Jeopardy! Season 35 (2018-2019)

[StormWarning]

Watching James is like watching an Olympic gold medal figure skater perform the routine of their lifetime, a perfect demonstration of their skill at a time when it really matters.  No one complains about how “unfair” it is to all the other figure skaters who have to compete against someone who excels at the sport; how those skaters, too, worked so hard just to make it to the Olympics only to have their dreams squashed by someone else executing a flawless routine.  No one talks about what a waste of potential it is for a person to dedicate all that time and energy to skating when they should have been pursuing a more noble profession.  The audience doesn’t hypothesize about the size of the skater’s bank account or comment about their esthetic shortcomings.  We don’t think less of a gold medal skater for performing the difficult moves during the first half of the performance when their energy level is highest and when they’re at their best.

What we should do is sit back and marvel at how James consistently excels at this game and at his wide range of knowledge.  We should admire how he has developed a strategy for winning that we haven’t seen before and that we know will be copied by other contestants in the future.  We should applaud him for not distracting his opponents with wild hand movements, smashing the signaling button, or mugging for the camera. 

James is wonderful, and I love watching him.

[saber5055]

Wow, beautifully said @StormWarning. I award you the Gold Medal for Best Post.

I got a kick out Gregory after yesterday's game, he was having a good laugh at the end of the game. Fill in your own reason as to why.

[opus]

On 4/17/2019 at 10:00 PM, Abstract said:

I just realized that I'm starting to get Jeopardy anxiety now, wondering each episode if this is the one where James loses.

I just hope that in the internet age, when it happens (it'll happen, right?), I don't know ahead of the airing.

Of course, without  the internet, we wouldn't be talking to each other daily, so it's a mixed bag 😄

[Bliss]

1 hour ago, StormWarning said:

Watching James is like watching an Olympic gold medal figure skater perform the routine of their lifetime, a perfect demonstration of their skill at a time when it really matters.  No one complains about how “unfair” it is to all the other figure skaters who have to compete against someone who excels at the sport; how those skaters, too, worked so hard just to make it to the Olympics only to have their dreams squashed by someone else executing a flawless routine.  No one talks about what a waste of potential it is for a person to dedicate all that time and energy to skating when they should have been pursuing a more noble profession.  The audience doesn’t hypothesize about the size of the skater’s bank account or comment about their esthetic shortcomings.  We don’t think less of a gold medal skater for performing the difficult moves during the first half of the performance when their energy level is highest and when they’re at their best.

What we should do is sit back and marvel at how James consistently excels at this game and at his wide range of knowledge.  We should admire how he has developed a strategy for winning that we haven’t seen before and that we know will be copied by other contestants in the future.  We should applaud him for not distracting his opponents with wild hand movements, smashing the signaling button, or mugging for the camera. 

James is wonderful, and I love watching him.

Agreed! Worded beautifully... you expressed exactly how I feel. I especially appreciate his calm manner of playing.

I'm on team James and am super impressed with his excellence. He deserves the accolades, IMO.

[saber5055]

12 hours ago, Toothbrush said:

Speaking of Aquaman, Jason Momoa shaved off his beard today. He's still hot. 

And that's a plus in my book. I hate beards and can justify that after reading this yesterday. Extra points for all my dogs!

1 hour ago, opus said:

so it's a mixed bag 

I think some people have called me that.

[JudyObscure]

6 hours ago, biakbiak said:

I think the key reaction is that James is not using either argument about himself but others have decided his job is lacking and calling into question his worthiness as a human being.

I guess I didn't see those posts, but I did see someone attacked as judgmental for stating an opinion about someone on TV, on a forum that's all about opinions about TV.

I hope we can still complain about buzzer rattlers without being called big meanies.

[Bliss]

14 minutes ago, JudyObscure said:

I guess I didn't see those posts, but I did see someone attacked as judgmental for stating an opinion about someone on TV, on a forum that's all about opinions about TV.

