Jeopardy! Season 34 (2017-2018)

[saber5055]

48 minutes ago, Clanstarling said:

I forgot about Pernell.

After I posted about Roberts, I looked up his IMDB. Turns out he had a ton load of guest roles after Bonanza while the general public (me and gossip mags) thought his only role was Trapper John. Oh well, another nugget learned and filed away.

[Mondrianyone]

Oh, you all are too kind.  I'll be handing out lyric sheets, and I expect everyone to sing in unison the next time there's a lousy ruling.  Which should be in three, two, one . . .

I had completely forgotten that Alex Jacob also sang the alphabet backwards.  What the hell?  Aside from two grown men expecting credit for doing toddler tricks, that makes Rob's copycatting even creepier.  It sounds like he wants to skin Alex and wear him like last year's Versace (™Real Housewives of Jersey).  Stop it right now.

[saber5055]

Here's what Alex Jacob tweeted yesterday:

"Starting to think current #Jeopardy champ Rob is a fan... if so, I'm flattered"

One of Alex's followers decided to ask Rob what he thinks about Alex, then Rob posted a rather relevant post.

 

Edited February 22, 2018 by saber5055

[SyracuseMug]

5 hours ago, Clanstarling said:

So did I, along with Suzanne Sommers.

I remember when Rob Morrow left Northern Exposure, one of my all-time favorites. I liked many of the other characters more than his, so I didn't miss him in that respect. Unfortunately, his departure quickly sank the show.

[Toothbrush]

1 hour ago, Mondrianyone said:

Oh, you all are too kind.  I'll be handing out lyric sheets, and I expect everyone to sing in unison the next time there's a lousy ruling.  Which should be in three, two, one . . .

I had completely forgotten that Alex Jacob also sang the alphabet backwards.  What the hell?  Aside from two grown men expecting credit for doing toddler tricks, that makes Rob's copycatting even creepier.  It sounds like he wants to skin Alex and wear him like last year's Versace (™Real Housewives of Jersey).  Stop it right now.

Brilliant! Our own Weird Al! 

What is the SWF version of Rob & Alex? MWM (married white male)? With a smiley face in there somewhere. 

[M. Darcy]

On 2/21/2018 at 8:38 AM, Prevailing Wind said:

I have a theory that the J! writers also remember it and try to use Aaron Burr as a response whenever they can. He comes up more often than odds would suggest and I'm one of the ones who says, "Aaron Burr" through clenched teeth. I think J! expects it of us, just like they expect AT to overpronounce French words.

I would answer any Aaron Burr questions with Aaron Burr, Sir.  

Speaking of which, yesterday as soon the contestant said “Lafayette” I yelled out “America’s favorite fighting Frenchman!”

Aw, no one knew Norm Minetta. 

[GreekGeek]

I predict that the Rob-haters will want him back if Alan stays on long. Rob wrote one barely visible smiley in his first name; Alan's signature was so full of doodles I could barely read his name. I hope his background in theater doesn't mean we're in for more bad accents and impressions. That "Sock it to me?" Nixon impersonation made Alex look like Rich Little.

Not a great day for me; I didn't get any TS's until FJ. It took me a moment to remember who won Best Supporting Actress, since I knew Emma Stone never got a Tony or an Emmy.

[Browncoat]

Oh my god!  I miss Rob already.  By the way, Alan, rhinos are not livestock.

I got compression, Mary Leakey, and cattle, but could not for the life of me pull Viola Davis's name out of the deep recesses of my brain. 

[mojoween]

Yay!  Pop culture is my jam so I was so happy to get FJ.  And it was a TS too!

I was thinking of a pic I saw last year with the four main acting winners because that girl who was in “The Room” was giving Casey Affleck major side-eye and Viola was standing there looking regal and beautiful.  Sorry supporting actor guy from 2017.  I don’t remember who you are.

Compression socks are NOT pressure socks.  It didn’t matter but that was stupid.

Alan’s infernal clicking is going to cause me to murder my TV speakers.

Edited February 23, 2018 by mojoween

[CarpeDiem54]

Hell to the no!  R?B's gone but now we have ¡Alan! the buzzer clicking, starting in the middle of categories asshat.  Why, God, why?  What have we done to displease you?

