Jeopardy! Season 35 (2018-2019)

[EtheltoTillie]

Emma is a great player so it was an exciting match. I hope she stays around for awhile. 

I was spoiled in the middle of the night with a phone news flash about the leak. Long before it aired even those morning markets. Oh well. I was expecting a spoiler.  I knew there would be no way people wouldn’t want to leak if they were paid or just for the thrill of doing it. 

[mwell345]

7 hours ago, mojoween said:

People were saying this on Twitter...to a reply that James himself wrote.  I mean, it takes a certain type of asshole to say that he threw it right to a guy’s FACE.

Also people were being shitheads about Emma so I hope she never ever goes on Twitter.

Since then, I have read an explanation as to why he bet so little and it makes sense:

"Contestants in  (Emma) Boettcher’s situation almost always bet enough to beat the second-place contestant if the latter wagers everything. So Boettcher, predictably, wagered $20,201 — enough to guarantee she’d win the game if she answered correctly, preventing Holzhauer from beating her by risking everything.

Holzhauer undoubtedly knows how Jeopardy! contestants bet, so he knew he was extraordinarily unlikely to win if both he and Boettcher got the final. As such, his $1,399 represented the smart play.

The wager ensured that Holzhauer would win if he answered correctly and Boettcher did not, assuming she bet more than $1801 — which, again, contestants in her situation almost always do. Holzauer’s bet ensured he would also finish with at least $1 more than Sexton regardless of the Final Jeopardy! outcome.

So, to recap: Holzhauer knew he was done if Boettcher answered correctly. He bet $1,399 because it meant he would almost certainly win if she did not. He explained as much in an interview with Action Network:

    “I knew I could only win if Emma missed Final Jeopardy, as there was no way she wouldn’t bet to cover my all-in bet,” Holzhauer told The Action Network. “So my only concern was getting overtaken by third place, and I bet just enough to make sure of locking him out. Betting big would have looked good for the cameras, but now I turn my straight bet (Emma misses) into a parlay (Emma misses and I get it right).”

https://ftw.usatoday.com/2019/06/why-james-holzhauers-small-final-jeopardy-bet-made-total-sense

Edited June 4, 2019 by mwell345

[floridamom]

I'm not an expert on Jeopardy or betting but even I thought James was not up to par last night. He genuinely seemed sad. I wondered if the producers 'spoke' with him and let him know that he had 'won enough money already'....to pass the Jeopardy crown or something like that. He seemed deflated. I wondered why he didn't bet the whole enchilada. He did answer the question correctly. I think the ratings will dip a bit now because the excitement of James has come to an end. Anyone else think this?

[Trillium]

57 minutes ago, floridamom said:

I'm not an expert on Jeopardy or betting but even I thought James was not up to par last night. He genuinely seemed sad. I wondered if the producers 'spoke' with him and let him know that he had 'won enough money already'....to pass the Jeopardy crown or something like that. He seemed deflated. I wondered why he didn't bet the whole enchilada. He did answer the question correctly. I think the ratings will dip a bit now because the excitement of James has come to an end. Anyone else think this?

No. Read the post directly above you about his betting strategy. 

[Katy M]

1 hour ago, floridamom said:

I'm not an expert on Jeopardy or betting but even I thought James was not up to par last night. He genuinely seemed sad. I wondered if the producers 'spoke' with him and let him know that he had 'won enough money already'....to pass the Jeopardy crown or something like that. He seemed deflated. I wondered why he didn't bet the whole enchilada. He did answer the question correctly. I think the ratings will dip a bit now because the excitement of James has come to an end. Anyone else think this?

Producers trying to influence the game is completely illegal.  There is no way that  a popular long-running show like Jeopardy would put themselves in jeopardy like that.

Plus, you seem to be contradicting yourself.  Why would the producers try to force something that would bring ratings down?

Edited June 4, 2019 by Katy M

[BucFan]

I think the gal who won looks like the female version of James. 

[DrSpaceman]

Well a close match and he couldn't pull it out. 

I thought the new champion messed up with the relatively small $3K bet on the second DD.  But she managed to stay ahead. 

I had no idea on FJ. 

Just short of Kens earnings record.  I thought for sure he would at least beat that.

When is the next TOC?  Is it this fall?

Will be odd for him because over the 4 days he would have to be in to win the tournament, he would ONLY make $250K.  Less than he would in four regular games for him

[Conotocarious]

If James seemed subdued or sad it was probably a combo of being tired and also shock at Alex’s diagnosis, which had just been announced. I know I was so sad and stunned at the announcement and Lots of other people were as well. 

