Jeopardy! Tournament of Champions

[Ailianna]

17 hours ago, Roaster said:

I'm glad Sam won, if only so we can get at least one more game.

Amy appeared to overthink her FJ wager.  I suspect that a downside of being smart enough to be in the TOC is that you can get too much into your head and complicate things.  A less clever player (e.g. me and most contestants) would have bet enough to cover twice Sam's score and left it at that.

I was surprised Andrew couldn't come up with Trump L'oeil for his Daily Double.  I thought it was an instaget.

(Somewhere Alex Trebek is smiling because an answer was Trump L'oeil which is about as French as you can get, although he may be wishing Ken had pronounced it with more flair.)
 

15 hours ago, BitterApple said:

Amy betting to beat Andrew makes sense. Also, and correct me if I'm wrong, but hasn't Sam been wrong in the last few FJ's? Maybe Amy was figuring he'd miss and wager big, so betting conservatively would either ensure she lived to play another game, or win her the tournament. 

I yelled at the TV when Andrew wagered everything on that second DD. You could tell his instinct was screaming "DON'T DO IT!!!!" given that he was clearly torn. I admire his "go big or go home" style of play, but his luck was due to run out eventually. 

I'm absolutely tickled that Sam won the game though. I'm really enjoying this year's TOC and want to see it go the distance. 

15 hours ago, DrSpaceman73 said:

Bet to win. 

But my guess is she still pulls it out. 

She won her second game by betting small on FJ with a wrong answer though, so I think her strategy is still overall working. You just can't assume everyone will get it right or wrong at the level. I think she's looking at the long game and, as mentioned above, as soon as Andrew had two wins, keeping him from a third is more important than betting to beat Sam.

[ProudMary]

13 hours ago, 30 Helens said:

Pretty good game for me, including TSs of trompe l’oeil, brick, rolltop desk, and couch. (C’mon, Amy, you’ve never even heard “voulez-vous coucher avec moi”? Not a Chaka Khan fan, I guess.) But I whiffed on FJ. I even thought of “castle” but somehow blanked on the “new” part.

Amy might be a Chaka Khan fan, as it was (Patti) Labelle who sang "Lady Marmalade."

Overall, I'm rooting for Amy to win the TOC, but I hope Sam wins Monday's game so we get a winner-take-all Game 7!

[saber5055]

I find myself talking to all the contestants throughout the game. Thrilled Sam won Friday so the tourney will continue, at least through Monday. I was irritated at my station previewing the return of the current season's champ next week. I don't want this fab ToC to ever end.

And speaking from the shallow end of the pool, so shallow it barely covers my toes, I find High Hair Andrew He extremely attractive. Yowza!

[PBnJay]

Watching a rerun of the Hawaii Five-O reboot last night, the bad guy's name was Mr. Nostromo.

[dcalley]

11 minutes ago, saber5055 said:

I was irritated at my station previewing the return of the current season's champ next week. I don't want this fab ToC to ever end.

I actually worried that the ad for Cris Pannullo meant something, i.e., that he'd be back Monday. I'm glad I was wrong. I don't mind Cris but am enjoying these games (and don't want to be spoiled).

[saber5055]

56 minutes ago, dcalley said:

I don't mind Cris but am enjoying these games (and don't want to be spoiled).

Same here. It's my daily routine to go to TFJ early to get the FJ clue for the contest and to see who won that day. Since the ToC, I've not gone to TFJ until the next day to get the clue. I don't want to be spoiled as I'm enjoying every second of this tournament and want every day to be new and a surprise as I love all three players. I can support and be happy for whomever is the final winner.

[ams1001]

1 hour ago, saber5055 said:

And speaking from the shallow end of the pool, so shallow it barely covers my toes, I find High Hair Andrew He extremely attractive. Yowza!

Too young but he is cute. (He has a wiki page...it says he was born in 1997...that's the year I graduated college.)

I hope Sam wins Monday now; I was initially not crazy about not knowing when it would be done but now I want a game 7. Then I'm just going to be happy for whoever wins, I think. Each one has different reasons for me to root for them (and I'm certainly not going to hold a questionable clue on the part of the writers against Andrew).

Then I'll be back to rooting for my Jersey Boy Cris.

[shapeshifter]

With all the palpable audience enthusiasm (both in the studio and online) for these End Games of the TOC, Davies and others have got to be rubbing their hands together off-stage and brainstorming how they can recapture the magic. 
More power to them if they succeed!

[saber5055]

Never mind!

