Jeopardy! #39

Continue your discussion of each day's Jeopardy game here.

Link to the previous thread.

And here we all are.

Question - as someone who only started watching Jeopardy a couple of years ago (I mean since I was kid with Art Fleming), did Ken Jennings go through a great makeover when he started hosting? The shots we see of him in the opening credits montage when he was a contestant make him look rather like a frightened earthworm. He's very dapper now.

Jeopardy! has been having an ongoing issue with poorly written clues in the past year or so. This is happening under the reign of EP Michael Davies.

Back when Harry Friedman was EP, we never had poorly worded clues. Of course back then, Alex spent part of his morning reading over the clues and going to the writers with questions and comments. They sometimes reworded the clues less than an hour before showtime.

But all that's not happening anymore. Davies is more interested in turning Jeopardy! into a sport and discussing all the various player statistics than he is in making sure the clues are proper and correct and worded in such a way that there is no room for misinterpretation or confusion.

Oh, Alex. The fates are cruel.

I hope the new fit fat champ doesn’t show us his surgical scars.

As if Mayim was going to spend her mornings reading over all the clues...

From the previous thread:

[quote]But here's the thing - If you asked: Who was Claude Monet? It's very clearly a reasonable question that would elicit the response in the clue. Manet doesn't need to be mentioned at all.

I don't really understand that logic, but at any rate: Manet absolutely DID need to be mentioned, because the clue was asking for the similar names of TWO men. In fact, that was the main point of the clue, that the names "Monet" and 'Manet' are so similar -- and if both names weren't given in the answer, that point wouldn't have been made.

A clue is poorly worded clue if even ONE person is confused by what the clue is asking for.

The fact that TWO contestants and dozens of people here were confused by last night's Final is a strong indication of how poorly worded that clue really was.

[quote]A clue is poorly worded clue if even ONE person is confused by what the clue is asking for.

Well, that's certainly not true. It happens quite often that contestants misread exactly what the clue is asking for. I'm pretty sure that happened at least one other time in the game we're discussing right now.

I wouldn't say this clue was "poorly worded, I would say it could have been worded a bit more clearly. But ultimately, "these two men" meant they were looking for two names, regardless of how the rest of the clue read.

Girls! Girls! You’re both beating that poor dead horse.

R2: he's twice as old now as he was back then! Really can't compare the images.

Did the champ mention the gender of his partner?

Who was Claude Monet?

At the 1865 Paris Art Salon, the elder of these 2 men said if the younger were successful, it would be "because his name sounds like mine."

[quote]Who was Claude Monet? At the 1865 Paris Art Salon, the elder of these 2 men said if the younger were successful, it would be "because his name sounds like mine."

I hope you are not suggesting that either "Monet" or "Manet" (whichever one was actually older) would be a a correct response, because again, and hopefully for the last time, the clue is clearly asking for the names of "these two men."

Tonight’s Justin looks like a morphing of James Taylor and Woody Harrelson.

And I was just developing the sweetest crush on James.....

Love his accent!

I'm happy with the outcome and knew final. Leadville, CO and According to Hoyle seemed obvious to me.

"of these two men" is a prepositional phrase, subordinate to "the elder said if the younger were successful, it would be "because his name sounds like mine."

That's where the confusion is.

R19, what you wrote may be true grammatically, but regardless "these two men" was the answer required.

R19 exactly! Some people interpreted the word “elder” as the subject of the sentence, some interpreted “these two men” as the subject. They seriously don’t have anyone editing these things for clarity?

Another one day wonder. Don't the reruns start next week?

R7, 9, 15, 20 sounds like he's a lot of fun at parties. Give it a rest already!

I guessed Hong Kong because I couldn't think of anything else. I missed Irving Berlin too; did not know he was born in Russia. I did get the Gillian Flynn and Ray Bradbury book clues. Entertaining game, but bye to James from Penny Lane.

[quote]Some people interpreted the word “elder” as the subject of the sentence, some interpreted “these two men” as the subject.

But "some people" were wrong to interpret the word "elder" as the subject of the sentence, as that word was used only as an adjective to describe one of "these two men." For the correct answer to have been only the name of the elder of the two, the clue would have had to have been written as something like "this elder of two men....." Sorry I can't explain it any more clearly than that, so really, I will now drop the subject.

Someone is on the spectrum...

DIRECTOR OF ORCHESTRA PERSONNEL Justin will never live down that he didn’t know Irving Berlin wrote “God Bless America”.

But isn't he the new champ, r28?

He is the new champ, R29, but I kind of wanted him to lose after he missed the Irving Berlin question. I think it's very well known that Irving Berlin was a Russian Jewish immigrant, especially among people who work in the music field.

My grandmother was vehemently anti-Russian and would go nuts when White Christmas came on the radio. "Turn that Israel Baylin shit off!"

Considering that Berlin was Jewish, and considering the circumstances and the age at which he and his family left Russia, it was kinda stupid of your grandmother to hate him because she was anti-Russian

AND we now have a new entry for biggest jackass eve on Jeopardy.

Whooo OK!!!!!!

Aw, she's fun.

How old are you, anyway, r33?

Final another giveaway. Did others find these that they missed obvious: Highgate Cemetery, Caligula, Trajan, Caracalla, Abu Dhabi, and canoe?

During Double Jeopardy I felt Ken had a cartoon bubble over his head that said, "Well this sure ain't the Masters Tournament." At least they all knew FJ.

I suspect Jenna Bush Hager may have skimmed the Sparks Notes for "The Bluest Eye" once, 20 years ago.

So many missed questions last night!

This definitely wasn't the Masters Tournament.

But after all those missed questions, Final was so easy!

How could Dennis blow Final like that? Much as Ken used the term "blown up", it's been established that it was electrical failure, not the evil Spanish, at fault.

Reposado tequila anyone? Creche is also used in Britain, I believe?

Itai has become officially annoying.

I got the FJ.

And the Main wasn't wasn't blown up by the Spanish, it was blown up by our own government in order to start the war.

[quote]Itai has become officially annoying.

I hadn't seen the previous game, so this was my first encounter with him, and I found him so annoying throughout that I really wanted him to lose. I wonder if anyone who works for the show has spoken with him about how, EVERY TIME he buzzes in, he starts giving his response before Ken has finished calling his name?

Also, I really don't think "Lady Day" should have been accepted as a correct answer for that one question. The title of the movie was LADY SINGS THE BLUES, not LADY DAY, and the category was obviously dealing with movie titles, not title character names. Anyone with me on this?

R41 Agreed. They accept that answer, but not “The Ugly Americans” instead of “The Ugly American”? I’d be OK with them rejecting both answers but at least be consistent.

There was a TV documentary called "Lady Day" about Holiday, so they probably had to accept that as an alternative to "Lady Sings the Blues." I thought it was a decent game, and Ittai doesn't get on my nerves; he just seems a bit awkward and/or nervous.

[quote]There was a TV documentary called "Lady Day" about Holiday, so they probably had to accept that as an alternative to "Lady Sings the Blues."

Thanks, I guess you're right about that. I suppose a one-hour TV documentary is technically a "movie" even though most people would not use that word to describe it.

Ittai has a frentic energy about him. Very annoying. Was hoping Dennis would knock him out.

Never heard of the Battleship Washington. Sorry Dennis didn't remember the Maine.

In any case, nice to see a game where all 3 contestants are competent for a change, even if they missed a few easy questions.

Maine was one of the easiest FJ in a long time. (Dennis blew it for sure. I was pulling him.) Though I actually thought the game itself was on fairly difficult.

Handsome new champ. Guessed right for FJ, but a total fluke.

Same here regarding Final. Would love to see a game where he beats Amy, etc.

Good riddance to Ittai, who was exceptionally annoying. I like the new champ a lot, and he seemed very knowledgeable in a variety of categories.

Daniel was very fast on the buzzer and with his answers (and has a great voice). But Jack London wasn't a good guess for FJ, as Ken commented, because he was dead when the book was written in 1930.

This is a good article about "Murder at Full Moon," which remains unpublished.

[quote] But Jack London wasn't a good guess for FJ, [bold] as Ken commented [/bold]

That’s the exact opposite of Ken’s comment. He actually said, “that’s a good guess.”

R52, You're reading R51's comment incorrectly.

The only reason I guessed FJ correctly was the central California clue. But it was a long shot.

Ken would NEVER say “that wasn’t a good guess.”

Thank goodness for Daniel!

He's smart and handsome. More importantly, he spared us the misery having to deal with Ittai and his annoying frenetic energy anymore. Bravo Daniel. Job well done!

I guessed Steinbeck for Final purely because of the Central California coast reference.

Yeeesh, Daniel. Apparently you hit all of your best categories on Friday.

Napoleon? Where do they get these contestants???

How much more stupidity do we have to go before summer break?

I'm shocked that none of them knew Los Alamos.

[quote] How much more stupidity do we have to go before summer break?