I hope we can still complain about buzzer rattlers without being called big meanies.

So much better than what I call them. Buzzer jerkoffs.

[Bliss]

James keeps percolating through my mind these days. I always wonder why some players annoy some people for some things/mannerisms/their smile/whatever. The 'whatever' said in a Valley Girl voice, with upspeak, just to annoy some of you. LOL.

I do my best to not be annoyed (or annoying); I fail miserably at times. I'm also aware enough to realize that my annoyance says more about me than the other (annoying) person. I ask me, "why are you so annoyed?" and sometimes the answer isn't pretty. It's almost always petty. It's often mistaken identity for jealousy or limiting beliefs. JMO.

One of the main reasons I like James is his lack of annoyingness. No apology to wordsmiths for making up my own words.

1. He holds the buzzer below the podium (so I can't see his rattle - copyrighted by @JudyObscure).

2. He's fast (just realized I'm not fond of pokey players).

3. He's smart (I'm an intelligence snob).

4. He's a mathematician and knows how to gamble and win! (be still my heart)

5. He shows his vulnerability via his hand-on-heart, and yet doesn't overdo it. (I bet he gives great hugs.)

6. He's authentic.

7. He's on my list of people with whom I'd like to do lunch. For the conversation!

8. He dresses well and I adore his "do". Yes, I'm that shallow.

His smile reminds me of my grade one school picture. If I knew how to post it here, I would. Just to give you a belly-jiggling Friday giggle.

[biakbiak]

41 minutes ago, JudyObscure said:

I guess I didn't see those posts, but I did see someone attacked as judgmental for stating an opinion about someone on TV, on a forum that's all about opinions about TV.

There are multiple posts suggesting that James should be using his intelligence for something “better” than just being a professional gambler which is what started the entire conversation.

i would also suggest that being good at Jeopardy both from a knowledge and a gambling perspective doesn’t mean if you applied yourself you would cure cancer, get us to Mars or a gazillion other things that would make the world a “better” place.

Edited April 19, 2019 by biakbiak

[SHD]

Twice this week I yelled the FJ answer at the last minute. I’m sure the neighbors are wondering why I seem to be randomly yelling “ATTICUS FINCH!” and “AQUAMAN!” in the middle of the afternoon.

[saber5055]

18 minutes ago, SHD said:

Twice this week I yelled the FJ answer at the last minute. I’m sure the neighbors are wondering why I seem to be randomly yelling “ATTICUS FINCH!” and “AQUAMAN!” in the middle of the afternoon.

I hope you do it again today. Maybe your neighbors will bring you a nice casserole or dessert as they "casually" check on what's wrong with you. It could be a win-win!

[whinewithwine]

7 hours ago, StormWarning said:

What we should do is sit back and marvel at how James consistently excels at this game and at his wide range of knowledge.  We should admire how he has developed a strategy for winning that we haven’t seen before and that we know will be copied by other contestants in the future.  We should applaud him for not distracting his opponents with wild hand movements, smashing the signaling button, or mugging for the camera. 

James is wonderful, and I love watching him.

Precisely!

[Browncoat]

I have a perfect FJ record this week!  Of course, I mean 0/5.  I completely forgot about Edward and said Henry, George, and James.  Oops!

Apparently I like the competition aspect of Jeopardy more than I like just watching one person answer all the questions.  At least with Ken, the winner of every single game wasn't a foregone conclusion by the end of the first round (or, in some cases, the first commercial break).  So, I'm not enjoying the games right now.

[SHD]

12 minutes ago, Browncoat said:

I have a perfect FJ record this week!  Of course, I mean 0/5.  I completely forgot about Edward and said Henry, George, and James.  Oops!

You did better than I did, because I didn’t even realize they wanted three names. 

Was this the first time James has been in the red?

[zoey1996]

Weather nannies were in full force, so no Jeopardy! for us tonight.  I looked up FJ on the Jeopardy Fan, though.  I got it!  