I'm currently singing @Mondrianyone's "Hey Judges" over that stupid pressure socks ruling.

I got compression (NOT the same as pressure!), Mary Leakey, cattle, Egypt, and Christies (half of the missed DD).

I was clueless for FJ.  I don't pay as much attention to the Oscars as I used to.

[GenerationX]

I got Ababa yesterday.  Once I saw the category, I knew radar would be in there somewhere.

My music collection does not contain "When I Saw Her Standing There", nor does it contain "Help! I Need Somebody" or "Hello Hello I Don't Know Why You Say Goodbye".

Today, I was rooting for Boob Shirt, as I've never really liked Middle of the Category, and Buzzer Madness was driving me insane.

[Mondrianyone]

1 hour ago, Toothbrush said:

Brilliant! Our own Weird Al!

Weird Alice.

1 hour ago, Toothbrush said:

What is the SWF version of Rob & Alex?

I don't know, but I'm pretty sure somebody's gonna end up with a toilet roller in his eyeball.

20 minutes ago, CarpeDiem54 said:

I'm currently singing @Mondrianyone's "Hey Judges" over that stupid pressure socks ruling.

You and me both.

19 minutes ago, GenerationX said:

Boob Shirt

Love.

[whinewithwine]

6 hours ago, Mondrianyone said:

Nothing like an impending deadline to spur spurious creativity.  I stole @CarpeDiem54's idea for screwing with a Beatles title and wrote some verses.  I didn't get as far as a bridge, so there's at least that to be grateful for.  If I'm not welcome back here, I totally understand.  Sung to the tune of "Hey Jude":

Ok, SOME people get to mess with my Beatles.  Nicely done, Mondrianyone, nicely done!

[teebax]

1 hour ago, GreekGeek said:

I predict that the Rob-haters will want him back if Alan stays on long.

I'm sure there are some who feel that way, but I don't want to choose between evils. It's Jeopardy, not an election! Just give me a boring, start from the top, non-editorializing, contestant drone who also doesn't sing and I swear I'll be a happy viewer. I swear. 

My gets were compression, Mary Leakey, Elijah, and FJ in an instaget. I love Viola and really wish she'd stop cheating on me with her husband. 

[alias1]

They say be careful what you wish for and now I know what they mean. I was actually rooting for Rob today.  Hope Alan is a one and done. Good grief, even Rob's smiley face is better than that atrocity that Alan wrote for his name.  I had no clue for FJ.

[saber5055]

Here's all I have to say about today's game:

*crickets*

You're welcome.

[Bastet]

That was either a seriously easy first round, or they just happened to hit on a bunch of things I knew or, if not, could easily figure out (e.g. all the merit badges), because I ran the round.  And the odd (numbers) and irregular (verbs) clues were too easy for DJ.

“You picked the right Supreme Court justice??  Or maybe he knew.  Yeah, she’s the only one of the three women who has children, but he didn’t seem to need time to work that through; he answered quickly other than needing to clear his throat, so he either knew or figured it out quickly.

They still make pom-pom socks?  Huh.

And why the hell do I know who Cindy Crawford’s daughter is?

Compression (socks) surprised me as a TS, especially with Alex’s pause before ruling pressure incorrect.  

I’m also surprised Alan couldn’t come up with Christie’s as the other auction house in his DD; if you pay no attention to auctions (as I do not), you generally know Sotheby’s and Christie’s and nothing else. 

Cattle was kind of surprising, but not like those. 

Similarly with FJ; in fact, with that one, I'm disappointed it was a TS (it just happened last year, and there was the chatter about her needing to do a spoken word album so she can win a Grammy and join the EGOT ranks, because Viola Davis is just that great), but not particularly surprised.

Edited February 23, 2018 by Bastet

[Brookside]

1 hour ago, SierraMist said:

They say be careful what you wish for and now I know what they mean. I was actually rooting for Rob today.  Hope Alan is a one and done. Good grief, even Rob's smiley face is better than that atrocity that Alan wrote for his name.  I had no clue for FJ.

No kidding on all points.  I had to turn the sound off and avert my eyes if I saw Alan was answering.  And what the hell is with grown men and pre-teen girl signatures.

