Jeopardy! Season 34 (2017-2018)

[jaybird2]

3 hours ago, SuzyLee said:

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

suzylee , that's why i had quotes around 'like' as i didn't feel you really meant that you liked, liked him.  i guess i will acquiesce to you tolerating him.  lol.. he's still on a par with austin.  i like to see humble people win.  like the guy who was responsible for the blue ribbon in honor of the truly humble lady (can't remember names).

[saber5055]

I don't know the exact tax on winnings, but I always cut the amount in half in my mind when someone wins $ on a tv show. Like a $10,000 win means you get some dollars more than $5,000. And winning an expensive car on Wheel can put someone in the poor house after paying taxes on it. I'm betting someone here will know the exact tax amount. Meanwhile, if Austin was thanking bartenders who work alongside of him, I HATED him calling them "his" bartenders. Superior much, Austin? (Answer: Yes. Always.)

Austin is back to being a dick in my mind. At least the TOC gave him two whole days off from that title.

[mojoween]

I believe that you have to pay California taxes and then the taxes from your state.

That’s why coming in third on Jeopardy! would seriously piss me off because I already know New York is going to take $400 to start.

[eimSD]

And federal taxes too, at whatever their marginal tax rate is based on their other income.   Austin would have to pay both NY state AND NY city tax...   

Saw Buzzy tweet: 

[Bliss]

40 minutes ago, mojoween said:

I believe that you have to pay California taxes and then the taxes from your state.

That’s why coming in third on Jeopardy! would seriously piss me off because I already know New York is going to take $400 to start.

Canada allows "windfalls" to be tax-free! (We pay in other ways, of course.)

It's only a hassle for us if we're in the USA (e.g., Vegas) and have a large win - they usually withhold a percentage (I've been known to refer to them as the bossturds... I also call certain banks and government the same) and it's a lot of paperwork to get (some of) it back.

[peeayebee]

2 hours ago, Mystery Author said:

By the time I finished trying to transpose letters, FJ was over :)

I went from Indiana to Indianapolis to Annapolis to... this is too hard.

[Clanstarling]

On 11/17/2017 at 10:27 AM, 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.

I always liked Alan and Buzzy, but didn't care for Austin. But I changed my mind, and by the final day I didn't care who won, I liked them all.

19 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.

I believe the clue also included the statement that it was "two words" (though I could be wrong). 

17 hours ago, saber5055 said:

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.

On the first day (Thursday) he mentioned his friend who'd died a few weeks ago. On the final day he choked up thanking his Mom and Dad who, I think, were in the audience.

7 hours ago, mojoween said:

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

Eh, I know it's a controversy, but meat between bread is always a sandwich to me. ;)

Although I agree the level of the clues were not quite up to Tournament of Champions standards, I did enjoy this one a lot, even though the contestants I was rooting for originally (Andrew and Lily) didn't make it to the final round. I rather liked the three finalists doing a little schtick together during the introductions, which is surprising to me because I tend to be a bit of a stick in the mud about those things.

Clue writer on Jeopardy - now that's a dream job! 

[ClareWalks]

Between "transsexual" and "ham sandwich," there sure were a lot of could-go-either-way answers on this ToC. (Transsexual Ham Sandwich would be an awesome band name)

[piequinn35]

Not enough time to get to letter V-Vermont-Montpelier. ?

[Conotocarious]

I got confused on the FJ clue and screwed the order up. I was all messed up. I can only imagine doing it under the pressure those three were under.

I didn’t actually think about it at the time but I’ve seen a few remarks about how Buzzy’s DD clue was just too ridiculously easy and I have to say I agree. That won him the game and it was super basic. Like high school level basic.

Edited November 18, 2017 by Conotocarious

[Mondrianyone]

24 minutes ago, ClareWalks said:

Between "transsexual" and "ham sandwich," there sure were a lot of could-go-either-way answers on this ToC. (Transsexual Ham Sandwich would be an awesome band name)

Boy, would it!  I've got a slogan for you:  "Have a Transsexual Ham Sandwich.  It'll put hair on your boobs.  Or boobs on your hair.  However you roll is fine with us."

Might need work.

[saber5055]

Yes, Buzzy lucked out big time by finding that super-easy DD. If anyone else had found it, that person would have been the winner, no doubt. And if Alan had gotten his bet-it-all DD, it would have been more of a game. Still, TOC was enjoyable. I just hope contestants waiting in the wings aren't planning their mime shows. I'm hoping that ended when TOC ended.

[Toothbrush]

Finally got to watch the final. I was spoiled that Austin didn't win, so I just figured Alan won until the DD where he lost it all. I said Freudian slip too. I felt so bad for him & wanted to give him a hug.