[Ailianna]

It seemed to me that James was  bit tired this game.  His name on the podium was written in normal letters, not something fancy and harder, and he obviously got off to a slow start.  This is what I've been wondering about for a while--can he last through multiple taping days and keep up his speed?  In the first round he just didn't seem to have his usual buzzer speed and it took him a bit to get back in the groove.

I knew the answer to FJ, and I got two right that James missed, but of course, now I can't think what they were.

[saber5055]

I played the game against myself again today and got beaten badly, 36 to 25. Some of those Do Not Knows I did know and could have answered if I had FJ time instead of the split second allowed for regular board clues. I've also discovered that my mind wanders if the clue is too long, and I'm thinking about something else before I get the whole thing read. Or listened to.

I did get the three TSs, Quaker, sawbones and Jerome Robbins. Maybe I should get double points for those.

I saw the FJ category and thought, "Oh, crumb bums, I'm sunk." I thought the same last time we had that category and it turned out to be an easy Bonnie Prince Charles question. So I figured no such luck this time. But will wonders never cease, I answered easily and without much thinking. Which is good because if I started thinking of those kids I might have said "William," like Gabby did.

I thought James seemed tired too. I hope he is getting some rest and didn't have to tape another game right after this one. I want him to continue forever.

This interesting factoid is from TheJeopardyFan.com. James was VERY close to this record:

With James being incorrect on the first clue of today’s match, Liz Haigney Lynch’s record of seeing 179 consecutive clues without being incorrect remains intact.

[Writing Wrongs]

I had hope for about 10 minutes and then it was dashed.

[kathyk2]

56 minutes ago, saber5055 said:

I played the game against myself again today and got beaten badly, 36 to 25. Some of those Do Not Knows I did know and could have answered if I had FJ time instead of the split second allowed for regular board clues. I've also discovered that my mind wanders if the clue is too long, and I'm thinking about something else before I get the whole thing read. Or listened to.

I did get the three TSs, Quaker, sawbones and Jerome Robbins. Maybe I should get double points for those.

I saw the FJ category and thought, "Oh, crumb bums, I'm sunk." I thought the same last time we had that category and it turned out to be an easy Bonnie Prince Charles question. So I figured no such luck this time. But will wonders never cease, I answered easily and without much thinking. Which is good because if I started thinking of those kids I might have said "William," like Gabby did.

I thought James seemed tired too. I hope he is getting some rest and didn't have to tape another game right after this one. I want him to continue forever.

This interesting factoid is from TheJeopardyFan.com. James was VERY close to this record:

With James being incorrect on the first clue of today’s match, Liz Haigney Lynch’s record of seeing 179 consecutive clues without being incorrect remains intact.

I thought the clues during the Jeopardy round were tougher than usual. I knew Bill France since I'm a Nascar fan.

[lb60]

I can't stand James.

That is all.

[hendersonrocks]

I think this is the FJ I'm most proud of getting correct since I started watching regularly thanks to the All Star tournament. Useless knowledge FTW!

Rough start for James, and he still ended up north of $80,000. What a time to be alive.

[Mystery Author]

Quote

I completely forgot about Edward and said Henry, George, and James.  Oops!

Oops for me, too, for the same reason.

I was shouting ROBBINS. Jerry (Jerome) ROBBINS.

Trivia: One of my best friends, Cydney, was Jerry's niece and we had his tickets for Sat matinees of West Side Story. One such Sat the cast decided to picnic in Central Park and Cyd and I went along. Fun! Larry Kirt (Tony) was much better looking than Richard Beymer :)

Quote

What we should do is sit back and marvel at how James consistently excels at this game and at his wide range of knowledge.  We should admire how he has developed a strategy for winning that we haven’t seen before and that we know will be copied by other contestants in the future.  We should applaud him for not distracting his opponents with wild hand movements, smashing the signaling button, or mugging for the camera. 

