Jeopardy! Season 35 (2018-2019)

[solarfire]

I had no clue what FJ was and wild guessed Hit the Road, Jack because that's the only "jazz" song I could think of.  Way off, but don't the name of jazz songs at all.

Nate was sooooo close!!  Why would he not bet everything? (this is not a rhetorical question, I don't get his thinking).  He's the challenger.  Assume James knows the answer and assume James will bet significantly.  As it turns out, James didn't bet that big, but if you are going to beat the Champion, you have to go ALL IN!! Okay, that game was really exciting but really frustrating as well.  Kinda like the Super Bowl when the Seahawks gift-wrapped the win to NE.  Count me in as not rooting for James.  Dominance is boring and I usually root for the underdog.

Is it my bias, or does it seems that James is a little slower off the mark these last few games?  A few times he waited several seconds before ringing in, so if the other players knew the answer, they could have rung in.  I noticed this yesterday, and Nate took advantage today.

[Toothbrush]

Close one! I'm not anxious for James to lose, but it was nice to have a game that wasn't all but over by the start of DJ. Although I was pretty sure all along that James pulled out the win since it would have been all over SM if he had lost (we didn't watch until after 10PM). Dr. Toothbrush said he bets that's the last time James writes his name vertically 😄

I got the bind TS & FJ was an instaget.

4 hours ago, Arkay said:

My macabre thought is what if James goes on for so long and Alex is too ill to host....or even worse.....then he would never get to see how it turns out. That amplifies my wish for James to shortly lose to some spectacular player, or even to a one-and-done.

I have had the same thought regarding James outlasting Alex 😢

6 minutes ago, solarfire said:

Nate was sooooo close!!  Why would he not bet everything? (this is not a rhetorical question, I don't get his thinking).  He's the challenger.  Assume James knows the answer and assume James will bet significantly.  As it turns out, James didn't bet that big, but if you are going to beat the Champion, you have to go ALL IN!! Okay, that game was really exciting but really frustrating as well. 

Is it my bias, or does it seems that James is a little slower off the mark these last few games?  A few times he waited several seconds before ringing in, so if the other players knew the answer, they could have rung in.  I noticed this yesterday, and Nate took advantage today.

I agree about Nate's FJ betting strategy. Even if he had not seen James in action prior to their game, the fact that he won almost $2M in 24 games shows that James a)knows everything & b)bets big. $10K wasn't gonna cut it. I didn't work out the math to see if Nate was protecting 2nd place, but IMO if you're that close to a win you go for it. Even against James. 

I'm giving James the benefit of the doubt that he was slow to signal yesterday to give Liz a change to get out of the red. I didn't notice tonight, but I was multi-tasking so not paying 100% attention as I watched. 

[30 Helens]

I guess I don’t have as much James Fatigue as I thought, because I was rooting for him today! Props to Nate, though. He played an excellent game, and made it exciting. 

I noticed Nate was pulling from the bottom of the board, a la James. Have we reached the point yet where other players would have seen James play (other than in the audience while waiting their turn)? If not, will that happen before fall?

Also, does anyone know if they’ve stopped taping the season yet? And how long until the season finale? I’m usually so far behind in games that I don’t finish one season before the next begins, so I have no recollection of how far into the summer regular games go. I’ll say one thing for James, he’s forcing me to stay caught up!

[Toothbrush]

On 5/21/2019 at 11:45 PM, saber5055 said:

Flavor Flav had a chicken restaurant for a short while in Clinton, Iowa. I ate there once. So while I knew his chicken personally, I did not know his musical group.

I had no idea Flavor Flav ever had a chicken joint! I'm having a Seinfeld flashback of Kramer protesting the Kenny Rogers Chicken restaurant because of the bright neon sign & then getting hooked on the chicken. lol

On 5/21/2019 at 11:52 PM, saber5055 said:

That's worth two GFYs since that's more than James answered. So, GFYx2! *drinkdrink*

That hadn't occurred to me - where's my $2M???? 😂😂 I'll gratefully accept my 2 GFM drinks. 

On 5/22/2019 at 5:22 PM, Ailianna said:

I thought that he had something like $4800.  He has gotten it on the second $1000 clue several times, but last night wasn't one of them.

You're probably right. We're getting ready to move, so I'm trying to do a million other things while watching these days. 

[Mystery Author]

Does anyone know how much more $$ James has to win to reach the $2 Million?

[Mystery Author]

I think tonight was "the war of the buzzer." Mr. Author and I were both on the edge of our seats. When James hit the DD in the second round, we both said whew, thank the gods.

