Jeopardy! Season 32 (2015-2016)

[The Wild Sow]

I'd heard of him and always wondered if his parents were clueless or punny.* Now I know.

 

His great-grandson is the actor Armie Hammer.

 

*I used to babysit for a little girl named Robin Banks. It wasn't until she was six months old that her parents realized that they'd named her a pun. They immediately changed her first name, and Robin became her middle name.

My dad always wondered whether Armand Hammer's parents had a great sense of humor, or were just very cruel!  Thanks for the info about Armie Hammer; saved me from looking it up.

 

And I occasionally get work calls from a colleague at another hospital named Crystal Ball.  If I ever actually meet her in person, I may just have to ask if she was born with it or if she married it ;-)

[Prevailing Wind]

I used to work with a woman whose mom married into the last name of Bush.  Her first name was Rose.

[Mondrianyone]

I might have thought that M.C. Hammer died in 1990 (though maybe it was just his career).  :)

 

Ain't that the truth.  My nephew was a child model (not the bratty, obnoxious kind) for about a decade.  He made a few TV commercials for Wendy's, with the late Dave Thomas.  I think it was one of those that featured M.C. Hammer.  All the kids were given strict instructions for how to behave when they were on set with Hammer:  Don't make eye contact with Mr. Hammer.  He doesn't want anyone to look at him.  I guess eventually he got his wish!

[Roaster]

Today (Friday): Alex was excited the game wasn't a runaway.  And then he got a dramatic come-from-behind in Final Jeopardy.  I bet Alex loves this kind of stuff.

 

I guessed Albee in FJ.  Dee was the only one who got it.

[CarpeDiem54]

I'm glad Markus lost. He was bugging me for some reason. I liked Emily's fortune cookie story.

I was surprised how soft-spoken Dee was after that hideous Wicked Witch of the West impersonation. You're no Rich Little; don't quit your day job.

[Trey]

I did get FJ but Ibsen only came to me with a few seconds left, wouldn't have had time to write it down.  But I still call it a win.

[opus]

We got Lebroned/Steph Curryed out, so no Jep till Monday here.

[ottoDbusdriver]

Congrats to our new champ Dee, but I've got a couple of questions about judging that likely wouldn't have affected the outcome of the game, but still struck me as odd.

 

Dee's response to the clue about Piglet from Winnie the Pooh of sounded like she said hevvalump instead of heffalump.  They've ruled people incorrectly before on pronunications.

 

Markus' response to the Gerald Ford library question with "What is Michigan ?" certainly needed a BMS.  AT filled in the blanks with University of Michigan, but that seemed like a generous ruling by the judges.

Edited December 26, 2015 by ottoDbusdriver

[peeayebee]

I got three TSs: Walkabout, Running on Empty, and Uma Thurman,

 

I did not get FJ. I had two guesses: Albee (Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf) and JM Barrie (Peter Pan). I really didn't think either was right, then I just gave up.

 

Dee is so soft-spoken. I like the sound of her voice -- NOT her wicked witch voice.

[CarpeDiem54]

Dee's response to the clue about Piglet from Winnie the Pooh of sounded like she said hevvalump instead of heffalump.  They've ruled people incorrectly before on pronunications.

 

Markus' response to the Gerald Ford library question with "What is Michigan ?" certainly needed a BMS.  AT filled in the blanks with University of Michigan, but that seemed like a generous ruling by the judges.

At least Dee didn't answer Hevvalump Screws.

I agree on Michigan. What if he was thinking Michigan State?

[Pallida]

I don't have a problem with Marcus's answer of "Michigan," mostly because that's what it's normally called in regards to sports.  (And Wikipedia backs me up that it's frequently called just "Michigan!"  Yeah yeah, terrible source.)  In the same vein, I wouldn't have a problem with Cal (but absolutely a BMS for University of California). 

[trow125]

I grew up in the Wolverine State and my dad's an alum, and trust me, nobody says "Michigan" unless they mean the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. "Michigan State" is always "Michigan State."

 

Hey, I thought Dee's Wicked Witch impersonation wasn't bad! Though I hope we get an anecdote, and not another impression, on Monday.

[Bastet]

I didn't see the show, and my only exposure to the Big 10 schools is through football.  But based on that, I agree -- Michigan means the University of Michigan, and it would never occur to me someone might be referring to Michigan St. instead (if they were, they'd say so).  That's pretty common with U of [state]/[state] University vs. [state] St.  The Oregon Ducks, the Oregon State Beavers.  The Oklahoma Sooners, the Oklahoma State Cowboys.  If you say Oregon, people know you mean the University of Oregon.  Oklahoma means OU.  Etc.

