All Episodes Discussion: The Daily Double

[Marathonrunner]

Yea - we're back!

It was a so-so game - players were pleasant enough - disappointed that the first game had numerous TS, they didn't clear the board & I was able to answer the FJ but they didn't 

Is this Alex's final season as host? No real opinion either way as to the 'stache

[Trey]

Agreed, not a great game.  But I'm glad to have new episodes again.  Don't know if I'll bother to vote but I'd like the 'stache to go.

 

I have no idea why Dashiell Hammett popped into my head for FJ.  But I quickly changed it to Dr. Seuss and I have heard of The 500 Hats... book so I knew I was right.  I think it's surprising that none of them got it; after all, The Cat in Hat is one of his most famous books so that should have been a pretty good hint.

[ajsnaves]

I came up with Dr. Seuss right away, because I knew he had a book about a lot of hats.  Then I questioned it because of the year given.  But could not come up with anything else.  I was a bit discouraged by all the triple stumpers,  In the Roosevelts category,  I can understand not knowing Campopello, but not knowing New Deal?  And nobody could have guessed Margaret Thatcher?  But who am I to judge?  I don't think I got any of the music ones in Double Jeopardy.

 

As to Trebek and his bitchin' new mustache.  I think I actually prefer him without it at this point.  But give me a few weeks, and I will get used to it. Then he will shave it.

[Sharpie66]

I surprised myself when I got Creed, but I guessed it due to the wording of the clue. And Campobello was on the edge of my brain--I kept saying, "Oooh, it begins with 'C', I know it!" but couldn't get it out in time.

[possibilities]

I did great where the actual contestants did poorly, but I had no idea for some of the stuff they rang in for and got right.

I was very distracted by the fact that I didn't remember the returning champion at all, but the woman who won tonight looked very familiar to me, and I kept thinking she was the one returning. Not that it matters, but I kept wondering why she had the middle place, instead of the end like the usual repeat players. And then I'd remember oh yeah, she's not the one returning.... But of course now she is....

 

I think Trebek would look great if he grew a beard to match the stache, but the lip hair alone doesn't really work, unless it gets a whole lot more bushy. Go big or go home, mustache!

[Bastet]

I was only watching during breaks in football, and it seemed like every time I flipped over it was to a TS that I thought was common knowledge.  Odd game.

[Tigershark]

I agree, there were way too many TSs in this game.  It's really hard to believe that Jeopardy had three contestants who didn't know who Margaret Thatcher was, didn't know about FDR's New Deal, and apparently can't locate St. Louis on a map.  Those were not hard questions.  I predict that Elizabeth will be a one and done champion.  (Then again, I said that about Julia Collins after some head scratching TSs in her first game, and look how that turned out.)

[mledawn]

tvaddict, that was specifically what I was coming here to comment on, what a disappointment.

 

I was excited at the flukeworm question, because I'm a huge XPhile.

[peeayebee]

I came up with Dr. Seuss right away, because I knew he had a book about a lot of hats.  Then I questioned it because of the year given.  But could not come up with anything else.

I went thru the same process. I just didn't think that The 500 Hats of Bartholomew Cubbins was written so early, but since I didn't have another guess, I would have written Dr Seuss.

 

And I, too, didn't remember Winston. 

 

Terrible game. I didn't get all the TSs, but I got some. I was astounded that no one got Thatcher, veterinarian (for Herriot), Steve Martin, and more. Sheesh. Their silence was deafening.

 

I'm for Alex's mustache. However, I want it bushier.

[6 MeowMeowBeenz]

count me among those bummed by Herriott and Steve Martin being TSs.

 

PBS, you could do worse than rerunning All Creatures Great and Small. Like, instead of Lawrence Welk or the 17 billionth rerun of Antiques Roadshow

[Prevailing Wind]

 

I was excited at the flukeworm question, because I'm a huge XPhile.

mledawn, are you aware that Darin Morgan (who played the part of flukeman) was on Jeopardy! ??  Not celeb J!, but regular J! He used a fake name - a name of one of the characters from an XF episode he wrote.  Thinking back, it mustve been Blaine Faulkner from "Jose Chung's 'From Outer Space'" - since that's the episode Trebek was in, too.

[ABay]

It was Venus! </xfiles>

[alias1]

I HATE the mustache!  Makes him look older, in my opinion.

[Bastet]

I see I'm not the only one who answered, "What is a flukeworm?" while grinning in remembrance of XF's The Host.

 

Nor the only one yelling, "Veterinarian!" while remembering All Creatures Great and Small.

[Sharpie66]

Even if you've never read the book or heard of the tv series (Peter Davison before he was the 5th Doctor!!), you could easily get the profession from the title, or at least make a decent guess at it.

