All Episodes Discussion: The Daily Double

[saber5055]

2 hours ago, Driad said:

Has this clue ever been used? 

I've not seen it as a J clue, but I haven't been watching as long as others. It's an interesting article, I did not know non-husky breeds had been banned from racing and it was interesting to learn the Poodles had to be trained to pull. I saw the Poodle musher on a Carson rerun not that long ago. Some years ago a person I know from the upper Midwest who had some of the best Alaskan Malamute show dogs in the country decided to train a team for the Iditarod. It was a big deal and all the show-dog magazines covered it. Unfortunately, her dogs did not perform well and withdrew shortly after starting the race. They were just too big and heavy for the task. The "huskies" that are used as sled dogs don't look a thing like Siberian Huskies, they are smaller, more wiry, and crazy to pull the sleds.

That would be a great FJ clue some day. @Driad and I would get that answer, which for sure would be an asterisk!

Edited September 14, 2019 by saber5055

[SoMuchTV]

2 hours ago, Driad said:

Has this clue ever been used?  These dogs were not huskies, but they ran in the Iditerod.

That was just an answer on Wait Wait Don't Tell Me this morning!  The guest (a WNBA player who had played at U Conn, so she got Yukon-related questions) had to guess which option was true.  I think she got it right.

[Browncoat]

There's a huge difference between working sled dogs and racing sled dogs in terms of size and weight.  The working dogs are much larger and heavier than the racers.  I could see Standard Poodles being working dogs, but they are kind of big for racers.

[Driad]

51 minutes ago, SoMuchTV said:

That was just an answer on Wait Wait Don't Tell Me this morning! 

Yes, that's where I heard it!

[Trini]

Has there been any discussion about who would host the show in Trebek's place, here or by the producers, or whoever?

[saber5055]

1 hour ago, Trini said:

Has there been any discussion about who would host the show in Trebek's place, here or by the producers, or whoever?

There's been WAY too much discussion here in the past, all useless since none of us have anything to do with the show. Please don't let it start up again. The timing would be terrible.

[ABay]

Wasn't there a thread for that?

[Bastet]

Quote

Wasn't there a thread for that?

Yep, it's here.

Edited September 19, 2019 by Bastet

[KL-AuYeung]

Hi everyone,

Longtime fan, first-time poster here. I had a question regarding J’s rules for names in responses.

For English names, the judges will most often accept a last name (like ‘Washington’) but not the first name by itself (you can’t just say ‘George’). 

Does the same apply to non-English names? I ask because my local station aired an episode from January 2018 recently (they show random episodes on Saturdays) where there was a world leader category in the first round. The correct response for the $1,000 clue was ‘Deng Xiaoping’. But champion Gilbert Collins gave the response as ‘Xiaoping’ to which Alex responded, ‘Yes, Deng Xiaoping’ and Collins was awarded the $1,000.

For anyone who’s unsure about the issue, Deng Xiaoping follows the Chinese convention of putting the family name first so ‘Deng’ is the surname while ‘Xiaoping’ is his given name. What happened in this clue is the equivalent of the player saying ‘George’ and Alex responding with, ‘Yes, George Washington’. 

Having a Chinese name myself (a particularly tricky one at that), I realize that Asian names can be a challenge for folks who aren’t familiar with them. Having said that, this is Jeopardy! we’re talking about with its vaunted research staff. Did none of the researchers catch this? Or is the rule that given names are accepted for responses involving the surname first convention?

I wouldn’t think the latter is true but at the same time struggle to think of another instance where this has happened. My first instinct was to think that this was just a case of Alex and the judges dropping the ball and not realizing that they accepted a first name as a correct response. But maybe there’s a rule I don’t know about. Can anyone clarify?

[peeayebee]

5 hours ago, KL-AuYeung said:

... this is Jeopardy! we’re talking about with its vaunted research staff.

Well, there's your mistake right there! 😄

Seriously, I would say that since this is an American show and most (I believe) Americans get Chinese given and surnames mixed up, the judges allow this. However, I can't picture the judges allowing someone answering "Who is Deng" without Alex saying to be more specific.

The judging is not consistent.

[saber5055]

On 9/21/2019 at 3:15 AM, KL-AuYeung said:

My first instinct was to think that this was just a case of Alex and the judges dropping the ball and not realizing that they accepted a first name as a correct response.