But he actually played pretty well. He just didn’t get the last two daily doubles and that sunk him (obviously combined with the fact that Emma answered them correctly.) He didn’t throw anything and it makes no sense whatsoever that he’d ever consider that. 

[PaulaO]

I also thought the clue was a shout out to H.R. Pufnstuf.  I think the clue also contained “your friend when things get tough.”

[TaraS1]

I could've done without James jumping into frame a nanosecond after Emma beat him (his congrats could've waited a bit, and it looked like he startled her), but I'm just happy he's gone.  Thank you, Emma!

The get well card was very sweet, though.

[zoey1996]

7 hours ago, Pallida said:

I don’t think anybody has pointed out that James was wearing a purple ribbon (pancreatic cancer awareness) on this episode too. 

I noticed he was wearing a ribbon, but on my tv, it looked black.  Your explanation is helpful.

[MrAtoz]

It occurs to me that if James and Emma had both gotten Final Jeopardy wrong, James would have won, and today everybody would be talking about how smart and savvy he was for betting such a small amount.  Instead, since he lost, that same small bet is "obvious" proof that he threw the game.

[Katy M]

2 minutes ago, MrAtoz said:

It occurs to me that if James and Emma had both gotten Final Jeopardy wrong, James would have won, and today everybody would be talking about how smart and savvy he was for betting such a small amount.  Instead, since he lost, that same small bet is "obvious" proof that he threw the game.

I don't know why any final jeopardy wager would be proof he was throwing the game.  Even had he bet it all, he still would have lost.  HIs only hope was for Emma to miss the question.  Just like a couple of weeks ago, Nate's only hope was for James to miss the question, and he also wagered in anticipation of both missing it, and peope called him stupid also, even though, no wager he made would have won the game since James got it right.

I don't think some people understand how the wagering works.

[junemeatcleaver]

Now I'm wondering if Emma will be a one and done like many giant slayers before her.  She was really good, and I think she would have totally dominated under different circumstances.  We'll see later today.

I liked what James said on Twitter about being glad he was beat by another contestant instead of beating himself.  He seems like a good guy and a great sport, I'm looking forward to seeing him in the future.

[MrAtoz]

1 hour ago, Katy M said:

I don't know why any final jeopardy wager would be proof he was throwing the game.  Even had he bet it all, he still would have lost.  HIs only hope was for Emma to miss the question.  Just like a couple of weeks ago, Nate's only hope was for James to miss the question, and he also wagered in anticipation of both missing it, and peope called him stupid also, even though, no wager he made would have won the game since James got it right.

I don't think some people understand how the wagering works.

What annoys me is the people who just will not listen, even after you explain repeatedly why $1,399 was the smart bet in James's situation.  No, they're convinced that there must be something shady going on.

When the scores going into Final are all above $10,000 (and two of them are above $20,000), you know that everyone was trying their hardest.

[Bliss]

Congratulations, James, on an excellent J! run. You are one of a kind and I wish you continued success. I'm sure your humility, wit, and intelligence will take you farther than far. (Sincerely hope to see you again in future games... TOC, etc. Better yet, a charity game to benefit cancer research?)

Congratulations, Emma, on your win. May you reign long and prosper greatly (I really hope you aren't a "one-and-done".)

Best takeaways from this episode?

* James, wearing a purple ribbon.

* Alex's emotional response to receiving James' daughter's get-well card.

* The reality that James played a perfect game (he questioned every answer correctly) and yet lost... seems to be a bit of a metaphor for life and helps me understand why some people can play so imperfectly (at life) and yet seem to win.

*James' tweet response to the conspiracy theory that he threw the game, "Sure, I could stick around and play a game that pays me $150,000 per hour, but I'd really rather get toys thrown at my crotch for free."

*James' tweets commenting on Emma's win, " "James will eventually beat himself by flubbing one of his big bets.” Nope, James got his ass kicked straight up by an elite player who nailed her own big bets." AND "CONGRATULATIONS to Emma on a world-beating performance. There's no greater honor than knowing an opponent had to play a perfect game to defeat me."

[calpurnia99]

I'm a James fan, but I thought Emma was great. She choose fast, went to the hard clues first, and she knew a lot. I was a part-time Jeopardy watcher in that I would watch it for stretches and then not watch if for a bit. I tape them but would not always watch them. This past few weeks I've been waiting all day for it to come on! James drew me back in.