And that was BEFORE he answered the clue :)

[dcalley]

1 hour ago, 30 Helens said:

Also, does anyone know if they’ve stopped taping the season yet? And how long until the season finale?

Yes, they have (around April 17 per the description). The last episode of this season is July 26.

35 minutes ago, Mystery Author said:

Does anyone know how much more $$ James has to win to reach the $2 Million?

$8865 as of Thursday the 23rd.

[DrSpaceman]

He had him and blew it!

Needed to bet more in the second round when he got the DD.  I knew he underbid when he did it.  If he had bet 11 or 12K, could have won. 

If anything this proves James is not unbeatable.  Could have easily lost that game with different betting or if he had missed the second DD in DJ, there was no way he would have caught up.  Game was on the line right there. 

Almost to two million and then next week will be close to Ken's total I think

[ABay]

I was a few letters off on FJ. I knew Take the L Train didn't sound right but couldn't figure out the correct letter on time.

[Katy M]

6 hours ago, solarfire said:

Why would he not bet everything? (this is not a rhetorical question, I don't get his thinking). 

For FJ?  James was ahead and he knew that James would bet enough to cover Nate betting it all.  Nate knew his only chance was for James to get it wrong and to make sure he still had money.

[Etta Place]

36 minutes ago, Katy M said:

For FJ?  James was ahead and he knew that James would bet enough to cover Nate betting it all.  Nate knew his only chance was for James to get it wrong and to make sure he still had money.

Yes, I didn't do the math but I was assuming that Nate knew James would bet to cover, so betting it all wouldn't help him at all. His only chance was to bet to remain above what James would have if James got it wrong. (And to get it right himself, of course.)

[Prevailing Wind]

7 hours ago, Toothbrush said:

Dr. Toothbrush said he bets that's the last time James writes his name vertically

I noticed the other day he put an exclamation point after his name, so he was Jeopardy! James!

[hendersonrocks]

Quote

I noticed Nate was pulling from the bottom of the board, a la James. Have we reached the point yet where other players would have seen James play (other than in the audience while waiting their turn)? If not, will that happen before fall?

Nate and Laura were in the audience for the taping of the previous game and apparently agreed on strategy for beating James - pick from the bottom, hunt for and then do big bets on DDs, etc. It was reallllllly close to working for Nate. I think we might still be a ways out from people competing against James who would have seen his approach on TV.

ETA: Laura's name is not Liz!

Edited May 24, 2019 by hendersonrocks

[Clanstarling]

12 hours ago, Arkay said:

 I do agree with you about Alex. While I feel he's too much bending at the knee towards James , I do appreciate that Alex is enjoying this. My macabre thought is what if James goes on for so long and Alex is too ill to host....or even worse.....then he would never get to see how it turns out. That amplifies my wish for James to shortly lose to some spectacular player, or even to a one-and-done.

Ah man, that didn't even occur to me. Now I'm sad.

10 hours ago, Bastet said:

I did, too, to the point my brain somehow interpreted the clue as having said exercise, so I tried to remember the specific one and couldn't.

Me too. Sometimes the "simplest" clues stump me because I think the obvious answer was too easy and go for something more specific.

Before Double Jeopardy, I turned to the mister and said "Do you think this is the one?" It was an exciting game, but I didn't really root for anyone. I like James, but it's not like losing would tarnish his record breaking accomplishments. I simply liked that it was a contest - for all that I've enjoyed watching James blow everyone out of the water.

2 hours ago, DrSpaceman said:

He had him and blew it!

Needed to bet more in the second round when he got the DD.  I knew he underbid when he did it.  If he had bet 11 or 12K, could have won.

We were yelling at him from the couch, but he didn't listen to us.

Edited May 24, 2019 by Clanstarling

[Etta Place]

I think what I really like about this run, after seeing yesterday's game, is that it is going to force people to play to win. Really play to win. So many times in Jeopardy I watch people bet weakly, play to not-lose instead of to win, etc., and get so frustrated when it's rewarded.

There's no reward for that against James. You have got to play all-out, with as much confidence as you can muster. Go for it, and you can have no regrets when it's over no matter how it ends up. Betting $1000 or $2000 on a daily double and getting it right is the same as betting it all and getting it wrong against him. 

[Writing Wrongs]

I feel like James is toying with them (and me) in the first round. He always seems to pick up steam in Double Jeopardy.

I am now just trying to focus on testing my own knowledge and learning things I didn't know and not on how much I loathe him.

[peeayebee]

9 hours ago, solarfire said:

I had no clue what FJ was and wild guessed Hit the Road, Jack because that's the only "jazz" song I could think of.  Way off, but don't the name of jazz songs at all.

