Jeopardy! Season 34 (2017-2018)

[CarpeDiem54]

Thank God Hunnert Kate lost.  Today she added starting at the bottom or middle of categories to her annoying traits.  Eileen, unfortunately, followed suit.  I'm fine with Johnny since he started at the top and didn't do anything obnoxious except answer grape instead of raspberry.

I got planetarium (there was a picture!  WTH!?) and influenza.

FJ was an instaget.  I love those commercials.

[ErinV]

Omg I feel like Eileen was sort of saying “hundert”, too.  I’m glad Johnny won!  For FJ I got Wilford Brimley/oatmeal/diabetes in my head and couldn’t think of anything else!

[saber5055]

YES! Eileen was also saying "hunnert," which made it confusing for me as I was listening, not watching, and I kept thinking that Kate sure was getting a lot of clues. Then I looked at holy cow, Eileen had caught the verbal virus. While I'm all for women power, I'm glad that Johnny won. LOL, he had to be stunned that he did, FJ was so whack.

Typo alert! S/b: "Then I looked AND holy cow, Eileen had caught the verbal virus."

[peeayebee]

2 hours ago, GreekGeek said:

Yes, everybody knows Mr. Clean was based on Eisenhower (or so I've heard).

I hadn't heard that.

I said Dos XX for FJ. Would that have counted? Anyway, not too long ago I read an interesting -- ha -- article about the actor, so I'm sure the Hemingway bit was stuck in my brain.

I got the DD of Stuart Little Dorrit, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, tarp (TARP), and eagle (though I didn't say GOLDEN eagle).

[Fex]

3 hours ago, illdoc said:

If you want a "Hemingway type", what are you selling? Something to do with writing, something Cuban, something adventurous??? Then it hit me! "The world's most interesting man"! Dos Equis!! Mr. Clean?!!!!!!!!! What was she thinking?!!!!

I can't complain. I said High Liner (as in fish sticks). I guess my mind went to beard + fishing. The right answer seemed obvious once I heard it!

[GenerationX]

Grape was awesome.  I've noticed that the most comically wrong answers come from the first responses of challengers.

[teebax]

I said Marlboro for FJ. I said aquarium for the planetarium. No more Moscow Mules during Jeopardy for me! I agree that the winner was the least objectionable of the three. I thought the retired teacher was going to run away with it. Nice comeback for the new champ, but I'm not predicting a long run.  

[YoureSoUrban]

Yay Johnny!! The woman in the middle had me worried for a minute but good thing she's not big on commercials. Speaking of which, FJ was an instaget. One of my favorite campaigns of all time.

[Toothbrush]

From thinking grapes are berries to being Jeopardy champ - go figure. I don't predict a long run for Johnny.

How were phylum (knowing the answer ends in um), nomads, & bark (after mentioning tress in the clue) worth $1,000?  

TS I got were influenza, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, tarp, Stuart Little Dorrit (Johnny's missed DD). 

1 hour ago, Fex said:

I can't complain. I said High Liner (as in fish sticks). I guess my mind went to beard + fishing. The right answer seemed obvious once I heard it!

I said the Gordon fisherman, so we were on the same wavelength. Dr. Toothbrush said the Brawny man, and we also thought the correct answer was obvious once it was revealed. But even if I had known the who, I had no idea what beer he shills for, so advertising fail? 

[Mystery Author]

Quote

For me it's her voice moreso than her game play.

For me it was her voice AND her game play, if you count things like "I'll take all the states and counties Kit Carson traveled through for $200 please Alex." "Um...I'll take all the states and counties Kit Carson traveled through for $400 please Alex." "I'll take..." In that voice. Drove me bonkers!!!

Mr. Author (who says I overreact) applauded when she lost.

[Pallida]

10 hours ago, Toothbrush said:

From thinking grapes are berries to being Jeopardy champ - go figure. I don't predict a long run for Johnny.

Botanically, grapes are berries and raspberries are not. But neither are blackberries. I tried to give him the benefit of the doubt that nerves plus the silliness of botanical vs common usage led him astray. 

