Jeopardy! #30: New Champs Emerge Each Day

Link to the previous thread.

OP, Mattea would have come up with a better title.

Thanks for the !

Has Amy shaved her upper lip yet?

I like Ryan and hope he sticks around for awhile.

"Collins's" Oh, dear. R430 from #29

So meta when you can Oh, dear an Oh, dear. 🙄

Ryan's a gentle giant. Looking for some more wins.

FJ was easy.

Someone on the Jeopardy! writing staff has a definite Jack Kerouac fixation.

Glad that Ryan won again. He would appear to be the very definition of self-effacing.

I love Ryan.

Ryan is a delight, we should all be so lucky to have an Uber driver so steeped in trivia!

r9, a Kerouac fixation or just doesn't know a lot of books!

Maybe Ryan is a writer or artist who drives a car to give himself a lot of flex time.

Sweet stories about the kittens.

Jack Kerouac, Toni Morrison, and T.S. Eliot all seem to pop up a lot. Go Ryan!

So does Macbeth, Henry VIII and Richard III.

Australian states popped up for the second time in two weeks on the island category.

Is t.s. short for tough. shit.?

I want that big bear Ryan to go all grizzly on my mussy.

^^ First and last time “mussy” shows up in a Jeopardy thread, please.

We all love a champ who we can all love. Go Ryan!!!

Again, sex with Ryan would be like getting fucked by Thanos.

More accurately, a champion who is so bland that no one can hate him.

Given his size, I have to wonder if any young females have been apprehensive about getting into his Uber vehicle if they're alone, especially late at night.

Mamma would get into the back seat and spread her mussy and tell him to drive! Mamma like!

Guessed final correctly, though starting the song with "I'm Holly" sounds weird. They didn't know about Champaign-Urbana or St. Vincent and the Grenadines, nor that Gouda and Edam are the Dutch cheese cities?

Disliked the challengers, so a rare time where I was fine with a runaway.

Audrey had a very pleasing voice and manner. But I was happy that Ryan won again.

Would a young straight man know the answer to FJ?

Mayim really likes her houndstooth blazers, doesn't she?

Ryan is a huge fat pig. He must stink down there.

Ryan is very good at TV trivia.

Good game. Final was easy.

I'm liking Ryan more and more.

R31 Not just Ryan. It's always a surprise so many Jeopardy contestants seem to have nothing better to do with lives than watch TV all night.

Hi, Mattea at R30.

So, Ryan made it into the TOC. Props to him for getting FJ, which was challenging.

Bradford’s cute, but, according to FB, straight.

None of them could recognize a picture of a samovar? Nor had heard of a biro? Devil's Island (guess Papillion isn't classic), KL Tower and Ford seemed obvious to me. Got Final as well.

Disliked the challengers again, so You Go Ryan!

I guessed The Lighthouse at Alexandria for FJ but Ryan knew it was The Hanging Gardens at Babylon. Impressive.

Ryan has bumped Margaret Shelton to last place in the TOC standings 😟

I'm trying to imagine Ryan naked.

Nice fist bump from Bradford to Ryan at the end.

Philly fist bump. I guessed Colossus, like Bradford. Margaret and Ryan are my favorites so far for the TOC.

Ryan's son made the beads he had on.

Guess we know Ryan didn't go to Harvard.

Ryans asshole must stink. He’s too fat to wipe down there. Fact.

“The Ural” and “Lake Volga” had me howling!

Li-Mae reminded me of Iola Boylan.

I really thought Li-Mae was going to win the game before they went into DJ. Ryan seemed slow and lethargic until the 14 minute mark.

I think the pressure of filming 5 shows in a day sometimes hits a contestant who has to keep turning it on after however long they give for breaks in between. It took Ryan about 3 or 4 categories to get going, but he did seem a bit lethargic up to that time today. He's very smart, but the other part of the game is hitting the buzzer first the semi-second after the host reads the last syllable of the last word in the clue. (How does that work with visual Daily Doubles without words to read -- can they ring in early)?

or just visual clues in general -- like music performances, etc.

Good question, r47, r48.

I also don't really get how the buzzer responses can be measured to the miliseconds. How was that ever done in the 1960s when the game was invented and the technology (most likely) not there yet?

R49 Milliseconds have actually been around for some time. Look e.g. at reaction time studies in the '60s.

He must have been tired to say Harvard is in New Hampshire.

But not too tired to buzz in. For someone with as much obscure knowledge as he has, that answer was inexplcable.

He could have just zoned out and buzzed in only having mentally registered "Ivy League" (a little like when you're not paying attention in class and the teacher calls on you).

That's why I suspect he's not going far in ToC. It's hard, but you have to stay focused 100 percent and not let your mind wander. That was always Ken's strong point.

Ryan got questions about gout and diabetes. Totally not fair.

Some people in Jeopardy! forums are referring to him as a super champion. Is anyone who’s won five times considered a super champion? I thought they’d have to win more than that.

You need glasses - they were saying [bold]sumo[/bold] champion.

Ryan is a bore. No energy.

Not a fan of the Guamanian. Is this the new Bookish Ryan? What does Cámaro have to do with car and driver? Kind of obscure.

Guessed PTSD as well - few people under 65 have had polio.

Ryan got a haircut.

I guessed FJ after I was able to remember what disease Mitch McConnell had that turned him all ugly and tortoise-like.

I guessed since the vast majority of the survivors are old, it is a once common disease no longer common—polio.

Ryan's low energy is bringing me down....even when he wins.

Mayim is providing enough chirpy for two.

Someone please explain Camaro.

Is your google broken, R65? If you search definition camaro, here is the first return.

The name Camaro was reportedly derived from Heath's French and English Dictionary as a term that translated to "friend" or "comrade."

I'm tired of hearing Ryan breathe.

R67, He won't live to see the young son who made the necklace graduate high school.

Ryan must weigh in around 350#.

I guessed final correctly, as well as getting the following: Elbe river, 54 40 or Fight, (homo) Shep Smith and NW Territory. I was hoping for the lady to pull it out, but... nah.

I really liked Ryan initially, but he is becoming so deadpan, he displays the enthusiasm of a zombie.

Sometimes I think they should put a mirror under his nose to see if it mists up.

First the flapping hands were a problem, now it's not enough movement. Are. you folks never satisfied?

Amy was like a great blend of Ryan and Mattea — enthusiasm without the flapping hands, and humility without the sleepy-eyed lethargy and labored breathing. Great hybrid energy. Tournament of Champs should be very exciting this year.

To say nothing of my favorite long-haul champ, Matt Amorim, who I hope wins all the marbles at ToC!

R72, Who?

I almost guessed Bruce, but daftly switched to Wallace.

R72 No, we need a cross between Roger Craig and Julia Collins.

All three should have gotten FJ. I don't know what the woman was thinking, how'd she get on the show.

Would have been happy to swap Ryan for the dreamy Kris Olson. I could listen to his deep voice for a very long time.

But, alas, it was not to be. Plus, he didn’t appear to have the breadth of knowledge to sustain him over several shows.

I was lusting after Kris the entire time. Can you imagine him fucking you and using that deep, masculine voice to talk dirty? I would die. Swoon.

I'm finding I get tired of a multi-episode winner no matter who they are. And I prefer games with close calls and surprising outcomes.

R79 Should have gone to a ten-game limit after Ken's run. Bit late now.

Have you noticed that Ryan's glasses fog up while he's just standing there? (Sigh)

Ryan really thought Fanny Brice died in 1989?

FJ was so easy, it was embarrassing not to guess it.

Kris must have students throwing themselves at him left and right.

The one thing that annoys me about Ryan is that before he makes his selection he always say ah.... as in, ah, Flags for $200.

I thought it was a missed opportunity for someone to choose the "Flags" category and say it was in honor of Sheldon and Amy Farah Fowler's "Fun With Flags" cable tv show.

Sheldon and Amy Farah Fowler Cooper, that is.

Ryan is dull.

Also, Ryan mutters the "question" part of his answer so lowly that he should be disqualified.

The “ah” thing seems like part of labored breathing, along with muttering the question.

I’m becoming less and less impressed with Ryan. He runs tv and movie categories, but then gives some really stupid answers. I like the guy’s personality and modesty, but he is the weakest five plus game winner the show has ever had. To not get polio or Bruce this week in FJ is kind of embarrassing. He will get crushed by the monster that is Mattea in TOC.