While I know Chinese names are the reverse of American names, surname first, given name second, I'd say the vast majority of Americans don't know this. So, the show let it go with the given name being ruled correct. We even hear it wrong on the news with Kim Jong Un, many think Kim is his given name when in fact it is his surname. Even Secretary of State Mike Pompeo called Kim "Chairman Un."

The judges probably (maybe! might have!) knew the given name was answered but it would have been more confusing to viewers if the correct surname were given. Backward logic, I know.

I have many Chinese friends and all have adopted an American given name to use with their Chinese surname, probably because it avoids confusion in America.

Great post and question though. Thanks for posting!

[Moose135]

On 9/21/2019 at 4:15 AM, KL-AuYeung said:

But champion Gilbert Collins gave the response as ‘Xiaoping’ to which Alex responded, ‘Yes, Deng Xiaoping’ and Collins was awarded the $1,000.

It could have been "Kit Xiaoping" for all we know!

😁

[Bastet]

Watching Ken's first game is kind of fun.  I'm not sure if I saw it at the time; I was in college during his run, so my viewing was sporadic.

It was a little jarring for the game's first clue to be "A fast-spreading outbreak of a disease".

Also, that is a yucky recipe for guacamole.

Edited May 5, 2020 by Bastet

[zoey1996]

I'm enjoying watching the champions reruns.  I still don't remember the answers that I didn't know the first time around.  Apparently, I've learned nothing!

[saber5055]

Tuesday's rerun reminded me that Josh is my favorite Jeopardy player of all time, ever. (Forever and a day, even.)

[Bastet]

I forgot that Alex Trebek's first episode would air tonight until halfway through, but it was still fun to revisit (I have no idea if I saw it at the time).  The lighting was so bad, when one of the DJ categories was revealed, it was barely visible.

The sound indicating a clue had been revealed was frequently delayed.

And so much extraneous reaction from the audience; I'm glad they need to shut it these days.

'50's Television instead of '50s Television bugged me.

I wouldn't have accepted any of the FJ answers, as it's Martin Luther King JUNIOR, not Martin Luther King, Day, but there's so much "MLK Day" ignoring of that it's common now.  But interesting to see that happen across the board back when the holiday was first introduced.  Most if not all of them had additional issues, though, so that was a messy FJ. 

And the fact it was a lock game (in the absence of a really stupid wager) was ignored - to maintain suspense for the audience members who can't do basic math?

Regardless, that was a fun look back in time. 

[VCRTracking]

I miss that too!

 

Edited July 21, 2020 by VCRTracking

[catlover79]

2 hours ago, Bastet said:

I forgot that Alex Trebek's first episode would air tonight until halfway through, but it was still fun to revisit (I have no idea if I saw it at the time).  The lighting was so bad, when one of the DJ categories was revealed, it was barely visible.

The sound indicating a clue had been revealed was frequently delayed.

And so much extraneous reaction from the audience; I'm glad they need to shut it these days.

'50's Television instead of '50s Television bugged me.

I wouldn't have accepted any of the FJ answers, as it's Martin Luther King JUNIOR, not Martin Luther King, Day, but there's so much "MLK Day" ignoring of that it's common now.  But interesting to see that happen across the board back when the holiday was first introduced.  Most if not all of them had additional issues, though, so that was a messy FJ. 

And the fact it was a lock game (in the absence of a really stupid wager) was ignored - to maintain suspense for the audience members who can't do basic math?

Regardless, that was a fun look back in time. 

That first show had the frantic audience response of TPIR. I guess it took the show a couple of years to gain the critical gravitas it has enjoyed for decades. If the first episode was any indication, I'm not surprised that the critics of the day wrote it off.

Still, it was fun to look back. I still remember that music that introduced the contestants and having them cross the stage to their respective podiums. I wonder when they stopped doing that.

[UYI]

I have seen the first episode a few times before on YouTube over the years, so I did remember at least some of what had happened, but it was still fun nevertheless, and I had forgotten enough that I still had moments where I was surprised. ;)

I was born in 1989, so I was eight years old when they updated the theme song/FJ! theme. Even then, it pissed me off (and then they changed the fill-in sound for the board when I was 19 and that pissed me off even more--I got used to the new themes eventually). A devoted fan from the beginning. :P

Without giving anything away, I'll just say that I have also seen the second episode that is airing on YouTube in the past, too--meaning, yes, I know the surprise ending already. I can't wait to see it again. 

