelona, Discover, Community Chest, Stowe, speculation, stellar, candela, theory of relativity, leading question, and something I can't read.

I got the entire category of objection right.

[dgpolo]

1 minute ago, Katy M said:

I guessed FJ right.

I got the missed clues of Night Court, Barcelona, Discover, Community Chest, Stowe, speculation, stellar, candela, theory of relativity, leading question, and something I can't read.

I got the entire category of objection right.

I guessed Ferdinand for FJ so at least I was close.

I got speculation, leading question, All Creatures Great and Small, relativity, and fettle. The 'candela' answer reminded me of an Amazing Race episode where someone didn't know what a candelabra was and kept pronouncing it like 'candela' with a 'bra' at the end.

I thought Harold's way of holding his buzzer was a little unfortunate and I couldn't really look at him when he was on screen.🫣

[Browncoat]

I made a WAG for FJ, based on Granada being in Spain, and the "Royal" part of the clue, and was astounded that my guess was right.

So many TS!  I got Night Court, All Creatures Great and Small, head rush, Discover, Hallmark, Community Chest, Stowe (I've stayed at the Trapp Family Lodge -- it's cool!), speculation, stellar, fettle, candela, polarized, fiber optics, Theory of Relativity, leading question, and June.  I was really surprised that Theory of Relativity was a TS.  And I ran out of room in the space I allot for writing down TS that I get.

Harold's tie was a choice.  Especially in combination with that jacket.

[shapeshifter]

1 hour ago, Browncoat said:

I made a WAG for FJ, based on Granada being in Spain,

And I made a WerAG for FJ based on the Granada in Central America.𓊝 𓊝 𓊝  

I got the TS of speculation (thanks to L&O) and almost got a few others —
like "fiddle" instead of "fettle" —
conflating "being in fine fettle" with "a fine kettle of fish."

[CriticalMass]

Liam seems like a well mannered young man but he comes across as a poor sport. I have yet to see him shake the hand of his opponent to his left. He doesn’t smile, he just stares straight ahead. 

[chessiegal]

Good for Liam making it into the TOC.

Liam strikes me as being socially awkward. I wouldn't read anything into handshakes and so on.

 

[shapeshifter]

3 hours ago, CriticalMass said:

Liam seems like a well mannered young man but he comes across as a poor sport. I have yet to see him shake the hand of his opponent to his left. He doesn’t smile, he just stares straight ahead. 

There’s a spectrum along which all people exist that has at one end those who cannot bear to be touched, and at the other people who have an impulse to hug everyone all the time. 

[MrAtoz]

Indeed, the kinds of physical and personal interactions that many of us take for granted are very challenging for some people. I can see in Liam a lot of the qualities I see in my stepson, and difficulty with interpersonal interactions is one of the most prominent.

[Clanstarling]

20 hours ago, Browncoat said:

I made a WAG for FJ, based on Granada being in Spain, and the "Royal" part of the clue, and was astounded that my guess was right.

I, on the other hand, immediately decided it was El Cid, and stuck to my guns. The mister got it right - and of course, that answer made the last part of the clue make sense. Sigh...

I like Liam. He's a little awkward, but he's brilliant and his excitement/surprise was endearing.

[Katy M]

I'm so annoyed.  I both read and saw the movie, and thought Pilgrim sounded like a horse name, but The Horse Whisperer never entered my mind.  I said Primary Colors (which has nothing to do with horses) for some unknown reason.

I got the missed clue of home invasion.

I got the entire category of there's no place like home right.

I've had worse nights.

[SoMuchTV]

Y’know, if Jeopardy isn’t disrupted on Thursday for some football thing, you’d think you’d be fine on Friday for apparently part 2 of said thing. But no.  Fortunately I was able to find a (VHS-quality but complete and ad-free) version. 

My Hail Mary guess for FJ was The Giver. 