I knew final immediately.

Another fucking runaway with multitudes of incorrect answers, while Matt mops the sweat off his brow. Weak and boring.

I guessed Baltic & Mediterranean. Strange game.

I don't think Ryan is acting. He's not in good shape. Indeed, he sometimes looks like he needs oxygen. Give him credit for persevering this far.

He seems like he has a lot of anxiety, and if so, that would could make his breathing issues more pronounced.

Who thinks he's acting?

He may not live to the TOC.

I believe from the way he answered a question he's diabetic.

He's morbidly obese, how could he not be diabetic?

I also feel the stress of doing show after show is wearing him down.

Taping five shows in row for two days is a rigorous schedule for someone so overweight.

It's time Jeopardy doubled the value of all the clues, what with inflation and all.

It's time to let the losing two contestants keep what they earned and not $2K or $1K

Ryan was definitely fading.

I thought for once Ryan might lose but FJ Sports and Entertainment was something I figured he'd get right and he did.

Ryan must spend countless hours on his couch watching television shows and streamed movies.

How long is a day of taping, like eight hours? I can’t imagine game play happens as fast as what we see in the broadcast. And do they get a warm-up round before each game starts, just to let the new contestants acclimate to the rhythm?

Aaron came so close tonight!

And can you believe none them knew Judy Garland????

God. Damn. It.

Who's complaining? Friday was a good game with drama.

I love how they are now including more very current topics (within the last year or so) in the questions. So far it seems to be tripping up the contestants, who must not read/watch regular news.

As soon as I saw Sports I knew I would have no chance on FJ. Ryan chalks up another win after a close game.

Good game. I was really rooting for Aaron. He could have done it.

I had no idea on Final but guessed Peyton Manning. Imagine my surprise when it was right!

Apparently Aaron had no faith in his knowledge of sports, too. A zero dollar wager from the player in first place is unacceptable when they can be caught. Even if he did get FJ correct he would have lost. Just stupid.

Oh, and I really thought FJ was very easy. Even if you don’t follow the NFL, Peyton Manning and Omaha have been a meme for years.

Stumped me.

I really thought this would be Ryan's last stand.

I like Ryan a lot because his personality so pleasant and easy to watch and because he has a sort of bashful virility about him. He's mentioned offspring, hasn't he? He also talks about "we" in household matters. No wedding ring, though. Is he hetero-married? Living with a GF? A BF?

Anyway, R89, I agree. Even though I like him, Ryan displays some big gaps in knowledge. While that's not unusual in contestants generally, it's rare in a longtime champ. It's not consistent, either. Yes, tends to run the TV and movie categories, but he also aced a medical terminology category early in the week.

OMG...the Edmund Fitzgerald! 😳🤭😄

Ryan had a solid game, in spite of missing the Pocket Books Daily Double and FJ. John Lewis died a couple of years ago. I think I remembered Poitier partly because there were several DL DEAD TO ME threads discussing him in Jan.

I'm tired of being so negative, but this is excruciating. Ryan's constant sighing, and the two other contestants today, all seemed like they'd rather be somewhere else. Whose fault is this? Mayim's? There's no energy in the room. This isn't fun.

I got the final clue but not much else. I like Ryan because he has a soft pitched speaking voice, low key. One contestant bet wildly and lost but it was fun to watch.

Good game. I'm enjoying Ryan.

Final was easy for me, but Oprah has been very vocal about adoring Sidney Poitier over the years.

If you're as large as Ryan, you might decide to go through life with the calmest of demeanors to avoid seeming threatening.

They couldn't guess Poe with a pendulum clue? Dry bones was fairly obvious as well. Rather than a steamrolling champ, he seems more to he be the best of a mediocre lot these days.

I thought the paperback animal was a penguin.

It was. For Penguin Books.

How was the clue phrased, r125?

I felt bad for Phil Donahue that Ryan killed him off in FJ.

Yes, RIP Phil Donahue

Don't Merv and Phil sort of meld into one?

"Ted Cruz" for the literary Final Jeopardy? Ryan really does come up with some dumb FJs!

When you get to the first commercial break and both challengers are negative, you know you're in for a stellar game.

I guessed Lennie from "Of Mice & Men" for FJ. I can't believe I forgot Holden...

Part of these reason there are so many 5+ game champions in the last couple of seasons is that, while the champions are good, the competition are often way below average.

Wow. Bad game. So many missed clues.

I knew most of the answers they missed in the first round. But had no idea on Final.

Pretty sure "Ted Cruz" was a joke. I missed FJ too. Guessed George from Of Mice and Men; he was the smarter one.

I took that as a joke, R131.

Same experience here, R134. Ryan is good, but he's no Matt or Amy. Challengers have been weak during Covid it seems.

He’s no Mattea either.

Levar is still crying over not being named host.

Levar was one of the worst in the rotating guest hosts they had (Aaron Rodgers was one of the best). She needs to move on and stop with these bitter bombs.

Apparently, LeVar still hasn't watched the episodes that he hosted yet. Even Helen Kellar could see that he not right for being the Jeopardy host.

And yet LeVar's still not taking any responsibility for doing a bad job as host. He's still blaming other people for his not being selected as the permanent host.

Levar's problem was he seemed to be hosting a Kid's Edition of Jeopardy with his loud and enthusiastic YES!! and THAT'S RIGHT!! responses when the contestant's response was correct.

Finally, LeVar, your episodes taped over a year ago. Aired 10 months ago. LET IT GO, LEVAR. MOVE ON.

LeVar seems to be whining all over the place. Even Entertainment Weekly is covering him whining.

[quote] And what I learned from the experience, really, is that it reinforced my belief that everything happens for a reason, even if you cannot discern the reason in the moment. In the fullness of time, everything will be revealed.

I can help you with that. The reason is “You sucked.”

Dear LeVar,

SHUT THE FUCK UP.

I missed the week Burton hosted. I watched the other guest hosts and thought Aaron Rogers was a good host, Katie Couric and Dr Oz were the worst. Burton can express being disappointed in the outcome, the fix was in to give the producer the job and he sucked too.

Matt or Amy or Mattea would’ve ended tonight with like a $50k purse. Ryan whiffed on so many questions, he’s lucky FJ was hard.

R145 Was it though? Admiral.... water.... ocean.... not battlefields, not Waterloo. But I agree, Ryan is not even close to the Holy Three of this year.

I still find him sweet and appealingly shy.

Tonight was a very close call for Ryan. Fun game.

LeVar sucked as a host. Get over it. Move on. Jeopardy has.

I was sure Ryan had met his Waterloo. He's a good player with great luck.

Vanessa started out blazing, but missing Thames was a real boner for a Brit.

Fuck! I was so hopeful. I can't believe this guy is in the top 10 of all time!! And why would an admiral have surrendered at Waterloo?!?!

Has Ryan been wearing the same sweater every game?

I'm pretty sure Ryan has worn a wider variety of sweaters in two weeks than Matt Amodio did in two months.

Good game. I really thought Megan was going to win.

Waterloo was my first guess for Final. Trafalgar was my second guess. Not being especially knowledgeable about military ranks and positions, I didn't pick up on the Admiral part of the clue.

I wish they'd bring back the cap on games a player can win. I like Ryan, had nothing against Amy and found Mattea sort of annoying but tolerable. It's not about the contestants themselves. It's just so boring seeing one person win game after game after game.

I will say that Ryan manages to miss so many questions that there's a little more suspense than with the others.

So was missing Trafalgar, which looked like a FJ suspiciously made for her.

Actually, apart from Canadians, foreigners are exceedingly rare on Jeopardy.

The English Channel!

I knew final immediately.

R159, I didn't, I guessed Monaco.

I guessed Jerusalem.

Any one contestant can miss a question, but how did all three contestants miss tonight's FJ?

The category points to the Middle East. The clue tells you it's a UNESCO world heritage city and famous for being pink in color. How do three people who are all supposedly Jeopardy-level contestants miss Petra? It's FAMOUS for being pink. Photographs of Petra are all over the internet. Agatha Christie wrote a book that's set there - and not just any book, one of her Poirot mysteries.

I like Ryan, but his gaps in knowledge, particularly about history and geography, are embarrassing.