[UYI]

9 hours ago, VCRTracking said:

I miss that too!

 

I know they started getting rid of that once blind contestant Eddie Timanus (a five day champion in 1999) was on the show (it was permanently done away with a year later), but it added SO much, IMO. I miss it. 

[saber5055]

12 hours ago, catlover79 said:

I still remember that music that introduced the contestants and having them cross the stage to their respective podiums. I wonder when they stopped doing that.

I'd be glad that stopped if I were ever on the show. Seeing this old rerun, all I could think of was, "Oh, crumb, I have to worry about my pants and shoes and socks and what my entire outfit looks like while I walk to the podium?" Not that anyone anywhere makes fun of what players wear these days.

[Ailianna]

Not only that, but then possibly climbing onto a riser behind the podium while everyone is watching on national TV.  Then you add people like me who have spinal cord injuries that can make me walk like a drunken sailor on the best of days--I would NOT want to see the internet comments suggesting I was high or drunk or something because of that!

[Bastet]

I watched game two of the Alex years and, oh, look, Alex has been a sexist twit since then, thinking the occupations had been reversed on the info cards, because the man was a nurse and the woman was a carpenter.  (The sad thing is, if the same line-up happened today, he wouldn't legit think there was an error, but he'd make some sort of surprised commentary, especially about the woman.  The really sad thing is, so would a lot of people.)

At least they wrote '40s instead of '50's.

But it distracted me how for most of the clue reveals they cut away from the original shot and switched to a full screen with yellow type, but for a few they stuck with the zoom-in on the actual screen.

The V8 TS was quite surprising.  Same with the Olympics.  And then came FJ.  Wow.

It was funny to have a Tombstone clue and an OK Corral clue - they weren't very imaginative in that wild west category.

[ByaNose]

The male nurse from my hometown of Philadelphia (shocking career) couldn’t get the hang of ringing in and having an answer. The show was so new with the premise (modern times) and, he was probably just very nervous. Then the surprise ending.  I thought Alex would explain more about it in a recap but alas none to be had. Also, Alex not giving the correct question until the audience started screaming was driving me nuts. It’s apparently January 1, 1901. Who knew?

Edited July 22, 2020 by ByaNose

[Bastet]

9 minutes ago, ByaNose said:

It’s apparently January 1, 1901. Who knew?

Me.  Which is why I was among those constantly grumbling, "It's not the fucking millennium!" about everyone's Y2K parties.

10 minutes ago, ByaNose said:

The male nurse from my hometown of Philadelphia (shocking career) couldn’t get the hang of ringing in and having an answer. The show was so new with the premise (modern times) and, he was probably just very nervous.

Yeah, Paul was pretty awkwardly nervous, and he always had such a befuddled expression on his face when he was ruled incorrect.

[biakbiak]

2 hours ago, Bastet said:

I watched game two of the Alex years and, oh, look, Alex has been a sexist twit since then

I texted my sister who isn’t watching these reruns that Alex made a sexist “joke” he probably wouldn’t have made since at least 2010!

[ByaNose]

20 minutes ago, Bastet said:

Me.  Which is why I was among those constantly grumbling, "It's not the fucking millennium!" about everyone's Y2K parties.

Yeah, Paul was pretty awkwardly nervous, and he always had such a befuddled expression on his face when he was ruled incorrect.

It was a little funny because it was like he didn’t know why he was there. LOL!!! He was still giving answers after the time ran out but it was so new he didn’t know he timed out. I wonder where Paul is today?

[Bastet]

1 minute ago, ByaNose said:

It was a little funny because it was like he didn’t know why he was there. LOL!!! He was still giving answers after the time ran out but it was so new he didn’t know he timed out.

There were a couple of times where it seemed to me like the wrong sound effect was used, and I was confused as to what was going on, so I can just imagine what it was like for the contestants at the time.

[ByaNose]

9 minutes ago, biakbiak said:

I texted my sister who isn’t watching these reruns that Alex made a sexist “joke” he probably wouldn’t have made since at least 2010!

If you watch his other show (Classic Concentration) on Buzzar which he was doing at the same time he’s even a little worse. It was such a different time but Alex always had that condescending (sometimes sexist) tone. I thought it was a Jeopardy thing but it wasn’t. He’s still the GOAT though. 

