Jeopardy! Season 35 (2018-2019)

[peeayebee]

I did not know the answers to either of Sam's DDs. Poor guy. I'm always a little miffed when the DDs are very easy. James certainly is knowledgeable, but I think most of his DDs were quite easy, which makes it easy to build your bank when you bet it all. But, like I said, poor Sam.

The only TS I got was Civic, which happened to be my first, second, and third cars. 

I couldn't come up with FJ and figured once it was revealed I'd have a big DOH moment. Yup. DOH!

[freddi]

I really need to learn to stop looking at newspaper home pages for the three hours before Jeopardy airs on the West Coast.  I know to stay away from social media, but late this afternoon, the New York Times had a headline of "$2 Million:  James Holzhauer", so I knew how this would go.  

Has James ever had both other contestants in the red at the same time, which happened tonight?  I wondered if they still would do FJ if James were the only contestant left.  I'm guessing yes, but he just would be betting for/against himself.  

[Toothbrush]

Congrats to James! 

I found today's games more difficult than usual. I didn't get either of Steve's DDs & I think the only category I ran was Queen Victoria (Happy 200th Birthday!). It took me a sec to get Sundance out of my head for FJ, even knowing full well it's in UT, but Sun Valley came to me in time. 

25 minutes ago, peeayebee said:

I did not know the answers to either of Sam's DDs. Poor guy. I'm always a little miffed when the DDs are very easy. James certainly is knowledgeable, but I think most of his DDs were quite easy, which makes it easy to build your bank when you bet it all. But, like I said, poor Sam.

I agree on all counts. 

5 minutes ago, freddi said:

I wondered if they still would do FJ if James were the only contestant left.  I'm guessing yes, but he just would be betting for/against himself.  

There would still be FJ with James up there by his lonesome, & it wouldn't surprise me one bit if it eventually happens before James leaves. 

[opus]

8 minutes ago, freddi said:

  I wondered if they still would do FJ if James were the only contestant left.  I'm guessing yes, but he just would be betting for/against himself.  

One contestant FJ happened a few years ago

[suebee12]

1 hour ago, SpiritSong said:

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 actually don't think he changed his answer. I think he added the Vegas reference later, maybe since he cannot do shout outs anymore. Anyone else think this? Wasn't the Las Vegas strip under the correct answer with no real room to have added Sun Valley over it?(Oh, I got this one right away because of the Idaho part of the question) another reason that I don't think James answered wrong...he knows Las Vegas is not in Idaho! And the Las Vegas part was "scribbled" like it was written swiftly while the rest of the question was in James' usual neat handwriting!

[SpiritSong]

2 minutes ago, suebee12 said:

I actually don't think he changed his answer. I think he added the Vegas reference later, maybe since he cannot do shout outs anymore. Anyone else think this? Wasn't the Las Vegas strip under the correct answer with no real room to have added Sun Valley over it?(Oh, I got this one right away because of the Idaho part of the question) another reason that I don't think James answered wrong...he knows Las Vegas is not in Idaho! And the Las Vegas part was "scribbled" like it was written swiftly while the rest of the question was in James' usual neat handwriting!

You know, that is probably what happened. He is way too smart not to know his states. But he might be playing with fire with little games like that, though I guess they do let you cross out answers and write in another one. It seems a little dishonest though, if he's doing it just to give a shout out.

[Arkay]

13 minutes ago, suebee12 said:

I actually don't think he changed his answer. I think he added the Vegas reference later, maybe since he cannot do shout outs anymore. Anyone else think this? Wasn't the Las Vegas strip under the correct answer with no real room to have added Sun Valley over it?(Oh, I got this one right away because of the Idaho part of the question) another reason that I don't think James answered wrong...he knows Las Vegas is not in Idaho! And the Las Vegas part was "scribbled" like it was written swiftly while the rest of the question was in James' usual neat handwriting!

Agree one million percent. He lives in Vegas and this was a sneaky way of giving a shout out to Vegas, which he obviously knows is in Nevada. Nobody in America, nor probably half the world, would think Vegas is in Idaho.  It was so blatant that I can't believe Alex chuckled and the show did not attempt to edit it out somehow. Another reason I dislike James. He does think the game is beneath him and he can flout the rules in such an obvious way. 