Season 39 of Jeopardy! wraps up on July 28, 2023. Summer reruns kick off on July 31, 2023. Of course, depending on the writer’s strike those reruns may last a long time.

I was rooting for the Grandpa/former hippie.

And I would have guessed toilet for the duChamp clue but would have had no idea how to "expand" on it.

I couldn't remember Seward, so guessed Juneau.

Daniel kept guessing and lost almost $10,000. Don’t guess on the big money clues!

Why would Jeopardy be affected by the writer's strike? What, Ken can't ad-lib?

R65, PLEASE tell us you're joking.

Jeopardy!’s writers write the game itself, not the host’s commentary.

Yeah, the clues don’t magically appear on the board. Someone had to write them — and occasionally make them unclear.

That shrug of David’s after each response is annoying.

Once it twice may be considered endearing. Every damn time is annoying.

It won't matter any more, r71.

R72, I said David. Not Daniel. It’s certainly going to matter tomorrow since he’s going to be back and Daniel isn’t.

I can't keep my Davids and Daniels straight.

They all did OK. David may have some staying power. Fyodor was pretty tough, and I blanked on FJ.

Good game. Good to seem some competitive players. Really enjoyed it.

Final seemed incredibly easy!

I thought that woman’s story about her fear of whales was hysterical. I loved her sense of humor. I wanted her to win but she botched those Daily Doubles.

A coverall and a jumpsuit are exactly the same thing.

Champion looks like a young Ming the Merciless.

Close-ups are not NuChamp’s friend. The further away the camera is from his face, the better for him (and us).

David the Merciless looks like he does midnight drag and, for the showstopper, rips off the wig to reveal his bald head.

R80 I was thinking Anton LaVey, Church of Satan....

I guessed correctly with Picasso but didn't know which artwork of his...

I thought Guernica was easily the correct response.

OTOH those LL clues the lady blazed through.....I couldn't begin to guess even though the responses were obvious once she guessed them correctly.

I guessed FJ right away,

Still don’t know how to pronounce the damn thing, though. And I speak español!

Coveralls are not fashion. They’re work clothes.

I was gripped by tall drink of water Sean. If it is proportional, i’d be gripping a cock larger than I can comfortably handle. Me thinks a large, thick blond bush is there, as well.

R88, What about the 6’10” opera singer son?

I'd be on knees for him in two minutes, R88.

My god.

Good game tonight. I liked all the players, but yes, David does have that Ming the Merciless quality about him.

I figured Final had to do with Picasso, but had no idea of the name of the painting.

My first guess was "Nude Descending a Staircase," just like the female contestant was trying to name.

1937 World’s Fair and German critic were key.

I have heard it pronounced as both "Gerhnica" and "Gwernica." Not sure which is correct.

Ah, alas no more Ming the Merciless and his silly little shrugs when he chose a category/clue and when he answered a question.

R95 In between. The ue diphthong in Spanish, like green as a color, is tricky. E.g, guerrero - a warrior, or a state in Mexico - same sound. Hard for English speakers to nail.

I missed FJ.... usually I'd get a Byron clue. But Ming deserved to lose on Leviathan, not a poem at all.

LOVED Tula! She had a strong start but a weak second half. But then she was the only one with the correct answer for FJ.

Three young male contestants to finish off the week.

I liked David; guess he should have either wagered more in those Daily Doubles or less in FJ. Toula went to North Plainfield, NJ High School, but has a lilting accent that is anything but Joisey.

Ken always seems to be apologizing to contestants who give the wrong answer now.

Happy that Ken offered the Don Juan work pronounced with a hard "J".

Then Ken went on to say Juan instead of Joo-un with the next contestant. I wanted to know about her accent, too.

Ken saying, "I'm sorry" when he declares an answer wrong is annoying as hell. He only started doing in recently. I think just since the Masters tournament. The "I'm sorry" makes him come across as weak.

I enjoyed Thursday's game. Really liked Tula. After a great first half, she did so poorly in the second. Such a shame. But she did have a little surge at the end and she got Final.

I'm know little about British poetry so assumed I would be wrong on Final. Only 19th Century poem I could even think of was Rime of Ancient Mariner.

It would help to know the Mozart opera DON GIOVANNI since the title character ends up in Hell.

"No" works.

The "I'm sorry. No" is recent and annoying. Not sure why he decided he had to say "I'm sorry" before each wrong answer. He went 2+ years without saying it.

I like “I’m sorry.” I find the idea that it makes him sound weak rather odd.

Saying "I'm sorry" once when a contestant is really struggling for an answer is one thing.

Saying it after every incorrect answer is something else entirely.

Ken's now saying it virtually every time he rules an answer incorrect, so it has lost all meaning.

It all started during the Masters, when one of the contestants would struggle to come up with an answer but it was still wrong, Ken started saying "I'm sorry." It was a nice gesture toward the Masters. It came off well and showed Ken had empathy with fellow trivia experts who couldn't quote get to the right answer in time.

But now that he's routinely saying it to non-Masters contestants, it has lost all shreds of being sincere. Just comes across as weak and trite. Insincere.

Okay . . . Who gets to have Taylor deep inside them first?

I absolutely love Ben. You can have Taylor.

Taylor is a block of wood.

I’ll take my winning, well traveled, athletic block of wood!

I liked both Ben and the low key Taylor.

I can understand the dislike of Ken's "I'm sorry."

I never really noticed it that much, but now that it's been brought up it'll probably now get on my nerves in the future.

In contrast, I prefer Mayim's almost punitive "NO!" when a contestant responds incorrectly.

Do they have enough for Tournament of Champions? I can't remember that many who were on a roll.

If they don't, they could always do Second Chance for Dummies as a prelude to TOC.

Taylor is probably a MAGA.

Taylor, not Gosling, should have played Ken. But Ben was more my type. It wasn't a great game, but I hate to bitch when my math skills were as lacking as Nik and Ben's.

[quote]Saying "I'm sorry" once when a contestant is really struggling for an answer is one thing. Saying it after every incorrect answer is something else entirely. Ken's now saying it virtually every time he rules an answer incorrect, so it has lost all meaning.

But is he really saying it "virtually every time he rules an answer incorrect?" Seems to me he just chooses "I'm sorry" as one of several options of what to say after an incorrect response by a contestant. Mayim's "No" does sound a bit harsh to me. Of course, "Incorrect" is another option, but I'm not sure if anyone uses that one.

Taylor Claggett is a very literary name. Remember that Claggett was the villain who held subconscious carnal desires for Billy Budd.

PS. He looks a lot less wooden to me with a beard.

No. Sorry, that was Claggart. So close.

Taylor showed a bit of chest hair in his open collar on Friday. It got my mind racing.

Oooooh. The plans to attempt to stage the TOC despite the Writers Guild strike — using recycled clues — is not going over well with the tournament participants. Ray LaLonde wrote a letter saying no thanks, but he stands with union. Cris Pannullo, Hannah Wilson, Ben Chan, and Troy Meyer have all said they stand with Ray and will not cross the picket line.

[quote] Ray LaLonde wrote a letter saying no thanks, but he stands with union.

The only positive to come out of the writer’s strike is that it spares us from the smug, glib Ray LaLonde.

Oh god, I had forgotten about Smug Ray. He was awful.

Taylor does the same swaying as Ray but nobody seems to be complaining this time.

I don't like the vibe of that American flag pin on Taylor's lapel.

I'm not fond of it either, R129. He strikes me as closeted though; we'd have heard of a wife or kids by now otherwise, no?

I don't know much about theater and film, but got Final by the time Ken finished reading the question.

Taylor scores another win. His competitors did not seem particularly strong.

A flag pin is always suspect unless it’s worn by a known Democratic politician.

If Taylor is a Rethug, he hasn’t contributed to any political campaigns.

R130, His wedding photo is at R116.

Looks like Taylor had a hair lip repaired.

Damned voice input. Yes, harelip.

Also, Ian has a walleye.

I liked that he was smart enough to bet $100 twice on Daily Doubles in categories out of his range. And he got FJ, which seemed so obvious after I got it wrong...

I told you he’s a MAGA.

Taylor's swaying isn't as pronounced as Ray's.

In fact I didn't notice it until last night's game.

Ray in contrast practically whirled.

And he had that look that made some of us want to slap the shit out of him.

Plus he kept winning and it seemed like he would never leave.

Jeopardy! may have jumped the shark during tonight’s interview segment.

When will they begin taping Season 40 episodes?

They can’t cross a picket line. It would ruin them.

Taylor!!!! How could you be so dumb?

R142, Didn’t he realize “star” is not a compound word?

Andrew's specs + haircut a hard NO! Taylor just had no personality. So, I'm fine with the outcome.

Is this the end of the season, or are there still new episodes next week?

R145, Taylor had personality, but he also had a game face.

Why did Andrew wager so little?