I am going to Las Vegas next week and I'll be at the sportsbooks (horses) and I'm going to look around for James. Although I bet he is on vacation now to some exotic place. If I find him I'll get a "selfie" (I hate that word)

[calpurnia99]

16 minutes ago, MrAtoz said:

What annoys me is the people who just will not listen, even after you explain repeatedly why $1,399 was the smart bet in James's situation.  No, they're convinced that there must be something shady going on.

When the scores going into Final are all above $10,000 (and two of them are above $20,000), you know that everyone was trying their hardest.

Yup, it's getting really annoying. 

[Katy M]

18 minutes ago, MrAtoz said:

What annoys me is the people who just will not listen, even after you explain repeatedly why $1,399 was the smart bet in James's situation.  No, they're convinced that there must be something shady going on.

When the scores going into Final are all above $10,000 (and two of them are above $20,000), you know that everyone was trying their hardest.

And, it also doesn't make sense.  If he had wanted to ensure a loss at that point, he would have bet it all and gotten the answer wrong.  Even though all three contestants got it right, it was hardly a gimme and you couldn't prove that he knew the answer.

[Etta Place]

Yeah, going into Final, even I (not a betting genius by any means) knew that James had to bet on Emma getting it wrong, and to keep ahead of the 3rd place player. She had shown herself to be willing to bet big by doing that true daily double, so she wasn't going to wimp out in the end by not betting to cover. So him betting everything wouldn't get him anything at all except a loss if they both got it wrong. He had to bet that he would get it right and she would get it wrong.

And then when the clue was revealed, I said, "Well. That's it - none of them will get this one wrong."

I can't believe it's over! I'm sad.

[DXD526]

I knew in advance James would lose last night and I loathe being spoiled, so wasn't happy it wasn't a surprise. The media wasn't shy about it; when I went to check my email on Monday afternoon, there it was on the Yahoo home page, right in my face. Couldn't have avoided it if I tried. Grrrr. I hate that. Whoever leaked that tape should be drawn and quartered. I like Emma, though. Hope she's not a one-and-done. 

Even though 'Kit' was correct, I'm still taking it as a shout-out!

[Etta Place]

Also, I just want to say that after reading posts here, I said to my husband "Wow, pretty much everyone was spoiled yesterday!" and he said "... I was, too. I didn't want to ruin it for you."

That, my friends, is true love.

I spent the day watching the French Open, drawing, and playing phone games so I didn't see anything!

[Mindthinkr]

I wasn’t spoiled, but shocked. The beau’s son and fiancé were in town (from half the country away) so I recorded Jeopardy as everyone was ready for dinner at the time it airs. I went to the tv to watch afterwards with the beau and for some reason it didn’t record. The fiancé was fooling around with the remote, but I’m not going to blame her. So I came here today and was shocked that he lost. Pissed that I missed a historic game. I’m sorry for all of you who were spoiled, as that’s a bummer when it happens. Grrr....  I will root for this mysterious new player. I will have to record again tonight as we are all having dinner together. Darn device better work. 

[opus]

46 minutes ago, Etta Place said:

I spent the day watching the French Open, drawing, and playing phone games so I didn't see anything!

Did you not know when the linesman screamed "OUT!" he was referring to James?

[ABay]

James lost. It's a game, someone has to lose, and it was bound to eventually be him. Why does everything have to have a conspiracy theory these days?

[hendersonrocks]

Quote

James is furiously calling people out on social media for accusing him of throwing the game or accusing Jeopardy of rigging things in some way. He said Emma played a perfect game and legitimately crushed him. He's acting like her biggest fan right now.

I have tons of respect for how he's talking about his loss and cheering her on.

I haven't watched yesterday's show yet. I found out the result and immediately realized that I wasn't ready to watch James lose - I really, really enjoyed watching him play. I will probably leave it to sit on the DVR for a while (and maybe see if I can find a clip of James giving Alex the card) and start fresh today with Emma.

[Toothbrush]

9 minutes ago, hendersonrocks said:

I have tons of respect for how he's talking about his loss and cheering her on.

I haven't watched yesterday's show yet. I found out the result and immediately realized that I wasn't ready to watch James lose - I really, really enjoyed watching him play. I will probably leave it to sit on the DVR for a while (and maybe see if I can find a clip of James giving Alex the card) and start fresh today with Emma.