James is wonderful, and I love watching him.

I couldn't have said it better!

[Jesse]

On the possibility of James getting tired, IIRC, they tape two days a week, so maybe this was the end of the second day in a row, and now he'll have time to recover?  I do think stamina is a big piece of J! success, in addition to buzzer timing and knowing everything.

For my part, I was so glad I got the GM clue, because I used to work for a place that got funding from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation and I could never remember where his money came from. (Does nonprofit fundraising get me in the race for doing good in the world???)

[Etta Place]

For FJ, I got Henry, Edward and ...  then I was stumped. So frustrating because the name George didn't even occur to me. How is that possible with the American Revolution and more importantly, Prince George?! Oh well.

I came in late because Jeopardy was shown at a different time due to basketball(?) - what happened with the DD in the first round? When I tuned in it was gone and everyone had low scores. I assume James got it and got it wrong?

[Browncoat]

13 hours ago, zoey1996 said:

Weather nannies were in full force, so no Jeopardy! for us tonight.  I looked up FJ on the Jeopardy Fan, though.  I got it!  

I hope the weather wasn't too horrible on your end of the state!  We had a tornado touch down on this end not terribly far from where I work (and very very close to where many of our students live), but mostly we got lots and lots of rain.

[JudyObscure]

35 minutes ago, Etta Place said:

For FJ, I got Henry, Edward and ...  then I was stumped. So frustrating because the name George didn't even occur to me. How is that possible with the American Revolution and more importantly, Prince George?! Oh well.

Not to mention so many of us watching, "The Crown," which begins with Elizabeth II's father, George the VI, dying.

I got that and Jerome Robbins, grumpily saying, "At last a ballet question."  That's because it irritates me when my husband, who knows nothing about ballet, gets them right before I do based on things like knowing Greek mythology very well  (Apollo.)

I thought James looked tired, too, but I think he could be just awakened after a flight back from Australia and still win.  I like James and I'm loving watching his run, but I'm beginning to think they may have to change the name from "Jeopardy," to the, " Jeopardy  James Challenge."  Where the contestants vie to see who can come closest to his score.

[Jameson3]

@JudyObscure I did not mean to delurk by commenting in such a strong manner (love reading this forum btw) but after I read how James really should be doing something that contributes to society and "he can never go home thinking that he made a difference in the world" I just got ticked off.  It had nothing to do "snarkable" things. It just felt that all the comparisons of which professions had value was...regressive. Sorry to get off topic.

I love how happy James is making Alex!

Back to my cave

[zoey1996]

1 hour ago, Browncoat said:

I hope the weather wasn't too horrible on your end of the state!  We had a tornado touch down on this end not terribly far from where I work (and very very close to where many of our students live), but mostly we got lots and lots of rain.

We got lots of rain and wind, but that was it.  For which I am grateful.

[DrSpaceman]

The Kevin Bacon question the other night made me realize he has been in the acting business now for FORTY years.  Which just makes me feel old. 

Did well on FJ this week, I think I got all of them. 

The other two players on Friday actually didn't do poorly, its just the DD when he hits them all and bets so much, if they gets even two of the three correct, there is almost literally no way to earn enough to beat him. 

The way he loses is if he misses at least two DD or someone else gets at least two DDs, bets big and gets them correct. 

He is so quick on the buzzer though and so good, that is hard to get when he is picking all the questions. 

[DrSpaceman]

For FJ :

I think most recall Henry VIII from all his wives

Then Edward VIII and George VI were the ones involved in the abdication of the thrones in the 1930s.  Edward abdicated and George took over.  After Victoria it was four Edwards and Georges alternating until Elizabeth II took over. 

They also changed the name to Windsor around WWI to avoid anti-German sentiment, was Saxe-Coburg-Gotha. 

also Saxe-Coburg-Gotha is a mouthful and Windsor is just easier to say

[saber5055]

1 hour ago, Jameson3 said:

after I read how James really should be doing something that contributes to society and "he can never go home thinking that he made a difference in the world" I just got ticked off. 

