Jeopardy! Season 31 (2014-2015)

[Athena]

Season 31 of Jeopardy! began 2014-09-15 and will go on until 2015-07-31. You can still discuss the show in general in "All Episodes Talk" and use "Small Talk" for non-show chatter.

 

J! Archive page for Season 31 which has all the players and answers/questions.

 

Feel free to create tournament threads as they happen or PM me for help.

 

If you have a suggestion for a witty or snarky subtitle, please suggest it below. Thanks!

[chessiegal]

Geez, what an easy game tonight.

[Trey]

 

Geez, what an easy game tonight.

 

And here I thought I'd really gotten smarter.  I ran several categories and did well in some others, a pretty good game for me overall.  But I did not get FJ.

 

The new champ seems nice.

[chessiegal]

The outgoing champ was too timid in his betting. Bet big or go home, and he did.

[teebax]

I didn't get an episode today. I hate when that happens.

[Prevailing Wind]

I'd just gotten home from a 4-hour drive after being gone since Wednesday.  I don't remember tonight's show at all because the cats were all over me.  I think it was the turkey leg in my tote bag.  Wait!  I do remember shouting out "Oliver Wendell Holmes" and right after that, "Bosco, go eat YOUR turkey & leave mine alone."

[CarpeDiem54]

I guess they were all too young for Herb Alpert and Ferry 'Cross the Mersey. There was another TS that was before their time but I can't remember it.

[SyracuseMug]

Can someone explain why the champ's answer of "Northern Ireland" was at first ruled correct and later rejected? I didn't completely follow Alex's announcement on it.

[ottoDbusdriver]

I like that the judges actually enforced some bad calls by Alex -- the 'soporific' mispronunciation by the guy in the middle and asking the defending champ for more information about his "What is Ireland ?" answer in the English bodies of water category in the DJ round.  Finally.

[alias1]

Can someone explain why the champ's answer of "Northern Ireland" was at first ruled correct and later rejected? I didn't completely follow Alex's announcement on it.

I didn't get this either.  It sounded like Alex made the error and they penalized the contestant.  Or wasn't the answer Ireland at all?

[mojoween]

Ireland was wrong because it's not in the UK, so Alex should have told him it was wrong immediately.

[ottoDbusdriver]

I didn't get this either.  It sounded like Alex made the error and they penalized the contestant.  Or wasn't the answer Ireland at all?

 

In the Jeopardy round, the judges are generally a little looser when it comes to answers, say if you forget to say 'what is' before the answer or if you get most of the answer (you'll hear Alex say sometimes "ok, we'll give it to you") or Alex will ask for more information if the initial answer is kind of vague.  But in the Double Jeopardy round, those judging rules tighten up considerably and there is rarely no prompting for additional information and you must pose your answer in the form of a question.

 

The correct answer to the clue in question was "What is Northern Ireland ?".  The defending champ initially answered 'What is Ireland ?", it should have been ruled incorrect since the category was UK bodies of water and Ireland is not in the UK (but Northern Ireland is).  Alex should not have asked for more info and that's why the money that was awarded to him was taken away.

Edited November 29, 2014 by ottoDbusdriver

[opus]

They should have also taken a couple bucks out of Alexs' paycheck.

[ABay]

Alex was really off last night. Not only did he mess up the soporific and Ireland bits, he alluded to the Beatles singing about the Mersey when it was Gerry & the Pacemakers. That was definitely not before his time.

[peeayebee]

I had my days confused, so when I noticed my DVR was recording the show yesterday, I wondered why it was recording Saturday's show. I'm glad I didn't stop it.

 

I liked Sam. I'm sorry he didn't do better, but I also like Ann.

 

Judge Roy Bean, Hill St Blues, and Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass were the TS's I got.

 

I got FJ right, and actually wondered if both Bull Run and Manassas would be accepted.

 

I just listened to a snippet of 'Calcutta' because I figured I knew the tune but not the title. Yup. I remember that oldie.

[Etta Place]

I was so glad when they corrected the Northern Ireland answer. As soon as Alex told him to be more specific, I started protesting to my husband, "What?! He doesn't get to be more specific, that was wrong!"

 

The new champ lucked out that her bet was enough, since she didn't bet to cover. Although I wonder if she was guessing that the others would bet weakly since the champ did exactly that on his DDs and both of them seemed rattled by the scoring changes.

[dcalley]

"Be more specific" for "Ireland" should probably never happen, unless they stop accepting "Ireland" for The Republic of Ireland and make players say the whole name.

