Jeopardy! Season 31 (2014-2015)

[ChicagoCita]

I would have said Escher if I'd been able to remember his name!  I definitely had those freaking annoying staircases in mind when the clue was read.

[Pallida]

I also thought of Escher!  I feel better now.

 

I wasn't watching the screen for much of Jeopardy, so I didn't notice Raf's behavior.  I did like that he shortened category names and got us quickly through clues though!

 

I can't decide if I want to read a book about human-kangaroo spawn. ETA: I found more of a description, and I'm going to say I want to pass.  Found this to describe the novel more: His racy, bigoted Lost-Race novel The Fallen Race (1892), one of the earliest sf books set in Australia, shares the belief in a great inland sea which in real life led to the disappointment or death of many explorers. Stranded in the desert, a doctor finds a lost race developed, absurdly, from the primeval union of aboriginals and kangaroos; its people, known as the Anonos and almost spherical in shape, are ruled by a White queen, who is of American parentage.

Edited June 17, 2015 by Pallida

[Writing Wrongs]

Is it just me or does it seem that Alex is getting really slow in his responses after people answer?

[ABay]

I missed the FJ category and from "picture" and "beginning, middle, and end" I thought they were looking for an avant-garde filmmaker.

[sugarbaker design]

Is it just me or does it seem that Alex is getting really slow in his responses after people answer?

 

 

No, he's definitely slowing down, it happens to the best of us.  I hoped however, that Alex was quicker on the uptake when Raf said he would wager "Two".  I would've loved it had Alex replied "Two dollars it is!"

Edited June 17, 2015 by sugarbaker design

[M. Darcy]

I did the same thing - I first thought Picasso than immediately thought Ed Harris (that's how I refer to Jackson Pollack now). 

[alias1]

I found Raf's shortening of everything to be not only annoying but kind of arrogant.  Especially saying he would wager two when he meant two thousand.  He could have meant two hundred, and yes, it would have been funny if Alex had said, "OK, two dollars it is" and not let him talk anymore before revealing the clue.

[Jesse]

Man, I almost never think contestants are as annoying as other people do, but Raf was killing me. Yikes! Glad he's gone. 

[saber5055]

Raf gave off an arrogant vibe what with the air fist bumps and giving himself the thumbs up.

 

 

Okay, color me the rebel but I was rooting for Raf. He was so quirky and irritating, I would have had plenty to post about him here. We could have had some hilarious convos! Instead, Toby/Tom won again. He does need his jaw unwired but he's nowhere as crazy-@ss as Raf was.

 

Pollack was an instaget for me, too. Not that all of my instagets are correct!

[PaulaO]

Raf was infinitely more annoying in his one game than Arthur C was in his entire run. He was obviously hunting for DD, then when he found one, he bets $600. What a tool. Oh, I know his strategy was to find it so other players don't but it's still annoying and douche-like.

[Scott]

Rather, didn't he bet "six", like he bet "two" on the DJ DD?

 

I'm glad I wasn't the only one for whom Raf inspired Chu-like levels of annoyance.  I actually was surprised at how much he was bothering me.

[Moose135]

I guess as a fellow New Yorker, I didn't find Raf to be particularly annoying...

[Jesse]

OMG, the leaning and the fist pumps alone!

[saber5055]

OMG, the leaning and the fist pumps alone!

 

 

That's what would have made him such a most excellent winner to be discussed here! That guy was a hoot and a half. He would have been a breath of fresh air after the proper Darren, whom I really liked. A conundrum!

Edited June 17, 2015 by saber5055

[teebax]

Rather, didn't he bet "six", like he bet "two" on the DJ DD?

 

I'm glad I wasn't the only one for whom Raf inspired Chu-like levels of annoyance.  I actually was surprised at how much he was bothering me.

And he held up two fingers, too. Ugh. I'm really glad he didn't win.

 

I suspect had I just listened while doing something else he probably wouldn't have bothered me so much.

 

As it was, my AC decided to go out on a 108-degree day, so I was already cranky when I watched the show. 

[peeayebee]

Byron's poem "Don Juan" has Juan pronounced Joo-an. 

I imagine Al Pacino as his Scent of a Woman character saying this.

[mojoween]

Don Joo-an always make me think of Les Miserables.