Edited February 23, 2018 by Brookside

[peeayebee]

3 hours ago, GreekGeek said:

 I hope his background in theater doesn't mean we're in for more bad accents and impressions. That "Sock it to me?" Nixon impersonation made Alex look like Rich Little.

I thought his Nixon impression was pretty good. The way Alan said it is exactly like I remember it. (Yes, I'm that old.)

 

32 minutes ago, Bastet said:

I’m also surprised Alan couldn’t come up with Christie’s as the other auction house in his DD; if you pay no attention to auctions (as I do not), you generally know Sotheby’s and Christie’s and nothing else. 

I think Alan, like me, just couldn't pull Christie's out of his brain. It wasn't that he'd never heard of it.

I got compression, Havel, and Egypt. As far as FJ goes, I could not remember who won last year. I'm usually very good at movie stuff, so I'm ashamed I completely blanked.

Alex saying, "Well that's tough" cracked me up. I don't think he meant it as funny sarcasm, but that's how it came across.

I would love to see Catherine's Ron Swanson's quilt!

[saber5055]

1 hour ago, teebax said:

I love Viola and really wish she'd stop cheating on me with her husband. 

And I love this sentence. Nice work, Teebax. I know the feeling.

[Moose135]

55 minutes ago, peeayebee said:

I thought his Nixon impression was pretty good. The way Alan said it is exactly like I remember it. (Yes, I'm that old.)

Yeah, I thought he was OK with that, and I don't really remember most of the other quirks mentioned above, so I didn't think he was too bad.

[Bastet]

15 minutes ago, Moose135 said:

Yeah, I thought he was OK with that, and I don't really remember most of the other quirks mentioned above, so I didn't think he was too bad.

Other than the way he wrote his name, none of the criticisms of Alan even registered with me as a thing he did.  Rob never much bothered me, either (the guy before him did on night two, as I recall).  I'd been away from this show for a long time until recently, and there's something oddly comforting in how I came back and continued to be "uh, whatever" about so many of the contestants that inspire intense dislike or admiration in others.

[Toothbrush]

Rob smiley face grew on me, and I am sorry to see him go. He had a great run, won a lot of $$, and will be back for the next ToC. His FJ response was really classy.

Alan annoyed me from his attention-grabbing wave in the intros, then his signature, and then his mashing of the signal button. I guess being a theatre guy, he can't help but be histrionic. His FJ response was sweet though, but I am surprised that he got it wrong. 

TS I got were compression socks (another iffy ruling; cue Mondrianyone's song), Mary Leakey, Havel, Egypt, Sotheby's & Christie's (Alan's missed DD), Elijah. FJ took me a second but it finally came to me.

 

5 hours ago, GenerationX said:

Today, I was rooting for Boob Shirt, as I've never really liked Middle of the Category, and Buzzer Madness was driving me insane.

You & Dr. Toothbrush, but for different reasons 

5 hours ago, Mondrianyone said:

Weird Alice.

I don't know, but I'm pretty sure somebody's gonna end up with a toilet roller in his eyeball.

Oops! Wasn't thinking one way or the other, just a huge Weird Al fan. 

I guess a toilet roller is better than a stiletto? Although maybe not since it is much duller & would take more effort to break through. 

[DrScottie]

7 hours ago, teebax said:

I'm sure there are some who feel that way, but I don't want to choose between evils. It's Jeopardy, not an election! Just give me a boring, start from the top, non-editorializing, contestant drone who also doesn't sing and I swear I'll be a happy viewer. I swear. 

I don't mind if they sport a little style and I thought Alan was fine. I think it some cases it's just a way to calm the nerves and have a little fun. It only bothers me if it's too over the top.     

4 hours ago, Bastet said:

Other than the way he wrote his name, none of the criticisms of Alan even registered with me as a thing he did.  Rob never much bothered me, either (the guy before him did on night two, as I recall).  I'd been away from this show for a long time until recently, and there's something oddly comforting in how I came back and continued to be "uh, whatever" about so many of the contestants that inspire intense dislike or admiration in others.

Oh Frank was just awful. You could see he was trying to get his name out there like Austin did, Those are the ones who really irk me. Austin at least had some charm to his quirks.    