Taylor looked like Patrick Bateman tonight, if you squinted a little bit, but then you saw the tie. Did a three year old tie that tie?

[quote] Is this the end of the season, or are there still new episodes next week?

This is the end of the season. No more new episodes next week.

And, no, they can’t cross the picket line. They’ve got almost four decades of shows they can run.

I thought FJ was shining star. Superstar just didn’t occur to me and I have to say I’m feeling pretty stupid.

I came up with megastar. Guess I would have lost.

I didn’t like it when he pressed his buzzer and then waited a second or two to answer, as if he had extra time to think about it.

R150 shining star is way too obvious and too easy to be accurate

Megastar was a good guess; shining star isn't a compound word.

I always thought Andy Warhol was given credit for coining or popularizing superstar.

Superstar was clearly the correct and easy response. It couldn't have been more obvious and it was mighty peculiar that Taylor could get as far as Star and not see that he needed Super (or at least Mega) to precede it.

[quote]I always thought Andy Warhol was given credit for coining or popularizing superstar.

The clue said the association with actors and sports players came later. Warhol was one of the ones the helped with that association.

Glad to be rid of Taylor. So stoic. Couldn't even be bothered to smile during the intros. And he missed a super-easy Final.

I like Julie. Liked that she had the Scrabble tile from her grandmother. That was a nice story.

Not sure what to think about Andrew and his extra long tongue. That's one of interesting tidbits he revealed to the contestant coordinator? On another note, he was certainly pinging my gaydar.

I thought Taylor was sexy as hell. Given the thickness of his beard in a previously posted photo, I’m imagining an array of body hair all over his athletic body.

I’m sure Andrew’s tongue has seen a lot of action over the years.

Our little nun with the Scrabble square isn't faring so well against these 2 strong challengers so far.

Decent players today but timid bettors.

Would've been happy with any of them winning. Now I'm curious about the Final question book - anyone familiar with it?

La bohème is based on Henry Murger's novel Scenes de la vie de Bohème. Four struggling bohemians – a poet, a painter, a musician and a philosopher are living together in Paris, when one freezing Christmas Eve their lives are changed forever.

La Boheme was the only French opera I could think of..

And yet it's written in Italian.

Is our new champ a cookie sniffer?

R171, That cannot be his natural hair color.

HIs stud earring is so 1989.

Lucas Partridge is a strange bird. While the other two looked like they were having fun, Lucas was so stiff and serious about the game. Everytime I saw him, he looked solely focused on the winning the game and completely uninterested in what was happening around him. I guess he needs a few drinks in him (from one of the 50 states) to loosen up.

His hair? Clearly Miss Clairol. The earing? Clearly 30 years ago.

La Boheme was clearly the answer to another super-easy Final.

Can't believe they didn't know Lafitte, The Little Foxes or Ralph Lauren.

I'd love to see Zach's hairy chest.

Final was easy peasy. She lost me at the nose piercings.

I’m so glad that Lucas matched his hair color to that jacket he was wearing. I find him tedious, so I was rooting for the doctor. Although, to be fair these three missed a LOT of questions in Double Jeopardy. They all just stood there like statues.

Zach looked like he was sedated, not having fun.

I was frustrated because I knew most of the answers to the questions none of the three of them knew. I hate when that much money is uncollected.

If he wins his third game on the next show, and the season is over. Would he qualify for the T of C since no one has won three games in the last months of the season?

No R181. He comes back next season. If he wins five combined between the two seasons he makes the TOC the following season.

If they go ahead with their plan, the producers will open the season with recycled answers and he'll get the same ones wrong.

I'm not liking Lucas either. He seems stiff and boring. He's solely focused on the game and unaware of the people playing beside him.

Lets hope he's knocked out before he gets to his 5th win. But if he does come back for the new season, who knows what hair color he will have applied by then.

Lots of unanswered clues. And the French Foreign Legion was very obvious for Final.

[quote]If they go ahead with their plan, the producers will open the season with recycled answers and he'll get the same ones wrong.

The producers are obligated by contract to send shows to the 150+ stations which air Jeopardy! each weekday.

They essentially have two choices until the writers strike is over -- send out old shows that have already aired or create new shows with clues that have already been used.

They've chosen to recycle previously used clues. But these clues may very well be from the 90s or the 2000s. It's not like they're going to use clues that were originally asked in April. These likely will be older clues.

[quote] They've chosen to recycle previously used clues. But these clues may very well be from the 90s or the 2000s. It's not like they're going to use clues that were originally asked in April. These likely will be older clues.

They should really fuck with the players and recycle questions from the Art Fleming Era.

Hilarity and cluelessness ensues.

I was rooting for the old lady myself. However, as a homo geezer, why the hate for the returning champ? OK, he's no oil painting, perhaps his style could be better, but are we that shallow about our homos?

Knew a few they whiffed on, and guessed final correctly. Recycling clues if necessary for a bit is better than re-runs to me in September.

Well, fuck. I was really hoping that Sharon was going to win, especially after she had stumbled so badly on the first few questions, but then recovered quite nicely. Lucas continued to be insufferable, answering with an air of dismissive disdain, as if he were so put-upon for having to be there. With any luck, someone will knock him off when they return.

As a free-lancer I couldn't believe the champ missed that one.

The British National Anthem is truly music to the ears

I liked Sharon too and she had a good recovery after the sharky start.

James Booker's "Gonzo." Dr. John called him, "the best black, gay, one eyed junky piano genius New Orleans has ever produced.”

With the last name of Partridge I just assume that the champ is the incest love child of Danny and Tracy.

I guessed Jingo for FJ and really thought I might be correct.

Contestants aren't as knowledgeable about popular culture as they used to be.

Had they not ALL heard of "Jesus Christ Superstar"? Or "compound words"?

Had they not ALL heard of Hunter S. Thompson? I read his works in the 1970s!

“Yellow journalism, the use of lurid features and sensationalized news in newspaper publishing to attract readers and increase circulation. The phrase was coined in the 1890s to describe the tactics employed in the furious competition between two New York City newspapers, the World and the Journal.“

FWIW, I’m a native Bostonian and can say with 100% certainty that neither I nor any of my friends used the term “gonzo” to describe someone “on a bender” (if I remember the clue correctly).

R197, I have lived in the Boston area all my life and I have never heard that word used to describe someone on a bender, either.

Were they ever called JINGOS, r197 and r198?

Sorry, R199, never heard “Jingo” used either.

I’d heard of the hen loving, daredevil Muppet….

I was rooting for Sharon. Really liked her. She came back nicely after stumbling out of the starting gate.

Unfortunately, we're stuck with Lucas Partridge and his weirdly colored hair to start next season. Although I really dislike his nose-in-the-air superior attitude, I will admit Lucas was not nearly as grating on Friday as he was the previous shows. He seemed to relax a bit and not be so snobbish in his disdain for his fellow contestants. Maybe that's because Sharon was beating him.

I had no idea what Final was going for. I have heard the term gonzo journalism a few times, but am not really familiar with it. Only other place I've ever heard the term was Gregory Harrison's Gonzo from the TV series Trapper John, MD

You don't all see Lucas' attitude as simple tension from concentration and playing the game as seriously as he can? I'm not getting this snobbishness thing at all. I thought his little story about his mom's method of playing Jeopardy was sweet.

You all can be so snarky!

Are the reruns that start from several different seasons? Have they announced how far they'll go back? Will we see Art Fleming?

[quote]You all can be so snarky!

Snarky! On DataLounge!?

I just can't imagine that happening.

I would love to see the Art Fleming shows of the 60s. World Geography for $10.

[quote] I will admit Lucas was not nearly as grating on Friday as he was the previous shows. He seemed to relax a bit and not be so snobbish in his disdain for his fellow contestants.

He relaxed the stick-up-his-ass snobbish attitude for a while at the start of the game after he bet it all on the DD and was wrong, bringing him down to zero. That seemed to take the wind out of his sails for a while.

Well, I knew the final right away.

I hate to be this way, but the champ really does give me creepy vibes. Something seems off.

He’s a school counselor. What could possibly be wrong?

I don't recall seeing this tournament before, so questions all new to me. Final was easy.

The Second Chances Tournament aired in October 2022. It aired for two weeks then led into the Tournament of Champions.

The two winners of the Second Chances Tournament get slots in the Tournament of Champions.

Enjoy Rowan!

Enjoyed tonight all over again! I love Jessica, glad to see her triumph once more. Also thought FJ was easy.

Agreed, FJ was easy. But then, I'm an old political junkie.

That weird, robotic Hilary Swank clone, Molly.

I stopped watching until it's new. I don't think Hollywood writers have it worse than most American workers.

R216, Same for me. Why watch a repeat game show?

I don’t watch repeats, but so people might have missed it the first time.

She seems like an SNL character to me, R215.

Handsome Naval Aviator James is back! Do I remember lots of musings about his sexual orientation back in the day?