Edited July 22, 2020 by ByaNose

[ByaNose]

3 minutes ago, Bastet said:

There were a couple of times where it seemed to me like the wrong sound effect was used, and I was confused as to what was going on, so I can just imagine what it was like for the contestants at the time.

Yeah, when he timed out and the woman would ring in it was her sound effect not his. In fact, the camera always stayed on him while she started answering. Even the camera people were confused. I would like to see Season 2 Episode 1 to see how much it improved which I’m assuming it did. 

[Maverick]

I know it was the 80s, but damn.  "Are there many of you in that profession?".  I thought the next thing out of Alex's mouth was going to be "so you're a homosexual then".  

 So in 35 years they've never had a 3 way tie?  Or just not a 3 way zero tie?  Either way it's surprising they've gone that long without doing it again.  Clearly the "all players return when they tie" rule hadn't been instituted yet. 

[UYI]

6 hours ago, Maverick said:

I know it was the 80s, but damn.  "Are there many of you in that profession?".  I thought the next thing out of Alex's mouth was going to be "so you're a homosexual then".  

 So in 35 years they've never had a 3 way tie?  Or just not a 3 way zero tie?  Either way it's surprising they've gone that long without doing it again.  Clearly the "all players return when they tie" rule hadn't been instituted yet. 

I swear I remember a three-way zero tie from the mid 90's (that I saw on GSN some years later, granted, back when they bothered to show somewhat older episodes of Jeopardy!), and I saw someone say there was one in Season 14 (which tracks with my recollection, too), which is...not 35 years later, certainly. (And of course, it's not on YouTube. Bleh.)

And in 2007, they had the first ever three contestants who all won and returned the next day...and with the rule that there needs to be a tie breaking clue to result in one winner that started in 2017, this will probably stand as the ONLY three-way win ever.

 

Edited July 22, 2020 by UYI

[UYI]

Also: This is a bit different, but here some Jeopardy! champions where they won with only a dollar on the board!

 

[UYI]

Here's the second three-way loss, for what it's worth, from 2016 (unless I'm right and there was one in the 14th season in either 1992 or 1993, then it's actually the third three-way loss--that's going to gnaw at me, I swear).

 

[Bastet]

I had forgotten all about Claudia until I watched tonight's re-run of her first Million Dollar Masters episode.  I don't quite know how I managed that, since she was in Battle of the Decades just six years ago, so it's not like it has been eons since she's been on my screen.  Anyway, as soon as I saw her I remembered how much I liked her.

My goodness, did I have a terrible game.  I'm going to blame the extreme stress I'm under right now for messing with my mind, because I couldn't even remember Ray Kroc's name (and that's a bit of trivia that is somehow always at the ready for me, even though the only thing I'll eat from McDonald's is the fries).  FJ was an instaget, so at least I ended with a win, but it was not at all my night.

[Bastet]

It was sad to learn about India's death earlier this year. 

For the FJ in her quarterfinal game of the Million Dollar Masters tournament, like probably a great many people, I had The Right Stuff immediately, but I spent so long flailing for the second film before figuring the profession was incidental and I should focus on the year and thus coming up with it, I know I would never had been able to write down Terms of Endearment under game conditions. 

They cut out Alex reciting the list of those who'd be in the semi-finals.  Does that mean we're not going to continue with this tournament in reruns, and next week will be on to other "vintage" episodes?

[Prevailing Wind]

It might be that AT's intro at the beginning of the show takes up that time.

 

[ABay]

Got Terms of Endearment, couldn't think of The Right Stuff.

I remember despising Robin both times around because she apparently thinks distracted driving is funny. The sense of entitlement behind short woman big suv children cell phone makes me seethe.

[illdoc]

13 hours ago, Prevailing Wind said:

It might be that AT's intro at the beginning of the show takes up that time.

Also, the "In Memorium" at the end.

[Bastet]

Just as the re-airing of the Million Dollar Masters Tournament reminded me how much I liked Claudia, it reminded me how much I disliked Bob - his ridiculous over-the-top performance as his FJ answer was about to be revealed in the semi-final game, acting like he hadn't wagered enough to win, was the last nail in the coffin; can't stand him. 

I retroactively wish the finals had been between Brad, Leslie, and Claudia, instead of Brad, Bob, and Eric. 

I don't remember how Brad's win played out over the finals, though, so I look forward to the next two nights.