R162 Well, I've been to Petra (and Jaipur) and didn't get it either. Yes, the L of A reference pointed to something in the ME, but Petra is an archaeological site not a city, and the dominant color to my eye is more red than pink.

Also can't fathom Ryan's FJ wager.

Ryan must have a 4-leaf clover in his pocket. I've always dreamed of travelling to Petra, so I knew FJ.

I was guessing Tehran for Final. As r163 so eloquently pointed out, Petra is an archaeological site and nothing in the clue was saying archaeological site to me.

Was rooting for Tom. I thought he could pull it off. At least Ryan has had some real competition in the past two games.

Petra was the obvious answer. Shocked that none of them got it.

R163 it used to be a city

R167 Duh. Thanks for the obvious post. But the point is a) it's not a city now b) it wasn't a city when she visited it c) unlike say Pompeii, it doesn't give off ex-city vibes when you do visit it.

My local NBC affiliate preempted the show to cover Biden’s pointless speech about guns. It cut out just before Mayim started announcing categories for the first round, and came back just before the FJ clue was read.

R169, YouTube is your friend.

R169 that's the perfect way to watch Jeopardy these days.

Tonight, one of the contestants is a DC gay — Wyatt Yankus.

Verificatia?

That happened to my mother as well, R169. Youtube is your friend.

I believe Petra is nicknamed The Rose City? Ryan seems to luck out on having a few strong categories (pop culture mostly) and weak opponents.

I like Ryan. He's the least annoying of the big winners. Couldn't stand Mattea or Agatha Christie wannabe Amy Schneider.

Not a close game at all Friday, a runaway in fact. If it's Wyatt win, he'll make a great and deserving replacement for Ryan.

R168 Petra was the obvious answer whether you were able to think of it or not. It immediately came to mind for those who know about world heritage sites

R177 So obvious, nobody got it.

It was, indeed, obvious; they should have known it.

I could not have been obvious because I missed it.

R172, Wyatt is definitely a cutie.

I don’t believe that I’ve ever met him, but he’s friends with several of my DC friends.

R182,

Is that you, La Senatrice Graham?

R181 It'd be good to see him win. Hope he doesn't do something foolish, like overbet on a DJ. .

R182, He married his husband at Niagara Falls.

R185 Princeton and military social aide in the Obama White House. Good catch for his husband.

Wyatt is a sweet baby.

GO WYATT! Bet it all and pray Ryan doesn't have the FJ answer.

oh, well......

Ryan bets like a pussy.

I was really rooting for Wyatt - gay, cute and a nice smile.

The game is more interesting when contestants wager less conservatively. I like Ryan better than Matteo and Matt. Will not watch another game of Jeopardy with Matt

R192, Up yours!

[quote] Is that you, La Senatrice Graham?

Not only no, but fuck no. I despise Repukes, especially that closeted POS. What a bizarre leap to make. 🙄

I guessed telegraph, but wasn't certain. Had no idea for Skylab.

Skylab was my first thought, but no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't form the word "telegraph" in my brain.

Wyatt certainly was cute. Was rooting for him.

I knew Skylab immediately, but had no idea on telegraph. Only thing I could think of for Final was photograph, but I knew that was wrong.

[quote] Not only no, but fuck no. I despise Repukes, especially that closeted POS. What a bizarre leap to make. 🙄

R194, It was a joke. Remember those? Go take a Midol and get on with your life.

I got totally fed up with Mattea, Amy and Matt and I'm not fed up with Ryan yet. So Ryan wins.

R194 mustn’t understand humor. The La Senatrice comment was funny. Are you on the spectrum, R194, or perhaps new to the DL?

I liked Mattea in the sense that she didn't come across as narcissistic; it was her nightly reveal of lifetime accomplishments that grew tiring. Ryan is the opposite of that.

I didn't know Mayim was from San Diego. When she returned as host a few weeks ago, I loved the flipped hair, different glasses, and less conservative clothing styles, but Friday night was a giant leap backwards.

This year's Tournament of Champions is airing in November this year. I am really looking forward to it.

I can’t say I’ve been annoyed by any of this season’s big champs. Mattea was a little irritating with her chatter between points, but otherwise they’ve all been pretty benign. I wouldn’t go so far as to call Matt or Amy’s screen presence especially “likeable”, but they were humble enough and I didn’t find anything about them to be particularly grating or offputting.

Bump.

None of them knew Dr. Jill Biden???

And Ryan didn't know Dr. Martin Luther King????

WOW! Anyone can win. Can't wait to hear the wagers.

FJ was so hard!

I thought for sure one of the answers was Jason but guessed Ulysses as the other one, though I doubted they were related to each other.

Challenger Stephanie sounded a lot like Rhea Seahorn (Kim on Better Call Saul) to me.

Stephanie had major dyke-ping, no?

There was a pun or inside joke about cowbell that went over my head, I think? Had no idea of final.

None of them knew that donkeys bray? Or the French term chez?

That all-in FJ wager instead of -0- made no sense.

Like past champions, Ryan seemed to just give up halfway in.

Buh bye fatso!

I guessed FJ, but it was a Hail Mary.

The new champ is lucky. He bet recklessly on DJs.

Think Ryan seemed somewhat relieved he lost.

R216 Wagering all but a dollar instead of zero on FJ said pretty clearly, "Time to call it a night. I'm folding."

[QUOTE] There was a pun or inside joke about cowbell that went over my head, I think?

It was a reference to the Christopher Walken skit on SNL when he keeps yelling for “More cowbell!” while they’re recording Blue Oyster Cult’s “The Reaper.”

R215 It seems so often people bet on DJs based on how they stand relative to their opponents and fail to consider the difficulty of the question based on where the DJ card is. So simple: high on the board, bet a lot, low on the board, don't (unless it's a category you are strong in).

I grew to like mild-mannered Ryan - look forward to ToC.

Question: I am confused by how often the judges accept a last name as a last answer, yet sometimes don't. Tonight "Bronte" wasn't accepted and actor woman was forced to incorrectly guess Charlotte... yet stork boy was able to answer "Allende"... not forced to distinguish Isabel from Salvador etc. I don't understand the standard.

Well, there's only one Allende female author yet there are 3 female Bronte authors. Seems pretty simple to me.

I suppose if the answer was Jones or Smith or a common surname they could require a first name, too.

I was more confused by the acceptance of Ryan's answer of Medicine Man. And then he muttered Witch Doctor. Are they really the same thing?

Ryan can finally go back home and watch TV again! Who knows, maybe he'll use the money to hire a trainer and a nutritionist before he keels over.

His son is coming to California first. I liked Ryan, but don't think he'll get far in the TOC. And I'll be cheering for Margaret, anyhow.

Castor and Pollux were nowhere on my radar. The new champ did pretty well overall. Persian was a tough Daily Double, but the one Ryan lost on (MLK) wasn't.

Yes, R221, they have evolved to generally mean the same thing, along with "shaman" and other terms used throughout the ages by cultures around the world; they probably all fall under the heading of "folk medicine."

R216, I thought so, too. I think Ryan is a shy man who never expected to get on the show at all, let alone have such a long run. He was nice; I'm glad he had so much success, but it was time for a new face. Speaking of which ...

I've already forgotten the new champ's name, but I remember that he had BDF. Also, he looked lean and tight - quite a contrast to Ryan.

Tall & skinny Eric Ahasic

the final was tough I only knew of Jason not the other characters.

shocked about some answers they didn't know or got wrong like when the woman guessed "April" for the month Russia invaded Ukraine this year? yikes

also surprising how many people don't know MLK spent time in Boston

Ryan was a seemingly good and humble winner. I didn't mind him at all but I'm ready for someone new so glad it happened

I got a feeling Ryan was ready to check out during the opening introductions. I found myself wondering, "Is he asleep." He looked so incredibly tired of being there. Then, he quit trying early in game and let the other two answer so many question.

He did have a last minute surge there, but it was too little too late.

Goodbye, Ryan. I did enjoy you. You're fulfilling the Monday curse that has brought down many previous champs.

I had no idea on Final. It seemed especially hard compared to most Final questions.

It seemed that the winner wasn't entirely sure of FJ and took a swing that succeeded. He appeared almost shocked he got it right,

R219: our local meteorologist on the channel that carries Jeopardy is also a Stork Boy. I wondered if it's a requirement/trend?

