Jeopardy! Season 34 (2017-2018)

[Trey]

I am glad Jim didn't win, although he seemed like a very likeable person.  I liked Kelsey quite well too but I'm okay with Kiana winning again.  Love Kiana's blue hair.

Instaget FJ.  I don't remember if I got any ts's or not.

ETA: I do remember now, the question about Lord Haw Haw's treason charge. what weapon did he use - I got radio; my son said propaganda and wondered if that would have been accepted.

Edited November 23, 2017 by Trey

[Ailianna]

On 11/22/2017 at 4:18 PM, saber5055 said:

I just watched some old Jeopardy on YouTube. There is a video of a young man (he looked pre-teen) who was winning a tourney, except he wrote "Emanciptation Proclamation" for his FJ. He lost when he was going to be an easy winner if not for that extra letter. Yeah, FJ can really suck, especially when you know the answer. I guess misspelling is the same as misspeaking, or adding an "s" on the end of a singular word.

Somehow this myth keeps being perpetuated, that the contestant lost because of this.  It was a Kids Week tournament, and the actual winner, who had a runaway and ended up with $66.000 (yes, that is the right number of digits) and is the third highest single game winning contestant.  the outcome wasn't changed, and while I agree it was a hard lesson for a Kids Week age person, it was also clearly wrong, and hopefully the boy learned about losing gracefully from it.

Here are some links, including the actual video of Skylar (the winner).  I think some of these headlines are part of the reason for the myth that Thomas lost because of the misspelling, as opposed to being outplayed by another pre-teen.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xjyW7j8lgA8

https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/08/01/jeopardy-emancipation-proclamation_n_3691070.html

https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/tv/2013/08/04/boy-says-jeopardy-cheated-him/2617223/

There were a lot of articles at the time showing that the child who lost and his parents were stirring the pot, and his claim that he was cheated of a win on Jeopardy is clearly not realistic.  What really gets me is that the accomplishment of Skylar Hornbeck, the winner, has been entirely overshadowed by this issue.  He was the third highest single day winner in Jeopardy! history--including all those adults.  And it seems like no one remembers this amazing accomplishment by a junior high school student.

[secnarf]

5 hours ago, ChicagoCita said:

If memory serves..... There was an answer (or question) that referenced Kit Carson, and Alex asked the contestant to be more specific when she just answered "Carson." She could not come up with "Kit" and was ruled wrong. This was such a ridiculous decision, given the wide leeway the show gives in other instances, so now any ridiculous ruling MUST be responded to here with some derivation of "Kit" or "Carson."

Also, "Carson" has been accepted in reference to Kit Carson in other games.

The episode in question was in April 2015.

[Trey]

IIRC, the question in question was "who was Carson city named after?" paraphrased of course:)

[Spunkygal]

It didn't impact the outcome, but Kiana's answer of "Catherine and Anne Boleyn" screamed for a BMS! Henry VIII had three wives named Catherine (but spelled differently.)

[Browncoat]

I got FJ today on a coin flip — I never can remember whether Iran or Iraq borders Turkey.  I guessed right!  

Much better game than last night, although it seems like there were a lot of TS.  I can’t remember any of them, though.

[saber5055]

Ailianna, it was I who posted about the child player misspelling FJ. I used that example to illustrate how if one adds or subtracts a letter in his/her written FJ response, he or she will lose. But, if he/she writes phonetically so the misspelled word is pronounced the same, then that answer will be accepted as correct. The fact that kid or some other kid won or didn't win has no bearing on the point I was trying to make, which was how FJ answers are judged. My post was no more than a contribution to the discussion of Wilbur's ill-fated FJ half answer and not a dis of any player.

Fish, we got the rerun of the Macy parade here, too, a whole two hours after the parade was shown the first time. So there was no rerun or new Jeopardy episode for me, either. And yeah, I hate football too.

[Fex]

1 hour ago, Spunkygal said:

It didn't impact the outcome, but Kiana's answer of "Catherine and Anne Boleyn" screamed for a BMS! Henry VIII had three wives named Catherine (but spelled differently.)

Agreed!

