Jeopardy! Season 34 (2017-2018)

[Bliss]

Good game... some highs, some lows, and I agree with Alex that it was the most "fun" tournament I've seen!

Those contestants should play JetPunk! I'm Canadian, and I got FJ - but only because I'd recently done one of the quizzes. (Loved Buzzy's answer!)

It didn't matter to me who won - I have a gut feeling that it ended exactly the way it was supposed to... they all did well and have much to celebrate!

Good job, Jeopardy!

[JudyObscure]

Alan and my other favorite Lilly had the same problem.  They needed to take their time with the daily doubles and not blurt out the first thing that comes to mind.  Youth has that wonderful speed and quick recall but poor impulse control.

I like Buzzy and wouldn't mind him as Alex's replacement some day.

[Conotocarious]

Epic comeback by Buzzy. Loved all three of these players.

Alex was totally right. Best ever ToC because of amazing personalities.

Poor Alan. I felt so bad for him. My husband said Freudian Slip as well.

[Browncoat]

Well, at least Smug Chewbacca didn't win.  And yes, Alex, you are correct -- you're playing with three monkeys today!

It was a much better game than yesterday -- a lot fewer TS, or at least a lot fewer that I got.  I only managed Harper Collins and caballero.  I was shouting "Spoonerism!" at the TV, but I guess Alan didn't hear me.  I love Spoonerisms.

I was also glad they gave Buzzy back his money for ham sandwich -- that's what I guessed, and it certainly fit the clue.

I might have been able to come up with FJ given enough time, but 30 seconds wasn't enough time for me!

[mojoween]

I ended up thinking it was the other way around and passed over Montpelier when considering capitals on the east coast.  

For me, I would much prefer Alex did not encourage that behavior.  He was even being annoying to me with his yammering when reading the categories for the first round.

[PaulaO]

Fun ToC and I would have been happy with whoever won.  But not clearing the board in either round???  I had no idea for FJ!

[calpurnia99]

I guessed Hoagie sandwich so I hope they give me my money back too.

[Kimmmmmm]

That was fun...gonna miss those guys!!!

[Roaster]

The  TOC was like the World Series: fun, good players, drama, a display of tactical virtuosity and strategic moves in times of uncertainty.  Three teams won over 100 games this year, and I like to think of Buzzy, Alan, and Austin as the Astros, Indians, and Dodgers.

[Conotocarious]

And now back to boring, drippy contestants. Sigh.

[Tabasco Cat]

Great comeback by Buzzy. Die by the DD on Day 1 and Live by the DD on Day 2. I guess I'm happy with the result. I didn't want Alan to win, but I DO hope the show hires him to write questions because the DD that brought Buzzy back from the dead was absurdly easy. Embarrassingly easy for a DD in the Double Jeopardy round of the Tournament of Champions. That leaves a bad taste in my mouth and an asterisk in the record book as far as I'm concerned. But Buzzy did deserve to win. I wasn't even close to Montpelier in FJ.

[mojoween]

21 minutes ago, Roaster said:

The  TOC was like the World Series: fun, good players, drama, a display of tactical virtuosity and strategic moves in times of uncertainty.  Three teams won over 100 games this year, and I like to think of Buzzy, Alan, and Austin as the Astros, Indians, and Dodgers.

I’m a Yankees fan and can do without all three of those teams.  Probably why I’m a starchy stick in the mud, heh.

[Tabasco Cat]

18 minutes ago, calpurnia99 said:

I guessed Hoagie sandwich so I hope they give me my money back too.

Hoagie is a thing (a noun) all by itself, though, and putting "sandwich" after it is redundant. Same with a Hero. "Give me a turkey and swiss hero," or "I'll have the Italian hoagie." In the northeast the term "Grinder" is seomtimes used (also a noun). You don't say "Give me a grinder sandwich." or "I'll have a hoagie sandwich," or "Let me have a hero sandwich". On the other hand, "Ham sandwich" is fine because it makes no sense to say "Give me a ham" unless the word "sandwich" comes after it.