[sugarbaker design]

I used to babysit for a little girl named Robin Banks.

 

 

And I know a drag queen named Robin Cradles.

[ChicagoCita]

There's an historical question in today's game that I knew the answer to because of Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure. Knowledge comes from many sources, I guess.

 

Edited to add: The clue was in reference to Genghis Khan, of whom Bill and Ted said, "This is a dude who, 700 years ago, totally ravaged China, and who, we were told, 2 hours ago, totally ravaged Oshman's Sporting Goods."

Edited December 29, 2015 by ChicagoCita

[Trey]

 

Knowledge comes from many sources, I guess.

 

I once impressed a teacher and class by knowing what 'frugal' meant - I had learned it from a Donald Duck comic book:)

 

I look forward to tonight's game.

[Temperance]

I was confused by Alex's pronounciation of tête-à-tête. I don't speak French though. 

[Tabasco Cat]

Long Island Iced Tea was invented by Robert Butt http://www.liicetea.com/ but the old Oak Beach Inn was NOT on or at Jones Beach. It was in Oak Beach which itself is closer to the vast beaches of Robert Moses State Park than Jones Beach, which is a good 10-15 miles west of there. They're not even in the same county for crying out loud.

 

There's no excuse for a mistake like that and the writers should be ashamed of themselves. That should be corrected on-air.

 

I didn't hang out there in 1972 (not old enough) but I did hang out there for quite a few summers back in the '80s. Oh, and if you're from Long Island the drink is just called an Iced Tea. The "Long Island" part is redundant.

Edited December 29, 2015 by Tabasco Cat

[Browncoat]

I said Ray Charles, too, for FJ.  John Denver never even crossed my mind.

[M. Darcy]

I thought it was Patti Page because of the Tennessee Waltz.

[mojoween]

See now I didn't get the Ray Charles guess at all, John Denver was the only person I thought of. Is there another song besides Georgia that would fit the clue that would make Charles the answer?

The pace of the game was so slow it was killing me. I was also very surprised at the TS for busybody and shock, among others.

[Tabasco Cat]

John Denver was an easy get.

[ottoDbusdriver]

That 'A Grave Mistake' category in the Jeopardy round was insultingly easy.

 

Of course, Oakland is famous for its barbeque.  According to the new champ at least.

 

Another new champ that was in negative numbers at the start of the DJ round but pulled out the win.

[ABay]

Has Alex ever seen Wrath of Khan? Because his reading of Montalbbaaaaaaaan was way off. He sounded like Ricky Riccardo singing Babaloo, not James Kirk raging at the sky.

[ottoDbusdriver]

Has Alex ever seen Wrath of Khan? Because his reading of Montalbbaaaaaaaan was way off. He sounded like Ricky Riccardo singing Babaloo, not James Kirk raging at the sky.

 

I was kind of hoping for a BMS from Alex for this clue -- I wanted to see the contestants trip over themselves trying to guess Khan's first name, when Khan IS his first name.

[Trey]

The only TS I got was 'busybody'.

 

Instaget FJ and I even knew which two songs became state songs.

 

 

Is there another song besides Georgia that would fit the clue that would make Charles the answer?

 

As far as I know, Georgia on My Mind is the only state song popularized by Ray Charles.

[CarpeDiem54]

I can't believe "me and my siblings" Patricia won.

Too many clues left on the board. I got grapefruit, busybody and shock

I'm in Colorado and John Denver never crossed my mind. Our state song is actually "Where the Columbines Grow". "Rocky Mountain High" is just a secondary song added in 2007.

[secnarf]

I was confused by Alex's pronounciation of tête-à-tête. I don't speak French though. 

I missed this - how did he pronounce it?

 

That 'A Grave Mistake' category in the Jeopardy round was insultingly easy.

 

Of course, Oakland is famous for its barbeque.  According to the new champ at least.

 

Another new champ that was in negative numbers at the start of the DJ round but pulled out the win.

The new champ had $400 at the start of DJ - not negative. I was still surprised she managed to pull off a win, though.

 

I got quite a few TS - much more than I usually do. I had no idea for FJ though - then again, I would have wagered $0 since popular music is definitely not an area of strength for me!

[Prevailing Wind]

 

As far as I know, Georgia on My Mind is the only state song popularized by Ray Charles.