All in all, an enjoyable ToC. Very happy for Buzzy! 

Edited November 19, 2017 by Toothbrush

[Ailianna]

Only in the quarter finals where there are wildcard spots so every player has to have an equal chance to make money.  Once those are past, they don't have to clear the board since the dollar amounts don't affect who advances.

[DrSpaceman73]

I didn't know that about the quarterfinal games. 

And that seems like an arbitrary rule.  You clear the board by being a good player, you and the others playing, and getting the answers quickly.  Its part of the game. 

And there are differences in the question difficulty and categories between the games.  You can't make it completed even. 

[peeayebee]

14 hours ago, saber5055 said:

I just hope contestants waiting in the wings aren't planning their mime shows. I'm hoping that ended when TOC ended.

OMG Yes! The horror, the horror.

[Quickbeam]

There was an esprit de corps I found very charming with these 3. I won’t find it as such with imitators. And the Buzzy tweet is the best. 

[saber5055]

I very much hope Buzzy's mom is in recovery and she was able to watch the TOC and enjoy her son's victory. She has to be so proud. I wish her the best.

[proserpina65]

Ugh, Buzzy.  But at least it wasn't Austin.

On ‎11‎/‎18‎/‎2017 at 3:06 PM, mojoween said:

I believe that you have to pay California taxes and then the taxes from your state.

That’s why coming in third on Jeopardy! would seriously piss me off because I already know New York is going to take $400 to start.

I came in third and received my full $1000 check.  Then I had to file in both Maryland (where I live) and California the next year; I ended up having to send CA a small check for their share but luckily $1000 didn't make too much of a dent in my MD refund.

[LZ1982]

I got the final because the clue mentioned becoming a state in 1805. I knew it couldn't be very far west, but also couldn't be one of the original 13 colonies. I tried Maine first and then landed on Vermont.

[mojoween]

1 hour ago, proserpina65 said:

Ugh, Buzzy.  But at least it wasn't Austin.

I came in third and received my full $1000 check.  Then I had to file in both Maryland (where I live) and California the next year; I ended up having to send CA a small check for their share but luckily $1000 didn't make too much of a dent in my MD refund.

New York automatically taxes non-income “winnings” (regardless of lottery, or a bonus from work, or other winnings) at 40%.

[proserpina65]

1 hour ago, mojoween said:

New York automatically taxes non-income “winnings” (regardless of lottery, or a bonus from work, or other winnings) at 40%.

Maryland taxes it to, but neither MD or CA taxes came out of the check from Jeopardy; I had to take care of it myself.  Fortunately for both states, all I had to do was include it in miscellaneous income when I filed my taxes.  Sounds like NY takes it out before you get the check?

[saber5055]

Mojoween, your NY 40% is how I got the method of figuring game-show winners get slightly more than 50 percent of what they win. While winning $100,000 sounds great, the actual take home of $50,000 isn't so great. Well, still good in my book, but you know what I mean! At the casinos here, if one wins more than a certain amount, the casino takes the state and local taxes out before it gives you what you won, then it's reported as income to IRS and you pay taxes on what you took home. It's a big lose-lose.

[Driad]

And contestants pay their own transportation and hotel, right?  If you fly from the east coast, stay in a hotel, and come in third in your only game, you could lose money.

[saber5055]

The returning champion today is from Berwyn, Ill. In my mind, she is best friends with Svengoolie.

[mojoween]

They started with the football category!  Be still my heart.

While I adore the game of football as a game, my female side often evaluates players as men and Len Dawson is one of the best-looking men I have ever seen.

I mean...

And this picture shows why seeing people smoke is BAD because smoking is NOT AT ALL COOL:

[mojoween]

I find Shah as a TS to be unforgivable.

For FJ for a minute I was like “Malala?” and then went on with my kitchen-cleaning because I don’t know anyone from Albania but then the light bulb went off with the second part of the clue and I was like “OHHHH it has to be Mother Teresa”.

The Scarlet Letter as a DD was too easy.

Edited November 21, 2017 by mojoween

[Browncoat]

Instaget FJ tonight.  Good game, though -- nice orderly starting at the tops of categories and all.

But I kept getting distracted by people texting me, so the only TS I remember getting was Shah.

[ClareWalks]

I'm glad Kara is gone. Her attitude rubbed me the wrong way. She just seemed so over it the entire time.

I got FJ immediately, even though I didn't know Mother Theresa was Albanian. I have no idea how I got the answer so fast. I bet a lot of y'all did the same thing without knowing why :)

[CarpeDiem54]

What a pleasant game.  Nice, normal contestants who started at the top and didn't board jump.  Congrats to Eric.  I loved his pizza face story.  I wish the contestants would walk out from behind the podium at the end like they used to.  I wanted to see Kara's outfit because I really liked her top.