Sexy, indeed! And, yes, the inference was that he was definitely single, where a good looking straight military guy like that ... unlikely.

Hard show for me tonight because I'm a fan of all 3 with a slight edge to.....Jessica. Feels like it will be tween her and handsome James. Props to weird Molly though.

Sweet James lost it all on obvious Hershey. Damn!

Did anyone ever discover if James was gay?

James guessed WAY too many answers wrong on the second show. Was he overconfident after the first show? He's lucky he didn't end up in the red on the second show.

Well, James had a habit of buzzing when he clearly didn't have a response ready, correct or not. Still cute though....

I don't find James' snark and condescension in any way "cute".

Yay! Maybe I'll be invited back.

A $1,000 bump?

Let the contestants take home what they earned.

But that might reduce the tension in the gripping battle for second place.

I really can't stand Rowan.

I'm not fond of "them" either, but the others are pretty much in potted plant territory here.

Watching Rown again these past couple of days, we forgot how invincible (and annoying) they are. We can't remember if they win the 2nd Chance Tournament but it's hard to imagine they don't.

I forgot how much I disliked Rowan. Extremely annoying.

Rowan is so annoying it's incredible.

I almost can't watch the show.

Rowan was the inspiration for Che Diaz...

I recall cheering in my living room when Rowan was beaten last Fall.

Rowan’s perky demeanor, laugh, smile, and quizzical face when they didn’t know the answer all irritated the hell out of me. Rowan made me hate non-binaries even more. Ken looked like he was in pain whenever Rowan got the right answer or talked for that matter.

Jack’s really cute. Is he team gay?

Jack has 'gay voice' as well. I'd bet good money he's no stranger to the peen.

About this Non-Binary site ... masc appearing lesbians who aren't 'stone butch'? One doesn't hear of that applying to males.

I enjoy hearing Jack and Ken's sibilant esses.

I’m watching this Saturday repeat and I think Ken is really jealous that Matt is good looking and intelligent.

The Parliament of Vowels category was an epic fail.

Is tonight the third group of TofC semis? I'm confused.

When will we see more of Cris Panullo (sigh!).

I had no idea on FJ. I could only come up with TS Eliot.

I guessed Whitman but maybe he was a bit later.

Tyler is hot AF and pings like a five-alarm fire.

Tyler has a very slappable face. How can he not be gay?

Is it just me or did Ken seem to really hate Brian? Ken is so utterly charmless and his face is so punchable.

I remembered how much I liked the extremely charming and very smart Margaret.

And how pissed I was with her bet in the TOC.

Even if Margaret had bet all she had, she'd still be tied with Tyler and I've a feeling he'd be quicker on the buzzer in one of those crazy tie breaks.

All I could come up with for FJ was Venice.

Mayim is still striking, so Ken is now hosting Celebrity Jeopardy!

Fox News is covering Donald Trump’s ride in DC while preempting the second semi-final of last year’s TOC is on air. I didn’t know who won this one.

R260: Sam won on the episode aired last night on ABC.

Is nobody posting here anymore?

r262 The show is in repeats right so there is little to talk about now. We talked about it then.

New episodes start next week. I imagine traffic on this thread will pick up at that point.

However, with Spectrum blocking ABC channels in many cities, that means Jeopardy will be harder to watch for some of us. (like me). Fingers crossed whoever posts it to YouTube each night continues to do so.

Oh,okay. I didn't remember Emmett from last year and thought this was a new episode since last night we had one of the Luigi ones.

Thanks to Disney, I can't watch shit on ABC in NYC.

I'm there with you r265. Can't get ABC in LA either.

So no re-airings of Jeopardy? My TV set broke!

Good to have new shoes back.

So, are they now using answers previously used?

FJ was easy so were DJ questions

Derek lost steam in the Double Jeopardy round as perky Jill pulled way ahead. I didn't get one Globetrotter question, but did get Val Kilmer. It's nice to see a new game, even with reused questions and contestants.

Jill is too cutesy by half.

Good to see the show back even if they are recycling questions.

Some of the questions seemed very familiar. Maybe it was just that they were so easy, especially Final.

I like Jill. Glad we're getting started with a lesbian winner.

I do wish they had told us when these second chance people originally played. At least the year they played.

But Ken did say they have 27 second chance contestants playing, so we've got three weeks of this

Does a non-binary freak have to be in every single episode?

Final Jeopardy was terribly worded.

I feel a bit scabby watching these new episodes, but I can't resist.

I do too, R276. But I'm getting really sick of reality shows. I guess I need to start watching something on Netflix that I've been putting off.

Lately the contestants have been getting really dumb.

Good game. I liked all three players.

I agree, Final was confusing due to bad wording.

Is this the first time we've had two gay men among the players?

Weird as hell to hear Rowan's name brought up again. But David came back strong in the second half and won.

They gave the second place winner $3,000 and the third place winner $2,000. I wonder if that's just for these Second Chance Tournament games or if that's the new amounts for this 40th season.

Johnny . . .

“"Now, second-place winners will receive $3,000 and third-place winners will receive $2,000. The move was made in response to growing criticisms over the fact that runners-up must fund their own travel to participate in the show," showrunner Michael Davies revealed on the "Inside Jeopardy!" podcast.“

I couldn't remember the sculptor's name. Really good game.

Another good game on Wednesday. After a slow start in the first half, Matt really had an impressive second half. But then Hari, who was barely there in the second half, came from behind to win. That was a surpris.

I honestly had no idea on Final. The Statue of Liberty portion of the clue eluded me. But even if I had picked up on that, I would have never known the name of the artist who created the original statue.

So, now we have a 2-day final tournament to determine the winner of this week's 2nd Chance contest. So, its a lesbian against a gay man and a computer nerd (who could be gay). Wonder who will be the victor.

It would have taken me 10 minutes to figure out the Northern Hemisphere capital, and I'd never heard of the Southern Hemisphere one... Jill and David are both too joyful for me (although David suddenly seemed less so when he lost a bundle on FJ), so I'm cheering for Hari tomorrow.

I knew Oslo immediately, Apia came to me a second or two before Ken told us.

I recall this clue from a previous show. Not sure when it was used, but I do recall a previous game where Oslo being four letters and beginning and ending with the same letter was the answer.

Overall, it was a good game. I like all three contestants. Wonder who will win the tournament?

Is it me or does Jill look like Dina Martina?

Yeah, what is it with these gay contestants who are married to women?

I wish I had a dollar for every time we come here after a game posting our surprise about guys like him.

What an exciting finish to the week. I thought the questions were hard, and didn't know FJ or Argonne. Ken looked very sharp.

I really like this second chance tourney!

And good for the twink win!

The expression "tin foil hat" is still around, I believe?

r292 I think for conspiracy nuts, not for food service equipment.

Still scratching my head over David's wife. This doesn't compute. And he's good friends with Rowan? Maybe the wife is a MTF?

Hari pulled off miracle as winner. Even he was surprised.

As for the tin foil question, remember these clues are recycled from before. That clue might have been written and used in 1987.

I wonder if Jeopardy has an autism coordinator on set .

The answers were so easy today

Matt was quite hot, too bad his Daily Double wagers were so foolish.

Matt was adorable, but he made some dunderheaded bets on the DDs. He clearly didn’t hear me screaming The Venerable Bede at the TV. But, I liked Deanna, so I’m glad that she won. Didn’t care for Elliott.

Matt was yummy. Just think—one of us could have snagged him with a clever tweet after his first appearance.

Easy FJ.

Matt's pecs were distracting. Elliot was date material.

Who is Dorothy Parker? = WTF

That one made me laugh out loud.

Tolkien & Twain were surprising FJ answers.

Good game. I liked all three contestants.

Matt was especially cute. So were his pecs. He had really bad luck with those Daily Doubles.

Elliot was also cute. Enjoyed him as well, so really didn't pay much attention to Deanna. Thus I was surprised when she had such a strong second half and ended with a runaway lead. Bravo Deanna.

I had no idea on Final. Not a Hemingway follower, but figured it was some author from early 20th century.

The Dorothy Parker answer was because Elliot rang in, but then realized he didn't have an answer. So, he just said a female name knowing it was incorrect. Could have just as easily said Joan of Arc or Jackie Kennedy.

[quote]Matt was especially cute. So were his pecs. He had really bad luck with those Daily Doubles.

Bad luck and, in my opinion, bad strategy. What I always say is: Because the Daily Doubles are the only times (other than Final Jeopardy) when the contestants have to decide how much money to wager BEFORE seeing the clue, they should bet VERY conservatively unless there are extenuating circumstances -- for example, if they are so far behind that they will never catch up otherwise, or maybe if the category happens to be one in which they feel they're expert.

But yeah, Matt has great pecs.

I thought Matt and Elliot were both very attractive.

Like R298, I kept repeating "Venerable" at my TV screen but to no avail.

I came up with Hemingway after running through over a dozen major authors in my head and concluding he was the most obvious choice.