[Cotypubby]

On 7/22/2020 at 11:34 AM, UYI said:

Here's the second three-way loss, for what it's worth, from 2016 (unless I'm right and there was one in the 14th season in either 1992 or 1993, then it's actually the third three-way loss--that's going to gnaw at me, I swear).

 

Dang, that FJ was only on screen for about 2 seconds in that clip and I still knew the answer immediately. Shocked they all missed it!

[Bastet]

Eric was funny in the first game of the Million Dollar finals.

I did not have a very good game, often out of my depth with these contestants, but I was surprised Gordion was a TS, with "to be or knot to be" in the clue and Brad clearly misspeaking.  Swan Lake as a TS was a bit surprising, too.

I'm not surprised FJ was a TS, but I am surprised no one guessed something with "quint" in it.

[Bastet]

Bob flamed out pretty spectacularly in the second day of finals.  After his shocked reaction when he ever-so-confidently whiffed the Taft DD, I was almost glad; I do not like that guy.

Even though I knew Brad won, and I have no issues with him, I found myself fruitlessly rooting for Eric.

 

[shapeshifter]

Occasionally I watch the reruns of last year’s episodes at 10 a.m., which I have never seen before. I seem to know more of the Ts’s on these older shows than I do on the current show, such as today’s rerun from Friday, May 1, 2020 (https://www.j-archive.com/showgame.php?game_id=6623) 

• COMPLETE THE BRIT PHRASE 

1. William Congreve wrote, do this "in haste, repent at leisure” [What is marry?]
2. "One man's meat is another man's" this, like a fumigant [What is poison?”]

And

• EUROPEAN MUSEUMS

1. An exhibition about colors in fairy tales at a Brothers Grimm museum was titled "Red Hood," this color "Beard" [What is blue?]

––and others.

I wonder if this might be because these bits of information that inhabit my experience don’t get onto Jeopardy contestants' radar until after they’ve been TSs, or if it’s just that I am more relaxed about reruns, or…?

Has anyone else noticed this?

Edited April 23, 2021 by shapeshifter

[chicagofan]

Was wandering about in the J!Archive and in the J round on January 7, 2013 there was a category of UCLA Celebrity Alumni with the following $1000 clue.

Neurobiologist Amy Farrah Fowler on "The Big Bang Theory", in real life she has a Ph.D in neuroscience from UCLA.

I'm wondering who that could be.

[theartandsound]

Didn't know where else to put this question so All Episodes Discussion sounds good. Does anyone know what that desk in the audience section is for and who sits in it? I'm sure it is different ppl each time. At first I thought it was contestant guests, but I've only ever seen two ppl sit there and whenever they go to someone's guest in the audience, it isn't at that desk.

[Shrek]

37 minutes ago, theartandsound said:

Didn't know where else to put this question so All Episodes Discussion sounds good. Does anyone know what that desk in the audience section is for and who sits in it? I'm sure it is different ppl each time. At first I thought it was contestant guests, but I've only ever seen two ppl sit there and whenever they go to someone's guest in the audience, it isn't at that desk.

I don't know but it may be the alternates or more likely they are the people who check wrong answers just in case the answer is another version of the correct answer, or when the answer originally given as correct is not and the scores need updating after a break.

 

Edited February 15 by Shrek

[Driad]

Yes, I suspect the desk is for the judges.

What can the contestants see during the game?  They can see the big board, although at an angle.  Where can they see everyone's score, and where is the screen for video clues?  Maybe the podia have little screens?

[SomeTameGazelle]

1 hour ago, theartandsound said:

Didn't know where else to put this question so All Episodes Discussion sounds good. Does anyone know what that desk in the audience section is for and who sits in it? I'm sure it is different ppl each time. At first I thought it was contestant guests, but I've only ever seen two ppl sit there and whenever they go to someone's guest in the audience, it isn't at that desk.

I did some searching and found this -- apparently they answered it on the Inside Jeopardy podcast:

The desk is used for the Inside J! podcast and during pandemic regulations seated a couple of staff members who could not fit along main judges table.

Quoted from MarkBarrett on jboard: 

https://jboard.tv/viewtopic.php?t=6722&start=260

[SoMuchTV]

I happened to turn on tonight’s rerun (Saturday), and it was “young” Troy in his 4th regular season game. So far he’s doing quite well! And he’s standing, not sitting, for anyone who’s watching that kind of thing. 

I’m not sure if that’s something that’s syndicated or if the local station determines what to show.