[Toothbrush]

No doubt Las Vegas strip was a sneaky shoutout, but I don't think James did it to flout the rules. I think he was happy to be going over the $2M mark & was having a bit of cheeky fun. Otherwise we'd be seeing Happy Birthday Mom/Dad/Grandma/Uncle Bob below his 'real' answer on a regular basis. 

Edited May 25, 2019 by Toothbrush

[suebee12]

1 minute ago, Toothbrush said:

No doubt Las Vegas strip was a sneaky shoutout, but I don't think James did it to flout the rules. I think he was happy to be going over the $2M mark & was having a bit of cheeky fun.

I think that also! I like James and I was happy for him today and I think he was happy, too. The scribble looked hurried and an after thought...nothing malicious on his part.

[Bastet]

6 minutes ago, Toothbrush said:

Otherwise we'd be seeing Happy Birthday Mom/Dad/Grandma/Uncle Bob below his 'real' answer on a regular basis. 

Yeah, they told him to knock that off (well, told everyone, but it was obviously in response to his litany of FJ shout-outs), which is why that Happy Birthday Everyone I've Ever Known routine stopped.  So it sounds like (I wasn't home, so didn't see his response and am just going off postings here) this was his way of getting in yet another Vegas shout-out without breaking the seriously, we mean it emphasis on the standard "no superfluous writing" admonition.

Edited May 25, 2019 by Bastet

[freddi]

I totally thought the Las Vegas answer was an attempt to toy with the rules.  And I suspect they will clamp down on that, unless he really has a mistake to cross out.  What word is Las Vegas is “bright”, like the final answer required?  It’s not just the state that was wrong!  

7 minutes ago, Bastet said:

Yeah, they told him to knock that off, which is why that routine has stopped.  So it sounds like (I wasn't home, so didn't see his response and am just going off postings here) this was his way of getting in a shout-out without breaking the "seriously, we mean it" emphasis on the standard "no superfluous writing" admonition.

[theatremouse]

36 minutes ago, freddi said:

What word is Las Vegas is “bright”, like the final answer required?  It’s not just the state that was wrong!  

I think he was banking on the notion that he drew a complete blank on the actual answer and jokingly wrote the strip because the strip is definitely bright, because it'd be wrong either way so why not be wrong in a funny/shoutout way, but then "remembered" the right answer and wrote it above.

[freddi]

No, it was not a bright location, it was “resort area with a bright name”.   Like “Sun”.  I doubt they will let him do that again.  He was clearly trying to do what they had prohibited. 

1 hour ago, theatremouse said:

I think he was banking on the notion that he drew a complete blank on the actual answer and jokingly wrote the strip because the strip is definitely bright, because it'd be wrong either way so why not be wrong in a funny/shoutout way, but then "remembered" the right answer and wrote it above.

[Katy M]

6 hours ago, theatremouse said:

I think he was banking on the notion that he drew a complete blank on the actual answer and jokingly wrote the strip because the strip is definitely bright, because it'd be wrong either way so why not be wrong in a funny/shoutout way, but then "remembered" the right answer and wrote it above.

That's what I think also.  We have seen James get questions wrong, including  FJ.  It's quite possible he blanked, decided to write a joke answer and as he was writing remembered.  

[Prevailing Wind]

8 hours ago, freddi said:

I wondered if they still would do FJ if James were the only contestant left.  I'm guessing yes, but he just would be betting for/against himself.  

Isn't that what he's already doing for the most part? (Nate & Adam notwithstanding...)

I, too, think he was trying to be cute with his Las Vegas shout-out.

[SHD]

I felt bad for the middle guy but he sure had a good attitude. When Alex announced he was in the red by $2,000+, he kind of laughingly said, “Cool...” 

Add me to those who think James’ FJ answer was a shoutout. I mean, the correct answer was written huge and on top and the “wrong answer” was squeezed in at the bottom. 

[Clanstarling]

11 hours ago, SpiritSong said:

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.

I was completely blank, and my husband was trying to guide me by saying "my band had the big gig there...." - which just goes to show I didn't pay attention to where his biggest gig was, except that it was in Idaho - so I said Cour DeLaine (sp?) because I have no idea what the name means. Now, if I'd gone with him, I would have gotten it. I had more fun at home though.
 