[saber5055]

Peeayebee, I would have written Dos XX as well since I shouted out Dos Equis right away, but my brain completely failed me as to how to spell Equis. So I would have written Dos XX and SAID Equis. It's a crap shoot as to how the judges would have ruled, but the label does have two Xs on it. As for Just Plain Eagle being a correct answer, I'd think that would have been a BMS, but then again, those crap shoot Jeopardy judges ... who knows anymore. Hooray for Dos XX ... Kit Carson's favorite beer! It would be fun if Johnny stays champ for several games, this after sort of becoming champ by default.

[PaulaO]

On 12/4/2017 at 7:16 PM, Driad said:

 

No guts, no glory.  Way to go Donna!

[ClareWalks]

I love Donna. She is so damn happy to be there. She is my spirit animal. I'm curious whether she will annoy the hell out of most folks, but I found her awkward excitement to be extremely charming.

[saber5055]

Well, ClareWalks, you have found the first person who is annoyed as hell by Donna. Shut the freak up for pete's sake and stop with the 'Ohs" and "Ahs" and "Yeahs" and all the STOOPID side comments and just freaking play the game. Yeah, her betting it all on the DD was a bold move, but her constant squeaking and squealing made me lose all respect for her. It was like she was playing all by herself in her living room and all the clues and answers were directed at her so she had to get SOME comment in there. I was hoping some PA would shut off her mic between clues. Poor Johnny, I thought for a few that he was going to win. But he's only 12 (I mean, look at him!) so he'll be okay.

[rubaco]

I'm not a fan of Donna's constant chatter either, saber5055, you're not alone. But when Alex said that her total was the single-day record so far this season, I said, "Ha! In your face, Austin Rogers!" out loud to no one but my cats, so there's that. 

[opus]

Put me on the "against" side of Donna.

But the show won't be on here Monday (Christmas NBA), so for all I know I'll never see her again.

[Kathira]

I was annoyed by her at first, but she kind of grew on me as the game went on. She was really good and I always like to see a gutsy bettor. Although  I don't think she's that good at mental math. She seemed surprised when Alex said what her doubled total would be.

[Mondrianyone]

1 hour ago, PaulaO said:

No guts, no glory.  Way to go Donna!

Can we remember not to post (or hint at) the name of the winner before 7 pm Eastern time?  I made the mistake of looking in here and got spoiled.  Thanks.

[Tunia]

1 minute ago, Mondrianyone said:

Can we remember not to post (or hint at) the name of the winner before 7 pm Eastern time?  I made the mistake of looking in here and got spoiled.  Thanks.

I'm in the Eastern time zone also, Mondrianyone, but we're not over and done until 8 pm.  I feel your pain!

Way to go, Donna!  The squeaks and sounds were annoying at first, but it was fun watching her have fun.

Wonder if they would have accepted "expel" instead of "respire" for the "forcing out air" clue in Middle P.

[Mondrianyone]

7 minutes ago, Tunia said:

I'm in the Eastern time zone also, Mondrianyone, but we're not over and done until 8 pm.  I feel your pain!

Neither are we, so I make it a habit not to check the forum anytime between 7 and whenever I get around to watching.  If I look in after 7 and get spoiled, it's on me.  It's supposed to be safe to check in here before 7, hence the rule not to post spoilers earlier than that.

Edited December 23, 2017 by Mondrianyone
Clarity matters.

[helpmerhonda]

Put me firmly in the "annoyed by Donna" camp. I try not to let anyone's mannerisms bother me, but I cannot deal with her.

[CarpeDiem54]

49 minutes ago, saber5055 said:

Well, ClareWalks, you have found the first person who is annoyed as hell by Donna. Shut the freak up for pete's sake and stop with the 'Ohs" and "Ahs" and "Yeahs" and all the STOOPID side comments and just freaking play the game. Yeah, her betting it all on the DD was a bold move, but her constant squeaking and squealing made me lose all respect for her. It was like she was playing all by herself in her living room and all the clues and answers were directed at her so she had to get SOME comment in there. I was hoping some PA would shut off her mic between clues. 

All of this!  I really wanted to like her but the constant noises and yammering really turned me off.

I got Nantucket, on fire, and Monogahela.

FJ was beyond an instaget.  I had the answer written down before Alex was half finished reading the clue.

[Tunia]

7 minutes ago, CarpeDiem54 said:

I got Nantucket, on fire, and Monogahela.

Did the champ not notice that the Allegheny River was already delineated on the shown map?  That was a "Duh".