[DoubleUTeeEff]

7 hours ago, Conotocarious said:

My order of who I’d like to win is Austin, Alan and Buzzy. But I’d be perfectly fine with a Buzzy win. I really don’t dislike any of them. I just love Austin although Alan doing the robot won him major points from me. I just don’t love the twitchy anxiety. But funny, more relaxed Alan is a big plus.

100% agreed. I actually don't mind so much who wins because I enjoy watching a good game above all. Plus, it's nice to know that all 3 players go home with a big chunk of change.

For the first part of the clue I thought of Freudian slip but when they gave the example, I thought, oh that's a Spoonerism. That must have hurt but I love when they take the risk and bet so much, it's just one of the reasons the TOC is so enjoyable to watch.

I got Montpelier and am overly proud of myself for it. So I'm interested in how many people here got it, too.

[YoureSoUrban]

Another fun open! Those guys showed great camaraderie both days, which was really enjoyable to watch.

Man it hurt when Alan missed that true DD. Buzzy's rally must have completely freaked him out. And speaking of Buzzy, he was even less annoying tonight, not smug at all, and I actually congratulated him out loud. I'm glad the TOC is over so I don't start actually liking him LOL

I can't believe FJ was an instaget for me while none of those great players got it - yay me. I have to thank Miss O'Connor, my 2nd grade teacher who made us memorize all the state capitals and pronounced "Montpelier" so beautifully that it became my favorite state capital, and the first one I ever think of when that category is mentioned on Jeopardy!

[CarpeDiem54]

I almost cried when Alan missed that DD.  But 100 grand isn't chump change.  So congrats to him.

Smug Chewbacca wasn't even the smartest guy in the room, let alone the world.  Glad he came in third.  I'm not thrilled that Buzzy won.  And he ain't no Alex.

30 minutes ago, mojoween said:

 

For me, I would much prefer Alex did not encourage that behavior.  He was even being annoying to me with his yammering when reading the categories for the first round.

Yeah, I don't like that they're trying to get "characters" on this show.  They belong on Wheel of Stupidity or Let's Make a Deal (shows I refuse to watch because of the OTT contestants).

14 minutes ago, Tabasco Cat said:

the DD that brought Buzzy back from the dead was absurdly easy. Embarrassingly easy for a DD in the Double Jeopardy round of the Tournament of Champions. That leaves a bad taste in my mouth and an asterisk in the record book as far as I'm concerned.

^^^^ This.  That was Teen Tournament easy.

I got carpet, Harper Collins, hero sandwich, Hunch, South Dakota, Ellen, and Olivier.

I can't believe that for two days in a row, that the champs couldn't get it, that FJ was an instaget.

[RT4]

What A Tounament!!!

Congrats To Buzzy!!

Going to miss these guys this was alot of fun and hope our next tournament of champions is filled with fun contestants like this one was.

Edited November 18, 2017 by RT4

[Calibabydolly]

I am shocked I actually started to root for Alan today. He became more human when he said he couldn't feel his hands or feet yesterday and then today said despite looking like he was having a total nervous breakdown out there, he was actually having the time of his life! I burst out LOLing and actually was crying it was so funny to me! That was a really good TOC this time! I am going to miss them all now.

[zoey1996]

Alex, this is your circus, and those are your monkeys.  I enjoyed the robots and the see no monkeys; it's a lot more fun when the contestants let some of their personalities be seen.

I wanted Austin to win, but I would have been OK with either Buzzy or Alan, so I'm happy with the results.  But really, top to bottom, please.

[whinewithwine]

I was rooting for Alan and shouting "spoonerism", it would have made such a huge difference in the game.   So Austin has had his 15 minutes of fame and can go away and Buzzy can play Alex in his mirror.

[saber5055]

I heard FJ as the end of the capitol was the beginning of the state and needed a few extra hours to compute that. Even if I had heard correctly, no way would I come up with Montpelier. But no way would I ever be on a J TOC so there's that. I was fine with the outcome, but felt a little bad for Alan going big on the DD and missing it. He is adorkable and I liked him. I wonder if he had gotten the DD if the outcome would have been different. (Stopping to do air computing ...) But second place is quite respectable. These last two days have been fun and enjoyable, with no one irking me. I couldn't be more surprised about that! Oh, and I did like Alan joining in the intro mimes, and today's "see no evil" monkeys was pretty good if I do say so myself.