That was ugly, r213, and completely uncalled for. Don’t you believe Ryan feels badly enough? And his son. Would you have cared to have read such off the cuff cruelty about your own father, especially when he was down, when you were young? Now go back to that keyboard and apologize at once!

R227: she was think of the T. S. Eliot quote that begins "April is the cruelest month..."

It seems to me that the answers/questions have changed. What I mean is that I used to be able to infer a lot of questions from how the answers were worded. I don't feel like that's the case as much any more. Now it feels like, either you know it or you don't.

Agree, r233. Sometimes, because of the way the clue is worded, I'm not even sure what they're looking for.

[quote]What I mean is that I used to be able to infer a lot of questions from how the answers were worded. I don't feel like that's the case as much any more.

I'd say that is a result of the change in Executive Producers who is also a part of the Writing Team -- check the end credits for the people listed as Writers and you'll see the EP is also listed as a writer. EP has always been listed as a writer too.

Back in the days of Harry Friedman as EP, Final clues were frequently worded so it was really just two responses that could be correct. Sometimes three. Alex often even something like, "There were only two responses you had to choose from."

I think that wording of clues where it is down to two responses is GONE with Michael Davies as the EP at the beginning of this season. Now clues are worded differently. Sometimes they're worded badly so it isn't immediately obvious what they're even asking about.

Had NO idea of FJ, and I read a. lot.

R236 There was something odd about how the question was framed:

[quote]This 2013 bestseller shares its title with the first section of a poem from 7 centuries before

I immediately was trying to think of first lines... "section" is not literary language and threw me.

I don't think stork boy is going to last too many more days.

Yes, clues have been off this season. Too often clumsy and obscure.

I don't expect Eric to last long either. Today showed he's not that good a player.

I had no idea on Final but did know the Department of the Interior.

Yeah, Interior was pretty obvious (from the clue).

Gee, no one wanted Michael deeply inside them, or vice versa?

Wow the champ tonight kept giving himself double fist pumps - that was weird.

Not a fan of either challenger, so excellent that he won. Knew final before she finished reading the question.

They should've known turntable and Fatima. Canyon de Chelly a bit more obtuse, but I knew it.

The new champ was also wiggling his hips at the end.

FJ was fairly easy today, I thought.

🤔

Very good game for Eric: two big wagers on Daily Doubles paid off. I had no idea for silicon.

R246, Seriously? The silicon response was as easy as The Boston Tea Party.

Silicon made sense for glass after the fact, but I didn't know it either.

Eric reminds me of Dustin Lance Black.

Final was very obvious. As was turntable.

Are there any other things that could be termed as "events" of the early 1770s leading up to the Revolutionary War. The Boston Tea Party was the obvious answer.

The clue said noting about the American Revolution.

[quote]A participant in this 1773 event recalled, “Some of our numbers jumped into the hold …I never labored harder in my life”

Champ Erik has this endearing "Awwshucks" aura about him. I like him.

Is he a TV meteorologist?

Here are some numbers showing how difficult (obscure and poorly written) Final Jeopardy questions have been recently.

In the last 20 episodes, contestants have correctly answered FJ 18 times. Less than one correct response per episode. Yes, we’ve had some poor contestants, but wow.

I have historically answered FJ around 2/3 of the time correct. During the last 20 episodes I’m only at 50%, with obscure answers like Petra, Castor and Pollux, and Battle of Trafalgar. Gone are FJ questions with clues hidden within.

They all had clues within them.

Well, I thought about 1776, the Revolution, then worked my way back.

Plus a hold is what a ship uses to store things. 🤷🏻‍♀️,

We have a veryyyyyyyy confident winner.

I don't like this guy. He is smug and unfunny. I hope someone takes him down soon.

In fact, i just switched to Family Feud as I cannot stand the winner.

The teacher challenger wuz hawt.

I was torn between Babar and Curious George for final, never having read The Little Prince.

And I thought Madeleine or Tintin.

I thought of The Red Balloon.

I like Eric SO much more than previous champ Ryan, so I don't mind if he stays around a bit longer.

Having said that, I wouldn't have been disappointed if Sean won tonight, if only to have a more attractive guy on tomorrow's show.

Yet another obvious FJ.

I would have written “Qu’est-ce que “Le Petit Prince”? Because I’m pretentious.

I love Eric's bold wagers. Exciting, and the strategy has paid off... so far.

I'm also all for Eric's BIG bold wagers. Thrilling! That's the fun of the show.

The year made this answer impossibly for FJ, but I couldn’t think of anything other than The Diary of Anne Frank.

Did the tall dude win again? The show was preempted for the start of the hearings.

Yes, Final was immediately obvious to me.

I don't mind Eric. I like it when he bets big on the DDs. But I'm not going t be upset when he is defeated either.

He's a big, grinning idiot.

He has Wackadoodle eyes.

Eric looks like a wooden marionette or something. I don’t mind him, but I won’t be upset when he leaves.

I loved the hottie from D.C. the other night. Very likable (and lickable).

I also find Le Petit Prince morose and twee (I like Saint Ex’s other writings), so I don’t usually think of it as children’s lit.

Is Eric a homosexualist?

He's a cat person, so who knows?

NOT a homosexualist!

The straights can have him.

Well since Eric is straight, I'm ready for a new champ.

looking forward to the appearances of the many superior intellects giving Ryan their helpful suggestions and encouragement. He is gone, so one can hope there are new people to complain about.

R279, that only makes him all the more attractive to me, attractive in a nerdy way - tall and lean, and, judging by the BDF, with a huge schlong. I do wish he'd quit the shit-eating, cookie-smelling grin. Men are so much so much sexier when they're serious.

Anyway, Eric is a great contestant. I liked Ryan, but Eric is a better player. He knows his stuff across many categories. While Ecuador was the wrong answer on Friday, at least it was a sensible answer. I hope Eric will continue to do well.

Eric has enormous dead eyes. I think I honestly detest him, I guarantee you he is a nasty piece of work.

Will Eric survive The Jeopardy Monday Curse?

Did anyone else know Lazard Freres?

No, but I knew umber.

Glad that Eric won.

Who is Mick Jagger?

Oh dear…

Ugh - Eric didn't know TV (and DL) legend Lucille Ball. I've had sufficient.

R286 I laughed out loud.

I thought Carol Burnett.

☺️

Buster Keaton was the comedian who famously told Lucy: "Know your props."

How could anyone believe Ginger Rogers was a TV Legend?

R288, So did I.

Mick Jagger was the best nutty answer since the one from several months ago about Diana Ross being in her 90s.

challenging game, I missed most of the clues

Yes, R283.

I guessed Lucy because of the slapstick, but had never heard of that connection before. Gutsy wagers from Eric gave him a well-deserved runaway game. Mayim's blue jacket looked good, especially because it hid parts of that blouse.

I initially thought Lucy was too obvious, so then I thought maybe Carol Burnett, but the timeline didn’t seem to work. So then I went back to Lucy for my final guesss.

I was trying to think of somebody older than Lucy, but there really aren’t any female “TV Legends” older than her. So in a way, if you know who Buster Keaton is and how old he was, this was a traditional Jeopardy! final where there’s only one plausible answer.

Mayim does not do foreign languages well. Alex would have gotten "Ferenc" right.

Would Ken?

R299 Ken's got some power on Jeopardy. He'd have the clue re-written.

Some of the foreign language clues on Jeopardy recently -- Icelandic was it? -- remind me of that old MTM episode in which Murray decides to haze Ted by writing a newscript with as many unpronounceable foreign words as he can think of. Maybe they're playing with Mayim the same.

I found Mike Richards' sibilants highly arousing.

>I don't expect Eric to last long either. Today showed he's not that good a player.

Yeah, he’s just awful, R239.

> I don't expect Eric to last long either. Today showed he's not that good a player.

Yeah, he’s just awful, R239.

Good game. I thought the clues in the first half were incredibly easy. I thought clues in the second half were rather hard.

I chuckled hearing Mick Jagger for Michael Caine, flashing back to 95-year-old Diana Ross.

Someone on the writing staff must have a fetish for "hirsute" because that word keeps popping up in answers regularly.

As r297 explained so nicely, there was absolutely no other choice for Final but Lucille Ball. Had to be a female comedian who also would have been old enough to have interacted with Buster Keaton, who was known for his slapstick comedy. Lucy checks all of those boxes.