[Browncoat]

Add me to the annoyed by Donna list.  I do admire her betting, but shut up already!  Also, she started at least one category with the second clue, so there’s that against her as well.

I feel like I should have gotten FJ, but I didn’t, and I also wondered if expel would have been accepted.

[saber5055]

Man, I can't even remember what FJ was much less if I got it or not. My brain is like a sieve on days when I'm not sick. Oh yeah ... now I remember .... my phone rang right when FJ started and I was torn between answering it or answering FJ. I ended up doing neither. Me = LOSER.

[YoureSoUrban]

Quote

saber5055

1 HOUR AGO

Well, ClareWalks, you have found the first person who is annoyed as hell by Donna. Shut the freak up for pete's sake and stop with the 'Ohs" and "Ahs" and "Yeahs" and all the STOOPID side comments and just freaking play the game. Yeah, her betting it all on the DD was a bold move, but her constant squeaking and squealing made me lose all respect for her. It was like she was playing all by herself in her living room and all the clues and answers were directed at her so she had to get SOME comment in there. I was hoping some PA would shut off her mic between clues. Poor Johnny, I thought for a few that he was going to win. But he's only 12 (I mean, look at him!) so he'll be o

 

Quote

All of this!  I really wanted to like her but the constant noises and yammering really turned me off.

ALL. OF. THIS. I would have appreciated Donna's gutsy wagers if she wasn't so damn extra.

I guessed expel for the lungs clue. For TS I got Nantucket (funny someone didn't guess that after Martha's Vineyard had been eliminated) and "on fire". FJ was an instaget.

Edited December 23, 2017 by YoureSoUrban

[GenerationX]

I got FJ once Alex said U2.  I still have my vinyl copy of U2's War, my favorite album of all-time.

What was with that bizarre goat idiom and how did they get it past the censors?

I like the new champ's enthusiasm, guts, and complete lack of pretense.

[secnarf]

1 hour ago, Mondrianyone said:

Can we remember not to post (or hint at) the name of the winner before 7 pm Eastern time?  I made the mistake of looking in here and got spoiled.  Thanks.

That post made watching the game even worse (imo), having been spoiled that Donna would win.

I wanted to like her, and I don't like hating on contestants because I'm very aware that they are real people with real feelings, but her side comments and exclamations were driving me nuts.

[lb60]

Another vote against Donna.  lol  That sounds horrible, but STFU with all the extra noise, noise, noise.

[burner]

I loved and hated Donna for all the reasons mentioned above. I really like when contestants actually use the Daily Doubles appropriately and get a lot of money and I like contestants that seem genuinely excited to be there. That said, I'm hoping that someone in production gives Donna a talking to before her next game and asks her to tone it down a lot.

[Pallida]

Even though I know it’s not the same, I wanted someone to say “busting balls” instead of “pulling your leg.”

I think Donna would be great fun in person, and I enjoy her go big or go home attitude. 

[peeayebee]

2 hours ago, Tunia said:

Wonder if they would have accepted "expel" instead of "respire" for the "forcing out air" clue in Middle P.

I too said expel.

The only TS I got was Joan of Arc. For FJ I said Kingston, but when Donna's answer was revealed, I did the ol' forehead slap.

And as for Donna, I'll admit I wish she weren't so talkative and boisterous, but lately when a contestant bothers me I try to imagine how they are outside the show, and I think I'd like her.

Johnny looks like the love child of Adam Driver and Bronson Pinchot.

[catrice2]

Count me in the expel group. I was waiting for Alex to say she was wrong....well, I too wonder if they would have accepted expel as the answer.  I'm sorry,but no way is she as annoying as Austin...no way. 

[opus]

But I don't remember Austin being annoying throughout the game.

Oh lord, I'm defending Austin.

Christmas miracle.

[teebax]

I love that we're seeing more women of color on Jeopardy! However, Donna needs to tone that shit way down. I hope she'll be more tolerable Christmas. I loved her DD wagers but hated her constant prattling and being surprised every time she was right. Own your intelligence! It's not cute to pretend you're not smart, especially on Jeopardy! (I don't know if that's what she was doing but it felt like it.) 

Like another poster, one of my favorite albums of all time is a U2 album, but mine is Rattle & Hum. I was in high school when it was released, and it changed my life. It introduced me to BB King and Billie Holiday. Legend by Bob Marley is another favorite, so FJ was an instaget for me. 