Edited November 19, 2022 by saber5055

[Prevailing Wind]

Me, too... never mind.

Edited November 19, 2022 by Prevailing Wind

[30 Helens]

5 hours ago, ProudMary said:

Amy might be a Chaka Khan fan, as it was (Patti) Labelle who sang "Lady Marmalade.

Oops! You are correct! Apologies to Ms. Patti.

3 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

With all the palpable audience enthusiasm (both in the studio and online) for these End Games of the TOC, Davies and others have got to be rubbing their hands together off-stage and brainstorming how they can recapture the magic. 

I’m guessing there will be more tournaments, which may not be a good thing. Too many special events can dilute the specialness.

On the other hand, I wouldn’t mind the occasional Masters tournament, or even one-off exhibition game. It would be fun to see how recent champs like Amy stack up against a James, or a Brad. They could also do a Senior Champs event, for those who still have their (prodigious) brain cells intact, but can’t compete with the younger champs on buzzer speed. 

[dgpolo]

1 minute ago, 30 Helens said:

  4 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

With all the palpable audience enthusiasm (both in the studio and online) for these End Games of the TOC,

I think most of the audience were all the other contestants and various family members.

This is what Amy said about the Hebrews clue:

Amy Schneider @Jeopardamy 3h

Although apparently, there's an argument that Sam's answer of "Romans" should have been accepted. I can only say this: the contestant coordinators tell us, over and over, that if we have an issue with an answer being ruled incorrect, we have to say something right away.

[seacliffsal]

Regarding more tournaments-I would love to see something that could bring more contestants from the Art Fleming era (yes, I'm that old that when staying home sick from school meant I could watch Art Fleming and Jeopardy...).  I know there was one contestant from that era fairly recently, but it could be fun to see more.

And, to make sure I'm on topic-go Sam!

[DrSpaceman73]

I don't need or want more tournaments , at least that are used instead of the regular games. 

Put them in prime time if you want them. 

[proserpina65]

On 11/18/2022 at 7:24 PM, Trey said:

I did get the ts's or missed DDs of baker's rack, trompe l'oeil, and brick.

And I got my second FJ of the week, not an instaget but pretty quick.

I got baker's rack and brick, also rolltop desk.  Should've gotten trompe l'oeil but couldn't come up with it.  FJ was an instaget for me, being both very familiar with that part of English history and Newcastle United FC.  Not that the second thing has anything to do with the first, but it meant Newcastle is in the functioning part of my brain during the Premier League season.

On 11/18/2022 at 8:18 PM, SHD said:

Can someone please explain Amy’s bet? I don’t understand the thought behind it.

I think she overthought it.

On 11/19/2022 at 12:36 PM, annzeepark914 said:

🎶Voulez-vous coucher avec moi...🎶 That song immediately started playing in my head 🤓.

Should've gotten couch was the exact same reason (I LOVE Chaka Khan!), but unfortunately was a little to slow to get there.

On 11/18/2022 at 5:31 PM, SHD said:

I thought that was a fairly obscure movie and quote. People who love that move really love it and know it, but it wasn't a huge hit or anything and it's not really a classic movie quote. I was surprised to see it as a clue and would've been more surprised if someone had gotten it!

It's a cult classic, but if you're not in the cult, you weren't going to get it.  Hell, even if you are, like me, you can still screw it up, lol.

[proserpina65]

On 11/19/2022 at 1:09 PM, ProudMary said:

Amy might be a Chaka Khan fan, as it was (Patti) Labelle who sang "Lady Marmalade."

OMG, you are right!  D'oh!  Still, I love the song, so it should've given me 'couch'.

[chessiegal]

I know Lady Marmalade from the Pointer Sisters. Lady M got around. 😉

[ams1001]

So I saw Andrew sip his invisible teacup and Amy curtsy; what did Sam do?

Edit: Never mind; I looked up the game on youtube during the commercial and just watched the intro again. He straightened his invisible tie.

Edited November 22, 2022 by ams1001

[badgerwoman]

29 minutes ago, ams1001 said:

So I saw Andrew sip his invisible teacup and Amy curtsy; what did Sam do?

Edit: Never mind; I looked up the game on youtube during the commercial and just watched the intro again. He straightened his invisible tie.

I missed what Sam did, too, while watching from the Ford Dealership waiting for an oil change.  They called me right to the service desk right before final jeopardy so I had to rush home and view my recording, and caught Sam then.   

[annzeepark914]

What is five o'clock shadow. Love Sam!