R304, I agree. The only lame excuse I can think of for Eric missing FJ is that he associated Buster Keaton with a much earlier era. I do too, in terms of his heyday, but I know he lived into the 1960s. Know your dates, Jeopardy contestants ... know your dates! Knowing what happened when and who lived when is the key to figuring out so many answers. Anyway, Eric was probably trying to think of someone who was famous earlier than Lucille Ball. But naming Ginger Rogers as a TV legend - really bad.

Overall, he's a great player though, with a wide range of knowledge and good strategic betting skills.

How many bodies do you think Eric has hidden in his crawl space??

Lucy and Ginger appeared in several films together when they were both under contract at RKO, include the DL fave STAGE DOOR in 1937. Also in the cast were Katharine Hepburn, Eve Arden and Ann Miller. 20 years later, Lucy and Desi would buy RKO and turn it into Desilu and produce THE UNTOUCHABLES and STAR TREK, among many other TV series.

There's some trivia right there for 7 more FJs.

Of course Lucy came to mind. But so did a little voice saying that's just too obvious: there must be a trick in the clue.

Lucy was my decision regarding timing. MTM was around on the Dick van Dyke show on the early 60s, but really too young to have been his protege.

R307, Lucy and Ginger were distant cousins, according to Lucie Arnaz.

Imogene Coca would have been a more intelligent guess than Ginger Rogers.

[quote]Of course Lucy came to mind. But so did a little voice saying that's just too obvious: there must be a trick in the clue.

I think the days of listening to the little voice for Final are long gone since Michael Davies took over as EP. As was discussed last week, Final since he's taken over has been either very hard and obscure or easy and obvious.

The little voice saying an answer is too obvious, was a product of the years when Harry Friedman was EP.

The executive producer is also part of the writing team and certainly has a hand in the wording of Final.

Whether or not an FJ is difficult or obvious depends on the category and each contestant's knowledge thereof.

And did Bonnie Franklin, in turn, acquire her Keatonesque slapstick skills from Lucy?

Bring back Mike Richards! That man could fill a suit!

$2.00

Love a close game!

Nixon was the obvious answer. Don't think too hard.

The new champion seems likable enough.

How did he miss Nixon? Yikes.

He thought too hard, r320.

By overthinking, R320, just like the other guy. I'm shocked that she won with a wierd uneven bet, seemingly knowing the wierd uneven bet he'd make.

Mayim screwed up big on genie" as the obvious answer to that question was djinn. I felt it reflected badly the way they each missed RSPCA like that.

So wait! Was "genie" not the real answer?

[Quote] How many bodies do you think Eric has hidden in his crawl space??

Yeah I was gonna say, he gave me the creeps. It's only a matter of time before the skeletons come out of his closet. No one who "aw shucks" "gee whizes" like he does is anything other than a fake phony.

I thought of Watergate as well but said that Kissinger fellow.

R323 - maybe it's the way my mind works, but the clue about a "bottle opener" meant djinn to me, perhaps because unlike Barbara Eden genies have been in lamps, no?

Djinn are genies. Different anglicizing of the same Arabic word.

As soon as Mayim said the FJ category would be "1972" , I knew it would be Watergate related.

They tricked me with Tricky Dick. Thinking that was a decoy answer, I picked Haldeman too.

Like Lucy. You get suspicious when it seems far too easy.

hilarious that both the guys overthought the final jeopardy question. I mean duh

Good game. So much more enjoyable when its competitive.

I also figured Final dealt with Watergate when I saw the 1972 category. However, I also guessed John Dean.

For some reason my DVD failed right before FJ. Can someone please repeat the clue? Thanks!

Google it.

My guess after seeing the category was Nixon, but when I saw the clue, I thought it might be Haldeman.

Gregory, cute but DUMB.

Re Gregory - not only that, but he was constantly rocking back and forth.

I'm relieved he lost: I wouldn't have been able to put up with that tomorrow as well.

I can't remember a contestant going up and down and back up and back down again as much as Gregory. He found all of the DDs but did he get any of the answers right?

R336 Not to be too harsh on the little cutie... perhaps he had an unrealistic opinion of his own ability.

He seemed nervous or humorless. Maybe both.

He got Mayflower right on a Daily Double. He was blinking a lot as well as shifting from foot to foot, probably nerves. Cute.

Megan was smart to guess Wheaties. Obvious in retrospective, but I guessed Adidas...

I got Wheaties. I didn’t absolutely know it, but it was more than a guess.

Yes, Gregory. That rocking back and forth showed how nervous he was. Very irritating to watch!! Could not have endured it for multiple games. He'd get on a roll and build up some money, then lose a big chunk of it.

For Final, Wheaties popped in my mind for a micro-second. Many other brands did too. Don't know what I would have finally selected if I'd been playing the actual game.

The Wheaties answer was pretty evident to us who grew up when Wheaties was a huge brand. In other words, evident to the elderly.

I'm old and had no clue what they were looking for.

Babe Didrikson's hey day was long before Adidas. Wheaties was the obvious answer to me but then I'm 73.

$2.00!!!

Gregory was terribly inconsistent in alternating back and forth between really smart answers and really stupid ones. He also shot himself in the foot a few times by ringing in even though he had no idea of the answer, then guessing incorrectly.

The ugly fat cunt today wearing dress with a belt which her fat is emphasized! WTF? who the fuck would wear that on national TV?!

OK, Mayim must have died a little when NOBODY knew Bette Midler starred in The Rose.

omg, nobody gives a fuck who you name your kids after!

when is Ken coming back?!

That FJ was impossibly hard!

Nevertheless, great close game, just the way I like it.

I didn't get FJ, either but Interview with the Vampire was a decent guess.

I was surprised they missed that, too, R350.

Excellent competitive game!

Umm, no, Interview With The Vampire was not a good guess. Those books have been around since the fucking 70’s.

I thought it was the Mockingbird books, myself.

Add Frida Kahlo to the list of frequent Jeopardy answers.

I thought FJ was Game of Thrones.

I haven't read Outlander, but figured it out from the historical fiction/series parts of the clue. Fun game. The champ lucked out, just as Ryan did a few times.

I feel like a 95-year-old Diana Ross!

Some say Bette was the wind beneath young Mayim's wings.

Great game. I liked all of the contestants.

Sarah made a very impressive comeback in the second half. Bravo for her.

Final was indeed hard, but Bette Midler in The Rose was not.

I thought FJ was an example of you-know-it-or-you-don't. There was really very little in the clue to work with in terms of hidden hints. Historical fiction. Moebius twist (unless that's some sort of hidden clue?). 1991. That's it.

Also, does "historical fiction" mean a book that's based on historical facts (with historical characters) or simply a book set in an earlier historical period? Or both?

Both

Möbius suggests time travel—obliquely

I guessed Cloud Atlas for FJ.

But is Cloud Atlas part of a series of books?

Was there a game on the 17th?

Yes, there was a game today, 6/17.

FJ seemed pretty obvious because Harriet Tubman — “wrought in the night” — made the most sense.

And I guessed Harriet Beecher Stowe.

And I guessed Harriet Beecher Stowe.

Yes, on 17th, just like any other weeknight.

I guessed Sojourner Truth myself.

The night clue was obviously a reference to the Underground Railroad.

FJ was so obvious.

The bootlegger's daughter really screwed it up.

Sue, Sadie, sue!

I've seen less legible answers accepted. That decision was brutally unfair, and she would have won.

I don't have anything against Megan; she seems nice. I do wonder what the "unhoused" of Berkeley - not to mention her many, many other progressive causes - will do while she's still Jeop champ.

I just watched the clip and I agree that Harriet Tubman was perfectly legible in that woman's answer, and it looked to me like she did complete writing the name, despite what Mayim said. Hugely unfair.

It clearly said "Harriet Tubman" on her monitor. She was robbed!!!!!

Of course, the judges make the decision as to whether an answer is legible or not, but I assume that means they get to see it before it's revealed to the TV audience, so they have time to make their judgment. Because as soon as it was revealed, Mayim immediately said, "It looks like you were going for Harriet Tubman but you didn't finish so we can't accept the answer."

I thought the decision was unfair to Sadie too. (By the way, is it me or was there something severe-looking about her?)