[DrSpaceman73]

It was an interesting final. 

But still a but underwhelming overall. 

It basically came down to double jeopardy daily doubles and FJ. 

No answered FJ correctly either day in the finals.  I can't say it has the ingredients of a great tournament when that is true. 

Buzzy I find more irritating than Austin now. 

Didn't get Montpelier myself. 

[DrSpaceman73]

1 hour ago, Tabasco Cat said:

Hoagie is a thing (a noun) all by itself, though, and putting "sandwich" after it is redundant. Same with a Hero. "Give me a turkey and swiss hero," or "I'll have the Italian hoagie." In the northeast the term "Grinder" is seomtimes used (also a noun). You don't say "Give me a grinder sandwich." or "I'll have a hoagie sandwich," or "Let me have a hero sandwich". On the other hand, "Ham sandwich" is fine because it makes no sense to say "Give me a ham" unless the word "sandwich" comes after it.

I hear people say "hero sandwich" all the time.

Mostly because 'hero' has another meaning, so it can be vague to just to 'hero' without specifying you mean sandwich

And also because there is "gyro", that is a sort-of-homonym, depending on the accent and how you pronounce the two of them, and is a much different type of food.

[Roaster]

2 hours ago, JudyObscure said:

Alan and my other favorite Lilly had the same problem.  They needed to take their time with the daily doubles and not blurt out the first thing that comes to mind.  Youth has that wonderful speed and quick recall but poor impulse control.

People used to criticize the last TOC champion, Alex Jacob, for being so slow in answering Daily Doubles, feeling that he was stalling for effect.  Maybe he was to some extent.  But there is a lot to be said for taking your time and thinking about your response deliberately.  A couple seconds of thought might have brought Spoonerism to Alan's mind.  (I'm guilty, too, as I blurted out Freudian Slip.)

Edited November 18, 2017 by Roaster
typo

[opus]

8 minutes ago, DrSpaceman73 said:

 

It basically came down to double jeopardy daily doubles and FJ. 

 

Unless  a game is a total blowout, isn't that the way it usually goes??

Edited November 18, 2017 by opus

[ChicagoCita]

1 hour ago, DoubleUTeeEff said:

I got Montpelier and am overly proud of myself for it. So I'm interested in how many people here got it, too.

I got it, and I think the clue was the same trick my teacher taught us to help remember all the state capitols, back when we had to memorize them. I've forgotten most, but I got it right away.

[DrSpaceman73]

1 minute ago, opus said:

Unless it's a total blowout, isn't that the way it usually goes??

Not in the TOC where you have two days of accumulated earnings typically. 

Woody made almost half his money on two days of earnings in one bet.  And that was enough to win. 

It was just pretty lackluster totals it seems for a tournament.  I have no idea what they typically are, but his total for a tournament winner seems low to me

[peeayebee]

3 hours ago, Roaster said:

Alan!  Feel for you.  I said Freudian Slip also.  Bummer.

I started thinking Freudian Slip, but once the Alex finished reading the clue I realized it was that other word I couldn't remember. Maybe if Alan hadn't responded so quickly I might have been able to think of it. I'm not sure. I may have said malapropism.

 

2 hours ago, Tabasco Cat said:

Embarrassingly easy for a DD in the Double Jeopardy round of the Tournament of Champions. That leaves a bad taste in my mouth and an asterisk in the record book as far as I'm concerned.

Yes, that was too easy. You just never know with DDs if they'll be like this one or much more challenging.

 

3 minutes ago, DrSpaceman73 said:

I hear people say "hero sandwich" all the time.

Me too. However, this evening I didn't say it at all, nor ham sandwich, hoagie sandwich, or heehaw sandwich.

The only TS I got was caballero. I like The Three Caballeros. It's one of the first videos my mom gave my son.