[dcalley]

I would have loved a year's supply of Junior Mints as a kid!

[opus]

If I'm watching alone, I play along with a Jeopardy scorer app. Anyone else ever do such a thing?

And I always wondered what a "years supply" was.

Edited September 17, 2014 by GaryE

[pandora spocks]

And I always wondered what a "years supply" was.

 

I used to enter tons of sweepstakes before postage had gotten so freaking pricey.  In the fine print of the rules, any prize that consisted of a year's supply, was issued by certificates in weekly increments.  For example, a year's supply of milk consisted of 52 certificates that gave the winner one gallon of milk per week.  Dcalley, you would have received your coveted Junior Mints by one box a week.

[peeayebee]

Another so-so game. 

[Totale]

Better than the first.  Returning/defeated champ batting her eyes was driving me bonkers.

[PaulaO]

Monday's game was painful, but I could not even finish watching Tuesday's game.  Slow responses, too many TS on $200 clues.  I swear my stuffed animals knew more than those contestants.  I'm glad Alex got his snark in on the Roosevelts Monday "good thing PBS is airing this so you can watch and learn."  Or words to that effect.  I keep thinking how Brad, Roger and Ken would sweep the floor with those contestants. 

[M. Darcy]

 

I'm glad Alex got his snark in on the Roosevelts Monday "good thing PBS is airing this so you can watch and learn."

 

Yeah, that time I agreed with the Alex snark. How could none of them get that United Nations answer?

[mjc570]

Easiest double jeopardy answers EVER. This show is almost not worth watching anymore. I.dont mind less than impressive contestants if I'm learning something, but this has neither interesting contestants nor material.

[ottoDbusdriver]

Agreed, those DJs were pretty easy.

 

I've got a bone to pick with one question in the Boat Homophone category in the Jeopardy round, specifically the one dealing with the troops gathering along the border:   'Massed' and 'Mast' do not sound alike.

 

What's the point of picking a FJ question that has two possible answers, one of which is kind of iffy  ?  Seriously, the author stated that his intent was that Judas/John the Baptist were the same person.  Unless it was part of the actual play, it shouldn't really count as a valid response.  It didn't impact the game, but that just seemed to be a poor choice of FJ question.

[Trey]

 

Seriously, the author stated that his intent was that Judas/John the Baptist were the same person.  Unless it was part of the actual play, it shouldn't really count as a valid response.

 

Agreed.  I did get John the Baptist but it was only a guess since I've never seen or read Godspell.

 

Re the thin slice of meat question, I answered scallopine instead of cutlet.  Would that have been ruled right?

 

A better game than the last two but still not great. 

[Ailianna]

Re the thin slice of meat question, I answered scallopine instead of cutlet.  Would that have been ruled right?

The clue said it was a six letter word, so no.

[possibilities]

'Massed' and 'Mast' do not sound alike.

Can you provide a phonetic spelling of how you hear them? They sound exactly the same to me, so I'm thinking this might be a regional accent type of situation (like Don and Dawn, which to me sound nothing alike, but which apparently many people can't tell apart at all).

[peeayebee]

I also hear massed and mast the same.

 

The clue said it was a six letter word, so no.

I guessed fillet, which is six letters but… wrong.

 

For the Noah Webster question, I said Daniel Webster. I always get them mixed up.

 

I hated that they ruled Judas as correct. I'm barely familiar with the musical, but if it was John the Baptist singing that song, then only John the Baptist should have been correct.

[Etta Place]

"Mast" and "massed" are the same for me, too. (Northern Californian)

 

As for FJ, sometimes those kinds of questions get asked just by accident. I would be very surprised if the writers even knew that Judas Iscariot was an acceptable answer. I'm guessing it was appealed and given to him after investigation.

[opus]

Alex at FJ after the contestants wrote did seem edited.

Edited September 18, 2014 by GaryE

[Tigershark]

 

I hated that they ruled Judas as correct. I'm barely familiar with the musical, but if it was John the Baptist singing that song, then only John the Baptist should have been correct.

I was in a production of the show.  In the script, John the Baptist and Judas are the same character.  At the beginning the script refers to the character as John the Baptist, but for most of the show, the character is referred to as Judas.  It's the same character and is played by the same actor, and it's not one of those situations where the an actor playing more than one role.  When I saw the question, I thought it was a poorly written question and that both answers should be correct.

[ottoDbusdriver]

 

'Massed' and 'Mast' do not sound alike.

 

Can you provide a phonetic spelling of how you hear them? They sound exactly the same to me, so I'm thinking this might be a regional accent type of situation (like Don and Dawn, which to me sound nothing alike, but which apparently many people can't tell apart at all).

 

For me, the 't' is more distinctly pronounced in 'mast', like masss - t.  'Massed' sounds like 'passed', more of a soft 'd' at the end. Then again, I think Don and Dawn sound exactly the same, so who knows.