This. My hubby (J watching partner) is out of town until mid-month, so I probably won't watch until then. Looking forward to getting to know Emma tonight. 

[Halting Hex]

As much as I understand James's FJ bet strategy, I might have been tempted to bet $3201, just to pull myself ahead of Emma just in case she went into caution mode on her bet (unlikely to happen but not impossible, IMO).  The "post a number and hope it holds up" theory.

Yes, this would have left him vulnerable if they both blew FJ and Jay had aced it and doubled up, but were I James…I wouldn't be typing on this board because I'd be off spending my millions!  Er, sorry…were I James, I think I'd feel the chance of my getting FJ and Emma missing was greater than the odds of myself and Emma missing and Jay hitting it.  If it's a true stumper, all three of us might go down.  

There's no way to catch Emma if she's right…but if she's wrong and I'm right, I'd hate to lose just because I overestimated her bet amount.  And IMO Jay should have bet $4600, as a triple-wipeout is his best chance to win, and that gets him as high as he can go (if he's right) without impairing his chances in a TS (oh, that's what that means here!  I didn't think it was a Taylor Swift reference, but it took a moment for me to get it…) assuming James and Emma bet aggressively:

• Emma:  $26,600 - $20,201 (have to cover James going for the double) =$6399

• James:  $23,400 - $23,400 (maximum pressure on Emma, in case she plays it safe) = $0

• Jay:  $11,000 -$4600 (aim high, but be prepared for the TS) = $6400, and victory!

So if James can posit this bet from Jay, he can bet anywhere between $3201 (needed to pass Emma in the most cautious scenario) and $7799 (protects him from Jay if only Jay gets the answer, but he's made the TS-defending $4600 bet) and have two balls in play: overtaking a cautious Emma in a "Emma's wrong, I'm right" scenario and protecting himself from Jay being the only correct one, if Jay's playing the TS-odds.

I mean, logically, Emma should always be betting the $20,201 (given that James is known for both aggressive play and success at FJ), but I would just kick myself if I were correct, she got stumped, but she won because she made a hunchy cautious bet and I didn't even give myself the chance of getting above $26,600. 

But that's just me, I don't know if I could figure all that out in the break, and I'd still have $2.4 million anyway, which might soothe my wounds, I'd guess.  So JMO.

[PaulaO]

2 hours ago, ABay said:

James lost. It's a game, someone has to lose, and it was bound to eventually be him. Why does everything have to have a conspiracy theory these days?

Agreed.  Lighten up, it's a GAME SHOW.  Albeit a great one, but it's a game show.  How nice was it for several weeks that everyone (not just here) talked about something positive.  My BIL was at the VA for a check-up last week and several people in the waiting room said "I gotta get home in time for Jeopardy!" 

Edited June 4, 2019 by PaulaO
spelling counts

[Emma9]

2 hours ago, DXD526 said:

I knew in advance James would lose last night and I loathe being spoiled, so wasn't happy it wasn't a surprise. The media wasn't shy about it; when I went to check my email on Monday afternoon, there it was on the Yahoo home page, right in my face. Couldn't have avoided it if I tried. Grrrr. I hate that.

Same. I work during airtime and tape to watch the next morning, but didn't see any additional spoilers after that one, so if I'd just managed to dodge the yahoo headline...sigh.

2 hours ago, Etta Place said:

Also, I just want to say that after reading posts here, I said to my husband "Wow, pretty much everyone was spoiled yesterday!" and he said "... I was, too. I didn't want to ruin it for you."

That, my friends, is true love.

Lol, similar situation - my housemate usually watches my tape with me; sometimes she already watched the show live, sometimes she didn't. She watched yesterday. So we both knew while watching the tape, and were awkwardly trying to speculate like we usually do in case the other didn't.

I doubt James would've thrown, but I doubt the producers would hint him off even more, given what this has done for ratings.

Sad that he didn't match KJ's total, but knowing that if he had, it probably would have been in fewer than half the episodes, is startling in itself.

Although James might've suspected Emma wouldn't bet the farm after wagering conservatively on the DD, it could also have come down to how confident he felt about the category - I don't recall whether he's been strong on Shakespeare in the past.

Either way, she played a great game, befitting someone who effectively tried to write a Jeopardy algorithm. Lovely name too ;)

(edited to fix crappy formatting...I will say, this forum's quote function is about the mobile-unfriendliest I've ever run across.