Instead of rug, I said tapestry. I can't remember, but if Persian was in the clue, then shame on me.

I sure appreciated Austin starting at the beginning of categories or even just going back to the beginning after Buzzy or Alan picked a higher value clue.

[Never Again]

I just can't understand why Austin made such a stupid bet.  I mean, it's Austin and I get it, he wants to win big and showy, but I think most people would have bet only a couple of thousand to ensure at least second place.  He couldn't win unless Buzzy got it wrong, anyway, so betting big wasn't guaranteeing him a win even if he got it right.  There's a lot of money at stake and $100,000 is a sweet prize.  Dumb move.

I did get Montpelier, I'm proud to say, which is good because I did really badly these last two nights.  

I find Buzzy kind of charming, especially tonight.  And I hear he tweeted the other day in defense of Lisa because people were ragging about her panic attack. And then his mom is battling cancer...I'm very satisfied with his win

I liked all three champs, all deserving, but I'm happy how it worked out 

[VioletNevermind]

What a great ToC.  I was rooting for AnyonebutAustin, but I loved Alan.  I was horrified when he missed that DD that he blew his wad on.  He touched my heart when he said, “It may look like I’m having a nervous breakdown up here, but . . .”  I can definitely relate.  As for Austin, I’m one of those boring sticks-in-the-mud who disliked (okay, loathed) him and his LOOK-AT-ME! antics.  I’m already suffering from AO (Austin Overexposure).  I don’t think I could stand it if he’d won.  Jeopardy! has fawned over him way more than I feel is strictly necessary.  The one thing I’m grateful for is that the excitement generated by this season’s games convinced more people to put their phones down for 26 minutes a night and watch an educational TV show.

I never thought there would be any scenario under the sun that would force me to like Buzzy, but here we are.  I didn't mind him one bit tonight.

Edited November 18, 2017 by SuzyLee
(And, dude, that was a hoagie.)

[saber5055]

Oh, yes, I had forgotten about Buzzy's mom battling cancer. Shame on me. He was very kind thanking everyone. And seems like Austin was sort of choked up during his interview too, I don't remember what he said but it did make me dislike him less. As for the sandwich debacle, does anyone remember what the sandwich in the photo had on it or what specifically made it a hoagie? Does a hoagie only have meat, tomato and lettuce? (That's how I remember the image.) Or does being on a long bun make it a hoagie? In that case, shouldn't Subway be called Hoagie? We call long-bun sandwiches subs around here. Plus, I put all sorts of fillings on a long bun, didn't know I was making a "hoagie." And what makes a hero sandwich? I'm so sandwich confused!

The ending money amounts mean nothing in TOC since the contestants win a set amount, not what their final scores are. They don't matter, except for record keepers.

[ChromaKelly]

3 hours ago, mojoween said:

I ended up thinking it was the other way around and passed over Montpelier when considering capitals on the east coast.  

For me, I would much prefer Alex did not encourage that behavior.  He was even being annoying to me with his yammering when reading the categories for the first round.

I kind of felt like Alex was being all Cool Dad. He wanted to be "in" with the kids.
FJ was an Instaget for me. 1805, so it wasn't one of the original 3 colonies but one soon after. Vermont...Montpelier.
This was a fairly tough game. I felt for Alan blurting out Freudian slip. I didn't even get a chance to think but I knew it wasn't that. I was fine with anyone winning but was kind of pulling for Alan.

[jaybird2]

8 hours ago, SuzyLee said:

What a great ToC.  I was rooting for AnyonebutAustin, but I loved Alan.  I was horrified when he missed that DD that he blew his wad on.  He touched my heart when he said, “It may look like I’m having a nervous breakdown up here, but . . .”  I can definitely relate.  As for Austin, I’m one of those boring sticks-in-the-mud who disliked (okay, loathed) him and his LOOK-AT-ME! antics.  I’m already suffering from AO (Austin Overexposure).  I don’t think I could stand it if he’d won.  Jeopardy! has fawned over him way more than I feel is strictly necessary.  The one thing I’m grateful for is that the excitement generated by this season’s games convinced more people to put their phones down for 26 minutes a night and watch an educational TV show.