I always get surprised when what I consider common knowledge isn't actually common. I don't consider myself a jazz connoisseur, but it seems like Take the A Train is one of the most familiar songs. However, of course, that doesn't mean it's familiar to everyone. 

Quote

Is it my bias, or does it seems that James is a little slower off the mark these last few games?  A few times he waited several seconds before ringing in, so if the other players knew the answer, they could have rung in.  I noticed this yesterday, and Nate took advantage today.

I'm probably wrong, but it seems like James is giving the others a chance to buzz in. With all the experience he's had, it seems unlikely that someone can buzz in before him unless he doesn't know the answer, and he usually does. I'm sure he wants to reach $2M. Who wouldn't? But he may have reached the point where he feels bad for all the runaway games. 

I suppose he would love to beat Jennings' record.

[Trey]

Finally, an exciting game!

Nate should have bet it all in FJ, just in case James got it wrong - it was the only hope of beating James at that point.

A couple of ts's for me plus an instaget for FJ.  Not sure I would have got it if it had been an audio clue but I thought the clue pretty much laid it out.

[Katy M]

3 minutes ago, Trey said:

Nate should have bet it all in FJ, just in case James got it wrong - it was the only hope of beating James at that point.

If James had been wrong, Nate would have won with his wager.  I think he was wagering so he would win if they both got it wrong.  Not sure if he would have, didn't do that math myself.

[mostlylurking]

2 hours ago, Clanstarling said:

what if James goes on for so long and Alex is too ill to host....or even worse....

I never thought of that but with his type of cancer that is a possibility....this truly makes me sad.

[Trey]

7 minutes ago, Katy M said:

If James had been wrong, Nate would have won with his wager. 

You are correct.  I just checked over at JBoard.

I should have checked before I posted.

Edited May 24, 2019 by Trey

[Trillium]

His FJ wager was actually smart when you think it out. His mistake was not betting more on the second DD. He had the chance to put James away essentially and didn’t. James is beatable but people can’t leave him any room to come back. 

[freddi]

Sorry for not knowing the language, but what is TS?  I can see what you all mean by it, but have not been able to figure out what it stands for.

Agree that whoever beats James will do it with gutsy betting along with enough right answers, and a Nate with more nerve about betting it all would do that. But contestants don’t have our advantage of seeing how James takes such leaps via the amount of his bets. 

[hendersonrocks]

Quote

Sorry for not knowing the language, but what is TS?

Triple Stumper!

[MrAtoz]

Maybe James is getting tired.  He seemed really off his game, or maybe Nate was just as quick as he is on the buzzer.  I've always figured that if James loses, it will likely be on a Thursday or Friday game, when he'll be getting fatigued at the end of a long day (or two days!) of filming.

Nate really should have bet more than $6,000 on that second Daily Double.  He had the possibility of getting an almost insurmountable lead if he had gone all in.  That's the way that you beat James, and $6,000 isn't going to cut it.  And it's an indication of how much James has changed the game, that a Daily Double bet of $6,000 has become a timid wager.  In the old days, that would have been a pretty sizable bet.

Of course, Nate also could have put the game away if he had found the final Daily Double, but you can't count on that happening.  You've got to go for the big money when you've got the chance.

[dcalley]

J-Archive.com has a wagering calculator that says Nate should have bet between $10,801 and $15,000 (he bet $10,000).

[NYCFree]

I have minimal jazz knowledge, but have lived in NYC for most of my 52 years, so FJ was an instaget. 

My son sometimes watches with us, so I asked him last night if “he wanted to watch James win two million dollars.” In the middle of the game he angrily accused me of “jinxing” James. I am forbidden to comment on tonight’s game.

[Bastet]

1 hour ago, freddi said:

Sorry for not knowing the language, but what is TS?  

This has been answered, but for additional help: In the event of any other what the heck are these people saying? moments of confusion while reading the forum, here is a glossary of frequently-used abbreviations.

[DEL901]

1 hour ago, MrAtoz said:

Maybe James is getting tired.  He seemed really off his game, or maybe Nate was just as quick as he is on the buzzer.  I've always figured that if James loses, it will likely be on a Thursday or Friday game, when he'll be getting fatigued at the end of a long day (or two days!) of filming.

I agree.  Also, the audience includes all the players who are scheduled for the "week", since they shoot 5 episodes in one day.  Anyone playing Thursday or Friday has seen James steamroll the competition three or four times, so they have time to mentally prepare and adjust their strategy.  The question is, can any of them be as successful at it as James.  He's not just fast with the buzzer and aggressive with his DJ wagers, but he has an amazing breadth of knowledge.