[Katy M]

I said Our American Cousin, but then I second guessed myself because it was over a year before Lincoln was assasinated, so I changed it to Twelfth Night.  I have to stop second guessing myself. 

I got the missed clues of Ralph Ellison, poetic justice and Platoon.

[ams1001]

43% / 33% / 38%

Pretty sure this is my new worst game ever. At the first commercial, I had three right answers (out of 15)… Managed to get four in Jobs, three in New Millennium and Gestures (I have a gesture for this game….), two Numerical Terms, one Writer (usually a better category for me) and zero Sports (that one's not surprising).

In DJ I got two in Math, four in Cream Cheese…and ONE in everything else! (The only thing I remember about Hegel from my lit theory seminar was that I hated him.)

Did not get FJ; I knew it was the one Lincoln saw, but I could not for the life of me remember the title. (I was also thinking it had the word "friend" in it.)

Got no TSes (though there were only four in the game, plus a missed DD).

I was hoping to go one more game but congrats to Amy!

Edited November 22, 2022 by ams1001

[annzeepark914]

OK! If it couldn't be adorable, fun Sam...let it be the wonderful, low key Amy 🎉

[Browncoat]

If Sam couldn't win the whole thing, I am ecstatic that Amy did!  And I even knew FJ, too!

Another good game by three great players.  I am sad that the tournament is over.  I could watch the three of them play forever.

[PaulaO]

Congratulations to Amy!  She is a true champion.

[annzeepark914]

Really...I'm not looking forward to returning to regular Jeopardy and Cris (who always defeats his fellow contestants). 

[Conotocarious]

AMY!!!!!!!

I’m so sad this tournament is over. MORE CHAMPIONS TOURNAMENTS.

[kathyk24]

She did it! I'm so happy for Amy she's faced so much backlash on-line. I knew final Jeopardy for the first time all tournament.

[secnarf]

Like many others, I knew the play for FJ was the one that Lincoln was at when he was assassinated, but I could not for the life of me recall the name of it.

I am so happy Amy won. I had to check TJF this afternoon to know the outcome ahead of time - I can't take the suspense - and it was such a nice surprise. I am sad the TOC is over, but Amy winning was my preferred outcome (though there were several other outcomes I would have been happy with).

If Sam and Andrew had each had 2 wins, how would they have determined second and third place - combined dollar winnings across their two games that they won?

[bad things are bad]

It's going to be tough to go back to the regular game. The game play has been phenomenal and I think Sam, Andrew and Amy truly enjoyed it as well

So happy for Amy!

[blueray]

I'm glad Amy won! I was rooting for Sam but Amy winning is good too.

[shapeshifter]

54 minutes ago, ams1001 said:

So I saw Andrew sip his invisible teacup and Amy curtsy; what did Sam do?

Edit: Never mind; I looked up the game on youtube during the commercial and just watched the intro again. He straightened his invisible tie.

And then Ken came out and bowed to the contestants. 🥰

 

I had wanted Sam to win to represent us oldsters who still have it going on, but now I am very glad Amy won the big pot of $250K because it will likely have the biggest positive impact on her life. 
Likewise, I think Andrew will benefit second-most from a cash windfall, while Sam will use his $50K for a worthwhile cause.

I knew it was the play Lincoln saw, but that was it.



Anyone else surprised the $2K clue in LET'S DO THE MATH was "Circles, ellipses, parabolas & hyperbolas are these sections, created by the intersection of a plane with a three-dimensional figure" complete with explanatory diagrams?
"Conic" was an instaget.

Or do I have it all wrong, and clue value is not supposed to be in direct proportion to difficulty?

[stonehaven]

I am happy for Amy. Sad for Sam but glad he hung in there and went for it on the Daily Doubles.

FJ was an insta-get for me...so as sad as I am that Sam won't be on my TV anymore...(Can he get booked on other primetime game shows, just so I can have my fix? He'd even make The Wall tolerable for me). Yet, I felt smart knowing the play...and plays are not my thing unless they are R $ H musicals...

Yeah, this tourney was fun and joyful and now we go back to normal....okay, then...

[chessiegal]

2 minutes ago, shapeshifter said:

now I am very glad Amy won the big pot of $250K because it will likely have the biggest positive impact on her life. 

I'm sure it's a nice windfall, but this is how much Amy has already won on her Jeopardy! winning streak.

Quote

Amy Schneider $1,382,800

Credit for Amy's winnings to TJF.