[alias1]

In the Jeopardy round, the judges are generally a little looser when it comes to answers, say if you forget to say 'what is' before the answer or if you get most of the answer (you'll hear Alex say sometimes "ok, we'll give it to you") or Alex will ask for more information if the initial answer is kind of vague.  But in the Double Jeopardy round, those judging rules tighten up considerably and there is rarely no prompting for additional information and you must pose your answer in the form of a question.

 

The correct answer to the clue in question was "What is Northern Ireland ?".  The defending champ initially answered 'What is Ireland ?", it should have been ruled incorrect since the category was UK bodies of water and Ireland is not in the UK (but Northern Ireland is).  Alex should not have asked for more info and that's why the money that was awarded to him was taken away.

Thank you for this detailed answer.  All stuff I didn't know.   I'll never be on Jeopardy!

[DXD526]

I was also depressed about Hill Street Blues being a TS, and to a lesser extent, Herb Alpert and Lawrence Welk. "Calcutta" was a big hit, reaching #1 in 1961. Coming when it did, when rock was first becoming big, it's always been my contention that it's kind of a hybrid of easy listening/rock 'n roll, and could rightfully be played on rock radio stations. No one has ever agreed with me on this.

 

Yeah "Calcutta", turn it up! Lawrence Welk rules! Rock out with your bubbles out!

[dcalley]

Welk wasn't a TS; the guy in the middle got it. I remember being surprised.

[GreekGeek]

I missed the show Thursday and Friday of last week so I was all psyched to start watching again, only to be greeted by the Kids' Tournament! Well, I'll get a bit more work done this week, anyway.

[opus]

I always find the Kids a good palate cleanser after the TOC.

[mojoween]

I was ok with that kid not knowing Tom Sawyer because we don't know if the other two knew it, but I was sad that Scout was a TS.

I wasn't paying that much attention during the intros, was the winner's name Cerulean? Like Cerulean Blue?

So I pretty much ran the boards (sadly, not every question) but I don't think I would have had a prayer at 11 years old.

[chessiegal]

Yep, Cerulean.

[Trey]

I was disappointed too when I saw it was the kid's tournament.  But I thought I'd watch anyhow and it was okay. The two non-winners, especially the boy in the middle, didn't exhibit too much enthusiasm - nerves I guess.  They seemed like nice kids - I liked the girl the best, was hoping she would win. 

 

When Cerulean made it true DD, a less refined person might have said "Your parents just plotzed."  I am glad he didn't try it again on the next DD or  his parents really would have:)

 

I can't say I got every answer either but I did very well.  I was really surprised FJ was a triple stumper - I thought it was obvious.

[Chicken Wing]

Yes My Parents Actually Named Me Cerulean was wearing my nerves the way he kept yanking on the buzzer and occasionally looking at it like it was going to bite him on the nose, but fortunately he made up for it in general adorableness.

 

I cannot believe none of them got Big Bird.

Edited December 2, 2014 by Chicken Wing

[possibilities]

I almost didn't watch tonight, but during the introductions I was bowled over by how adorable the kids are. I was suffering from severe cute overload all episode. I thought all the contestants did well. We've seen some regular games with lower scores and worse manners.

 

When the camera panned to Cerulean's parents, it looked like two women. Speaking with affection for my people, I think a slightly off-beat, gender-neutral name like Cerulean is exactly what two moms in my extended social circle might bestow upon their precious darling. Though I admit the ladies in the audience did not look like hippies, there is a definite bleed-over between hippy and lesbian community naming tendencies.

[peeayebee]

I was disappointed that they (or at least Cerulean) didn't know Tom Sawyer or Scout, but maybe those books aren't taught yet at their age.

 

I loved that Cerulean went as Alex one Halloween. It was very cute when he innocently said that they dyed his hair grey and that he wore a mustache because that's "classic Alex." I also liked when he referred to the time that Alex "was chasing burglars."

 

I had no idea that Ariana Grande was Cat Valentine on Victorious (and Sam and Cat). 

[alias1]

Cerulean was immensely entertaining (and smart).  The kid had $11,000 and made it a true daily double!!  I enjoyed this game more than with a lot of the adult contestants. 

[opus]

On the Nick music question I said I had no idea, unless that's who Ariana Grande played. Always go with the most famous name I guess.