BTW, I can believe I'm checking Reddit everyday to get the spoiler results for a tv game show that was filmed months ago.  James it making it all very exciting.

Edited May 24, 2019 by DEL901

[Katy M]

3 hours ago, Trillium said:

His FJ wager was actually smart when you think it out. His mistake was not betting more on the second DD. He had the chance to put James away essentially and didn’t. James is beatable but people can’t leave him any room to come back. 

Of course, it's easy to say he should bet it all while we're sitting at home.  But, then if he hadn't known the answer he would have blown his lead.  If he had managed to get that last daily double, that would have been the real game changer.

[Bastet]

15 minutes ago, Katy M said:

Of course, it's easy to say he should bet it all while we're sitting at home.  But, then if he hadn't known the answer he would have blown his lead. 

Right.  I think he had around $12k at the time and James around $6k, and he bet $6k (if I don't have the approximate numbers right, I'm pretty sure I'm right on him betting half of what he could have).  He bet so that if he got it right, he doubled his lead, but if he got it wrong, he would be about equal with James, and it would be a race to the finish from there, rather than him having to climb out of a hole.

When he landed on that DD, I said, "Go for it," meaning bet it all, but - especially in light of his overall game play - I'm certainly not putting the choice he made in the "timid wagering" or "poor strategy" categories.

[Katy M]

11 minutes ago, Bastet said:

Right.  I think he had around $12k at the time and James around $6k, and he bet $6k (if I don't have the approximate numbers right, I'm pretty sure I'm right on him betting half of what he could have).  He bet so that if he got it right, he doubled his lead, but if he got it wrong, he would be about equal with James, and it would be a race to the finish from there, rather than him having to climb out of a hole.

That's pretty much how I remember it also.  James got the next few clues correct, hit the daily double, bet it all, and was still a tad behind (for about two more questions).  Then, I think they see-sawed back and forth for a bit.  And, this from a person who never pays much attention to the players' scores since she's too busy keeping track of her own.  I was pretty into that game.

[Toothbrush]

2 hours ago, NYCFree said:

My son sometimes watches with us, so I asked him last night if “he wanted to watch James win two million dollars.” In the middle of the game he angrily accused me of “jinxing” James. I am forbidden to comment on tonight’s game.

You're not the only James jinxer. Before we watched I told my husband that James needed less than $63,000 to make it to the $2M mark, so "no problem" ooops

[Never Again]

19 hours ago, Arkay said:

My macabre thought is what if James goes on for so long and Alex is too ill to host....or even worse.....then he would never get to see how it turns out. 

That’s too sad to even contemplate!

well, this season is already wrapped so even though we don’t know the results, Alex does.  The only issue would be if James wins out, then they break for summer, will Alex be able to continue hosting once they start filming again 

I truly hope he can and does.  And I truly hope James is there to play and make Alex happy 

[Browncoat]

Total mental flatulence on FJ tonight, and a "d'oh!" moment when the correct response was revealed.  I should have known it, but just couldn't come up with it at all.  Boo, hiss.

[Katy M]

I got FJ right.

I did horribly in double jeopardy.

In the adverb category I said maternally instead of matronly, or vice-versa.  Now I don't even remember.

The bible DD was hard.  Pruning shears.  I would have never gotten that, and yes, I do read the Bible.  

[Conotocarious]

And now we see the downside to risky betting to try and dethrone James. You can end up booted for FJ. You have to actually know the answers.

Edited May 25, 2019 by Conotocarious

[mostlylurking]

So obviously it didn't matter but why didn't the lady just bet it all??  She's still going to be in second regardless.  With moves like that I just can't feel badly for most of the contestants that lose to James. I mean you literally have nothing to lose lady.  Just go for it.

Edited May 25, 2019 by mostlylurking

[AuntiePam]

18 hours ago, solarfire said:

Is it my bias, or does it seems that James is a little slower off the mark these last few games?  A few times he waited several seconds before ringing in, so if the other players knew the answer, they could have rung in.  I noticed this yesterday, and Nate took advantage today.

Maybe.  I thought James was hiding in the weeds in Thursday's game (the game with Nate).  (Is that the right term -- "hiding in the weeds"?)  Anyway, it seemed like he was deliberately holding off, not buzzing in on some low-value questions that he certainly would have known.  Could he be wanting to make the game more interesting, for himself if not for us?

[Katy M]

7 minutes ago, mostlylurking said:

So obviously it didn't matter but why didn't the lady just bet it all??  She's still going to be in second regardless.  With moves like that I just can't feel badly for most of the contestants that lose to James. I mean you literally have nothing to lose lady.  Just go for it.