The Georgia Legislature didn't even bother to check when they voted to make it the state song.  Now they have to pay a bunch of royalties every time it's played at an official function.

[Pallida]

I thought of Ray Charles at first but realized Georgia was older than 1971. I would say I thought of him because I knew Georgia was a popular song and state song, figuring maybe he had another song that became a state song.

Thinking about the 70s Got me to John Denver just before time was up.

[halfpint ingals]

I missed the end of Wheel and the beginning of Jeopardy due to a weather alert.

ETA: I didn't think the wicked witch impression was too bad, I enjoyed it, and did like Alex's reaction though.

Edited December 29, 2015 by halfpint ingals

[peeayebee]

It didn't take me too long to get John Denver. 

 

I don't think I got a single Double Y answer. At first I wasn't paying attention, so when the contestant asked for that category, I thought she said, "Two Wives." I was very confused. But even after that, I couldn't figure out any of the answers. My brain was unresponsive.

 

I think there was just one TS I got. 'Arterial' in MAP. I thought that was pretty easy, even though I'd never heard of MAP.

[just prin]

I can't believe "me and my siblings" Patricia won.

 

Thank god for fast-forwarding!!!!!

[ClareWalks]

Ray Charles never crossed my mind until I saw that two (!) people said it. He started his career way earlier than the 70s, so I just never even considered him (his "first top 40 hit" wouldn't have taken that long to get). John Denver took about 3 seconds to come up with. That said, I had trouble wrapping my brain around several of the categories, including the "Grave mistake" category. My mind just couldn't go there for some reason. Same with "2 Ys," whose ilk I normally can do.

Edited December 29, 2015 by ClareWalks

[proserpina65]

I was so excited about putting in my final shift at Megalomart last night that I forgot to tape Jeopardy!, but upon looking at J! Archive, all I can say is John Denver?  Really?

 

Edited to note: I got this right away mainly because, growing up, my next door neighbor was from West Virginia, and after a trip home one summer, she brought me a t-shirt that said "Almost Heaven - West Virginia", which are the first four words of Take Me Home, Country Roads.  Which is a much better song than Rocky Mountain High, btw.

Edited December 29, 2015 by proserpina65

[rereader2]

See now I didn't get the Ray Charles guess at all, John Denver was the only person I thought of. Is there another song besides Georgia that would fit the clue that would make Charles the answer?

 

^^This. John Denver was an instaget for me, but then he came up in a conversation recently. (Don't ask.)

[marny]

What a snoozer of a game. It felt really slow and quiet. I did laugh when the male contestant confidently shouted the "Damn the torpedos" answer and was wrong. The one moment of energy and it was a miss.

[Mondrianyone]

My husband said Bob Denver for FJ.  Fortunately, he has other good qualities.

[Mystery Author]

 

I was hoping someone would mention that. I'm an author and an editor and "me and my siblings" made me wince. And Jeeebus Crisco, THIS! to whomever mentioned slow game. One reason is because there were so many unanswered questions, and shouting out the answers at the TV didn't help!

 

I was rooting for anyone but Me and My Siblings. Okay, yes, I tend to overreact :)

 

I'm from Colorado so John Denver was an easy FJ.

[Browncoat]

"Me and my siblings" made me want to stick an ice pick in my ears.  So painful.

[Bastet]

I didn't see the show, but just checked the archive.

 

I'm a bit surprised no one knew what's in a salty dog.  I'm even more surprised busybody and septic shock were TS, and that no one could come up with arterial.  I didn't know the Cannonball Express, either, though.  I also started to say Oakland (for the Athletics), before my brain finally registered the barbecue part of the clue and made me actually look at the date to realize I'd skipped ahead in the team's history.  So I was sympathetically embarrassed on the contestant's behalf.

 

I've never seen Star Trek, but I knew Gene Roddenberry was the creator and I guessed Khan from the way the clue was written since that's been parodied so many times.  I guessed Christopher Lloyd based on "back to the future" in the clue, but I think I'd have kept quiet if I was really playing.

 

John Denver was an instaget for me.

[ottoDbusdriver]

Patricia really does have that librarian look down pat.  Another one and done champ.

 

Scrat was a TS.  How ?

 

The DDs in the DJ round were ridiculously simple.  The Brothers Grimm -- really ?

 

I call bullshit on FJ -- Collins was not involved in the 1st Lunar landing.  He was part of the mission, but had nothing to do with the landing.  So glad that Alex came on and explained that the wording of the question sucked, and Ashley would be given another chance.