2 hours ago, Toothbrush said:

You & Dr. Toothbrush, but for different reasons

Does Catherine (aka Boob Shirt) realize that Nick Offerman (Ron Swanson) is married to Megan Mullally? 

[teebax]

9 hours ago, Brookside said:

No kidding on all points.  I had to turn the sound off and avert my eyes if I saw Alan was answering.  And what the hell is with grown men and pre-teen girl signatures.

The buzzer mashing was ridiculous. You'd think the Jeopardy powers could find buzzers that don't make that annoying sound. I watch other gane shows that have contestants ring in and have never noticed that sound. Since we're obviously not getting less annoying contestants maybe we can get less annoying equipment! 

I can't watch tonight so I'll just read here to see if he's gone. I hope so. 

[peeayebee]

8 hours ago, Bastet said:

... there's something oddly comforting in how I came back and continued to be "uh, whatever" about so many of the contestants that inspire intense dislike or admiration in others.

Same here. I don't like board-jumping or buzzer-smashing, but I basically shrug it off.

[Clanstarling]

21 hours ago, GreekGeek said:

. That "Sock it to me?" Nixon impersonation made Alex look like Rich Little.

 

That's kind of a mixed message for me, because Rich Little was a pretty good impressionist. I thought Allen did it pretty well from the way I remember it.

I like Alan. (ducks) maybe it is the theater person in me, but mostly I like people who seem to enjoy themselves, and who play well.

Did not mind Rob either. Austin was a different story, but I grew to like him in the tournament of champions.

Edited February 23, 2018 by Clanstarling
Grammar

[Sharpie66]

I thought his Nixon wasn’t too bad, so I forgave him for that, but not the signature. 

Got cattle, Southeby’s and Christie’s, Mary Leakey (eventually—I started to say Maeve, but remembered halfway through that she is Richard’s wife, not mother, and changed it),but whiffed FJ. I recently rewatched Hidden Figures and had Octavia Spencer stuck firmly in my brain. I knew the actress was in Fences, but got the wrong name.

[DXD526]

Quote

Today, I was rooting for Boob Shirt

Glad to know I wasn't the only one who couldn't not stare at her chest! She could have worn something blousy, but instead picked that severe thing that made her boobs look like eyeballs! Good gawd. I didn't even know how to react to her, all I could see was bressess.

Since recently getting the Decades channel, I've been watching "Laugh-In" with abandon, so ran that category with ease!

I got a laugh out of the new champ giving his mom as the answer when he didn't know FJ. He really needs to cool it with the buzzer, though.

[Good Queen Jane]

Since Austin keeps coming up, there's an article by him in the Huffpost. I posted it in the Media thread.

Edited February 23, 2018 by Good Queen Jane

[ErinV]

Aww I am sorry to see Rob go.  I really liked him.  He was Everyman, and you don't see that too often on Jeopardy.  And he was humble and classy.  This Alan is just a bit Too Much.

[saber5055]

Because I'm always doing something else when Jeopardy! comes on, I did not see Alan's intro nor how he wrote his name, so neither bugged me (obviously). I did notice his Statue of Liberty buzzer arm though, and knew he was going to be ranked on here for that. I tried not to look at it.

I also don't mind board hopping. I guess if I know a lot about Black And White TV Shows, I'm going for the big bucks. If the category is Opera, where I start doesn't matter since I won't know any of the answers anyway. Plus if I'm listening but not watching, I don't know players are board hopping.

I thought Rob was okay and I think he'll be fine on TofC, so I'm glad he made it, unlike some other favs who tanked on their fifth game so are out.

I'll try to catch Alan's intro today to see what I missed.

Anyone taking the upcoming test? I kept getting locked out for the last test even though I had signed up. So frustrating. Will try again this year.

[trow125]

I'm usually OK with any contestant who has a theater background, even if they are a buzzer-masher or a category-jumper, because it means that if there's a Broadway category, I know they'll go for it. I hate worrying that a favorite category will be left 'til last and not finished. But then Alan didn't get Viola Davis. That should have been in his wheelhouse! (I timed a trip to NY just so I could see Denzel Washington & Viola Davis in "Fences" on B'way!)

[Roaster]

Nobody got "meme" for FJ?  Didn't think it was hard.

Once again we see in the second place player a case of "smart people making dumb FJ wagers".