I have to nitpick the phlebotomist clue. Phlebotomy just refers to collection of blood, not processing. It's true that often the same person will be doing both tasks, but that doesn't mean that, say, centrifuging is phlebotomy! In case you didn't guess, I work in a hospital lab :) I can collect blood and I'm even good at it, but it's not part of my current job description... which is great because I hate it.

[CarpeDiem54]

It was the "Em, Uh, Slowy McSlowertons" again.  New champ seems okay.

I got sinister (missed DD), gills, Arizona and Alaska, Pretty Woman (that no one knew this iconic Roy Orbison song made me sad), James Comey, Geraldine Ferraro (missed DD with a picture!), South Africa, and crisper.  I might have gotten more, but I had to keep running into the kitchen to mess with my dinner.

For FJ I said Iraq and Greece.  I thought the answer had to be countries that were to the north and south of Turkey running east and west.  I guess I misunderstood the question.

I hope everyone had a nice Thanksgiving even if parades and football disrupted your Jeopardy enjoyment.

[Fex]

3 minutes ago, CarpeDiem54 said:

Pretty Woman (that no one knew this iconic Roy Orbison song made me sad),

I didn't get it because I had no idea that Van Halen covered it. Was there anything else in the clue indicating which Roy Orbison song it was?

[CarpeDiem54]

1 hour ago, Fex said:

I didn't get it because I had no idea that Van Halen covered it. Was there anything else in the clue indicating which Roy Orbison song it was?

No, I guess not.  Pretty Woman was a huge hit for Van Halen.  They did a decent job, even if it was mainly wild guitar playing, but nothing beats Roy.

[teebax]

30 minutes ago, CarpeDiem54 said:

No, I guess not.  Pretty Woman was a huge hit for Van Halen.  They did a decent job, even if it was mainly wild guitar playing, but nothing beats Roy.

I was a Van Halen fan back in the day and had no idea they covered it. 

I don't think TS clues are usually indicative of people not knowing obvious stuff; I think there are often parts of clues that make contestants hesitant to ring in.  I would never have rung in on that one, and I'm well aware that Orbison did Pretty Woman.

[Fex]

39 minutes ago, CarpeDiem54 said:

No, I guess not.  Pretty Woman was a huge hit for Van Halen.  They did a decent job, even if it was mainly wild guitar playing, but nothing beats Roy.

It's funny, I guess I'm too young to remember (as Alex would say) the Van Halen song, yet I know that and many other Roy Orbison songs! I just listened to the Van Halen version, and you're right - nothing beats Roy

Edited November 24, 2017 by Fex

[peeayebee]

8 hours ago, Trey said:

ETA: I do remember now, the question about Lord Haw Haw's treason charge. what weapon did he use - I got radio; my son said propaganda and wondered if that would have been accepted.

I said the weapon that Lord Haw Haw used was his sense of humor. It was very disarming.

I had major brain blockage during both yesterday's and tonight's shows. Yikes. Yesterday I got community policing and mesmerism. In tonight's show I got Gravity, South Africa, and crisper. 

I thought it was strange that in one clue a hare was referred to as a long-haired beast.

[Browncoat]

Pretty Woman!  Since I’m at my parents’ house, I wasn’t quite yelling it, but was disappointed (and a little surprised) that no one knew it.  Didn’t they use Roy’s version in the movie?  And CRISPR, too — I thought there was one in the lab category, but that one being a TS wasn’t surprising if they were focussed more on the lab part than the refrigerator part.

[GenerationX]

I was waiting to see if someone would answer "Pretty Woman", as the correct answer is "Oh, Pretty Woman".  I'm not sure how they would've scored someone skipping the "Oh". 

I was surprised no one got Geraldine Ferraro.

TS = Total Stumper?  Three Stooges?  Thoughtful Silence?

[rubaco]

8 minutes ago, GenerationX said:

I was surprised no one got Geraldine Ferraro.

TS = Total Stumper?  Three Stooges?  Thoughtful Silence?

TS = Triple Stumper.

The Geraldine Ferraro clue was a Daily Double, so only Jesse got a shot at it. Could be the others knew who she was, but we'll never know. 

Hoping Jesse doesn't last long, I didn't like his (what I perceived as) mugging for the camera.