Good game - although I got a kick out of the two dumb responses for the [bold]state[/bold]ly rivers (Hudson and Niagara).

Mayim is just the judges' puppet.

Why is there always a pause between a contestant's response and Mayim's acceptance or denial?

Doesn't she have to wait till she gets some kind of signal from the judges before saying "That is correct!" like a kindergarten teacher?

It's also embarrassing when she corrects the contestant's pronunciation so emphatically. "Yes! Bee-ZAY!"

For what it's worth, Alex used to correct mispronunciations as well.

[quote]Doesn't she have to wait till she gets some kind of signal from the judges before saying "That is correct!" like a kindergarten teacher?

A related question: How many judges are there, and how do they have time to register a decision on questionable responses so quickly? Are there three judges, and do they just point their thumbs up or down, and the host goes with the majority?

I think Sadie's "Harriet Tubman" was clear enough. To her credit, she was a good sport and seemed to be laughing afterward. I kind of liked Molly's haircut & retro matchy outfit.

I also thought that Sadie's Harriet Tubman was perfectly legible. Glad others agree with me.

Final did seem incredibly easy because of the night clue.

It was a good game. Once again, I liked all the contestants.

Why did Sadie go along with being eliminated without even a hint of an objection?

She knew she had written the correct response and if we could read it, why couldn't the judges?

Does anyone have an email address we all could use to write to the producers and tell them how terribly unfair we all think it is that Sadie's answer was not accepted? They should make it up to her somehow. Maybe they could give her the total amount of money she would have won if the answer had been accepted AND also invite her back onto the show to compete again soon. Anybody with me?

How do we know she didn't object off-camera?

[quote]How do we know she didn't object off-camera?

We don't know that for sure, but when Mayim said "It looks like you were going for Harriet Tubman but you didn't finish," Sadie seemed to sort of nod in agreement. The look on her face before her answer was revealed also made it look like maybe she thought she didn't finish. But maybe she was just acting.

Agreed, R390. And obviously, especially with the light pens, the judges are able to tell if the contestant is still writing after the timer stops. I would bet she could have just written "Tubman", beaten the timer, and been okay.

Remember Alex Jacob, the poker player?

I remember him obviously fuming when after a commercial break, one of his responses was ruled incorrect on a technicality. He made no effort to hide his anger and it happened more than once.

it was fair and square. everybody has the same amount of time to write in their answers. She didn't so finish writing...too bad.

Many of us feel that it looked like she DID finish writing. If the problem was that she was still writing for a second or two after time was up, then the judges should have clarified that.

It looked to me like she finished writing Tubman though the "man" part was perhaps rather illegible. But clearly she intended Harriet Tubman. The decision was very unfair and I wouldn't be surprised if they bring Sadie back for another round.

Have they ever had a contestant return for a do over?

She didn’t finish. The rule is not write something that demonstrates you had the correct answer in mind. Spelling doesn’t count, but pronunciation does.

R397, but many of us feel it looked like she DID finish writing Tubman's last name, even though the last part of it especially was hard to read. The main problem here seems to have been that her penmanship is terrible. What an awful reason to lose the game.

I still think it says Tubman, but I have crappy handwriting so am biased in her favor...

Judges gotta judge.

It says Tubma

Poor penmanship may cost you dearly!

Looks like Tubman to me.

He didn’t object to having been ruled incomplete so we can assume it didn’t look like Tubman to the person who wrote it.

^she

If I didn't know the name Tubman, and I had to guess at what Sadie wrote, I would probably say "Tubnug" or "Tubnuy." It also looks like she spelled Harriet wrong, as Harriett. What terrible penmanship. I wonder if she considered printing her answer, though of course that takes longer.

I image there was a big gap between revealing Sadie's answer and Mayim saying "it looks like Harriet Tubman but you didn't finish" that was edited out.

The fact Sadie acquiesced without any fight just seems strange. It seems like she would have protested at least slightly. I know I would have. I suspect taping was paused while the judges debated. And then they resumed taping with Mayim ruling "you didn't finish" and Sadie's nod of acceptance.

I also think that if we write in protesting the ruling if MIGHT make a difference. A few months ago, the show announced it was going to have a Second Chances Tournament. This situation should definitely qualify Sadie for the Second Chance Tournament.

Below is the contact info for show

protest what? she fucked it up herself. we can't be mind readers and guess what she wrote down.

I kept thinking Molly was an SNL skit character.

Another great nail-biting show tonight! Close games are the best and this could have been anyone's to win. ' That Megan is un-fucking-believably lucky and she seems to know it. Has any long-time champ won so many FJs with the wrong answer?

The gay musician screwed himself with his FJ wager.

But not as much as the crazy Asian lady (Letty?) in the middle with her outrageous $8800 DB wager when she was already ahead of the other two by over $2000! WTF was she thinking??

So weird that Megan could come up with CROWN but not MONARCHY.

R411 And she did that thing that is inexplicable to me: She bet so much on an answer that was on the $2000 row. Seems so often people don't consider the degree of difficulty. DJ high on the board? Bet a lot. DJ low on the board? Bet more cautiously.

So weird that I came up with Democracy but not Monarchy. I lost on Jeopardy -- again...

Double Jeopardy is not harder or easier depending on the dollar value of the tile that it’s hidden under.

R415, you probably mean Daily Double.

And you’re very wrong.

FJ was tough.

Is this the lowest dollar figure has won a game by? Megan will be eaten alive in the TOC.

R415 Have you never watched the show? Of course the Daily Double "clue" is exactly what it would have been on the board without DD. DDs high on the board are easy, DDs low on the board are hard. Duh.

I’ve been invited to audition for Jeopardy! via Zoom. Not sure I want to be on TV.

R420, congrats! you've should have said "my friend" instead of you...

Make DL proud!

Audition is tomorrow.

Can't wait to hear all about the audition!

Have a great time. Tell 'em DataLounge is rooting for you!

Good luck, R420.

We've already had at least one DL person appear on the show. (This was a couple of years ago.)

I think he won 4 games and a good sum of money, but not enough to make it to the ToC.

While I don't remember his name, I do remember he was a really nice, cute gay guy.

And I also remember that some poster - remarking on his having won over DL during his reign - referred to him as The People's Princess.

Thoughts and prayers . . .

“Jeopardy!” host Mayim Bialik is feeling “a lot of fear” after testing positive for COVID-19.

“I have COVID and it’s no joke over here,” a sniffly Bialik, who is vaccinated and boosted against the virus, said in a video posted to her Podcast’s Instagram account on Monday.

The 46-year-old actress added, “It’s bound to find us and it did. It’s very very exhausting…There’s many varieties of COVID…The exhaustion is very special.”

Bialik — who has asthma and a thyroid condition — compared the feeling to that of having mono, saying that “you need to sleep.”

“I’m feeling a whole bunch of regret that I ever took my mask off ever in the world, like even outside,” she said. “I’ve still been pretty careful … alI’m just putting this out there. I’m feeling a lot of fear. Why did I ever go out? Why did I think that anything was fine ever?”

i got the fj. She won by 2 bucks! very lucky!

Good luck R422. Smile a lot and be as relaxed as you can. It’ll be fun.

Oh FFS. She has to be the luckiest champion ever. I really hoped that this was her last appearance.

Very suspicious that again she places just the right weird amount bet...

It’s not suspicious, R429. It’s damned lucky though, as everything has to go right for her to win. Today’s FJ was very easy. There’s no excuse for the other two contestants to fuck that up.

if you do make it on national TV, please do us gay proud and dress properly. not in horrid colors and terrible style for body type etc.

I’ll be sure to come here for style advice.

Great game.

Yes, Final seemed easy to me. But apparently two of them didn't find it easy.

Megan won by $2 again. This is, what, the third time she's won by $2.

Gotta say, I'm loving Megan. Easy to take personality and her ups and downs and quirky betting always make for a close, unpredictable and tense game.

please don't wear putrid green like that contestant last night.

when is Ken coming back?

I don't like this host, she wears the ugliest clothes! look at what she wore today! PUKE!

It’s the Daily Double! Giggle!

😳

I think I did well on the test. Now I wait.

I will miss Megan.

Zoom dancing!

I liked Megan, but after six days I was ready to see a new champion.

Very weak contestants today. FJ was beyond easy and winner’s FJ wager was cowardly and stupid.

I guessed Stevenson too. Weak.