[CarpeDiem54]

Cerulean was immensely entertaining (and smart).  The kid had $11,000 and made it a true daily double!!  I enjoyed this game more than with a lot of the adult contestants.

I agree. The kids did a good job. I loved Cerulean's reaction from his True Daily Double bet when the audience let out a collective scream and Alex almost peed his pants. I thought he was either going to cry or burst into hysterical laughter. But he held it together and nailed the question.

Alex seemed to be actually enjoying himself tonight.

[Lois Sandborne]

Yeah, To Kill a Mockingbird was 9th grade for me.  We didn't read Tom Sawyer in school at all, but we did do Huck Finn in my curriculum, and that was in 10th or 11th grade.

 

I can pretty much take or leave Kids' Week, but since Skyler (I think? The kid from Kentucky who broke a winnings record?) was so impressive last year I made it a point to tune in.  I thought all the kids were cute, and Cerulean was just adorable.  Him lisping his way through all those vocabulary words should've been annoying to me, but somehow it was not.  I liked seeing his moms, presumably, in the audience, too.

 

I didn't get anything in that radio category, and I feel pretty good about it.

 

I can see how they all missed FJ; the clue was pretty vague.  I got it because they spotted 1969, but that probably doesn't mean anything to people this young.

[zoey1996]

Does anyone know the FJ clue and answer for Friday 11/28?  It is on the Sony Jeopardy website as, ARLINGTON NATIONAL CEMETERY THE REMAINS FOR ARLINGTON'S FIRST MONUMENT TO UNKNOWN SOLDIERS MOST

WHAT IS BULL RUN?

  I spoiler-tagged what I think is meant to be the answer, but I don't understand the wording of the clue.

Edited December 2, 2014 by zoey1996

[Bastet]

I didn't see that episode, but per the archive:

 

Category: Arlington National Cemetery

 

Clue: The remains for Arlington's first monument to unknown soldiers mostly came from this battlefield 30 miles away

 

Answer: Bull Run.

[dcalley]

(Beaten to it)

Edited December 2, 2014 by dcalley

[backgroundnoise]

Me too (beaten)  :-)

Edited December 2, 2014 by backgroundnoise

[zoey1996]

Thanks!  Where do you find the archive?

[dcalley]

http://j-archive.com/ is the archive.

[zoey1996]

Thank you!

[ABay]

Whatever the gene or cultural influence that makes one gush over children completely passed me by. I don't think I've ever looked at a child or baby and enthused over how cute s/he was. I often read others' comments and think "Really? Huh." It just isn't in me; I've never liked children. So I would be fine with Jeopardy! sticking to adults only.

[opus]

The spelling category is always fun to watch, no matter who's playing.

[YoureSoUrban]

I don't usually watch the Kids tournament but after seeing all the local press about a Brooklyn kid (Cerulean) doing so well and reading these posts, I may check it out after all!

[chessiegal]

My husband and I like Kids Week because we usually do fairly well. ;-)

[Trey]

For FJ I wondered if they wanted her name or would have accepted "Queen of England".

 

Not quite as dramatic as yesterday's game but not bad.

[Roaster]

Yeah, I have nothing against the kids, but the clues this week are decidely easier than a normal game.  The contrast is bigger because just a few weeks ago we were in the Tournament of Champions, where the clues are harder than a normal game.  I will sort of be glad when we get back to normal games.

[CarpeDiem54]

I really liked Ryan, the kid who won. Adam drove me nuts the way he just stood there when it was his turn until Alex would tell him to select a clue. Krissy made me nervous but she had awesome hair.

[rereader2]

Aw, today's winner was so so so serious--and didn't want to smile because he has braces, how cute is that?

 

(Also preternaturally composed. I surely wouldn't be!)

[chessiegal]

We've seen a lot of braces the last 2 days. I expect that will continue. Tis the age of braces.

[alias1]

I really liked Ryan, the kid who won. Adam drove me nuts the way he just stood there when it was his turn until Alex would tell him to select a clue. Krissy made me nervous but she had awesome hair.

I totally agree on Ryan and Adam (glad that Ryan won).  Krissy had great hair but she lost points with me when she tried to make excuses about her spelling.  Suck it up kid and don't blame the category.  You don't have to ring in. 

[BrittaBot]

Krissy drove me batty. She wasted so much time.  I'm glad Ryan won. Also, I think that they shouldn't have given Krissy the FJ as correct. Didn't she say Queen Elizabeth and didn't put the II? My boy Ryan got the whole thing right. :P