[ChromaKelly]

On 11/22/2017 at 10:31 AM, sugarbaker design said:

That's why I thought "The Wall", I'm not even a Pink Floyd fan, I was focused on the reason why an album would have a resurgence of sales 50 years later.  I still don't know why SPLHC returned to the charts.

Was there a reason given why the category Truuue had so many U's in it?

Yes, I was trying to rack my brain for what musician died or was in the news.

[saber5055]

Thanks tvaddict for the direct to the redditjeopardy site. My tv day was pretty boring yesterday with parades and parade reruns (which I didn't watch the first time), then football and more football. Today is all football and hockey, although Jeopardy is listed for today, thank goodness. Reading here, I should do pretty well on yesterday's game. Ha ha! It's a shame no one could recognize Geraldine Ferraro. She endured horrible verbal attacks, and I was so crushed when she bowed out. I even bought her book. She was an early ERA heroine. And I kinda like Three Stooges for TS.

[DXD526]

Just catching up with the last couple of days and to weigh in on the Wilbur controversy: while I can understand his getting ruled incorrect, he still got rooked, because it's obvious he knew the answer and ran out of time, and, more importantly, he ran out of time because J!, inexplicably, chose a ridiculously long answer for FJ. I thought of Sgt. Pepper immediately, then doubted myself because I figured they'd never choose a question with that long an answer. As others have pointed out, it would have to be an instaget, as it takes all 30 seconds just to write out. That's unfair, IMO. The show should know better. Hey, J! writers, the next time you want to have a Beatles album as the FJ answer, think "Revolver".

[saber5055]

Has Jeopardy ever had an eight-word FJ answer before? Anyone know what the longest FJ has been? I'm assuming contestants are not allowed to write "What is" before time begins since I'm guessing if those two words are not there, the answer auto loses.

[GreekGeek]

21 minutes ago, saber5055 said:

Has Jeopardy ever had an eight-word FJ answer before? Anyone know what the longest FJ has been? I'm assuming contestants are not allowed to write "What is" before time begins since I'm guessing if those two words are not there, the answer auto loses.

Here is an interesting discussion of that very question, though it counts length by characters rather than words. It dates from 10 months ago and has not been updated to reflect the Sgt. Pepper answer; many of the answers mentioned are also those where abbreviations/last names only are allowed. 

And if memory serves, contests are allowed to write "What is" before the question is read.

[Mondrianyone]

Just now, GreekGeek said:

And if memory serves, contests are allowed to write "What is" before the question is read.

Really?  This is surprising.  How would they know which interrogative to use (what, who, where, etc.--though admittedly it's usually either what or who) before they hear the question?  Do you mean they can start writing after the question is revealed but while Alex is still reading?  (I'm not being argumentative--just honestly curious as to how this would work.  Or possibly my brain is still functioning at turkey level.)

[ChicagoCita]

21 minutes ago, Mondrianyone said:

How would they know which interrogative to use (what, who, where, etc.--though admittedly it's usually either what or who) before they hear the question?

I'm pretty sure all it has to be is in the form of a question, regardless of whether it makes sense. I believe "How were Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band?" would be as correct as "What is...."

[GreekGeek]

30 minutes ago, Mondrianyone said:

Really?  This is surprising.  How would they know which interrogative to use (what, who, where, etc.--though admittedly it's usually either what or who) before they hear the question?  Do you mean they can start writing after the question is revealed but while Alex is still reading?  (I'm not being argumentative--just honestly curious as to how this would work.  Or possibly my brain is still functioning at turkey level.)

They give enough of a hint before the question is read as to tell you which interrogative, although as you have said, it's pretty much only two possibilities. (Can any long-time viewers think of an exception?)

[Tabasco Cat]

On 11/23/2017 at 5:10 AM, tvaddict44 said:

viewing warning: many stations will be rearranging because of the football games.  Ours in CST will be shown late on Saturday, but the DVR has already scheduled it.  Check your listings...

We saw J! in central FL last night OK but tonight is a different story. Some completely meaningless college football game is on right now - two schools I never even heard of with 'Florida' in their names - and it's scheduled to end about 5 minutes ago. Not gonna happen since the 4th quarter just started. Comcast schedule says a wrapup show and an abbreviated newscast are scheduled before WoF in its normal time slot at 7 followed by Jeopardy! at 7:30.