Edited June 4, 2019 by Emma9

[Katy M]

35 minutes ago, Halting Hex said:

I mean, logically, Emma should always be betting the $20,201 (given that James is known for both aggressive play and success at FJ), but I would just kick myself if I were correct, she got stumped, but she won because she made a hunchy cautious bet and I didn't even give myself the chance of getting above $26,600. 

On the other hand, imagine how Emma would have felt last night had she gotten it wrong and then realized she shouldn't have bet anything?

9 minutes ago, Emma9 said:

Although James might've suspected Emma wouldn't bet the farm after wagering conservatively on the DD, it could also have come down to how confident he felt about the category - I don't recall whether he's been strong on Shakespeare in the past.

I remember someone else ran a Shakespeare category recently, which means that he wasn't buzzing in superfast with confidence.  So, you might be right about confidence level. 

Category does make a difference.  If I were either of them and the category was "sound effects Oscar winners" I would have bet $0 and hoped for the best.

[Halting Hex]

5 minutes ago, Katy M said:

f I were either of them and the category was "sound effects Oscar winners" I would have bet $0 and hoped for the best.

Oh, please.  As if you couldn't have said "Richard King" right off.  The actual films (Master and Commander, The Dark Knight, Inception) might have taken more thought, but I doubt they'd make it that difficult.

[Taylor Swift voice:]  "Hey, kids! [Cheating via Wikipedia] is fun!" [/the other TS]

*-Ben Burtt also has three Academy Awards, but those were joint wins; King is the only one to have gleaned three statuettes on his own.  (Just so you're completely prepared…)

[Temperance]

People have different takes on a champion. Some people like watching them play and watching them win. Some people do not enjoy the super champions and tune-in specifically to see them lose.  I think that's why it was leaked. 

But bravo to everyone, Emma, James, and the middle contestant! Alex said that was one of the best games ever played. Few mistakes, only one TS (cigarette tax), and they cleared the board. Really, really well played. On a normal day, even that guy in the middle could have won! 

[dcalley]

2 hours ago, Mindthinkr said:

I went to the tv to watch afterwards with the beau and for some reason it didn’t record. ... Pissed that I missed a historic game.

Jeopardy's official Youtube has put the episode up, but only until Friday.

[PaulaO]

I would have no clue as to ANY sound effects Oscar winners.  Just sayin'

[Mindthinkr]

@dcalley Thank you for posting the game on here for me to watch. I really enjoyed it and was impressed by the competition. I appreciate that kindness. I also liked seeing the card that was given to Alex by James’s daughter. 

I loved seeing the clue with Deadwood as the correct answer. Loved that series. 

Like him or not, James had good sportsmanship. 

[JudyObscure]

I find myself looking forward to watching Emma tonight almost as much as I've been looking forward to James these past weeks.  Last night, even though I had been spoiled I didn't know which contestant was going to beat James, but as soon as she started to talk to Alex, I said "Oh yeah, she's going to do it."  Almost every single super smart girl I've known talks like Emma  -- as though everything she says is slightly ironic.  Even fictional Amy on the Big Bang Theory talks that way.  I also like her slight lisp which takes off some of the hard edge. 

  The King is dead, long live the Queen!

[Prevailing Wind]

3 hours ago, ABay said:

Why does everything have to have a conspiracy theory these days?

What do you think they'll call it, Jeopardy!-gate or James-gate?  (Why does every scandal since 1973 have to end in "gate"?)

[Toothbrush]

45 minutes ago, PaulaO said:

I would have no clue as to ANY sound effects Oscar winners.  Just sayin'

According to Rainbow Johnson on blackish, knowing the sound categories wins Oscar pools 🏆

[blueray]

I was surprisingly not spoiled on the lost. My husband and I turned yesterday's episode on during double jeopardy. I was happy when I saw her leading into the FJ. This hadn't happen I believe in his entire run. I was of course very happy to see him finally lose. Something about him annoyed me, maybe his arrogance and I am glad that he is gone. It'll be interesting to see how far she goes. And have other people have a chance to play again.

[blueray]

Quote

  Even fictional Amy on the Big Bang Theory talks that way.  I also like her slight lisp which takes off some of the hard edge

The actress who plays her, Mayim Bialik is actually a neuroscientist in real life ;). 

[Clanstarling]

27 minutes ago, Prevailing Wind said:

What do you think they'll call it, Jeopardy!-gate or James-gate?  (Why does every scandal since 1973 have to end in "gate"?)

Because people just aren't that creative. Maybe it's a modern thing, I don't recall learning about any scandals that used Teapot Dome as their inspiration when naming a new scandal.