Ken Jennings is going to be on the $100,000 Pyramid.

Stevenson was a perfectly reasonable answer to FJ even if wrong because of the parrot in Treasure Island.

I had also thought of Flaubert because of that book Flaubert's Parrot (stupid me!).

But the clue specifically said the writer DIDN’T go with a parrot.

Oh. Polly want a cracker!

Quoth the Megan. Nevermore.

I didn’t know ravens could talk. Anyway, good change Edgar. “Quoth the parrot “nevermore” just doesn’t have the same ring.

Weird game tonight. But I liked all three contestants. Congrats to Jeff.

I also said Robert Louis Stevesnon.

R449, Disqualified for misspelling.

Was no one else turned off by Jeff’s “dozens of friends flying in from around the world” birthday story?

I predict Jeff will be a one game champ.

That story was strange, R451.

How much of her $60K winnings will Megan donate to the "unhoused"?

Typo in final Jeopardy!

Was it on the clue itself or just the caption?

Windy or is it Wendy is so damn obnoxious.

Wow - totally guessed final!

My best friend and I have an inside joke about a quote from decades ago about "fags being so good to their mothers." The Canadian lady seemed insufferable, but I would've been fine with the other guy.

The Black contestant was very cute and smart. He was often in lead place. I'll miss him.

I, too, guessed Buck. Easy one, as I see it.

So many missed questions!

Yeah they missed a lot of questions. FJ seemed pretty easy.

I did make a note of the ones I knew they all didn't: dragonfly, novel, Balkans, Dickens.

I admittedly did not notice the typo in that FJ clue, but I did notice an error in that article at R455. The phrase is "lo and behold," not "low and behold."

Jeff was giving me Robert Durst vibes. Dead shark eyes and weird ticks.

I bought that album when it was first released and still totally blanked on FJ.

I don’t think of Tom Petty as a Southern Rocker (debatable) and Damn the Torpedoes was a group album (Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers) while the clue asked about a an album by a single rocker.

I had no idea what the album title was but because of the historical date I guessed Full Speed Ahead. And I was close but wrong.

Had the same issue, R485. The clue specifically said rocker, which immediately made me rule out Petty and the Heartbreakers. Another poorly written FJ.

More than poorly written. Flat out wrong.

Who the fuck is replacing actual writers on this show?

I suppose many people think of bands with names like [Lead Singer] and the [Band Name] to be solo acts.

Ryan's COVID battle.

What a charming, self-effacing man, R471. I do wonder why someone smart has worked a series of menial jobs (and I wonder what his dreams and ambitions are - something artistic, I suppose), but he's really likeable.

Totally agree, R465. I don't think of Tom Petty as a southern rocker in the way of Greg Allman or the Van Zants.

This album was the one with "Refugee", a great, great song and very much a band, not a solo.

Bad clue, bad FJ. I'd appreciate a moratorium on pop culture for a while, with all questions based on knowledge of history, geography, science and the Western canon.

I'm glad there's a new champion, the other one was bugging me with his frantic clicking.

It's called not believing in yourself, R472.

Seems more like what’s traditionally called poverty, r475. It’s hard to have gravitas and JonBenet “stage-hands” presence when you’re wondering week to week whether you can afford the brand-name cereal for your kids at the supermarket and whether your EBT card will even cover it.

Joe is good, and all three had a decent shot at winning. That's the first FJ I've got right in ages.

Wish I could get a message to the host(s) that her name was Muh-RYE-uh Mitchell, rather than Muh-REE-uh. Nantucketers notice this every time.

You CAN contact the show. Look at the website.

Does it seem that the quality of clues/questions isn't as good (clear, interesting, well written) as it used to be? Or have I just become an old cranky guy?

Yes and yes R480.

🙀

R478, Who dat?

I think the writers have become too clever by half.

FJ on Friday was ridiculously easy.

When the category for Final announced, Jack Nicholson popped in my mind.

And even before Mayim finished reading the clue, I knew the answer was Jack Nicholson.

Only Daniel Day Lewis also has three Oscars and he wasn’t working in the 1970s.

R486, Excuse me?

Okay. But he’s been dead since 1974.

That final bet of Joe's showed big balls.

Am I the only one who finds him sexy?

R489-NO.

he's OK. not ugly.

He has Thick Dick Energy for sure.

FJ was - yet again - ridiculously easy.

I guessed FJ and was surprised to be right.

R489. No, you are not the only one. Definitely not the only one. Joe is hot as fuck. When his run on Jeopardy is over - long may he reign - Joe should start an OnlyFans. His username could be DaddyInJeopardy.

Yes, FJ was pretty easy, especially since I think it was an answer on a quite recent question (not FJ, just a question). I can understand missing it because the category was absurdly broad, but I did get it without any trouble.

Good game, with a lot of lead changes. I guessed meme because it was all I could think of, but was sure it was wrong. Joe is an above average Joe.

Love that Joe! Long may he rule.

Yes, Joe is quite sexy.

I guessed "woke" for FJ.

Great game.

I liked Emma, but also like Joe. Would be happy to see him stick around for a while.

I knew Final was meme instantly because it was the answer to Final in one of Alex's last episodes.

[quote]I guessed "woke" for FJ.

Why? The meaning of "woke" is completely different from what the clue was going for.

[quote]I knew Final was meme instantly because it was the answer to Final in one of Alex's last episodes.

Are you sure? I'm surprised they would repeat a FJ answer, especially not so relatively close together.

I remember it too R499. That’s why I was so unsure I had the right answer.

Thanks, R500. I'm really quite surprised. But I wonder how much of the clue-writing staff is the same or different from the time of Alex's last games?

Surely, they keep records.

Yes, 502, but especially for the earlier shows, I very much doubt they have an electronic database where they can just type in a word or two to see if a clue and answer have ever been used before, whereas for the more recent shows, they might be able to just rely on their memories. I'm surprised that no one on the clue-writing staff remembered that "meme" was a Final Jeopardy answer less than two years ago.

Are you sure it was FJ and not a clue on the board?

I’m almost positive it was FJ, R504.

Absolutely positive it meme was the Final answer in one of Alex's last show.

I had no idea what the answer was from the clue offered, so my mouth dropped when Alex said it was meme and explained how that fit the clue, which was about the origin of the word. I can still hear Alex saying the word "meme."

Jeopardy won Best Game Show again at this year's Emmys, held on Friday.

In a wrap-up about the Emmys, Variety got a few comments from EP Michael Davies while backstage at the Emmys. Here's what Variety reported:

[quote]Also, “Jeopardy” continued its streak as the best game show winner, despite the show’s tumultuous last year, which saw executive producer Mike Richards, who had been named host of the show as Alex Trebek’s successor, fired after a week due to past comments and controversial actions.

[quote]“The scandal was, as we call it at ‘Jeopardy!,’ ‘the awkward months,'” executive producer Michael Davies said backstage. “But it showed the power of our audience and how passionately our fans care about the program, which is just so important. What’s happened over the course of the season — Matt Amodio, and Amy Schneider and Mattea [Roach] and Ryan [Long] — really made us just remember how incredible the game is. The stars of our show and Mayim [Bialik] and Ken [Jennings] have done incredible job hosting.”

[quote]Davies added, ‘we hope to have a hosting announcement very, very soon. But with all of our plans for ‘Jeopardy!’ — which is more ‘Jeopardy!,’ not less, more versions —we’re going to need multiple hosts to represent the entire audience, to represent the entire country, in order to take this franchise forward.”

No one knew Wallis Simpson?

Three smart contestants got FJ wrong. If the woman had wagered zero as well she would have won. I suck at betting, too. My late husband tried explaining it to me but I just heard yada, yada, yada.

To me, the date gave it away. Lord Byron died in 1824. With 1892 in the clue I felt that it had to be Tennyson.

I didn't know final either. In my opinion, she should've bet either almost everthing, or nothing as the guys did. Orange tie proved lucky as hoped for.

These are the answers I thought were obvious, that they whiffed: Knesset, Wallis Simpson, Rubayat (of Omar Khayam), and canopic jars.

It's growing annoying that Mayim hesitates so long before approving an answer - is she afraid of being corrected by judges although usually they say the response correctly in the first place?

R511 Yes, unlike Ken Jennings. He rarely, if ever, does that.