Twain and Tolkien would have never crossed my mind - especially the very Catholic Tolkien.

I guessed Norman Mailer instead of Hemingway, because I knew Mailer had been married multiple times.

I guessed Philip Roth. He just seemed like the kind of guy who would marry multiple times.

Roth had two wives (but scores of women), Twain only one wife. I thought Martha Gellhorn was famous enough in her own right to be recognized as a Hemingway wife.

So sad how ignorant even the Intelligentsia is about Puerto Rico.

Spain had two Carribean possessions (to choose from): Dominican Republic has been independent for decades. Those two had no idea of Puerto Rico? How could two who passed whatever screening they use fail so badly?

Got these right away, anyone else see them as easy answers? Belmopan (Belize), Economist, Auctioneer, Parcheesi, dog-tired, and Rural Free Delivery?

Elliot had yellow teeth, which is just disgusting and inexcusable today. Matt was adorable, beautiful skin, terrific torso, but I completely lost interest when he introduced his girlfriend of two years in the audience.

R310 Yeah, Puerto Rico seemed one of the easier FJs in a while.

I suck at anagrams too; often there is a contestant who can get them almost instantaneously, but not tonight. I also missed Puerto Rico. Interesting seesaw game.

I had difficulty with both rounds. I generally get between 18-20 correct each round. Not even close to that tonight.

But I did get Puerto Rico.

Puerto Rico seems rather obvious for Final, especially since they gave the size of the island (which eliminated all those tiny islands in the Caribbean).

Also knew Rural Free Delivery for Daily Double. Elizabeth foolishly bet way too much on that one, especially when she already had a strong lead at that point.

Rob was impressive coming from so far behind to win.

My first instinct was Fermi for final. However, I did know about the Peace Corps. lobster Newberg, and the Glass Menagerie.

Matt would have won the game if he had gone for a true daily double when he guessed correctly. He would have led the game going into FJ. He was the only one who got the FJ answer correct.

I should have given him a proper nipple workout beforehand. Gladly volunteering. I'll bet he has a full bush, rugged outdoor man.

Ken was right: I wouldn't have got FJ last summer... Now that's he's done his Barbie joke, will we get an "I'm Just Ken" joke?

The giveaway for FJ was "in the matter of", which was the partial title of a famous play about Oppenheimer.

Another good game. I again liked all three contestants.

Too bad these contestants couldn't hear me yelling Peace Corps or Glass Menagerie at the screen.

I fail to understand why anyone would bet $3,000 on a Daily Double when they're not comfortable with the subject matter, in this case opera. I would have bet $500 or $1,000 in that situation. In Pam's case, she wiped out the $3,000 she had just won on the other Daily Double. But she still wound up winning the game so, it all worked out in the end.

I really had no idea on Final. The question seemed very weirdly worded. I ended up thinking of the Rosenbergs.

Very unlikely that a play's title would have clued in these contestants. They did horribly in the theater and opera categories.

[quote]I fail to understand why anyone would bet $3,000 on a Daily Double when they're not comfortable with the subject matter, in this case opera. I would have bet $500 or $1,000 in that situation.

I made a very similar comment in regard to hottie Matt's $3,000 wagers on two Daily Doubles the other day. (He didn't come up with the correct response either time.)

Hard FJ for me. Deanna did some smart wagering there.

Final was a giveaway. Doesn't everyone remember Grace Coolidge (as I did)?

Colin was kind of cute, but Templar on the Daily Double was a setback he couldn't overcome.

Good game Monday. I liked all three contestants. Was pleased Jilana won. She seemed the most competent of the three.

I've been liking all the contestants during these Second Chance weeks. No one has been a turn-off as often happens during a regular game.

I blanked on Final. Only pair of scientists from the 50s I could think of was Masters and Johnson. And I knew that was wrong.

I’d like to see a mashup of Jeopardy and a gay episode of Naked Attraction.

I'm glad David didn't win, he was annoying blowing out air.

David and his indecision and blowing out air was definitely annoying. He's the first of these Second Chance contestants I haven't liked.

I did like the No Hand Brake British guy. Was rooting for him.

I thought the Guinness Book of Records was much older than the 1950s, so my guess for Final was the Book of Lists.

I would have consoled Ollie in his hotel room, massaging his cock and running my fingers through his bush. Baldish English men always have large cock heads and heavy thatches, and I live for it.

Anyone in the British Isles should know about Guinness, especially in pubs.

Pretty shocking that the writers came up with a clue that referred to the "soundtrack" of MISS SAIGON. If even the writers of JEOPARDY! don't know the difference between a cast recording and a soundtrack, I guess we really have lost that battle.

R333, how gay.

Tonight's clues were pretty hard. But the golden fleece clue gave me some great reading to do.

The Moderna clues/ads about how you’ve still got a high likelihood of keeling over from Corona are a bit of a downer.

That none-of-the-above response and explanation for the movie Frankenstein was exhausting.

They gotta make money somehow, R335.

Barb is a family friend, so looking forward to playoff. I knew a few they didn't again. Pope question was tough.

Anybody watching Celebrity Jeopardy? What a bunch of idiots

R338, Three non-celebrities.

How is it that Celeb Jeopardy starts at the Quarterfinals. When did they play any shows leading to that Quarters??

There were all kind of erratic, and so was I, guessing "Golden calf."

I don't think Barb stands much of a chance in the finals.

It’s going to be a very frumpy final.

Barb is a bit touched in the head.

In other words, that bitch is crazy!

She is all fucking over the place. Bad player and hard to watch.

Oh, Barb. Bless your heart.

I'm so happy she's gone. What a mook.

She’s not gone. They will all be back tomorrow for part two.

Yeah, Barb is a mess. Hard to watch her with all her ups and downs in scoring. She missed all her Daily Doubles!!!

I'm rooting for Jilana. She seems the most competent of the three. And she had the highest score after Thursday's game.

I'm not gonna defend Barb. She wasn't up to it. Jilana deserved to win.

I missed "The Shape of Water" too. And FJ.

Next week's lineup.

Bravo to Jilana. A well deserved win.

Barb played well in both games. But she kept tanking on the Daily Doubles after betting it all on them.

Some hot contestants coming up for the next two weeks.

We've got "Champions Wildcard" games for the next two weeks.

I’m not watching the scab episodes, How many months until they air episodes written by Union writers?

As I understand it, these are recycled questions written by union members, there are no "scabs" writing questions.

Got Final right, though wasn't sure. Dane is okay, but hyper. Thought at first the woman was going to run away with it

Sorry, Miss, but human pyramids are only for closers.

Emily's husband or brother at the bottom of that pyramid was hot.

How could they miss FJ? Who declared national days of mourning 80 years apart?

Of course it was Andrew Johnson and Harry Truman.

These people were two-three day champions?

Lawrence just too much for me, I'm afraid. Anyone else get applique, Penelope, or chevron?

It’s impossible to imagine that Lawrence isn’t a Datalounger.

And the brilliant pissy nurse advances! I feel sad for the lone traveler. Of course it was Leonardo da Vinci! Whom on earth else could it have been? I liked all the contestants.

Ugh, Lawrence. I remember him now, and he seems as insufferable as I recall.

And, yes, I got appliqué.

Ahh, yes Laurence, our stay at home uncle. We definitely discussed him when he was on the first time. He's definitely smart. Definitely pushy. Definitely has to be a DataLounger.

It was a good game. I liked all three.

If they're using recycled questions, how is that "nepo baby" has never been spoken on the Jeopardy! stage before?

They said there were questions that had been written before the strike that could be used, as well as recycled questions.

*NEW questions that had been written before the strike*

I would call Laurence Larry just to drive him crazy.

Somehow, I have a feeling there is a strong hot hairy bod underneath all those dandified layers.

Me, too, R366. I'd be down on my knees in a millisecond.

What was John’s final wager all about? He was the only one who got the answer right. Why would you want to play it so meekly? It’s win or go home. Why would you bank on a woman who had answered correctly all game long to finally get an answer wrong?

What an idiot! Time to go home.

BAD wager. The Daily Doubles and Final were all easy tonight.

Another good game. Enjoyed it.

Alfred Nobel lived in Europe. Never immigrated to America (visited, but never immigrated). So, he couldn't have been the correct answer to Final. That only left Pulitzer.

Don't understand John's bet on Final. After betting so much on the Daily Double, why he bet zero on Final seems strange. Maybe he didn't have any faith in his knowledge of the category. But betting zero in hopes Kendra would bet big and lose doesn't seem like a wise strategy.

These clues aren't all recycled from previous games. Cocaine Bear, released in Feb. 2023, has definitely never been an answer on Jeopardy! before.

So, are they airing new shows now?

When will we get to see my bf Laurence again?

New shows have been airing since Sept. 11.

However, the shows are supposedly using recycled clues from previous games due to the writers strike.