[ams1001]

19 minutes ago, secnarf said:

If Sam and Andrew had each had 2 wins, how would they have determined second and third place - combined dollar winnings across their two games that they won?

From the bracket layout graphic on Jeopardy.com:

2nd and 3rd place determination based on:

1. Final games won. If tied,
2. Number of 2nd place finishes in the finals. If tied,
3. Cumulative total in finals.

Edited November 22, 2022 by ams1001

[Caoimhe]

24 minutes ago, secnarf said:

I am so happy Amy won. I had to check TJF this afternoon to know the outcome ahead of time - I can't take the suspense - and it was such a nice surprise. I am sad the TOC is over, but Amy winning was my preferred outcome (though there were several other outcomes I would have been happy with).

I did too - more enjoyable for me to watch when I know the outcome.  Amy was my preferred winner at the very beginning so I’m delighted that she is the champion!  

[DrSpaceman73]

Congrats to Amy. 

A fun tourney. 

Couldn't remember if it was this American cousin or our American cousin.  

Also any Goldbergs fans?  

Andrew looks like a grown up Dave Kim

https://images.app.goo.gl/YEcjjst2mYFUwZRF9

Edited November 22, 2022 by DrSpaceman73

[SomeTameGazelle]

46 minutes ago, Caoimhe said:

Amy was my preferred winner at the very beginning so I’m delighted that she is the champion!  

What made me happiest was the fact that anyone could have won based on the scores going into final and I felt that I could be happy with any outcome because they had all played well and whoever had the right combination of wager and response would deserve the win. If Sam had come through and forced one more game that would have been great. I didn't expect Andrew to beat Amy in a theatre category but I was glad he came up with the correct response. But Amy did exactly what she had to do and I'm just glad she had opponents that kept everything interesting right to the end. 

[saber5055]

I teared up when Amy won. I was thrilled for her, and hope she can and will use her increased fame to continue to do good. She never fails to impress me, I think she's the BEST. This world could use more Amys. A lot more.

I felt kinda bad for Sam until I saw he won $50,000. Just being one of the three in this fantastic tournament of Top Brains would be enough prize for me, but I was happy he will take home a nice check. Plus, he has quite the fan club out here!

[zoey1996]

1 hour ago, shapeshifter said:

Anyone else surprised the $2K clue in LET'S DO THE MATH was "Circles, ellipses, parabolas & hyperbolas are these sections, created by the intersection of a plane with a three-dimensional figure" complete with explanatory diagrams?
"Conic" was an instaget.

Or do I have it all wrong, and clue value is not supposed to be in direct proportion to difficulty?

I never would have gotten it! Just not my thing.

[Bastet]

I had an unbelievably frustrating day trying to make my way through the list of things I need to get done before I leave Wednesday, and all my running around town wound up taking me FIVE HOURS, but I got home just in the nick of time to see Amy win.  YES!!!  I still have a headache, and am still overwhelmed, but I'm not nearly as crabby as I was a few minutes ago.

[30 Helens]

2 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

Anyone else surprised the $2K clue in LET'S DO THE MATH was "Circles, ellipses, parabolas & hyperbolas are these sections, created by the intersection of a plane with a three-dimensional figure" complete with explanatory diagrams?

No, because I had no idea! I guess we had very different math classes. 😉

Tag team FJ at my house. For some reason, I focused on the “dashing comedy” part of the clue (was it about a runner? A fast-moving farce?) while my husband correctly focused on he year. He could only come up with “the play where Lincoln was shot”, but I supplied the title. That made me feel a little better about being completely off base.

Good outcome to a great tournament. I wanted Sam to win, because I love Sam and it would have been great to see an older player prevail. But I’m glad he got to participate and at least got a notch on the scoreboard. I would have been happy for Andrew to win because he seems like a great guy and what a wonderful redemption story it would have been for him to best Amy after she initially took him down. But I also wanted Amy to win because I love Amy and anything that advances her profile is a victory in a more important social struggle. Go Queen Ozma!

I guess what I’m trying to say is, there were no bad possible outcomes here. I think things ultimately fell the right way, and I’m happy for Amy. But I’m sad for us because no more tournament. I’m not sure I’ve ever enjoyed one of these quite so much.

Edited November 22, 2022 by 30 Helens

[kathyk24]

2 hours ago, zoey1996 said:

I never would have gotten it! Just not my thing.

Geometry is my worst subject so I never would have known the conical clue. I have to give Jeopardy credit for not spoiling the winner, Amy has a better poker face than I do I had no idea how much she bet. She did a Q&A on Twitter and some people were mad that the results were spoiled. If you don't want to know stay off social media. I live in Massachusetts and I'm not waiting until late at night to discuss the game.