As did I. Glass houses and all.

James is providing entertainment and water-cooler talk pretty much non-stop at the moment. So I guess he's the game-show Jason Momoa who gets talked about with tons of social-media buzz while he doesn't even have to shave. (JM looks SO much better BTW.)

Please unlurk more often!

2 hours ago, Etta Place said:

what happened with the DD in the first round? When I tuned in it was gone and everyone had low scores. I assume James got it and got it wrong?

James had $1,800 I believe when he hit the first DD. I don't remember the clue/answer (maybe that was the Quaker one? Yes, I think so.) He bet it all so went to zero. He had another wrong answer after that (don't remember that clue either, but another player did answer correctly ... I THINK! That was a whole day ago!) and went into the red. I'm guessing there are some screen caps and gifs out there somewhere of that now-historic event.

[Trey]

Yes, James did seem tired and still managed to win a total that beat Roger Craig's old record - is that four times now that he's beaten the old record?

I finally got some ts's: tell it to the marines, game and Apollo.

British monarchs is a wheelhouse for me as long as I give it proper thought and don't just blurt out the first thing that comes to mind.  So, I got FJ:)

Edited April 20, 2019 by Trey

[OneWouldHope]

On 4/18/2019 at 8:05 PM, Mindthinkr said:

Does anyone know what this is or where? 

Dubai: https://mymodernmet.com/dubai-frame-opening/  

On topic:  I really enjoy watching James.  I think the figure skating analogy is an excellent one. 

[Mindthinkr]

37 minutes ago, OneWouldHope said:

Dubai: https://mymodernmet.com/dubai-frame-opening/  

On topic:  I really enjoy watching James.  I think the figure skating analogy is an excellent one. 

Thank you for the response and link. 

[peeayebee]

I don't know what preempted Jeopardy here, but my DVR was set to record it at 9 pm. Fortunately I set the stop time for an hour later because Wheel of Fortune aired at 9 then Jeopardy followed. Weird because normally WoF follows J.

Anywho, I got dry run and sawbones. I also got FJ.

I too thought James might be tired or even thrown off a bit after getting the first question wrong and going into the red.

[readheaded]

My 15 year old son got C. King right away, putting my older son, husband, and me to shame.

We're enjoying watching James with fascination and interest.  We don't care about his profession and its "worth."  Not to mention, none of us knows if maybe he aspires to pick a different career path at some point that might "contribute positively" to the world and earning a ton of money in his current career may fund that.  He seems like a good guy who loves his family, which counts for a whole lot to me.

It will be interesting to see how his reign ends-will it be by an even better contestant or a game of categories he doesn't have much knowledge of?  Or, for some other reason?  

[secnarf]

I also thought he seemed a bit off during Friday's game - answering "Ed Koch" when the clue specified they wanted a president, for example. Glad he got himself back in the game, though.

[OneWouldHope]

3 hours ago, Mindthinkr said:

Thank you for the response and link. 

You’re welcome. 😀 I hadn’t heard of it so thank you for bringing it to my attention!

I’d forgotten about the Ed Koch answer - oof, that struck me as pretty bad! Coming on top of the blown double jeopardy, it seemed like a sign of bad things to come. I was glad to see James come out of it but I know one day he won’t and someone will be able to capitalize on those types of mistakes. 

[GenerationX]

Just picked up sons #2 and #3 from the University of Illinois to come home for the weekend.  As you would expect, the school is rooting for him.  As Mrs. GenX and I are both alums, we also look forward to watching and rooting for him.

Someone upthread said it is like watching two different games - James against himself and the other two contestants against each other.  That's a very apt description.

[SHD]

16 minutes ago, GenerationX said:

Someone upthread said it is like watching two different games - James against himself and the other two contestants against each other.  That's a very apt description.