I know it was a $200 clue, but the picture of Joe Montana was so ridiculous. And I will always love a category about football, but I wouldn't really call any of them my hero.

[mojoween]

I got FJ right away but my husband could have stood there to the end of season 32 and he never would have gotten it. And he's seen her movies, but even if you asked him what state she was from, he would have no idea.

[opus]

Kevin seemed disappointed that Better Call Saul wasn't about "Better Call Saul".

[CarpeDiem54]

I was disappointed it wasn't about Better Call Saul, too, but it's usually not what you think it is.

WTF is cat mint?

I'm so over Brennan I've started rooting against him instead of just being annoyed. The other two contestants where lackluster, however.

FJ was an instaget. Woohoo! Two in a row.

[YoureSoUrban]

 

I guess as a fellow New Yorker, I didn't find Raf to be particularly annoying...

Maybe it's a Queens thing 'cause I'm a Brooklynite and wanted to push him out a window. :-)

 

I don't usually pay attention to Alex's pronunciations but it just so happens I'm studying Arabic and I was taught the letter he pronounced "DEED" is "DAHWD". 

 

Brennan has won me over completely now. I find his quirks endearing and thought his screaming striped shirt was a lot of fun.

[Athena]

I find Brennan's facial expressions amusing and highly entertaining. He just seems so into it.

 

I ran through the Historians category including the Doris Kearns Goodwin TS.

 

Honestly, I had to think about FJ a second because Zellweger hasn't been in that many movies lately so I had to quickly run through my Texan actresses. There weren't a huge number.

[Prevailing Wind]

 

WTF is cat mint?

It's another name for catnip. Catswort is another.  It does belong to the mint family and is not related at all to cannabis, even though the cats act like it is.  I get mine very inexpensively at a health food store - they sell it in bulk in the organic tea section.  Stella & Bosco love it.

[Bastet]

The Joe Montana photo was ridiculous.  Otherwise, I liked the football category.  I happened to know who all those guys regarded as their football heroes, but there were also hints within the clues.

 

I thought the government agency clues were a bit too easy, but I enjoyed that category too; I pretty much always know clues of that type.

 

And I loved the category with word puzzles.  Probably too easy for DJ, but I’ve loved those since childhood.  I think the multi-verse ruling was bullshit, though.  If it has been a row of “verse,” fine, but it was “universe.”  Or if he had guessed “multiple universes” or similar.

 

Doris Kearns Goodwin was a surprising TS.

 

FJ was an instaget for me, too.

Edited June 18, 2015 by Bastet

[alias1]

Doris Kearns Goodwin was easy for me.  Don't these people watch Jon Stewart?

[Tunia]

And I loved the clue with word puzzles.  Probably too easy for DJ, but I’ve loved those since childhood.

 

 

Hey Bastet~

I thought of these when I read your post.  Narragansett Beer comes out with a series every year, and they're printed on the cardboard coasters distributed to bars/lounges in the New England area (not that I'd know much about that <wink>).  Some are pretty "localized", but there are enough generic ones to keep you occupied for a bit.  Enjoy!

 

http://www.narragansettbeer.com/2015/03/2015-narragansett-rebus-puzzles?age-verified=06fecbfa3c

 

(For additional puzzles, search for Narragansett Beer followed by a past year, such as Narragansett Beer 2014,

N...B...2013, etc.)

Edited June 18, 2015 by Tunia

[GreekGeek]

I'm enjoying Brennan, weird facial expressions and all, although I was rooting for Tom the classics professor tonight. Nice that he got a question on Tacitus. The TS that surprised me, though, was "La Gioconda" aka the Mona Lisa.

 

I have no idea where Renee Zellweger is from, but I got FJ from the "Civil War movie" part of the clue.

[Prevailing Wind]

I knew a woman who pronounced Quixote as "quicks oat" with the reasoning being we're not Spanish; we should use English rules of pronunciation always.

[Pallida]

If I remember right, not all catmint is catnip. Catnip is really easy to grow from seed if you have a sunny window.

I never would have known Renee Zellweger is Texan, but the rest of the clue gave it away for me. I'm glad I didn't focus on the geography part.