Despite my abysmal performance yesterday I still drank during tonight's game, so I failed to write down my TS's. I know I had Monongahela since I'm a PA native. 

[Mystery Author]

Quote

 I'm curious whether she will annoy the hell out of most folks

Good grief. Here we go again. You guys are going to kick me off the forum.

I LOVE DONNA!

Love her, love her, love her!

Teebax, she wasn't "surprised" every time she was right. She was thrilled. And "every time" is a wee bit of an exaggeration, don't you think?

Especially since she was The Only One to get FJ! And holy shit, what a FJ! wager. She came to play. It's something I've always sworn I'd do if I was on the show.

I smiled throughout the game. First time I've done that since ... Austin, LOL.

[mojoween]

I only saw FJ last night and she made a gesture when Alex said she was right and I thought “oh NO I am not all about that shit”.

Now I know that is not an anomaly, and if she’s also noisy I don’t think I can deal at all.

It’s so funny how differently we react to contestants.  As always, it’s what makes this forum super!

Edited December 23, 2017 by mojoween

[The Wild Sow]

11 hours ago, Tunia said:

Did the champ not notice that the Allegheny River was already delineated on the shown map?  That was a "Duh".

Oh, so it was!

And Alex, it's the Mononga-HAY-la, not the Mononga-HEE-la.

[teebax]

34 minutes ago, The Wild Sow said:

Oh, so it was!

And Alex, it's the Mononga-HAY-la, not the Mononga-HEE-la.

I guess I've been pronouncing it wrong my entire life. In my defense, I'm from southeastern Pennsylvania. When I meet someone who tells me they're from PA and they name a city I've never heard of, I know it's west of State College.

[The Wild Sow]

38 minutes ago, teebax said:

I guess I've been pronouncing it wrong my entire life. In my defense, I'm from southeastern Pennsylvania. When I meet someone who tells me they're from PA and they name a city I've never heard of, I know it's west of State College.

Aw, that's OK!  My sister married a guy from your area -- I took me forever to learn "Schuylkill" (Skoo-kl?), and the "Perkiomen" Valley (which I want to pronounce like "Pokemon!")

Plus, when they want a cool sweet treat, they go get a "Wooder Ice."  What the heck is that?!

12 hours ago, GenerationX said:

What was with that bizarre goat idiom and how did they get it past the censors?

Why?  "Riding the Goat" would be the equivalent of "Sleeping in the Doghouse."

Edited December 23, 2017 by The Wild Sow

[Clanstarling]

On 12/21/2017 at 5:12 PM, GreekGeek said:

Yes, everybody knows Mr. Clean was based on Eisenhower (or so I've heard). 

I did not know that. Makes sense.

On 12/21/2017 at 7:43 PM, Fex said:

I can't complain. I said High Liner (as in fish sticks). I guess my mind went to beard + fishing. The right answer seemed obvious once I heard it!

The Old Man and the Sea. Seems a reasonable line of thought. 

On 12/22/2017 at 2:31 AM, tvaddict44 said:

The only way I knew FJ was years ago I had occasion to google "Who is the man doing the dos equis commercial?" because I thought he was so handsome.  (I'm old, not dead) and for some reason remembered his name.  He certainly doesn't look like Hemingway to me....

I knew the commercial, but because I don't drink beer, the brand never stuck with me. I think he's meant to be more the Hemingway type (macho, braggart, etc.), than someone who looks like him.

7 hours ago, Mystery Author said:

Good grief. Here we go again. You guys are going to kick me off the forum.

I LOVE DONNA!

Love her, love her, love her!

Teebax, she wasn't "surprised" every time she was right. She was thrilled. And "every time" is a wee bit of an exaggeration, don't you think?

Especially since she was The Only One to get FJ! And holy shit, what a FJ! wager. She came to play. It's something I've always sworn I'd do if I was on the show.

I smiled throughout the game. First time I've done that since ... Austin, LOL.

I enjoyed Donna too.  I was glad she won, even though I didn't really dislike any of them. I wasn't fond of Austin (though I came to appreciate him more in the Tournament of Champions).