Now that the WGA strike is over, presumably the writers are back and busy writing new clues. I would imagine we'd start seeing those new clues beginning with shows airing in late November.

But then what happened to Laurence after his win?

He said that he took position nursing in the pacific northeast.

So happy that Joe Feldman came up from behind and beat Katie Couric's little friend. I think I remember Joe from his earlier appearances. Looking forward to a JOe and Laurence match in the near future.

All my local networks somehow shit the bed tonight. I can’t figure out how to hard restart my cable box, so unfortunately I missed tonight’s show for the first time in I don’t know how long.

As it turns out, I have a framed print of that spot in Iceland across from where I'm typing, taken on a cruise excursion.

No one associated Formosa with Taiwan, nor did she know Madeira is Portugal? Where do they find these people? Baal was another obvious one, along dram.

I need Joe Feldman deep inside me as soon as possible.

Easy FJ. I had the correct answer

Anyone else watched Celeb Jeopardy last night?

Lisa Ann Walter is very charming and has an endearing personality

Can't remember how the FJ clue was worded but I thought the country was somewhere in the Alaska - Russia part of the world. I was very surprised by Iceland.

Cinchy FJ. I blarted it out in the form of a question before the music started.

I remembered Joe too. Great voice. Nice comeback for him after a shaky start; I hope he does well in the finals.

How were the contestants chosen for this tournament? Are they people who won 3+ games and are just somewhat memorable or charming or something? When will the semi-finals begin and they'll bring back contestants who won their first round?

Sorry for the questions, I just started re-watching Jeopardy a few days ago and haven't gotten into the rhythm of what they're doing.

I'm tired of watching also-rans. Where are the new people?

Another good game. Again, I liked all three contestants.

Final seemed super-easy and super-obvious, especially when they gave the population of the nation.

I guessed Ravel. Very impressed with Jamie's comeback with hard FJ and was cheering for her.

Another good game last night. I'm really enjoying these champions coming back, if only because they all seem smart. Not like some of the players we've seen in the past year where we wonder if they were recruited off the street.

Since they're bringing back past champions for four more games, I'm wondering if some of the gay champions will be among the 12 coming back next week. There were several gay players who won 1-3 games during Season 37 or 38 and we certainly talked about them here on DL.

Impatiently awaiting Mayim's return. Can't stand Ken

I’ll take “S Words” for $1,200

Waiting for them to announce Ken as full time, Mayim as occasional fill-in only.

I’m boycotting Jeopardy! until the recycled questions and the recycled contestants are over and done with.

EVANDER FUCKING HOLYFIELD!!!

DON'T LET THE SUN GO DOWN ON ME!

Monks = Benedictine, people!

I've only watch the first part of the Jeopardy round but I'm already sick of the stupid b**** and her ugly ass green sweater. Not only does their sweater look stupid but she's really annoying in the way that she stands and hesitates before selecting every category I just want somebody to slap her.

Neither of the two male contestants could think of a single female author that might be correct? That was embarrassing.

Ken was unable to hide his disbelief at some of the wrong answers. "I've never heard of from Kwanzaa to post."

The three tonight exemplified how stupid last season's almost entire batch of contestants truly were.

When do we get to the semi-finals?!

And why do you suppose they don't do that preview shot at the end of the show of the next day's contestants any more? Does it have something to do with the writers' strike?

Agree with you guys. Last night's contestants were really bad. I hate boxing and I knew Evander, if for no other reason than Mike Tyson nearly bit his ear off.

And someone actually likes Mayim over Ken??? Nothing against Mayim, but Ken is a natural (I feel). And his occasional snark at terrible responses is wonderful and a bit DL of him.

Didn't want either of the guys, so I'm sorry she lost.

So glad vocal fry, bad perm girl lost.

I liked Lego guy Robert.

Tonight’s winner pinged my ‘dar. Really glad he came from behind!

I have to say that I thoroughly enjoyed all three contestants tonight and while I really wanted that one chick to win I'm not mad that Joe ultimately beat her. Also besides the behind come from behind it just seems like there was a lot of gay innuendo directed toward Joseph from. I think it made for a very lively and enjoyable game.

Although the one weird thing it looked like the girl was standing on a box and like really tall or maybe it's just the way her pants were up over her waist or something I don't know or maybe she is really tall but she gave off like tiny girl energy so I don't know.

Didn't she allude to her standing on a box?

I don't know and I don't think it happened tonight but I'm getting really tired of every time somebody returns to the show they have to mention how the number showed up on their caller ID and they didn't know if it was Jeopardy but then it said Jeopardy and so they called and then it was it's just getting tired so it's stupid. It was almost like the lady the other night was trolling when she's like I don't answer outside of state lines or some stupid s***.

FJ seemed very obvious to me and I know nothing about New Zealand. Surprised the girl on the box didn't know it.

Happy for gay Joe, he seems very sweet.

Robert was so cute!

[quote] Happy for gay Joe, he seems very sweet.

Go Joe!

Glad he was able to get the win.

Very happy with the result. Agree that gay Joe seems very sweet. I’m glad that he advances.

And Canterbury seemed like the obvious answer.

While I thought Robert was really attractive, it was nice to see Joe win.

And unlike some contestants from the past year who seemed to be gay and then turned out to have a wife, Joe clearly doesn't have a Mrs. Joe cheering him on from the sidelines.

That girl Morgan was sannoying

I liked all three, but Robert's Lego gimmick was over the top. There were some tough questions. I was annoyed to miss "The Wild One" because I fell for the "Rebel without a Cause" bait in the clue...

Really good game. Two gay men playing opposite a midget standing on a box.

Yes, they mentioned the box she was standing on and you could see if from certain angles. It was at least a foot tall.

I liked Lego Robert and Figure Skating Joe. Was rooting for either of them. Glad Joe won.

Yeah, Robert's Lego tie was so "over the top" we didn't even notice it until he pointed it out.

For want of a better person to root for I just went along with Sam who might just be a cuddly fit fat daddy under his suit and looked like he was going to win from the beginning anyway. Poor sweet Asian guy who lost so much DJ money on The Joy Luck Club though, admittedly, the clue seemed to point to a more male-centric novel. I wondered if maybe it was My Name Is Asher Lev. Oy.

For FJ I thought for sure it was Sunflowers and groaned when I got the right artist and the wrong flowers.

On to the semi-finals! Is that on Monday?

Chris Meloni did surpsingly very well on Celeb Jeopardy

Whoever booked Sherri Shepherd? Again. She is monumentally stupid and seems proud of it. The woman on the right (never heard of her) was excellent.

I found Josh hot AF. Just sayin' ...

I like Josh, too! But more cute than hot. Happy he won and will enjoy seeing mire of him.

FJ seemed like a no brainer to me. Can't believe the gym teacher with the butch wax got it wrong.

I want to be the filling in a Steve/Josh sandwich.

Steve, Josh, Joe and Laurence! Lots to look forward to in the coming weeks.

I’m devastated nobody knew Chinatown.

Disappointed in Laurence tonight, who seemed kind of grim and humorless. I was fine with Steve's deserved win.

But am I nuts? Did Ken neglect to reveal the true response to FJ? If so, what was it? I had also guessed Prince Rainier.

He did it indirectly that Lawrence said King rather than Prince Ranier.

Wait! You mean if Laurence had called him Prince Rainier he would have been deemed correct? I thought what Ken was saying was Monaco did not have a King so Rainier couldn't have been appropriate to the clue, which I thought mentioned the title King. I guess Laurence had a reason to look glum and humorless.

So, my guessing Prince Rainier was right? Wow.

If he had just said Ranier, would he be correct?

He must be kicking himself like crazy!

[quote]Wait! You mean if Laurence had called him Prince Rainier he would have been deemed correct? I thought what Ken was saying was Monaco did not have a King so Rainier couldn't have been appropriate to the clue, which I thought mentioned the title King.

No, the title "King" was not mentioned in the clue. And yes, if Laurence had written "Prince Rainier," or maybe even just "Rainier," he would have been correct -- and he would have won the game.

Think of Princess Grace, wife of the Prince.

Lawrence is old enough to know that Grace Kelly did not marry a king.

Perhaps he didn't pay a lot of attention to that wedding, unlike most queens in the civilized world.

R437, He’s not old enough to recall the 1956 wedding. But, how about her controversial/premature death in 1982 that will always be questioned and discussed, much like Natalie Wood’s death?

If Lawrence was able to come up with “Rainier” for FJ, he should have known he was a prince and not a king.

I noticed that, as soon as the contestant's incorrect response "King Rainier" was revealed, Ken immediately and seemingly without pause gave a very specific and relatively lengthy explanation of why that response was unacceptable. So I wonder, was there an edited portion of the program during which Ken consulted the judges on exactly what to say?

I bet there was a discussion, r439. I thought it was a very garbled ending.

Is anyone able to quote the exact phrasing of the FJ clue? I'm guessing "monarch" was mentioned.