10 hours ago, suebee12 said:

I actually don't think he changed his answer. I think he added the Vegas reference later, maybe since he cannot do shout outs anymore. Anyone else think this? Wasn't the Las Vegas strip under the correct answer with no real room to have added Sun Valley over it?(Oh, I got this one right away because of the Idaho part of the question) another reason that I don't think James answered wrong...he knows Las Vegas is not in Idaho! And the Las Vegas part was "scribbled" like it was written swiftly while the rest of the question was in James' usual neat handwriting!

I agree.

As for him being told to knock it off or else - how would they enforce it? It's not like they're going to throw their biggest ratings grabber off the show or deny him money he won. Just curious as to what the actual consequences might be.

Edited May 25, 2019 by Clanstarling

[zoey1996]

12 minutes ago, Clanstarling said:

I was completely blank, and my husband was trying to guide me by saying "my band had the big gig there...." - which just goes to show I didn't pay attention to where his biggest gig was, except that it was in Idaho - so I said Cour DeLaine (sp?) because I have no idea what the name means.

Coeur d'Alene, Idaho was named after tribe of Native Americans.  I know Coeur is French for heart, but I had to google to get the full meaning, heart of an awl.  It refers to the sharp trading skills when dealing with outsiders mainly.

[hendersonrocks]

Quote

I found today's games more difficult than usual.

Same here. It was a really bad group of categories for me, with the exception of the hip hop one. Bring on Snoop and Dr. Dre all day long!

I got Sundance in my head right away and couldn't get it out - didn't even think of Sun Valley. 

[peeayebee]

As I was trying to remember the name of the "bright" resort city, I briefly considered Edison. Just a wild stab in the dark, so to speak. But Edison didn't sound like a resort name, and I knew that was wrong. I knew I'd slap my forehead when I heard the answer.

[Moose135]

2 hours ago, Clanstarling said:

As for him being told to knock it off or else - how would they enforce it? It's not like they're going to throw their biggest ratings grabber off the show or deny him money he won. Just curious as to what the actual consequences might be.

You rule the response incorrect, and he loses the money he wagered.  He still wins the game, wins a bucket of bucks, just not as much, and you hope he learns his lesson.  If he doesn't, you repeat the process until he does.

[Clanstarling]

37 minutes ago, Moose135 said:

You rule the response incorrect, and he loses the money he wagered.  He still wins the game, wins a bucket of bucks, just not as much, and you hope he learns his lesson.  If he doesn't, you repeat the process until he does.

I see...of course, it would be a tricky balancing act - do it too often (or even once might even be enough for some of the viewing audience) and Jeopardy looks like assholes, which puts them more at risk than a contestant who's brought them a ton of positive publicity.

[Prevailing Wind]

The other unusual thing James did was tell AT he finally realized being a Jeopardy! contestant was a viable career. I did, indeed, laugh out loud at that. Alex's expression in response was perfect.

[Abstract]

30 minutes ago, Prevailing Wind said:

The other unusual thing James did was tell AT he finally realized being a Jeopardy! contestant was a viable career. I did, indeed, laugh out loud at that. Alex's expression in response was perfect.

That was funny, though he actually said "palatable" career. I feel pretty sure he meant viable though. 

[peeayebee]

I thought palatable was a strange word choice, but he may have intended it, meaning it was a job that would appeal to him.

[Gimmick Genius]

I also noted James' cheeky call-back to a previous interview segment a few weeks ago: "Who is Dr. Dree?" I can't think of the entire anecdote but it refered to his father, who had Dr. Dre in his reading vocabulary but not his speaking vocabulary. That was a slight risk; what if they called it wrong on pronunciation; "Oooh, sorry it's Dray, not Dree..."?

[Arkay]

56 minutes ago, Gimmick Genius said:

I also noted James' cheeky call-back to a previous interview segment a few weeks ago: "Who is Dr. Dree?" I can't think of the entire anecdote but it refered to his father, who had Dr. Dre in his reading vocabulary but not his speaking vocabulary. That was a slight risk; what if they called it wrong on pronunciation; "Oooh, sorry it's Dray, not Dree..."?

I noticed that, as well, and had the same thought. We have all heard Alex (or the judges) rule someone incorrect for mispronunciation, which is more of the reason that I believe James is getting too much of the kid glove treatment.