 

ETA:  2nd day in a row that the new champ had a negative dollar amount during the game and came out the winner.

Edited December 30, 2015 by ottoDbusdriver

[JudyObscure]

I was happy that Camille won after such a bad start -- I was afraid she was going to cry.

Nice women that they were, I never saw so much bad hair on one stage. I thought two of them looked like marsh-wiggles.

[Trey]

I got lots of TS's tonight:  How Green Was My Valley, Destroyer, Minuet, Fend, Orleans, Chicago and also Madrigal, which was a missed DD.

 

Did not get FJ.

 

Nice that Ashley will be back for a second chance.

[peeayebee]

 

I call bullshit on FJ -- Collins was not involved in the 1st Lunar landing.  He was part of the mission, but had nothing to do with the landing.  So glad that Alex came on and explained that the wording of the question sucked, and Ashley would be given another chance.

I had no trouble with the wording. I didn't get the answer until Alex said all three names, and then Collins sounded familiar (for the female shuttle pilot), but I guess I can see that the clue should have been worded differently.

[secnarf]

I was certainly confused by the wording, so I'm glad Ashley gets another chance, though it probably wouldn't have made a difference.

Lots of clues left on the board though.

[ilovepuzzles]

The TV cut out right when they were revealing the answers.  Why was the wording difficult and why is only one of the two others getting a second chance?

[secnarf]

The TV cut out right when they were revealing the answers.  Why was the wording difficult and why is only one of the two others getting a second chance?

The full clue and text of Alex's explanation are already up on J-archives, but in summary, Collins didn't actually land on the moon, and the clue said that the person was part of the first manned moon landing. The other contestant got the answer correct but didn't wager anything, which is why she lost - so the wording of the clue had no impact whatsoever on her coming in second place, therefore she doesn't get another chance. The other two contestants answered incorrectly, which could be attributed to the poor wording, and therefore get second chances.

 

I think that since a part of the clue also referred to the first female ("woman") shuttle pilot, if you actually knew the answer you would have got it correct regardless of the wording, but it is true that it could have thrown some people off.

[ilovepuzzles]

The full clue and text of Alex's explanation are already up on J-archives, but in summary, Collins didn't actually land on the moon, and the clue said that the person was part of the first manned moon landing. The other contestant got the answer correct but didn't wager anything, which is why she lost - so the wording of the clue had no impact whatsoever on her coming in second place, therefore she doesn't get another chance. The other two contestants answered incorrectly, which could be attributed to the poor wording, and therefore get second chances.

 

I think that since a part of the clue also referred to the first female ("woman") shuttle pilot, if you actually knew the answer you would have got it correct regardless of the wording, but it is true that it could have thrown some people off.

 

Took a minute, but I got it now. Thanks for the explanation.

 

If possible, they could put Ashley on at the same time as that other returning champion (the one who couldn't come back after the unexpected delay,) so that there are three returnees in the same game.

[Bastet]

Again with the archive rather than seeing the show ...

 

No one knowing where Good Times or The Good Wife was set surprised me (I knew Chicago for the former, and even though I've never seen the latter I had the sense it backed me up).  Washington D.C. was even more surprising, given Murphy Brown.  That was a top 10 hit for how long?  Was this a "before your time" moment from Alex?

 

Same with Frank Capra as the director of It Happened One Night.  (Edward Albee, I knew, but wasn't surprised none of the contestants did.) 

 

No one knowing platinum as a "silvery" precious metal?!  "Fend" was also surprising as a TS, but less so.  "Destroyer" also surprised me.  Louis XV = Orleans as a TS didn't blow me away, but I'd have thought one of them would come up with it.  I blew it on the Cossacks, too, though.

 

I came up with Wal-Mart, but might have joined the rest in not knowing it under game conditions, as the "numerically" part of the clue initially threw me off to thinking about a number in the company's name/stock symbol; just me not paying attention to the wording, but maybe their minds tripped them up in the same way.

 

I failed on McDonald's, though.  And I didn't get "convoy," associating that with trucks, not ships (damn you, C.W. McCall and Smokey & The Bandit).  I also knew very little about animated movie characters (no surprise, as I've never been much into them as a whole), coming up with only Jessica Rabbit and Thumper.

 

As for FJ, I'm a space program nut, so I instantly knew Eileen Collins as the first female pilot (and shuttle commander), but the wording of the clue did give me pause since I also knew Michael Collins did not land on the moon during that historic voyage.