I got Intuit, shah, and Spandau.

FJ was an instaget.

[DrScottie]

1 minute ago, ClareWalks said:

I'm glad Kara is gone. Her attitude rubbed me the wrong way. She just seemed so over it the entire time.

I got FJ immediately, even though I didn't know Mother Theresa was Albanian. I have no idea how I got the answer so fast. I bet a lot of y'all did the same thing without knowing why :)

I agree about Kara. There was a disinterested vibe from her along with no big moves with the DDs. I wonder if it has to do with the time between filming her last episode and waiting to resume after the ToC concluded. 

I'm guessing you heard at some point that Mother Theresa was Albanian (possibly from media coverage after her death), but it was buried deep and didn't surface until then. 

Just now, CarpeDiem54 said:

I got Intuit, shah, and Spandau.

Got those along with Cyrus the Great. 

[ClareWalks]

2 minutes ago, DrScottie said:

I agree about Kara. There was a disinterested vibe from her along with no big moves with the DDs. I wonder if it has to do with the time between filming her last episode and waiting to resume after the ToC concluded.

That might have contributed, but I remember on her last game (the one she won), she seemed really over it even then. When she hit the DDs and such, she acted ANNOYED, like it bothered her that she had to go through the rigamarole of wagering. What a bizarre woman.

[Conotocarious]

What a dreadfully dull game. I actually started reading my book somewhere in the middle of it. Boring, dry, dull contestants. Meh questions.

Zzzzzzzzzzz.

[ProudMary]

Do people really call Brady, "Tom Terrific?"  While not a football fan, I answered correctly just by the wording of the question but to me there's only one "Tom Terrific."  He played another sport and his name's Seaver.

[ChicagoCita]

The winner (Eric?) reminded me of Peter Brady. Nice looking guy.

2 hours ago, saber5055 said:

The returning champion today is from Berwyn, Ill. In my mind, she is best friends with Svengoolie.

Ber-WYN?

[saber5055]

ChicagoCti, thanks for the link, I laughed out loud watching that video, and it cheered me up considerably. Svengoolie is on Saturday nights here, rubber chickens and all. And yeah, I said Mother Teresa for FJ and I don't have a clue why. Something kicked in from the deep recesses of my meager brain. Surprisingly, I did not mind the new winner winking/waving at the camera during his introduction. But I am irked by everyone's constant upspeak. Be forceful and say it without that questioning vocal rise at the end.

For the "Tom Terrific" clue, the image that came into my mind was of a little cartoon guy with a funnel on his head. Because that's the REAL Tom Terrific. Yeah, I'm that old that I remember seeing first-run Tom Terrific and Might Manfred cartoons. I can't do links, but one can copy/paste to see: www.youtube.com/watch?v=CAU3FNua3cE

[Conotocarious]

Yes, Brady is called Tom Terrific by the sports media. Among fans he is simply TFB.

[GenerationX]

I got FJ right away, too, and I think it's because (1) it sounded like something Mother Theresa would say, which was further corroborated by (2) in the picture of her that popped in my head, she looked like she could be from that area.

I was rooting for either of the challengers to win.  After the ToC, with players that were clearly having a great time playing, it was tough to take someone who played as though it were a chore.

[peeayebee]

FJ came almost instantly to me. I think I must have heard that quote before.

I didn't get any TSs. 

[Fex]

2 hours ago, mojoween said:

I find Shah as a TS to be unforgivable.

For FJ for a minute I was like “Malala?” and then went on with my kitchen-cleaning because I don’t know anyone from Albania but then the light bulb went off with the second part of the clue and I was like “OHHHH it has to be Mother Teresa”.

The Scarlet Letter as a DD was too easy.

I wonder if, for Shah, no one got it because it seemed too simple. It was a long detailed answer, and then they were just looking for a simple word.

2 hours ago, ClareWalks said:

I'm glad Kara is gone. Her attitude rubbed me the wrong way. She just seemed so over it the entire time.

I got FJ immediately, even though I didn't know Mother Theresa was Albanian. I have no idea how I got the answer so fast. I bet a lot of y'all did the same thing without knowing why :)

For FJ, I thought it was way too easy (What is the only Albanian person I've ever heard of?). Then several people have commented that it was without knowing Mother Teresa was Albanian, so I guess it was double easy!

[YoureSoUrban]

The game had a significantly more methodical feel to me, which makes sense since the tournament champs have a much higher comfort level with being on TV, the buzzer, etc. but I did enjoy returning to starting at the tops of categories and not hunting for the DDs.