 

I'll have to check J-archive when the questions are posted, but the other question that struck me as odd in that same category was the one (I believe the $400) was the one about being strict/rear of the boat.  The answer is 'what is stern ?".  Isn't the answer also spelled the same in addition to sounding the same, which doesn't even seem to meet the criteria for the question ?

Edited September 18, 2014 by ottoDbusdriver

[opus]

Bow (ship place) and bow (go ahead, take a.....) are also spelled the same.

[Sharpie66]

I grew up watching the movie Godspell (along with Jesus Christ Superstar) on tv every Easter, so I knew both answers for FJ immediately. I was really happy that the first guy knew it, as well. The champ could have guessed it from the clue, but only a fan would have known that Judas was a possibility.

And I got Noah Webster right away, but I've recently read a biography of him (The Forgotten Founding Father--an excellent read!).

[Trey]

The clue said it was a six letter word, so no.

I missed the 'six letter word' part...

 

Thanks, sharpie66, for the information about the characters in Godspell.

[peeayebee]

Adding my thanks too, sharpie66. That was very informative.

[sugarbaker design]

'Massed' and 'Mast' do not sound alike.

 

 

They sound exactly alike to me.  They both rhyme with past.

[Sharpie66]

Tigershark and.Otto had the info and backstory--I just saw the movie lots of times! I always liked how the playwrights had the one who welcomed Jesus to his ministry be the one who betrayed him in the end.

[dcalley]

Isn't the answer also spelled the same in addition to sounding the same, which doesn't even seem to meet the criteria for the question ?

The category was about homophones, which can be spelled the same.

[ottoDbusdriver]

The category was about homophones, which can be spelled the same.

 

Confusion on my part about the definition of homophone.  My bad.

 

Finally looked it up on Wikipedia to be sure. 

 

 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homophone

[smrou]

I took a way too long break from Jeopardy! last season because I had very little time for TV and this is one show I won't just put on as background and pay half attention to because I follow along and keep score.  But after months without watching (and reluctantly deleting episodes from my DVR when it would get into dozens unviewed just sitting there taunting me) I finally had new episodes and I'm back to watching.  

 

And just in time to see Alex's moustache make a triumphant comeback!  I am definitely pro 'stache in his case.  

 

Lucked into FJ. The only hat book I could think of was The Cat in the Hat, and what do you know....

This was about Monday's FJ and I got the correct response for the same reason.  I was sure I was wrong and was trying desperately throughout the think music to come up with the name of the author of Caps for Sale, but was pleasantly surprised to find I'd stumbled into the correct response.

 

If I'm watching alone, I play along with a Jeopardy scorer app. Anyone else ever do such a thing?

I don't use an app, but I have an Excel spreadsheet that I use to calculate and record my score.

Edited September 18, 2014 by smrou

[Sharpie66]

I was shocked that two of the three missed FJ. Of course, the history phd student got it right!

[Browncoat]

I hate Thursday night football!  The pre-game show has pre-empted Jeopardy! in my market, and I can't even find it on the schedule. 

[opus]

I hate Thursday night football!  The pre-game show has pre-empted Jeopardy! in my market, and I can't even find it on the schedule.

It's only till Oct. 23. After that the games are NFL network exclusives.

[ottoDbusdriver]

I was shocked that two of the three missed FJ. Of course, the history phd student got it right!

 

I missed FJ as well, it didn't click until until Alex mentioned the word 'third'.  I need to brush up on my European history, because I never would have connected the Holy Roman Empire to that answer.

 

The Daily Doubles were really easy once again -- I forget the 3rd one, but two of the answers were 'The Little Mermaid' and 'The New Yorker'

[dcalley]

The librarian was a little too much for me, but he'll probably be good at his new job, and that's great. I was irritated that the champ didn't bet just a little bit more on that late DD to make it a runaway, but it ended up not mattering.

[Sharpie66]

Yeah, the Holy Roman Empire was really the first iteration of a Germanic state.

[peeayebee]

I was surprised when Jesse didn't bet more on the Fairy Tale DD since he's a children's librarian, but then he missed Sorcerer's Apprentice, guessing Faust instead, that famous children's fairy tale.

[Trey]

I turned on CBS at 7:29 to watch Jeopardy - and they had moved it to 7:00 because of the football game!  I was ever so pissed.

 

I did check another site to find the FJ and I got it right, so that helped ease the disappointment a little.

[Totale]

I missed the 'six letter word' part...

 

 

I thought we were still in the 9 letter category and guessed medallion!

 

I thought the champ was a little young to be a Deadhead, until he said he got it from Mom and Dad.  Thanks for more evidence I'm ancient now, show.