The best bet for Kate was anywhere between $301 and $4200 or so.  She would have won.  But she foolishly went for a big bet and allowed Alan to scrape by for another win.

[mojoween]

Ok so it must be me, because it can’t be that every single contestant lately is just so damned extra, so I must be getting more intolerant in my dotage.

It’s nearly getting to the point where I can hardly stand to watch.  Like was Alan seriously going to argue about the subject of “Semi-Pro?”  And his faux humility makes my teeth hurt.

I’m so irritated that I cannot even get into how infuriating it was to have a clue say “what’s the name of this song?” and then start out with Christina Aguilera singing “oh say can you see.”  Also, I don’t know if she would really like to be reminded of that.

I didn’t get meme until after when Alex made his comment.  Who knew the term was in use that early in the tech age?  I mean, other than the editors at Wired.

[Mindthinkr]

I got the TS potbellied pig but was curious as to why since they said Asian that they didn’t have to include the word Vietnamese. 

TS Other than the beltway around DC, Pennsylvania Ave is the most known street in Washington. 

When Mary was chatting re: her doing the Thriller dance on Halloween she said “I and 99 others...”. Isn’t a Jeopardy contestant usually smarter than the average bear and she should have said it another way? Not beginning the sentence with I since others are included. 

Can somebody please beat Alan next game? He annoys me. 

[saber5055]

No one knew Pennsylvania Avenue, the main drag through DC?

No one recognized a potbelly pig, the pet that was all the rage a while back, everyone had to have one?

WTHeck was up with the category showing videos of people, then asking what song Christina Aguilera was singing as she sang the most recognizable song in America. And who doesn't know Shonda Rhimes created Grey's Anatomy, we didn't need to see her video either. I lost a few hundred brain cells during that inane category.

Which is maybe why Trebek said "I hope you know who he was/is" when he introduced the Chester A. Arthur category. I guess he figured the three dolts who managed to make it to his stage had never heard of the 21st president. Gah.

Trebek also had to get his French on by repeating the name of that French museum after Mary pronounced it perfectly ... and without drah-ma. That had to rankle him.

Add Grant to the growing list of incredibly easy DDs.

I did like Kate's green hair tips that matched her skirt.

Edited February 24, 2018 by saber5055

[Browncoat]

Mary's endless story left no time for Alan to tell us a story.  I'm not sad about that.  I am sad, though, that Kate bet so much and lost, leaving us to suffer through at least another day of Alan.

I didn't give the game my full attention, but I managed the TS of Brazil thrill, Herculaneum, and Pennsylvania Ave. 

I totally blanked on FJ.

[alias1]

I was so hoping that lady with the green hair (Kate, I guess) would wager nothing for FJ.  (And I liked how her hair matched her outfit.)

I wouldn't know meme if it came up to me and bit me.       

[CarpeDiem54]

OMG ¡Alan! is annoying.  I was really rooting for Kate.

I got pot bellied pig, castle hastle, and Pennsylvania Ave.

I was totally clueless for FJ, guessed "jump" and had no idea that word has been around that long.  But what does a meme have to do with catching a virus from someone?

13 minutes ago, SierraMist said:

I wouldn't know meme if it came up to me and bit me. 

My favorite meme.

[secnarf]

7 minutes ago, CarpeDiem54 said:

I was totally clueless for FJ, guessed "jump" and had no idea that word has been around that long.  But what does a meme have to do with catching a virus from someone?

That is the part that confused me. I have no idea. I kept trying to think of words that could relate to viruses or contagions.

[Roaster]

I don't think Wired invented the concept of memes.  But yes, the idea is that they spread like viruses.  Viruses enter a cell and make many copies of themselves and then those copies go on to new cells and repeat.  Memes are ideas, pictures, melodies, etc.  They work the same way.  They get into someone's mind and then that someone repeats them and they spread throughout society.  That's why some youtube videos, pictures, jokes are said to "go viral". The originator doesn't distribute them broadly.  The originator only has to get them out to a few people and those few people pass them on on social media or whatever, and soon enough the material spreads widely.  Just like a virus.