It is a longtime Jeopardy rule that there should be nothing written in Final Jeopardy other than the response. James wasn't the first to sneak something in, but since he's lasted so long, they eventually had to shut him down with that.  Therefore, when he did his little fakeout with Vegas, everyone knew that he had just flippantly decided to do it anyway (under the guise of an obviously false wrong answer). It's the same subversive streak that enabled him to not only skip much of school, but to broadcast that on national TV. 

I understand very well that James is the Jeopardy Wunderkind and a total bonanza for the show, and that his unorthodox style of play is totally legit and a very crafty plan. That does NOT mean that he should be allowed to flout the rules of a show that's been on since before James was born.

What's next? He won't answer in the form of a question, and Alex will chuckle? 

Edited May 25, 2019 by Arkay

[Katy M]

14 minutes ago, Arkay said:

I noticed that, as well, and had the same thought. We have all heard Alex (or the judges) rule someone incorrect for mispronunciation, which is more of the reason that I believe James is getting too much of the kid glove treatment.

You are only ruled wrong for mispronunciation (I never realized how hard of a word that is to type) if you change letters.  If you pronounce it the way it looks, you won't be ruled incorrectly.  

[Clanstarling]

3 hours ago, Abstract said:

That was funny, though he actually said "palatable" career. I feel pretty sure he meant viable though. 

I'm pretty sure he meant palatable - given that he's gone out of his way to avoid traditional careers.

[Gimmick Genius]

1 hour ago, Clanstarling said:

I'm pretty sure he meant palatable - given that he's gone out of his way to avoid traditional careers.

Palatable in that he could stand it (or "stomach" it) over time. There are plenty of "viable," even lucrative careers that wouldn't be as "tasty" to an unconventional guy like James. 

[Never Again]

2 hours ago, Arkay said:

That does NOT mean that he should be allowed to flout the rules of a show that's been on since before James was born.

 What's next? He won't answer in the form of a question, and Alex will chuckle? 

Likely he’ll say, “hey champ, well give you a few extra seconds, please rephrase that in the form of a question”

I jest.  James will never do that.  

[Katy M]

6 minutes ago, Rbonnie said:

Likely he’ll say, “hey champ, well give you a few extra seconds, please rephrase that in the form of a question”

I jest.  James will never do that.  

Well, they don't penalize you in the first round, they do in the second.

I don't think James is getting special treatment in whether or not his answers are ruled correctly or incorrectly.

[GenerationX]

I guessed Harlem Nocturne for FJ on Thursday.

If James was in FJ by himself, his bet would be $1 away from going all-in.

[DrSpaceman]

What was the last FJ James missed?

So over 2 million, Ken Jennings regular game earnings is up next.  I think it beats that. 

After that a race to the all time earnings record, what is that like 4.5 million or so?  I give him 50/50 odds to do it, but would have to be next season I think.

[kathyk2]

10 hours ago, hendersonrocks said:

Same here. It was a really bad group of categories for me, with the exception of the hip hop one. Bring on Snoop and Dr. Dre all day long!

I got Sundance in my head right away and couldn't get it out - didn't even think of Sun Valley. 

Me too I love music but hate opera and hip-hop. I knew Final Jeopardy quickly.

[Abstract]

1 hour ago, DrSpaceman said:

What was the last FJ James missed?

So over 2 million, Ken Jennings regular game earnings is up next.  I think it beats that. 

After that a race to the all time earnings record, what is that like 4.5 million or so?  I give him 50/50 odds to do it, but would have to be next season I think.

I don't think he's missed one since Jane Fonda.

And the big number is $4,888,440 (All-Star tournament winnings bumped it up a bit). According to internet number crunchers, if James continues at his current pace, he would reach this number by the second episode of Season 36.

[GenerationX]

One-Day Highest Total before James:  $77,000

James' AVERAGE win:  $78,413

I wondered how they were going to score FJ, as the full name is actually "Game of Life", which I had as an instaget.

[Katy M]

You know you're an idiot when you answer "northeasternest."  I had another really stupid answer in that category which was close but not right, but I don't remember what it was.  I just remembered, postpresidency.   I needed more time to count letters.

I said Monopoly for FJ.  I considered Life, but didn't think it was right.  

[SeanC]

James’ rampage continues.

At this point the contestants are basically saying it was an honour to lose to him.

[Browncoat]

I immediately thought of Life, but, like Alex, found it hard to believe it's been around that long.  But it made the most sense to me, particularly with a "Suicide" square ending your game.  I don't think I'd like that version very much!