Yeah, the worst is when second and third are so apart from each other that there’s no way FJ could affect ANYTHING. 

[Gimmick Genius]

James also gave the wrong answer on the "Lenny and Jerry" clue. And then seemed to kick himself as a he realized his mistake. Instead of ROBBINS, he said "Who is HERMAN." To be fair, Jerry Herman WAS a Broadway composer and a contemporary of Leonard Bernstein. But still a careless wrong answer.

[Dobian]

I was pretty disappointed in the "Video Games" category because it was misleading.  It was actually movies based on video games.  It would have been nice if the questions were actually about video games themselves, there's a lot you can do with that category.

[JudyObscure]

9 hours ago, Jameson3 said:

I love how happy James is making Alex! 

Totally agree! Alex just loves a great player, it's like he's discovered  his very own  Tiger Woods of trivia and it couldn't have happened at a better time.

[Driad]

Someone who wanted to quibble about Friday's Jeopardy (A “VI” has followed these 3 royal names of English kings) could point out that James I of England was also James VI of Scotland.  But since there were three King Whoever VI of England, this would probably not be accepted unless it was dark on a Tuesday.

[Clanstarling]

On 4/20/2019 at 6:11 AM, Etta Place said:

For FJ, I got Henry, Edward and ...  then I was stumped. So frustrating because the name George didn't even occur to me. How is that possible with the American Revolution and more importantly, Prince George?! Oh well.

I came in late because Jeopardy was shown at a different time due to basketball(?) - what happened with the DD in the first round? When I tuned in it was gone and everyone had low scores. I assume James got it and got it wrong?

I got George from watching The Crown, and Edward from watching Upstairs Downstairs (Edward VII). TV's been good to me.

Jeopardy was delayed here because of basketball. But it recorded just fine, which often isn't the case.

13 hours ago, Dobian said:

I was pretty disappointed in the "Video Games" category because it was misleading.  It was actually movies based on video games.  It would have been nice if the questions were actually about video games themselves, there's a lot you can do with that category.

Video games would tank me regardless - though I did manage to get Angelina Jolie.

[saber5055]

2 hours ago, Clanstarling said:

Video games would tank me regardless - though I did manage to get Angelina Jolie.

I was pulled over for speeding on my way to see Angelina Jolie in Tomb Raider. That was an easy get for me.

[peeayebee]

I admit I also said Ed Koch, forgetting that they wanted a President. I don't know why I associated Koch with that headline. He wasn't even mayor at the time.

[mostlylurking]

On 4/18/2019 at 2:52 PM, zoey1996 said:

Everyone who is a teacher would qualify.  There are medical professionals who qualify. 

Then again there are teachers who molest their students. Also medical professionals who take advantage of both their positions and desperate, sick people. People running nonprofits who steal money from their contributors.  I could go on as well.

Just because the profession is supposedly noble doesn’t mean the humans working in those professions are, not to mention all the wealthy individuals in these professions who do jack shit to give back. I am quite shocked at all the judgement on James.  We know nothing about his life other than the way he chooses to make money.  Strange how we live in a society where individuals are so quick to shame everyone while also being quick to pat themselves on the back and think very highly of themselves and their chosen profession. How silly. 

[bythelake]

16 hours ago, JudyObscure said:

Totally agree! Alex just loves a great player, it's like he's discovered  his very own  Tiger Woods of trivia and it couldn't have happened at a better time.

It seemed to me, in the beginning, Alex was a little annoyed by the messages James leaves, but now that he realizes he’s got this super player breaking all records, he’s really warmed up to James.

The record breaking  winnings and the controversy must be good for publicity and I’m sure the sponsors are happy with that as well. 

[opus]

1 hour ago, saber5055 said:

I was pulled over for speeding on my way to see Angelina Jolie in Tomb Raider.

Most people got pulled over rushing away from the theater.