Probably R431, or at least a better chance of "Yeah, we'll give it to you."

R440: "Before his death in 2005, he said he was 'probably the last head of state to be able to recognize all his compatriots in the street.'"

For future reference, you can easily find the answer to questions like this by Goggling "Final Jeopardy" with the date.

R442, Goggling is my favorite indoor sport.

Oops! Sorry (re "Goggling")

I'd rather goggle than google.

Monaco is a principality, not a kingdom. Hence,....

Since the contestant knew enough to come up with "Rainier," I'm surprised he said "King" rather than "Prince." I'm in my mid-60s and I have the phrase "Prince Rainier" lodged in my brain because that's how he was always referred to, whether in connection to Grace Kelly or not. I couldn't have told you his first name, but I definitely knew it was "Prince."

R448, How well known was he prior to meeting and marrying Grace Kelly?

Just for the record, his birth name was:

Rainier-Louis-Henri-Maxence-Bertrand de Grimaldi

Was Rainier not his first name?

R450, Yes it was. His surname was Grimaldi.

See, I know so little about him that I didn't even know Rainier was his first name -- and yet I still knew his title was "Prince," not "King." (Now that someone mentioned it, I do remember that at one time I knew about "Grimaldi.")

Mrs. Grace Grimaldi. Yes, I quite like that alliteration.

[quote] See, I know so little about him that I didn't even know Rainier was his first name

I think most prince's go by their first name. e.g. You don't hear the British ones going by "Mountbatten-Windsor."

I’m glad Lawrence lost a sure win on such a dumb error. I didn’t like or enjoy him as a contestant. Totally smug.

I would fuck him though.

Was Laurence's bet enough to give him the win had he been judged correct?

Kind of agree with r456. He came off as very smug in his reappearance.

[quote]Was Laurence's bet enough to give him the win had he been judged correct?

As I recall, yes, it was.

I was very happy with tonight's win! He sure knows his math.

That was savant-like math in his head for sure.

I stupidly thought FJ was about a scientist in recent prior years to the 2017 winner so laughed when 2 of them named Newton.

I've already forgotten the name of the winner - is it Josh? Anyway, he's very cute, I was very happy to see him win, I love his energy, and I'm disappointed he's married. To a woman. That math category really saved him from some careless gland guesses.

I immediately thought of "Einstein" as the answer, but then I thought, "No, that's too obvious."

While equating Isaac Newton with gravity made sense (dropping an apple from a height and all) Einstein was the first person I thought of simply because he was such a prominent character in “Oppenheimer,” a phenomenal success this year which I’ve seen twice..

In my opinion, the scenes that involved Einstein were among the very few interesting scenes in OPPENHEIMER, which was deadly boring despite its huge hype and success at the B.O.

I guess DJ correctly Colombia. It looked like it was a guess for dude too.

Colombia connecting South America to the Panama Canal is simple Geography 101. I was surprised the skinny dude took so long to answer and even then he seemed to just be offering a wild guess.

It's all those landlocked African nations and their capitals with new names that overwhelm me.

Lucy is brilliant. Too and on that DJ wager

I missed final, guessing horses. After all, Belgians eat them. St. Helena, tatting lace, and dandelion seemed obvious to me. You, too?

Sorry handsome Joe isn't progressing to the finals!

I thought of pigeons immediately for FJ.

Alas, sexy Joe flamed out.

Well, he's married with kids so there you are....

How do train an airplane or a blimp?

Did Ken Jennings just admit he was bisexual on TV? It was on Celebrity Jeopardy.

Is there another thread for Celebrity Jeopardy?

Wtf is " Aramaic "?? Steven Webber---celeb Jeopardy

R475. If you don’t what Aramaic is, you have no business posting on a Jeopardy thread.

R476, it was the wrong fucking answer!!!! Is my point, fuck you tool

I saw Celebrity Jeopardy on the guide last night and was about to tune to it when I read the info and realized it was “Celebrity” Jeopardy, with three no-names I’d never even heard of.

R480, All of the better celebrities have already been on.

Well, the Wildcard game was a lot of fun. Very well-matched contestants with my fave taking the lead. Let's see how he does tonight!

I like Lucy. I think she's brilliant.

I like all three contestants. It’s so refreshing to not have at least one narcissistic wackadoodle trying to take over the show. The last two seasons were teeming with those assholes.

Love that Josh won but can't believe he (and handsome Steve) didn't know Guinevere. Easiest FJ in a long time.

That girl deserved to lose for not forming responses as a question over and over again.

Josh is in the tradition of str8-identifying guys who ping to me: Eric, Tyler, etc. Steve wins for one of the best stage presences. Final took me a few seconds, but I got it.

Agreed, R484, I liked all three of these contestants and would have been happy to see any one of them win — though cute Josh was definitely my favorite. There have been an ample number of contestants over the last several years who displayed their extremely odd personality quirks so freely that you instantly disliked them. That Lawrence fellow — the stay-at-home uncle who thought that Prince Rainier of Monaco was a King — was one of them. Snooty and condescending, I was happy to see him lose.

Anyone who knows the musical CAMELOT in any of its incarnations would have known FJ. Arthur calls Guenevere "Jenny" throughout. Further proof that neither of the guys is gay.

I didn't get the answer via Camelot, specifically.

Cutie Josh made the best funny faces when he gave a wrong response.

I can't believe I didn't get FJ - and I wanted to kick myself after hearing the answer.

Al three contestant were really bright, which made the last two games very enjoyable.

But I'm in a class of my own for finding Lucy challenging to like.

On more than one occasion on other DL threads I've joked about people who are overweight - but sometimes there is such a thing as being too thin.

Anyway I'm glad Josh won, although he sure does like to grimace.

So we're going into another series of these Wild Card winners (is that the correct term?). Are these simply contestants who won more than one game who the producers think we'll especially enjoy watching again? Is that why they're mostly very competent and less annoying players?

Glad Josh won, although I liked all three contestants. Sorry Lucy kept messing up her phrasing in the form of a question.

Yes, Final was very obvious. But I've never seen Camet. Just pondering for a moment let me to the correct answer.

Josh knew he was going to win and Sam knew he was going to lose, so neither needed to give a correct answer. So, they could both afford a cute answer.

So, now we get to do this all over again with 27 more people? That's the effect of the writers strike dragging on.

Link below shows all of the contestants in the next Wildcard.

A couple of them look vaguely familiar. Two of them even have Mohawks.

WOW! I don't recognize a single one of those contestants. Even the ones with mohawks aren't memorable. No hotties either, remembered or otherwise, Ugh.

Its the writers strike causing them to drag out the Wildcard with another round of contestants.

The season 39 champions tournament featuring Cris Pannullo and other 5+ game champs normally begins in late October/early November. But Cris and several other refused to appear in a tournament using recycled questions.

So, they're doing another round of Wildcard instead.

Cris has enough power to refuse to appear in a tournament until after the WGA strike is over. But these one, two and three game winners don't have that power. They're just so happy to be getting another chance, they're more than willing to respond to recycled questions.

We're not going to get the Tournament of Champions until the spring. Then regular new episodes will reappear in April. It will be all tournaments from this point until then.

They didn't know any of the theater titles except Hedda Gabler! Where are the gays??

It was SO depressing that these contestants didn’t know anything about theater classics from mid-century.

R493

There were a lot of contestants who were mowed down by Matt, Amy, etc. never really stood a chance. I stopped watching those after a while, so most of these guys are new to me.

But R503, only a few could have been mowed down by Matt, Amy, etc. These are players who won at least one game.

Lots of these contestants seem to have been on when Alex was still emceeing.

Aaahhh…I remember Isaac. He’s still a pretentious twat.

Damn, that guy in the middle tonight gave some incredibly stupid answers. Really glad he didn't win.

Such a cinchy final clue! Now I have to go bump with my s.o. over our sink of dirty dishes to a Motown soundtrack provided by Alexa.

They missed a lot they shouldn't have.

How did the fat guy not know Motown? Was he also the one who answered Kermit instead of Elmo?

Not only did he not know Motown, but the answer he gave was 8 Mile, which is not the name of a record label.

Yes, that was him. I thought it was a funny way to indicate he had no idea.

If they gave out prawn crisps at Holy Communion, more Brits would go to church.

r511, I have to believe, since 8 Mile is in Detroit, he thought of Motown, but dismissed it as way too obvious for a final jeopardy clue. That had to be it....right?

[quote]I have to believe, since 8 Mile is in Detroit, he thought of Motown, but dismissed it as way too obvious for a final jeopardy clue. That had to be it....right?

So you think he thought of Motown, which is a record label, but then gave as his answer 8 Mile, which is NOT a record label, because he thought Motown was too obvious? Okay....

I got the answer, but I didn't think it was all that easy because you had to think of a record label that would have been founded in 1959, whereas so many of the other famous record labels (RCA, Capitol, Columbia, etc.) were founded much earlier.