[illdoc]

In the Chicago area, we will have NBA on Christmas instead of Jeopardy :(  Of course, that episode will air at 1 am (or somewhere around there. I only glanced at the time since I'm not up then (who is?) and the R part of our DVR died last year so can't record it). 

[Toothbrush]

I was annoyed by Donna at first, but she soon won me over with her enthusiasm and gutsy wagers. Perhaps it's the holiday spirit, or that I loved her jacket & glasses. Or maybe it was the egg bourbon nog I drank while watching. In any case, I think she would be a blast IRL, & she is probably that 1 in a million person who is actually cut out to work with the public as a CSR. 

The only TS I got were AMA & Little Rock. I also said expel for respire. I think we would have received credit :-) 

On 12/22/2017 at 7:53 PM, Tunia said:

Did the champ not notice that the Allegheny River was already delineated on the shown map?  That was a "Duh".

My guess is that he did not, and probably felt dumb while watching the game. 

Edited December 24, 2017 by Toothbrush
corrected word

[peeayebee]

I didn't notice it either. And now I feel dumb.

[teebax]

5 hours ago, The Wild Sow said:

Plus, when they want a cool sweet treat, they go get a "Wooder Ice."  What the heck is that?!

Umm, the best thing ever? Be cool, eat a Rita's!!! I took my girlfriend, a native Arizonan, home with me last summer for my sister's wedding, and she asked the same thing. Then I bought her a Rita's. She stopped thinking it was stupid. (She also now understands why I complain about the cheese steaks in Arizona, and also why people in my hometown still drink tap water. Oh, and also why I hated Mexican food before I moved to AZ. Mexican food in PA is an abomination.

50 minutes ago, peeayebee said:

I didn't notice it either. And now I feel dumb.

Neither did I. But I knew the answer, so I wasn't looking that closely at the map. 

[illdoc]

2 hours ago, Toothbrush said:

 I also said expel for respirate.

First, yes, I also said expel. Second, I believe the answer was "respire", not respirate. At first she said respirate, but before Alex could rule her incorrect she changed it to respire (wasn't it the "P in the middle" category?)

[DrScottie]

7 hours ago, The Wild Sow said:

And Alex, it's the Mononga-HAY-la, not the Mononga-HEE-la.

I remember hearing football commentators for Steelers games particularly when Three Rivers Stadium was still around referring to it as Mononga-HEE-la. Thanks for letting me know that wasn't right. I had no idea. 

14 hours ago, Mystery Author said:

Teebax, she wasn't "surprised" every time she was right. She was thrilled. And "every time" is a wee bit of an exaggeration, don't you think?

Especially since she was The Only One to get FJ! And holy shit, what a FJ! wager. She came to play. It's something I've always sworn I'd do if I was on the show.

I liked watching her too. I don't mind contestants acting like they are enjoying the experience either. They are finally on the show they've dreamed of appearing on and succeeding too. That's far better than Liz's nasty attitude when she was getting trounced in the ToC. 

I also respect people for going all in on DDs. You could tell she thought about doing that on the second one she hit. 

As for her FJ! wager, it's not that gutsy at least in terms of winning. It just seems that way considering it's $13,000 (not exactly pocket change). She had proven earlier that she was willing to take risks with her DD bets before. She still protected herself from dipping below Justin's total had he bet nothing and she was incorrect.  

14 minutes ago, illdoc said:

First, yes, I also said expel. Second, I believe the answer was "respire", not respirate. At first she said respirate, but before Alex could rule her incorrect she changed it to respire (wasn't it the "P in the middle" category?)

I said expel and I taught human biology. I think expel is the more correct answer as it unambiguously means to force out whereas respire can mean breathing in and out  You do expel air out from the lungs. It fits too with the Middle P. They would have accepted expel, I'm sure. My guess is that they would have taken respire or expel. 

[biakbiak]

Donna is why i will never go on Jeopardy  (that and my lack of biblical knowledge) because I imagine that is how I would act and I would have to read your comments!

[saber5055]

I watch Jeopardy reruns that are on an hour before the real show here. On yesterday's episode, the clue was something like, "Alaska's Denai was renamed for what president in 1980." And the guy answered "Mount McKinley" -- and Alex said that's correct. My problem: The clue asked for the PRESIDENT'S name, and President McKinley's first name was NOT "Mount." Just another irritating example of the whack judging on this show.