[Katy M]

1 minute ago, Browncoat said:

I immediately thought of Life, but, like Alex, found it hard to believe it's been around that long.  But it made the most sense to me, particularly with a "Suicide" square ending your game.  I don't think I'd like that version very much!

I thought maybe there was a suicide square on Monopoly because you lost all your money and had to jump off a building.  Any game with a suicide square doesn't sound like too much fun to me.

What would the temperance square be?  No more drinking?  You automatically win because you stop making bad choices. LOL.

[Trillium]

Damn, 19th century Life was a dark game. That was my guess because I couldn’t think of another game it could have been. 

[Arkay]

Yes, James' speed and breadth of knowledge are stunning. I'm still sick of him. Primarily because he continues to do sneaky little things, like saying "Hi, Natasha" before he gave his response in one of the categories. He's just determined to do his shoutouts, no matter what. I find this highly irritating!

[SHD]

36 minutes ago, Katy M said:

I said Monopoly for FJ.  I considered Life, but didn't think it was right.  

Ditto. I didn’t think Life was that old.

[Abstract]

1 hour ago, SeanC said:

James’ rampage continues.

At this point the contestants are basically saying it was an honour to lose to him.

There's a quote that keeps going through my head, "It's an honor to die at the hands of the king," but I can't find the source of it anywhere and now I wonder if I've just been having weird dreams again. 

Monica was obviously having a good time (and she confirmed that on Reddit). I mean, at this point it's probably like the retired guy who plays golf twice a week getting to play 18 holes with Tiger. You know you're going to get stomped, but you get to see greatness up close.

I think I've changed my mind about Clue Crew being a great job after seeing Sarah in the bee suit. Yikes.

I almost said Monopoly for FJ, but was pretty sure that was an early-1900s invention. 

Edited May 28, 2019 by Abstract

[Arkay]

8 minutes ago, Abstract said:

There's a quote that keeps going through my head, "It's an honor to die at the hands of the king," but I can't find the source of it anywhere and now I wonder if I've just been having weird dreams again. 

Monica was obviously having a good time (and she confirmed that on Reddit). I mean, at this point it's probably like the retired guy who plays golf twice a week getting to play 18 holes with Tiger. You know you're going to get stomped, but you get to see greatness up close.

Perhaps you're thinking of "We who are about to die salute you," which allegedly was said by the victims of the emperor Claudius. I suppose some of James' competitors may feel this way! 

I disagree with your example of Tiger Woods, because in your example the retired guy plays twice a week and suddenly has to play against Tiger. These Jeopardy contestants aren't doing this twice a week---it's their one shot of a lifetime. YMMV

[DEL901]

1 hour ago, SeanC said:

James’ rampage continues.

At this point the contestants are basically saying it was an honour to lose to him.

2/3rds of contestants are going to lose regardless of who they play against.   There’s only one winner.   If you are going to lose, might as well be against one of the best ever.    Makes a great anecdote.    

[Abstract]

14 minutes ago, Arkay said:

Perhaps you're thinking of "We who are about to die salute you," which allegedly was said by the victims of the emperor Claudius. I suppose some of James' competitors may feel this way! 

I disagree with your example of Tiger Woods, because in your example the retired guy plays twice a week and suddenly has to play against Tiger. These Jeopardy contestants aren't doing this twice a week---it's their one shot of a lifetime. YMMV

Not "We who are about to die salute you," that was already occupying space in my memory. That was the gladiators' greeting to the emperor, right?

Yeah, I see where my golf analogy falls short. It works for someone like Monica, who went into it actually hoping to meet a champion on a 3-5 day streak so she wouldn't have so much pressure. Not so much if "winning on Jeopardy" is on the bucket list.

[rhys]

Add me to the Monopoly list even tho it doesn't make a lot of sense. I guess I didn't think *any* board games were that old.

I'm still enjoying James. I do get puzzled as to his knack for locating the Dds. I assume it's just odds (heh), but he's almost got xray vision or something to see beneath the card/screen.

I'm a bridge player so it was nice to hear he plays.

[Abstract]

9 minutes ago, rhys said:

I'm still enjoying James. I do get puzzled as to his knack for locating the Dds. I assume it's just odds (heh), but he's almost got xray vision or something to see beneath the card/screen.

Supposedly the DD are more likely to be found in serious topics than so-called frivolous categories.