[Tigershark]

I came here to post about the utter ridiculousness of the Joe Montana clue, but several people beat me to it.  The clue said, 49ers, quarterback, four Superbowls.  Adding the picture to all of that information was overkill.  I'm a huge 49er fan and I got the answer from "Aaron Rodgers grew up idolizing him."  There was a picture that went viral before a 49ers-Packers playoff game of two photos side-by-side, one of Kaepernick as a kid in a Favre jersey and one of Rodgers as a kid in decked out in 49ers apparel.

 

That seemed to be a theme with a lot of the questions tonight.  I though FJ had way too many clues in it.  I think the clue would have been fine if it had said "This actress was nominated for Best Actress in 2002 and 2003, and won the Best Supporting Actress in 2004."  But adding that it was an actress in her 30's, from Texas, who won for a Civil War Drama made the question too easy.

[ABay]

If they'd worked in The Colbert Report's "Once again, apologies to Doris Kearns Goodwin" I would've squeed. Goodwin is having a quiz show bonanza: she was also an answer on Wait Wait Don't Tell Me last weekend.

 

I have a huge catmint plant in my front yard that a neighborhood cat likes to sleep in. My own indoor cats are only mildly interested when I bring them some stems and flowers from the plant.

[proserpina65]

The (original) book was Le Pont de la Riviere Kwai since it was written in FRENCH - the English translation uses "on" but the movie used "over."

 

Actually the movie is The Bridge On The River Kwai - I was pretty sure about that since it was one of my father's favorite movies, but I checked IMDB just to be certain.

 

{And now I have the Colonel Bogey March stuck in my head.  Thanks a lot, Jeopardy!}

Edited June 18, 2015 by proserpina65

[proserpina65]

I came here to post about the utter ridiculousness of the Joe Montana clue, but several people beat me to it.  The clue said, 49ers, quarterback, four Superbowls.  Adding the picture to all of that information was overkill.

I got from "49ers" alone.  (The only other person it could've been was Jerry Rice, and the clue did specify quarterback.)  I've never been an American football fan, but damned if I didn't love me some Joe Montana back in the day.

 

[saber5055]

I knew a woman who pronounced Quixote as "quicks oat" with the reasoning being we're not Spanish; we should use English rules of pronunciation always.

 

 

Oh, how I would love it if Alex Trebek listened to that woman. I'm so irritated with his becoming some different race when he pronounces foreign words. It would be a hoot if he would say them "in English."

 

I don't know a thing about football, but I could recognize Joe Montana for pete's sake, given he did all those (pantyhose?) commercials back in the day.

[sugarbaker design]

I don't know football either, however I do know commercials and I'm pretty certain that's Joe Namath wearing panty hose.

[6 MeowMeowBeenz]

Don Joo-an always make me think of Les Miserables.

 

It made me think of Love in a Cold Climate, which I adore. I wish PBS would rerun the original BBC series made from the Nancy Mitford book

 

From Wikipedia:

"Fanny, Louisa, and their children are living at Alconleigh, along with Matthew, Sadie, Emily, Davey, "the Bolter," and her new lover Juan (whom Uncle Matthew calls "Gewan")"

[The Wild Sow]

 

Actually the movie is The Bridge On The River Kwai - I was pretty sure about that since it was one of my father's favorite movies, but I checked IMDB just to be certain.

Oops, you're right!  Sorry 'bout that; I can only claim extreme sleepiness when I mixed them up!

 

But I guess "Pont de la..." would translate literally to "Bridge of the ..."  Since we don't generally, in English, say "bridge of the so-and-so river," either "over" or "on" works.  And now I have the song stuck in my head!  Thanks, proserpina65!

 

(♫♪ Comet!

It makes your mouth turn green!

Comet!

It tastes like gas-o-line!

Comet!

It makes you vomit!

So get some Comet

And vomit

Today! ♫♪)

 

Edited June 19, 2015 by The Wild Sow

[Moose135]

(♫♪ Comet!

It makes your mouth turn green!

Comet!

 

I haven't heard that in ages! Thanks...I think.

[saber5055]

I don't know football either, however I do know commercials and I'm pretty certain that's Joe Namath wearing panty hose.

 

 

ACK! Thanks for the clarification. At least I had the Joe part correct about the pantyhose commercial. I was thinking Joe Montana did some commercials, car or gasoline (no Comet!) or something. Handsome guy. There is SOME reason I recognized him outside of football.