[Trey]

I guess we can call this totally imaginary scandal "Jeopardy! Dome".

That was truly a great game last night! Only one missed question in the whole game - that must be some sort of a record right there.

Congrats to Emma on her win.  I love her haircut.

I was not spoiled for the game.

Edited June 4, 2019 by Trey

[ChicagoCita]

19 hours ago, MrAtoz said:

So how many people were spoiled about the results? I was, and I frankly suspected that would happen. He's been such big news for so long that I just knew that when he lost, it wouldn't stay under wraps.

The Chicago news media (who claim James as one of our own, since he grew up in a suburb) were just quivering with excitement and ran way too many "hints" because they were excited that a Chicagoan beat a former suburbanite. They've been running articles about him daily as soon as the show ends here at 4:00 pm. I didn't click past the headlines, but the number and frequency of cutely ambiguous headlines made me realize what had happened.

[readheaded]

8 hours ago, BucFan said:

I think the gal who won looks like the female version of James. 

I had the same thought!  

[proserpina65]

I almost didn't watch last night because I've grown tired of James.  Not because of anything he's done, per se; he's far less annoying than any of the recent champs who did make me stop watching, and he seems like a nice person.  But runaway games tend to bore me, and I also get tired of seeing the same champ over and over even when I do actively like them.

In the end, I'm glad I watched, and would've been even if James had won, because it was a close game with almost no stumpers/wrong answers, and was exciting to watch.  Plus, I did pretty well.

[proserpina65]

9 hours ago, Katy M said:

Producers trying to influence the game is completely illegal.  There is no way that  a popular long-running show like Jeopardy would put themselves in jeopardy like that.

Plus, you seem to be contradicting yourself.  Why would the producers try to force something that would bring ratings down?

Besides, if I was going to get all conspiracy theory about it (and I'm not, ftr), I'd accuse the producers of fixing it so that James won.

In reality, he finally ran up against someone who was as fast on the buzzer, and willing to take chances and bet big when she got the chance.  It was getting the first Daily Double on the first clue, and then not getting either of the second round ones, which made the difference.

[proserpina65]

5 hours ago, Etta Place said:

Also, I just want to say that after reading posts here, I said to my husband "Wow, pretty much everyone was spoiled yesterday!" and he said "... I was, too. I didn't want to ruin it for you."

I guess I was living in some other dimension, 'cause I had no idea.

2 hours ago, Halting Hex said:

Oh, please.  As if you couldn't have said "Richard King" right off.  The actual films (Master and Commander, The Dark Knight, Inception) might have taken more thought, but I doubt they'd make it that difficult.

[Taylor Swift voice:]  "Hey, kids! [Cheating via Wikipedia] is fun!" [/the other TS]

*-Ben Burtt also has three Academy Awards, but those were joint wins; King is the only one to have gleaned three statuettes on his own.  (Just so you're completely prepared…)

The sound effects for Master and Commander were absolutely stellar.

1 hour ago, PaulaO said:

I would have no clue as to ANY sound effects Oscar winners.  Just sayin'

Me either, but I'll remember Richard King, just in case.

[30 Helens]

Stupid internet spoiled me too. I mean, when you have headlines like “Does James lose on Jeopardy tonight? Leaked video may have the answer!” then you don’t even need to read the story. There used to be a bit more subtlety out of respect for spoilerphobes like me.

Takeaways for me:

I will miss James. I got a bit frustrated and bored with the runaways, but I greatly admired his play and he lost like a gentleman.

I’m glad Ken gets to keep his record. I love Ken and can’t understand how anyone wouldn’t. Maybe because we share the same sly sense of humor.

I’m glad James’s daughter is as quick on the uptake as he is. She had only one chance to get that card to Alex on national TV, and she made it!

A big congratulations to Emma. She played a fantastic game, and deserved the win. I was pleased to see her play so aggressively, because women rarely do and it always frustrates me.

It must have been so hard for Emma to keep that win to herself. All these weeks, while people were asking, “Will James ever lose?? Who in the world can possibly beat him?” she could smile to herself, knowing “It was meeeeee!!!” What a fantastic secret.

Unless Emma starts racking up wins, I guess I can go back to letting episodes pile up on my DVR. Sigh.

[AuntiePam]

Emma looks so familiar.  I could swear she's been on the show before but Alex would certainly have mentioned if she was in a Teen or Teacher tournament.  

Who does she look like?