Odds of them keeping to that schedule are zero. One day last week (the week before Thanksgiving) the local ABC channel out of West Palm pre-empted WoF for a freaking infomercial for a local retail chain. Simply awful. We'll never buy anything from those stores again. The worst part is this ABC affiliate never schedules the missed episodes of WoF or Jeopardy! in overnight graveyard timeslots. If they don't show it on time and schedule, they just don't show it period.

[illdoc]

Although Jeopardy was pre-empted by college football here in Chicago today, I looked at FJ on the "thejeopardyfan" site. I couldn't believe that one contestant answered "Tom Thumb"!!!! The moment you see "orphan" (assuming it's a book category, of course), you should be writing "Oliver Twist"! Even the kids tournament people would have answered correctly!!!!

[saber5055]

Yeah, I felt bad for the guy with the Tom Thumb answer. But is that worse than writing "Good game guys" or something else. At least it's a stab in the dark. Although there's this: We make fun of random stabs but not "I know I've lost" written FJ comments. As for the "What is ..." sentence beginnings, lots of times on spoken answers the correct phrasing isn't used, but as ChicagoCti says, as long as it's in the form of a question, that's all that matters. This show is really whack, when one thinks about the crazy rules/not rules.

[Roaster]

Yes, but I liked that FJ clue.  It was something I didn't know but was able to guess (educated guess), and it was interesting.  And it was the right level of difficulty for a FJ clue.  If two out of three players get it, it's about right on the hardness scale.

[Browncoat]

FJ was an instaget for me.  Those other names just sounded Dickensian to me.

I don’t feel the least bit bad for the former champ, who wrote Tom Thumb for FJ.  Despite starting at the tops of categories, he was a bit annoying.  Also, Tom Thumb makes no sense at all.  I’d rather they write “good game” or shout-outs to friends and family than make such nonsensical guesses.

I think there were a few TS that I got, but I can’t remember them now.  Apparently I really do need to take notes during the game!

[secnarf]

I was watching with my parents tonight, and when the FJ category was revealed (during the commercial break), my dad asked "what does that mean? That the title of the book is the name of a character?" And my response was, "Yes, like 'Oliver Twist.'" - Imagine my surprise when the clue was revealed and it was Oliver Twist!

[peeayebee]

I figured it was that Dickens book, and the first name that came to me was David Copperfield. I knew that wasn't right, and fortunately I was able to remember Oliver Twist in plenty of time.

The TSs I got were Dian Fossey, pencil sharpener, Bones, and Porsche.

[biakbiak]

I was shocked that Dian Fossey was a TS after Jane Goodall was guessed. 

I thought FJ was crazy easy. 

[burner]

The winner's shirt was amazing.

[Fex]

1 hour ago, biakbiak said:

I was shocked that Dian Fossey was a TS after Jane Goodall was guessed. 

Yes!!! It is easy to mix them up, but once one of them is ruled out, what else could it possibly be? My trick for keeping them straight: it's not alliterative. Goodall does NOT study gorillas. 

I got the giggles when none of them could figure out pencil sharpener. At least a compass can be made of metal... erasers almost never are ;)

Surprised no one got Bones, given the TV show (which ran for about 150 seasons)

[Mystery Author]

Quote

 I couldn't believe that one contestant answered "Tom Thumb"!!!!

Especially since Tom Thumb wasn't an orphan!!!!

From my novel CIRQUE (due out this May): " As luck would have it, Tom Thumb’s parents, Sherwood and Cynthia Stratten, had not turned down Barnum’s offer. .Barnum’s half-brother had shown him a small boy named Charles Sherwood Stratten, who was four years old, stood twenty-five inches high, and weighed only fifteen pounds..."

As for FJ, I kept trying to remember another orphan, thinking Oliver Twist was too easy, but finally went with Oliver while singing, "Food, glorious food."

[ByaNose]

My first guess was Oliver but then I thought I was wrong because it seemed too easy. I guess I am really that smart. LOL!!!!!

[Prevailing Wind]

When the category was revealed and then went into commercial, I told the cats, "Either David Copperfield or Emma." I knew it would be Dickens, if not Austen.  When the clue was revealed, I, too, started singing "Food, Glorious Food."  Outside of the orphan factor, I thought Tom Thumb was an OK guess - at least he got the "T" in the last name correct.