FJ was an instaget for me because of the quote. I had no idea Mother Teresa was Albanian. #myJeopardyeducation

I wasn't a fan of the champ and would have been happy with Eric or the woman to the right of him winning.

[eimSD]

11 hours ago, mojoween said:

New York automatically taxes non-income “winnings” (regardless of lottery, or a bonus from work, or other winnings) at 40%.

Really?  When is that taken out, I don't think the IT-201 (the NY income tax form) has a line for that.  

[GreekGeek]

2 hours ago, Conotocarious said:

What a dreadfully dull game. I actually started reading my book somewhere in the middle of it. Boring, dry, dull contestants. Meh questions.

Zzzzzzzzzzz.

To each his own. I'd rather have "boring, dry" contestants than those who try too hard to be memorably quirky. I find games dreadfully dull when there are too many TS's and people either just sit there or make crazy guesses. Or when one contestant is so dominant that there's no suspense in FJ.

[Tunia]

1 hour ago, Conotocarious said:

Yes, Brady is called Tom Terrific by the sports media. Among fans he is simply TFB.

There's no "F" in Tom's name - he is Thomas Edward Patrick Brady Jr.  "TB" or "TB12" are his usual fan names.  But you're right about "Tom Terrific" being media's designation.

[Pallida]

Mr. Pallida thought the former champ looked sad when she landed on a DD. 

For the shah clue, I couldn’t follow the complex answer to figure out what they wanted. I may have been in post dinner lack of attention span mode though. 

[Mondrianyone]

38 minutes ago, Tunia said:

There's no "F" in Tom's name - he is Thomas Edward Patrick Brady Jr.  "TB" or "TB12" are his usual fan names.  But you're right about "Tom Terrific" being media's designation.

The F isn't meant to be his middle initial in this case.  It's more of a description--Tom Fuckin' Brady, to be exact.  In New England that's a compliment.

Kara seemed somewhat less put upon tonight than she did in her previous appearance, so it was an improvement.  Not that that's saying much.  I wish I knew why she tried out for the show if actually being on it bored her so.

[Toothbrush]

I missed Kara's previous appearance due to the Astros WS celebration being aired at J! time, so I was surprised at how put upon she acted. Glad I only had to witness her suffering once. Eric is cute, and his acne seems to have cleared up nicely. I liked Alex too - gorgeous hair! I liked that no one player dominated the game. 

FJ was an instaget. I went to Catholic school from k-12 so no excuse. 

5 hours ago, mojoween said:

I find Shah as a TS to be unforgivable.

The Scarlet Letter as a DD was too easy.

Yes to both. 

4 hours ago, CarpeDiem54 said:

 I wish the contestants would walk out from behind the podium at the end like they used to.  I wanted to see Kara's outfit because I really liked her top.

I loved it too, and had the same thought. I have a similar top but unfortunately I don't, uh, fill it out quite as nicely as she did. 

4 hours ago, Conotocarious said:

What a dreadfully dull game. I actually started reading my book somewhere in the middle of it. Boring, dry, dull contestants. Meh questions.

Zzzzzzzzzzz.

I started fooling around on my phone. 

[mojoween]

Personally I call Tom Brady “Tommy” and I’m not saying it in a complimentary way.

Also TFB works for me too!  And also not a compliment, heh.

[teebax]

ESPN calls him Tom Terrific because they spend most of their time fellating him. Sorry, I'm a Philly fan who despises New York and Boston teams. It's my birthright...

My gets were Intuit and Shah. I hated the way whoever it was pronounced Reading Gaol. I grew up in Reading, PA, and it's pronounced like the past tense of "read" not its present tense. Someone did that while playing me in Monopoly once as well with Reading Railroad.  Drove me nuts!

[Conotocarious]

8 hours ago, Tunia said:

There's no "F" in Tom's name - he is Thomas Edward Patrick Brady Jr.  "TB" or "TB12" are his usual fan names.  But you're right about "Tom Terrific" being media's designation.

Lol. I know that. As others have said its Tom F*cking Brady. And yes, it’s a compliment.

9 hours ago, GreekGeek said:

To each his own. I'd rather have "boring, dry" contestants than those who try too hard to be memorably quirky. I find games dreadfully dull when there are too many TS's and people either just sit there or make crazy guesses. Or when one contestant is so dominant that there's no suspense in FJ.

How about a contestant that looked like it was a huge PITA to even answer a question? She was awful. I’ve already forgotten her name. What a shock.

 

I’ve already forgotten all their names in fact.

Edited November 21, 2017 by Conotocarious