Wow! What a disappointing game.

I can definitely see why these people were only one-day or two-day winners. It was just a fluke they won a game at all! So many answers they didn't get.

And yes, Final was incredibly easy and obvious. The writers love Motown and it has come up several times for a Final in recent years.

Yes, and the auto plant part of the clue was a BIG hint.

Poor John Vigna. I wish they could have awarded points on pity alone.

I’ve always loved the song stylings of Margaret Mitchell.

I thought including "Lincoln-Mercury" in the answer was a slight misdirect, as I first started thinking of names of cars (Continental, etc.), but then I figured it was a geographical clue.

I'd like to see more of Phillip, but he just wasn't up to it.

Unbelievable. FJ was obviously Christopher Columbus. Face palm time supreme.

R524, "Cadiz" gave it away.

I also thought of Magellan, tricked by Columbus' own confusion about his westward direction. Though for all I know, Magellan also sailed west.

I thought Columbus was too obvious.

Magellan was Portuguese. Columbus was obvious from a Spanish city and originally looking for the Indies.

R528, Chris was a tiger in the sack.

Tonight's Final Jeopardy is like a $100 question for grade schoolers.

EXACTLY, R530! And yet the (so far) two posters on the Jeopardy Recap site had trouble!

That's "Cris" to you, Izzy!

@r529 ⬆️ 👑 Isabella.

Final was, indeed, a give-away. Shocking that Mason blew it like that after leaving them in the dust for most of the game. Anyone else get Rachel Carson? Speaking of metrosexual Mason, who was the guy next to his fiancee?

Another obvious FJ. Though I'm fascinated that one of Andrew Carnegie's siblings lived to be almost 200 years old.

I never would have guessed Polk, so I felt for Mason. But the Kennedy question was so easy. Maybe it was his youth, since the older contestants got it.

Most grade school students would be able to identify Polk from the photo shown.

FJ was beyond easy.

Major flameout from Mason.

At my old age I don’t recognize James Polk by portrait. I guessed Franklin Pierce. Maybe I would have gotten it right when I was in seventh grade and had history class everyday in a classroom with portraits of all the presidents hung around the perimeter of the room.

I suppose for trivia heads, they might know all the presidents in order (ie Polk = 11th). But obviously that wasn’t the case for poor Mason.

Don't know what grade school you attended, but mine didn't cover President Polk.

FJ was just too too easy that it led to overthinking

R538, Don’t know how old you are, but when I was in grammar school we had to memorize all of the Presidents. I knew that was Polk from memory.

R534, Andrew Carnegie had one brother, Thomas, who died at age 43 from pneumonia.

Mason’s DD bet made no sense at all. He was ahead by at least 11K. It was the last DD of the game. It’s not a money game, so no need to push it. If he bets $100, he can’t be beat. He Clavin’d it. What an idiot.

I realized Polk was from TN at around that time.

I did not recognize Polk by his picture. My grade school certainly never showed us portraits of all the presidents much less had us memorize them.

Final was so easy that it did lend to overthinking it as r539 said above. That's exactly what I did, but never could come up with someone else. So, I finally said Kennedy.

Mason flamed out big time on that Daily Double bet. Was cocky because he was doing so well and bet way too much. Lost his mojo after losing that DD and lost the game. He had the game in the bag until that stupid bet.

Another insanely easy FJ today. Or at least I thought it was. This round of contestants are not my favorites.

Easy Peasy FJ again. The winner is a dead ringer for the naked guy my janitorial service sends every week to clean my house!

That was an easy FJ. Surprised that two of them missed it.

I liked Brian, so was pleased he came back to win. I thought Jefferson as well re: Paris. To be blunt, I assumed the pastor must be anti-gay.

Short stories was a give-away answer, as was deluge for Brian after the others whiffed out like that.

Isn't the children's book "Ben and Me" still required reading in elementary school? Amos the Mouse went with him to France, so the significance of Ben's diplomatic trip was detailed within. Everyone should know that 🤪

I've never heard of that story, R549.

They all seemed incredibly stupid tonight with the girls showing signs of intelligence but then quickly losing all of it. And then the old guy at the end it was like having a stroke every time he tried to answer something. The Asian guy that showed some promise at the end but then of course blew it at the final and the stupidest one of them all somehow won. But like who doesn't know that Benjamin Franklin was in Paris that year like it's just something that I feel like is like known by like everybody.

R549. Thank you I made my comment before I bothered reading any of tonight's and while I don't remember knowing it specifically from that book I just do feel like it's something pretty commonly taught to every grade schooler probably from maybe Charlie Brown or something I don't know or maybe there is a schoolhouse Rock or sesame Street about it.

r548, why do you assume the pastor, the Asian contestant, is anti-gay?

It's my understanding that Korean Christianity is fairly fundie, rather than mainstream Protestant.

I can't provide a link, because the website's content is only accessible by using the cache-text format now, but there's a document showing what churches were supporting Prop. 8 during California's same-sex marriage battle, and his church is listed among them (Community Christian Alliance Church). So yes, his church is for H8.

Every theater queen can hum the score to BEN FRANKLIN IN PARIS.

Two games in a row where a contestant needlessly bet large on a DD and it backfired.

When that happens, there should be a button for Jennings to press that triggers an audio recording of Alex bemoaning, "Oooh, that will cost you."

R558, followed quickly by a giant boot swinging out to kick them in the ass. I shouted “Moron!!” at the tv several times over the last two episodes.

That female contestant was up and down more times in 22 minutes than a a whore during Fleet Week.

Jay was completely devoid of personality. It was unnerving.

I knew several of the answers they missed.

Nose ring guy will return.

Blue Nile - that was a gimme!

Did the woman not say Loeb instead of Loew??

I heard Loew. I was actually shocked that she or anyone got it and surprised it wasn't in a bigger money slot. Of course, being an eldergay theatre queen I knew right away.

Polygamy phobias in colonial South Africa.

I've lived too long.

I replayed it several times now, R565. She definitely said Loeb. She evens pops her lips on the B. Ken’s response back to her was odd, like they had her repeat the answer and this time she said Loew. Maybe she is a fan of famous murder teams and got it confused with Leopold and Loeb.

Was Sarah on something or was it just nervousness?

Jay certainly had no personality but TJ more than made up for that. TJ initially irritated me, but he quickly won me over. Glad he won. And it was an impressive win.

Sarah did seem nervous for some reason.

Final really seemed a choice between Texas and California. So, it was essentially a coin flip.

FJ was yet another easy one.

All they had to do was count down from William.

That said, Aaron is sexy as fuck.

FJ - I got correct

Also correctly guessed Picasso in DJ

Me too, but had to look up FJ. Had NO idea the Archie comics dated from 1941.

Aaron - probably a sexy high schooler who lost his looks (and jaw line) by the time he graduated college.

Very hard game.

I think I got Archie because of the millions of Harkle threads here. Everything i need to know I learned on DL.

How did Hari get to play in Second Chances and then turn around and play again in Champions Wildcard?

Hari had a dreadful bidding strategy.

Ridiculous fraus on today’s episode.

“Oh, way to go!!”

🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄

Love today's champ! Very hot. Bet he throws a mean fuck.

Is there a wife or just the daughters?

Yeah, no R581. Douchebag Supreme.

This thread is almost full.

Here's link to a new one to use when this fills up.

Did Dana Hill remind anyone else of Dana Hill?

Actually, r583, I found the stay at home mom Dana Hill to be more of a douche bag. Glad she lost to not only the hot champ (he really would be very hot if he ditched the silly mohawk and just shaved his head) but the sweet elder lady in the middle.

R586, I agree. I thought she was a smug bitch, especially when she shrugged off the money she lost.

I don't find tonight's winner "hot." Not only does he have that ridiculous hair style and ridiculous hair color, he also obviously is tatted up. All signs of a narcissist trying to call attention to himself. Also, he really didn't play very well overall and just got lucky with that Daily Double.

Magellan and Francis Drake have to be the most overused Jeopardy answers

Final Jeopardy was easy. Were they trying to confuse the players by putting in that part about "since 1952," yet the category was "21st Century" - meaning there were only a five fairly recent elections to think about.

R589, Along with Robert Frost and Jack Kerouac.

[quote]Final Jeopardy was easy. Were they trying to confuse the players by putting in that part about "since 1952," yet the category was "21st Century" - meaning there were only a five fairly recent elections to think about.

There was nothing confusing about "since 1952," unless you completely misread the question.

Good game. Dave was determined to win with that DD bet!

Final was incredibly easy if your follow elections in any way.

But I will admit, the wording of the question was a little awkward.

R595, why do you think there was anything "awkward" about the wording of the final question? All three contestants obviously had no problem understanding it. The phrase "since 1952" was included in the clue only as a point of information about the subject, but it was 100 percent clear that what they were looking for was a Presidential election year within the 21st century.

Reminder: This thread is almost full.

We're moving to a new one.

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