[secnarf]

2 minutes ago, Roaster said:

I don't think Wired invented the concept of memes.  But yes, the idea is that they spread like viruses.  Viruses enter a cell and make many copies of themselves and then those copies go on to new cells and repeat.  Memes are ideas, pictures, melodies, etc.  They work the same way.  They get into someone's mind and then that someone repeats them and they spread throughout society.  That's why some youtube videos, pictures, jokes are said to "go viral". The originator doesn't distribute them broadly.  The originator only has to get them out to a few people and those few people pass them on on social media or whatever, and soon enough the material spreads widely.  Just like a virus.

To me, that would make much more sense if the answer was "viral". I understand the concept of something going viral, and I get that memes go viral. The quote makes sense when you know what they are talking about.

What I do not understand is how the etymology of the word meme is supposed to relate to a virus, or how we are supposed to think of a meme when the clue refers to something that is like a virus. Unless you had heard the quote before, what in that clue is supposed to lead you to "meme"? Because the reference to a virus led me in the complete opposite direction.

[Mondrianyone]

On 2/23/2018 at 7:59 PM, Mindthinkr said:

When Mary was chatting re: her doing the Thriller dance on Halloween she said “I and 99 others...”. Isn’t a Jeopardy contestant usually smarter than the average bear and she should have said it another way? Not beginning the sentence with I since others are included.

It's actually not grammatically incorrect to lead a compound subject with the "I" pronoun. It was just drilled into people that it was impolite to put yourself first, so we started thinking it was a grammar issue.  I blame those damn Victorians, but I have no idea when it really started.  I don't think I was there.

Why is a guy named Alan Harrison using the Spanish inverted exclamation mark in front of his name?

I bet he was thinking of Semi-Tough, which actually is a movie about football.  I might start calling that tendency to argue a ruling while the cameras are running the Pranjal Corollary to the Pranjal Gambit.  This could get complicated.

Edited February 27, 2018 by Mondrianyone

[saber5055]

43 minutes ago, CarpeDiem54 said:

I was totally clueless for FJ, guessed "jump" and had no idea that word has been around that long.  But what does a meme have to do with catching a virus from someone?

We need to add that FJ to the swiftly growing list of extremely poorly worded FJ clues.

Maybe I'm out of it, but I've seen a ton load of memes, I see them every day, and have never come across one, a single one, that has gone viral. Videos do, I see the same vid on local and national newscasts multiple times per day. But memes ...not. *sigh*

Now Carpe's Fitness meme, THAT one deserves to go viral. *applause*

[ClareWalks]

Hated the video clues category, especially since they had long written clues and THEN played long videos, and the questions were so easy. It was such a long way to go for such simple bullshit.

I could not figure out "meme" for the life of me based on the wording of that FJ.

[GenerationX]

The Rhyme Time category was crap.  If the accent is not on the rhyming syllable, it doesn't really work.  Sounds stupid.

I couldn't come up with meme.  The only words that came to mind were old words with some newer meanings (link, worm).

[Bastet]

I don't use social media or otherwise hang out on the internet as much as the average bear, so I'm stunned that FJ came to me instantly yet it was a TS.

Pennsylvania Avenue as a TS surprised me, but maybe they weren't thinking of it as a byway?  (Any other Roseanne fans think of the Wellman gang's argument over what a byway is when the category was announced?)  Pot-bellied pig was the other TS that surprised me.  Well, maybe the three Rhyme Time TS, too, but I don't think I should be surprised; I got all those quickly, but some people's brains just don't work for those types of clues.

Mary embarrassed herself in the first round; ouch.  Isn't she a human rights lawyer?  I wanted to root for her (I’m a civil rights lawyer), but damn.  At least she picked it up and blended in as the game went on.

I like sports movies, but mostly football and baseball movies, so Battle of the Sexes was the only one I knew in that category.

I cannot believe how easy most of the Master Class clues were.  And Alcatraz?  Is this the kids tournament?  I know it was a low-value clue in the first round, but it had a map and everything.  Come to think of it, that whole Rough Waters category had easy clues.

[opus]

I got all the sports movies except the last one. I couldn't  BMS and went with Indy car racing.

[saber5055]

28 minutes ago, Bastet said:

And Alcatraz?  Is this the kids tournament?  I know it was a low-value clue in the first round, but it had a map and everything.

Ore-Ida is All Righta!