[South]

4 hours ago, annzeepark914 said:

Really...I'm not looking forward to returning to regular Jeopardy and Cris (who always defeats his fellow contestants). 

I like Cris.  But the TOC really could have been set up as a “best of 70”, as far as I’m concerned.  I enjoyed the three of them and their varying styles of play.  

[ECM1231]

4 hours ago, annzeepark914 said:

OK! If it couldn't be adorable, fun Sam...let it be the wonderful, low key Amy 🎉

Yes! I just adore Sam, but congratulations to Amy for a well-deserved win! She is just amazing! Well, they all are! I so enjoyed this tournament. Hadn't a clue about the play title for FJ, but knew it was the one Lincoln attended.

[South]

3 hours ago, saber5055 said:

I teared up when Amy won. I was thrilled for her, and hope she can and will use her increased fame to continue to do good. She never fails to impress me, I think she's the BEST. This world could use more Amys. A lot more.

I felt kinda bad for Sam until I saw he won $50,000. Just being one of the three in this fantastic tournament of Top Brains would be enough prize for me, but I was happy he will take home a nice check. Plus, he has quite the fan club out here!

I didn’t tear up, but I was overjoyed, and shook the daylights out of Partner South’s arm while cheering.  I feel the same about her continuing doing good and doing well.  Ditto that we could use a LOT more Amys in our midst.  Andrew gets a nice wad of walking around money that will give him some breathing space at a point in his life where not many young people can say the same.  And Sam gets to take his 50 grand home to stunning Pacific Grove.  Not too shabby.

[shapeshifter]

4 hours ago, South said:

I like Cris.  But the TOC really could have been set up as a “best of 70”, as far as I’m concerned.  I enjoyed the three of them and their varying styles of play.  

And Just Like That, Jeopardy! becomes a sport on par with Chess and Poker, if not Football and Basketball.

My initial concern about such a development, is that these Superstars would go on to live lives under intense social media scrutiny, with paparazzi and entertainment news outlets looking to unearth and amplify scandals, as well as superhuman heroics.

But perhaps this is inevitable with the rise of the spate of long-winning champions, seemingly generated by the advent of online, remote tryouts and auditions, which allow a much more vast pool of possible contestants from which to choose the best?

I wonder what would be the outcome if the selection process included a certain percentage of adequate-but-not-top applicants? Or maybe there’s some other tweak to the contestant selection algorithm that could generate more contestants who are good at Jeopardy! and a bit fun, but not so often so breathtakingly amazing at the game?

And then maybe spin off another Jeopardy! weekly (like the Celebrity Jeopardy! or the College Jeopardy! schedule) that features the top scorers of the regular show’s applicants. Any ideas for what to call it? “Super Jeopardy!”? Maybe capes, masks, and tights would be optional?

[ams1001]

Would they have accepted cones for conical?

7 hours ago, kathyk24 said:

She did a Q&A on Twitter and some people were mad that the results were spoiled. If you don't want to know stay off social media. I live in Massachusetts and I'm not waiting until late at night to discuss the game.

I sometimes read comments on Facebook and there's always someone whining about being spoiled. Well, don't look at facebook before you've watched, then. I realize that FB and Twitter will just put things in your feed so you might see them unintentionally, but at least on FB you can always mute the page (unless they've changed something) and just go look at it when you want to.

[laredhead]

I know this has probably been answered somewhere in this thread, but I can't find the answer.  Do Amy, Andrew, and Sam get to keep the $$ they won in each game in addition to the final lump sum prize money for their placements in the tournament?  I think the final lump sum money amounts should be $250,000, $150,000, and $100,000.  You may win $50,000 on paper, but you won't be taking home nearly that much after federal and state taxes.

[Trey]

1 hour ago, laredhead said:

I know this has probably been answered somewhere in this thread, but I can't find the answer.  Do Amy, Andrew, and Sam get to keep the $$ they won in each game in addition to the final lump sum prize money for their placements in the tournament?  I think the final lump sum money amounts should be $250,000, $150,000, and $100,000.  You may win $50,000 on paper, but you won't be taking home nearly that much after federal and state taxes.

They win $250,000, $100,000, and $50,000.  If  anyone had earned more than their prize money then that is what they would get. 

And what they take home after taxes is pretty much beside the point.

Edited November 22, 2022 by Trey
Trying to make my post clearer.