I never thought there would be any scenario under the sun that would force me to like Buzzy, but here we are.  I didn't mind him one bit tonight.

loved this post except the buzzy 'like'.....i still can't stand him or austin.   but i love, love love alan.  i would love to have his head of hair!

[mojoween]

I think the problem with the hero sandwich picture is that anywhere in this country you’re going to get a different answer to what that thing is called.

Here, it’s a sub.  But like someone said upthread, somewhere else it’s also a hero or grinder or hoagie.

One thing I know is that I wouldn’t have called it a sandwich because it was too big.

[calpurnia99]

12 hours ago, Tabasco Cat said:

Hoagie is a thing (a noun) all by itself, though, and putting "sandwich" after it is redundant. Same with a Hero. "Give me a turkey and swiss hero," or "I'll have the Italian hoagie." In the northeast the term "Grinder" is seomtimes used (also a noun). You don't say "Give me a grinder sandwich." or "I'll have a hoagie sandwich," or "Let me have a hero sandwich". On the other hand, "Ham sandwich" is fine because it makes no sense to say "Give me a ham" unless the word "sandwich" comes after it.

Yeah, I know. But wasn't HERO the correct answer? I think if Hero and Ham sandwich were correct, then Hoagie should also be correct. But now I don't even know what the question was.  Didn't it have to start with H?

Edited November 18, 2017 by calpurnia99

[PaulaO]

Start and end with H.  I said ham sandwich.

[Prevailing Wind]

It had to begin & end with the same letter.

Since FJ said 1805, I was concentrating on the Louisiana Purchase area, not thinking far enough that they didn't immediately become states.

I really enjoyed the 3 monkeys opening...especially with Austin covering most of his face.

As for transsexual, I was taught that words have gender; people have sex. Because of that, I don't buy into gender = human sex, so I'll NEVER think it's "transgender." I think the problem stems from us using the word "sex" to mean not only male/female, but also the intimate activities humans participate in. When I say "human sex" - how many of you automatically think of copulation instead of male/female? Somebody decided, somewhere along the line, that gender, applying to words, could also apply to people to avoid that confusion.  Doesn't make it right. But then, language is fluid & evolving; it's just hard to give up rules of grammar & language that I'd been taught so many years ago.

[DrSpaceman73]

 Not that I want Buzzy to take over for Alex, but it does bring up the question, I am sure it has been mentioned before, how much longer is Alex going to continue the show? 

Will be interesting to see who they pick as the replacement when he is done. 

[Browncoat]

9 minutes ago, DrSpaceman73 said:

Will be interesting to see who they pick as the replacement when he is done. 

I vote for Ken Jennings!

[ByaNose]

I didn’t mind that Buzzy won. I would have been happy with Alan, too. I’m just glad I don’t have to see or hear the nightmare that is Austin Rogers. Overall, it was a rather underwhelming Tournament of Champions. I do have one question. Who was the loud raving lunatic in the audience? Back to finding the next Champions on Monday.

[VioletNevermind]

2 hours ago, jaybird2 said:

loved this post except the buzzy 'like'.....i still can't stand him or austin.   but i love, love love alan.  i would love to have his head of hair!

Now that you mention it, maybe “like” is too strong a word.  How about “tolerate?”

Edited November 18, 2017 by SuzyLee

[peeayebee]

11 hours ago, saber5055 said:

And seems like Austin was sort of choked up during his interview too, I don't remember what he said but it did make me dislike him less.

I may have the details wrong -- He was talking about a good friend who gave him money ($5000?) to have fun during the tournament (I think), but the friend died two weeks ago. 

As for the sandwich issue, the different names are basically a regional thing. There may be differences re whether the sandwich can be hot or cold; i.e., hoagies and subs are cold, heroes and grinders can be either hot or cold. I'll have to rewatch this part of the show to see what the wording is. I'm guessing there was something punny referring to heroes.