...then I went back to watching Midsomer Murders on Acorn.tv.  As long as football doesn't screw up the J! schedule, I don't care if it's on. I've got a ROKU stick. Bwaahahahahahaha.

[peeayebee]

11 hours ago, Fex said:

Yes!!! It is easy to mix them up, but once one of them is ruled out, what else could it possibly be? My trick for keeping them straight: it's not alliterative. Goodall does NOT study gorillas. 

Gorillas in the Mist is what I remember when it comes to Fossey. As far as how I tell them apart: Fossey was murdered for her work, Goodall is still around.

 

8 hours ago, Mystery Author said:

As for FJ, I kept trying to remember another orphan, thinking Oliver Twist was too easy, but finally went with Oliver while singing, "Food, glorious food."

For me it was "Oll-liver, Oll-liver. Never before has a boy wanted more..."

[Mondrianyone]

20 hours ago, ChicagoCita said:

I'm pretty sure all it has to be is in the form of a question, regardless of whether it makes sense. I believe "How were Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band?" would be as correct as "What is...."

That would explain some of the more wonkily worded questions. 

20 hours ago, GreekGeek said:

They give enough of a hint before the question is read as to tell you which interrogative, although as you have said, it's pretty much only two possibilities. (Can any long-time viewers think of an exception?)

I never would've guessed this.

Thank you both!

[DrSpaceman73]

14 hours ago, peeayebee said:

I figured it was that Dickens book, and the first name that came to me was David Copperfield. I knew that wasn't right, and fortunately I was able to remember Oliver Twist in plenty of time.

The TSs I got were Dian Fossey, pencil sharpener, Bones, and Porsche.

For some reason I always get Oliver Twist and David Copperfield mixed up

I am sure the fact I have read neither book helps. 

[saber5055]

I thought that Porsche was a Peugeot. At least it starts with P, much like Thumb starts with T!

[M. Darcy]

1 hour ago, peeayebee said:

Gorillas in the Mist is what I remember when it comes to Fossey. As far as how I tell them apart: Fossey was murdered for her work, Goodall is still around.

 

And as we learned from the Far Side, Jane Goodall is a blonde. 

[Browncoat]

I was so surprised that no one rang in with Porsche that I second-guessed myself until Alex told us that it was, indeed, a Porsche. 

[dcalley]

3 hours ago, DrSpaceman73 said:

For some reason I always get Oliver Twist and David Copperfield mixed up

I am sure the fact I have read neither book helps. 

I don't think I've read either one (maybe Copperfield). Adaptations for the small screen help me a lot. They sometimes change plot points, but never enough to affect a Jeopardy question, I'd say. I liked this David Copperfield (baby Daniel Radcliffe! Maggie Smith!) and this Oliver Twist, though I think some did not care for that one.

3 hours ago, M. Darcy said:

And as we learned from the Far Side, Jane Goodall is a blonde. 

Well, grey now! And always in a ponytail.

[peeayebee]

8 hours ago, M. Darcy said:

And as we learned from the Far Side, Jane Goodall is a blonde. 

When I googled to refamiliarize myself with this specific Far Side, I found this:

Quote

The staff at the Jane Goodall Institute took offense and sent a letter to Larson and his syndicate describing the cartoon as an "atrocity," but Goodall herself enjoyed the strip and would even write a preface for a Far Side collection. Larson would later donate all the profits from a t-shirt with the strip on it to the Goodall institute and, as though to balance the cosmic scales, would be attacked by a chimpanzee named Frodo while visiting Goodall's research facility in Tanzania.

.

[saber5055]

Thanks for the Gary Larson Goodall background, peeayebee. I remember that "tramp Goodall" cartoon, and I would think it hilarious if I were Goodall. Which, I guess, she did. Larson's "karma" episode also is quite funny. I miss those good old days.

[DrSpaceman73]

I miss The Far Side. 

[Trey]

11 minutes ago, DrSpaceman73 said:

I miss The Far Side. 

And Bloom County.  And Calvin and Hobbes.

[opus]

2 hours ago, Trey said:

And Bloom County.  And Calvin and Hobbes.

New Bloom County's have been running on Facebook since 2015. (They've also been collected in books).