[Prevailing Wind]

According to Tommy Smothers, they only whistled the Colonel Bogey march because the words were dirty.

 

 

ETA: You got the "Joe" part right!  I'm sure Montana did some kind of commerical somewhere, or I wouldn't have been able to recognize him.

Edited June 18, 2015 by Prevailing Wind

[Bastet]

Back in the day, Joe Montana did commercials for a department store that no longer exists; I remember because I had worked there for a summer in college, and kept in touch with someone who still worked there -- she was so excited because "our" store was on the list of possible shooting locations for the next commercial.

 

He probably had other commercial gigs I don't remember (I was never a fan of him or his team).

 

Recently, he was in a funny commercial with Bo Jackson, Doug Flutie and Herschel Walker.  I think he might also have been in one of the commercials with Peyton Manning and that asshat Papa John's owner.

[CarpeDiem54]

WTH!! I officially hate our Fox affiliate. Jeopardy! is being pre-empted by golf tonight and tomorrow night and they're not showing it later. When J was on our ABC affiliate they always scheduled it for later, even if it was on at 2:30 am.

Golf! Freaking golf! This particular tournament is being played in the daytime and they're showing it at night. I'm outraged by this! Maybe I need to get a life.

[Tigershark]

I got from "49ers" alone.  (The only other person it could've been was Jerry Rice, and the clue did specify quarterback.)  I've never been an American football fan, but damned if I didn't love me some Joe Montana back in the day.

 

49ers quarterback could refer to Steve Young, but adding the 4 Super Bowls detail meant it was Montana.

[peeayebee]

Brennan has won me over completely now. I find his quirks endearing and thought his screaming striped shirt was a lot of fun.

He's won me over, too. He seems like a pretty nice guy, as well as pretty smart.

 

I think the multi-verse ruling was bullshit, though.  If it has been a row of “verse,” fine, but it was “universe.” 

You're right. I didn't think about that. The judges have been at the catmint.

 

The TS that surprised me, though, was "La Gioconda" aka the Mona Lisa.

I was surprised at that, too. It should be common knowledge for a Jeopardy player.

[CarpeDiem54]

Unfortunately the late-running golf broadcast would happen on whichever network had the rights to it (this is the first year for Fox with the U.S. Open though) - the tournament is being held outside Tacoma, Washington. Whereas if it were at an East Coast club, rounds would be ending at 7:00ish ET, those rounds will end locally around 7:00. pm. PT. The tee-off schedule remains the same, regardless of the time zone.

The tee-off time is 9:00 am both today and tomorrow. Tee-off time is not 5:00 pm Pacific Time. The tournament is being shown on other sports channels when it's actually being played during the day. I have no idea why Fox thinks showing a replay of a golf game at night is a big deal.

Regardless, I wouldn't really care if they'd just show the pre-empted Jeopardy! game another time.

Edited June 18, 2015 by CarpeDiem54

[GreekGeek]

According to Tommy Smothers, they only whistled the Colonel Bogey march because the words were dirty.

 

 

 

To be precise:

 

Hitler has only got one ball,

Göring has two but very small,

Himmler has something sim'lar,

But poor old Goebbels has no balls at all.

[ABay]

I always mix up Goering and Goebbels--sometimes I get them in the right order and sometimes not. But Hitler and Himmler, those I always get right.

 

I heard it was "has two but both quite small"?

Edited June 18, 2015 by ABay

[saber5055]

I'm sorry (not really), but I don't like Brennan at all. I want him gone. I'm usually not so negative but I guess this is a negative day for me. And Brennan.

 

I hate golf.

[Athena]

Ian really dropped his lead after that first round. I still find Brennan's facial expressions hilarious. He looks so pinched when anticipating his Daily Doubles.

 

FJ was an Instaget for me. It would be shameful for me to not after I reread the series, Pioneer Girl, and have talked it to death in the Books forum.

[mojoween]

Huh that's weird. Jeopardy! is on FOX in Syracuse and the last two World Cup pregame shows have pre-empted it, but golf had no impact tonight. Thank goodness, because they do not replay pre-empted episodes.

Football yesterday and NBA tonight? Thanks Jeopardy!

I talked myself out of Laura Ingalls Wilder because 2014 threw me.

I'm ok with Brennan because there was something about Megan I just did not care for. But what happened to Ian? He was doing so well.