You answered your own question.  It didn't matter.  I'd rather end up with money on the board than a big fat 0.

The guy did a true daily double and lost and then did a $2,000 when he was in the red and I think got that one wrong, too.  He did what you wanted.  Where did that get him?

[mostlylurking]

19 minutes ago, Katy M said:

You answered your own question.  It didn't matter.  I'd rather end up with money on the board than a big fat 0.

The guy did a true daily double and lost and then did a $2,000 when he was in the red and I think got that one wrong, too.  He did what you wanted.  Where did that get him?

I get it but for me that's even more reason to go for it.  She's going to get 2k regardless.  It's a once in a lifetime experience.  Live a little!  At least the guy went for it, went big.  And went home but he was going home anyway.

Edited May 25, 2019 by mostlylurking

[Conotocarious]

20 minutes ago, mostlylurking said:

I get it but for me that's even more reason to go for it.  Its a once in a lifetime experience.  Live a little!  At least the guy went for it, went big.  And went home but he was going hime anyway.

He was a better player than her and should have finished second. But he didn’t. 

Edited May 25, 2019 by Conotocarious

[Katy M]

14 minutes ago, mostlylurking said:

I get it but for me that's even more reason to go for it.  She's going to get 2k regardless.  It's a once in a lifetime experience.  Live a little!  At least the guy went for it, went big.  And went home but he was going home anyway.

I just don't understand how betting it all is "going for it" when there is literally nothing to win or lose.  

[Abstract]

Ack! A big DD in a Bible category and I didn't get it. I mean, pruning hook did cross my mind, but I thought "no way, that's too weird." Apparently it was lurking in the dark recesses of my brain and I should trust that. And I've got to switch Bible versions back to King James because that's all Jeopardy writers care about.

Just imagine, if Nate had bet like Sam, he'd have been in the champion's seat tonight. However, he has received the royal blessing of Prince Ken telling him he played a great game, so I will not criticize him.

(Jeopardy royalty: Alex Trebek is King. Brad and Ken are the princes, soon to be joined by Prince James. The Grand Duchesses are Larissa, Julia, and Pam. I haven't carried it out any further than that.)

Edited May 25, 2019 by Abstract
The Duchesses are grand

[mostlylurking]

6 minutes ago, Conotocarious said:

He was a better player and should have finished second. But he didn’t. 

I don't think he was actually.  He guessed a lot incorrectly.  I don't think it really matters who finishes second or third.  Especially when you only have a thousand and change to begin with.  Actually these two contestants made out..they ended up with 1k and 2k!  Better than what they earned on their own.  

[Bliss]

6 minutes ago, Abstract said:

Ack! A big DD in a Bible category and I didn't get it. I mean, pruning hook did cross my mind, but I thought "no way, that's too weird." Apparently it was lurking in the dark recesses of my brain and I should trust that. And I've got to switch Bible versions back to King James because that's all Jeopardy writers care about.

Just imagine, if Nate had bet like Sam, he'd have been in the champion's seat tonight. However, he has received the royal blessing of Prince Ken telling him he played a great game, so I will not criticize him.

(Jeopardy royalty: Alex Trebek is King. Brad and Ken are the princes, soon to be joined by Prince James. The Duchesses are Larissa, Julia, and Pam. I haven't carried it out any further than that.)

And the jester is Austin Rogers? 😉

[mostlylurking]

10 minutes ago, Katy M said:

I just don't understand how betting it all is "going for it" when there is literally nothing to win or lose.  

Because why not??  There is nothing to lose your are correct, but you could throw caution to the wind for once in your life and not face any consequences.  I just think it would be fun.  Just a matter of opinion.

[Kerri Okie]

13 hours ago, ABay said:

I was a few letters off on FJ. I knew Take the L Train didn't sound right but couldn't figure out the correct letter on time.

I said L Train too, and I also knew it was wrong.

[SpiritSong]

I could not get Sundance out of my head for FJ, though I was pretty sure it wasn't right. But it was closer than the Vegas Strip! LOL So glad James changed that answer. I really enjoyed seeing him go over $2,000,000, and I'm looking forward to him surpassing Ken's total.

[Etta Place]

1 hour ago, Katy M said:

The guy did a true daily double and lost and then did a $2,000 when he was in the red and I think got that one wrong, too.  He did what you wanted.  Where did that get him?

Essentially the same place it would have gotten him had he bet less and gotten it right - losing. (And yes, he could have potentially ended up in second, but it’s ultimately the same thing: not winning.)