[saber5055]

Here I get my subs toasted. But I STILL want to know the difference between a hero and a hoagie and a ham sandwich. All answers were accepted, but the picture was of a specific sandwich. I can't even remember now if the correct answer was hero. BUT ... what constitutes a hero sandwich? What's the diff between a hero and a hoagie and a sub? And if someone asks me if I want a sub, I'm pretty positive I'm being asked for lunch, not to get on a marine vehicle. Adding "sandwich" after sub or hero or hoagie is optional IMO. I'll still know what you mean.

Jeopardy just wanted the answer to begin and end with h so yeah, sandwich was necessary to be correct.

When Austin thanked all HIS bartenders, does that mean he owns a bunch of bars? He went through a string of names, like all these guys worked for him. What's that deal about? I thought he was a bartender for some friend of his, period.

[Browncoat]

11 minutes ago, saber5055 said:

What's the diff between a hero and a hoagie and a sub?

The region of the US in which you live, for the most part.

[Mondrianyone]

Yay, Buzzy!  Astonishing comeback.  I wishfully called it before the TOC started, and then I almost didn't get to see it happen.  Got home last night to watch the recording, and it was all hockey.  Way to prioritize sports over smarts, WVII in Bangor. If you'd warned us in advance about the channel switch, I could've programmed the DVR for that. Thank heavens for YouTube. 

Shout-out to Waldo County!  That may be the only time we ever get mentioned on Jeopardy!  And to all my friends at that missed Murdoch company.

If they ever offer Alex's job to Buzzy, he's already got the suits for it.  I really hope his mother wins her battle.

[Conotocarious]

I watched the Facebook livestream of the three contestants the other day and they were so fun together. I’m really going to miss the ToC.

[Bliss]

3 hours ago, DrSpaceman73 said:

 Not that I want Buzzy to take over for Alex, but it does bring up the question, I am sure it has been mentioned before, how much longer is Alex going to continue the show? 

Will be interesting to see who they pick as the replacement when he is done. 

I believe I can (sort of) answer this question about Alex.

Just yesterday, Alex was on our national news as he received the Order of Canada honour - a pretty big deal up here in Canuckville. He was awarded the honour for his work in promoting education, specifically his work concerning geography - one of his passions.

(Also awarded were members of the Tragically Hip band - some of you may have heard that we lost Gord Downie to cancer in October :( and his work with the Indigenous people was part of the bestowed honour award.)

I wasn't paying 100% attention to the news - it was on in the background - however, I believe they said something about Alex having 2 years left on J!

Here's a cbc clip of an interview with Alex in case any of you are interested. Not sure if it will work in the USA. If you watch it, note that there's a slight delay between the question being asked and Alex's response. Being Canadian, and fond of Alex (even his quirks), I enjoyed the exchange and his representation of Canada.

 

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/alex-trebek-on-his-order-of-canada-honour-1.4407535

[Mondrianyone]

Thanks for the link, Bliss.  It was interesting to hear Alex talk about some of his other endeavors, although his interviewer was a little much.  (Hint:  When your subject starts answering, you stop talking.)

As far as how long Alex will be hosting J!, I know someone already posted about it a while back, but I didn't hunt for that post.  Here's what Google says, though.

[Miss Chevious]

I was away on a business trip so just binge-watched this week’s shows. Was rooting for Alan and felt bad for him when he was done in by his Freudian slip. I was neutral as far as Buzzy was concerned, didn’t like him but didn’t dislike him either so I was OK with his win. He was a snazzy dresser, gotta give him credit for that. Just glad it wasn’t Austin. He was already so insufferable, he would’ve been completely OTT had he won. 

[Mystery Author]

Quote

So I'm interested in how many people here got it, too.

I didn't. By the time I finished trying to transpose letters, FJ was over :)

I was good with any of the three winning, but (as everyone knows), I have a soft spot for Austin. Maybe because I bartended at night while writing my books during the day. Thanking "his" bartenders doesn't mean he owns bars; it means his co-workers.

If he didn't want to go around the world, he could probably buy a bar with his winnings.

btw, Does anyone know what tax % the winner pays?

Oh, and I thought the monkey thingy was brilliant.