[Browncoat]

Not quite an instaget FJ for me tonight, but close.  It was the ears reference that led me to the correct response.  Sorry, Liam, but A Clockwork Orange was not written in the 1990s.

I also got the TS of finale, dine/dyne, slay/sleigh, Dodge, and home invasion.

[ams1001]

April 25:

70% / 57% / 63%

In J I ran Homophones and Cooking, missed two in Explorers, Song Titles, and Absolute Power, and three in 19th Century Reader. In DJ I ran "Home", missed missed one in Ruby Slippers, two in Wizard of Oz and If I Only Had a Brain, and four in Not in Kansas and & Your Little Dog Too. No FJ.

TSes: (J had 3; DJ had 8) I got dine/dyne, slay/sleigh, the National Museum of American History, and home invasion.
 

18 minutes ago, SoMuchTV said:

My Hail Mary guess for FJ was The Giver. 

Mine, too. I thought it was older, but it's actually 1993, so not too far off, at least.

[SomeTameGazelle]

1 hour ago, Browncoat said:

Sorry, Liam, but A Clockwork Orange was not written in the 1990s.

I don't know what suggested A Clockwork Orange to Liam based on the clue.

I feel as if Ken is commenting on Liam with too much familiarity and it kind of annoyed me that he chose to tease him about being too young to know the 1990s before the clue was read. Maybe if Ken hadn't brought up Liam's age at every opportunity all week and if he had waited until after the responses were locked in to say anything about how easy or difficult the category might have been I would let it go. But I know that any commentary about the category before the think music would absolutely get in my head if I were a contestant and I would hate it.

I did like Liam joking about how maybe it was possible he already knew the clues when he got his high score in Wii Jeopardy. 

[ECM1231]

Yesterday's FJ answer of Columbus was an educated guess. I was heading into tonight with 4 correct FJ this week, which never happens. I wasn't able to watch the show at its scheduled 7 on time slot tonight. I turned on the DVR a bit after 8 to find no recording. I hadn't realized the 2025 NFL draft picks were on instead. 😡

[bad things are bad]

Pilgrim took me confidently to Vonnegut but no idea of a particular book.

[Clanstarling]

6 hours ago, bad things are bad said:

Pilgrim took me confidently to Vonnegut but no idea of a particular book.

Billy Pilgrim - Slaughterhouse 5. Didn't we have that as a topic as a question recently? I thought of him too, but knew it was  much earlier than the 90's (my husband introduced me to the book in the 80's)

15 hours ago, SomeTameGazelle said:

I don't know what suggested A Clockwork Orange to Liam based on the clue.

I can see a connection - someone's job to " utter secrets "softly into pricked and troubled ears" could certainly suggest to me a scenario set in a book that would also include a character's eyes being forced open to watch something - which is the predominate visual (for me anyway) for Clockwork Orange. 

[DrSpaceman73]

Got fj.....surprised they all missed it.  

Going back 2024 images unfortunately I knew exactly what image it would be even before the question. 

The 3rd place woman made quite a push the last 2-3 minutes from in the negative to almost getting to half his total.  

[Quickbeam]

17 hours ago, Browncoat said:

“ Sorry, Liam, but A Clockwork Orange was not written in the 1990s.”

The one thing I love about this show is that there are times when age is an advantage…and times when youth rules. I think at some point the younger folks just hand wave stuff from “the 1900s”. 

I screwed up the quote thing. 

Edited April 26 by Quickbeam

[Bastet]

Last night was my first time watching in a while, so Liam was new to me.  Pretty impressive to be awkward in every single way it's possible to be awkward and put yourself on national television.

I was with friends, so didn't keep track, but we didn't have a very good night (of course, the episode being pre-empted meant we were several more drinks in than usual).  Initially we all had no idea for FJ, but I kept staring at it, ignoring the names which meant nothing to me and concentrating on the job.  With very little time to spare, "utter secrets softly" made me shout "Oh, whisper -- The Horse Whisperer!"  My friends were very impressed.