Joe looked quite shapely in his form-fitting pullover. Too bad he lost.

And can do clever woodworking around the house!

Athleisure wear on Jeopardy!

And he got Nike right!!

Great game! Can't believe there was only $400 separating the three contestants going into Final.

I blanked on the name Wallis Simpson, but knew what they were talking about.

I also guessed Lord Byron for Final.

Disappointed in the three wrong FJ answers. How could it be Byron when they gave the date as 1892? Byron died way back in the early part of the 19th century (1824, as R510 said). He was part of the Romantic movement that had ended many decades before the 1890s. It was a completely different era in English literature. The contestants might as well have said Keats or Shelley.

Too bad Joe is gone, though. What a sexy man!

Easy for you to say, r518, but not everyone knows the year Byron died or even the era (clearly, given the three wrong answers!). I missed the clue pointing to Crossing the Bar, and should have remembered that Tennyson was THE Victorian poet. Proves once again that what is obvious to some is not obvious to all. That being said, a good FJ "answer."

I'll miss Joe.

I remember thinking when he was first introduced days ago, "He's an OK-looking guy."

But there was something about him that made him grow on me - call it a casual or quiet masculinity.

And yesterday looking "quite shapely in his form-fitting pullover" (as someone described above) certainly added to that.

Awesome final question which I didn't know either racking my brain on sitcoms. Was hoping the TN lady would prevail.

I get that "obvious" is in the mind of the beholder, but they didn't know: Payola, Fr Damien worked in Hawaii, Clermont steamship, Pilgrims left from Plymouth (someone should have at least guessed that), humorist from OK = Will Rogers.

Three thumbs up for these recent competitive games!

Bring back Joe and his athletic shapewear!!!

I guessed "I Dream of Jeannie." Very hard. Donald and David...

Another great game!

I knew Payola, Plymouth, and Will Rogers. But I had no idea on Final.

New here.

What's the best (free) outlet to watch shows missed during the telecast, please?

YouTube.

Try to select You Tube vids that say Full Episode, as others cut off Final, etc.

Tonight's show was a mess. NOW, Mayim is accepting partially spelled words? When did that change?

Are you referring to San Franci…?

🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄

The answer was wrong. She merely said it looks like you said San Francisco. What the hell difference does it make? It was wrong!

Thought it was a tough FJ.

I thought it was Kansas City, Missouri. Wrong!

Has a Jeopardy! winner ever won having ended up with a total amount less than the second and third place amounts, $2,000 and $1,000?

Where were you last week, dear R532?

🙄

I guessed Kansas City too, but wasn't sure which one to pick. Maybe the clue should have asked for the city and state, as that is what was needed to be correct.

[quote]Maybe the clue should have asked for the city and state, as that is what was needed to be correct.

That's a good point. If someone had guessed "Portland" without giving the state, that would be technically incorrect, because they wouldn't have specified which city in which state was named after the other. So I guess we have to classify this as yet another poorly written clue.

I agree R535. The three contestants were so stupid that theory wasn’t even tested. New York? Named after another city in 1845?? We all could have cleaned up against these contestants in the past two weeks.

I might have let Joe and his nips win though.

I got FJ. Date was important.

I knew final before she finished reading the question; it's a popular city pairs thing.

Weird game tonight.

However, I did know that Portland was the answer to Final.

R529-Whether the answer was wrong or not, a contestant was disqualified for an "incompletely" written answer two weeks ago, and her answer was correct. What the hell is going on behind the scenes on this show? Is anyone in charge anymore? The new producer sure seems to be an idiot.

R540, I have no idea what you're talking about. Mayim didn't need to "disqualify" the contestant for not finishing writing down the answer (question), because the response was wrong anyway. Presumably, if the contestant had written "Portla," the response would have been disqualified.

Thank you R541. I tried to explain earlier and didn’t want to pile on. 🙄

Was rooting for Shyam, rather than our new champ with her "Washington's Little Red Book" - found her church persona and musical theater background a bit of a conflict.

Wasn't his name Shayan? He was adorable. So smiley, even in losing.

FJ was the easiest in a while.

But poor Hubert Humphrey? How did no one (even Church Lady) know this?

the standard has gone down...

Did David have to pee through that entire game? He never stopped shifting.

Eleanore on playing Mama Rose in the Vero Beach Theatre Guild production of "Gypsy": "I relate to Rose but it's very much 'There but for the grace of God go I.' Rose and I intersect in a couple of scary ways." Dixon said.

I need to see her Vera Charles...

R547, She'd kill as Mrs. Lovett.

Did any fans of hot Shapewear Joe Feldmann ever find any social media on him?

I can't find him anywhere. Possibly Insta, but he has no pic.

LOVE that Yungshen! So cute Great energy. I really look forward to seeing more of him.

I like him as well. I'm glad the other guy didn't win. He goes backpacking once a year with his family and it's the best week of the year! Oh, please.

I think the other guy used to be female.

I remember when they called the clues “answers.” I guess too many people were confused. Yet they still want a formal “question” as the response. Odd.

The new champ can carry off a bow tie.

I'd like to see the new champ is something more casual. Like shapewear!

Backpack guy was giving me bra-less lesbian Matea vibes. He would have been insufferable had he won.

Love Yungshen!! So glad he won. Fantastic energy. Great personality. Look forward to seeing more of him.

Backpack guy definitely gave off feminine vibes, especially his voice. I also wonder if he used to be female.

Love Yungshen but I do worry he's a bit of a loose cannon and may be his own worst enemy. Like he'll press his button before he knows the answer or he'll bet too much in DJ. But I'm rooting for him. Can't wait to see his outfit tonight.

Yungshen is really cute! Do straight boys spend time playing mah jong with their grandmothers? 🤔

I got the impression my DL homies would take a dislike to Jake.

Final was obvious, as were 78 records and Portland cement.

And Diana Ross is 90 years old!

Hey R562, she dropped five years from that FJ a while ago. Ms. Ross is so pissed right now.

Jake was perfect casting for the WASP bully beating up sissies at a prep school.

I'm betting adorable Yungshen grew up with a western first name and reverted to his traditional Chinese name in college.

Poor Diana.

But on the bright side, Mary Wilson is once again cackling from The Great Beyond.

Now to the important stuff.

I'm [bold]completely[/bold] smitten with Yungsheng.

I came across an article about him from three years ago from when he appeared on another game show:

"A casting director actually approached him at a bar in West Hollywood where he plays trivia with friends each week."

The article also said, "His worst category is sports - especially if it involves baseball, hockey or golf."

Let's see: West Hollywood, not into sports, mentioning on tonight's show he was a shy kid and that he played mah jong with his grandmother - plus his dramatic reaction to winning again.

If he's not gay, he should be.

Hmmmm....no mention of a wife? There's still hope!!

Thanks for finding and posting the article, r566.

I guessed 75, so that might help calm down Miss Ross. But "Jeopardy" better stop playing with fire and take a long break from questions that might involve the ages of living divas.

I thought Jake was cute and was impressed he got the Byrds, which I forgot...

Jake, we hardly knew ye.

Yungsheng's American first name is Colin according to his LinkedIn.

The LinkedIn hasn't been updated recently, doesn't list him with the Public Defender's office in Pasadena. But the picture sure looks like him. And the 2010 law school graduation date from USC is correct.

Yeah, Yungsheng! Hope you stick around for a while.

Final was very easy. I knew the answer before Mayim even finished reading the question. But I guess you have to have been to DC and know the general layout of the city to realize that Ford's Theater and the FBI building are fairly close together.

Also knew 78 records and cement.

Condolences to Miss Ross. Jeopardy! seems to have it out for her!

You could tell from the response that Jake had never heard of a 78 record. Made me feel old.

Well, we know she’s ancient.

Actually, "Watergate" was not a bad guess.

I agree, R574. I live in D.C. and knew the answer immediately (obvi), but that was not a bad guess at all.

The Watergate is really only that “close” to The Kennedy Center.

But you'd have to know DC pretty well to know that.

"Watergate" seemed too obvious an answer. I knew it had to do with an assassination.

You'd probably have to be over 65 (like me) to know the "78" answer. Even without knowing Miss Ross' age.

[quote]Final was very easy. I knew the answer before Mayim even finished reading the question. But I guess you have to have been to DC and know the general layout of the city to realize that Ford's Theater and the FBI building are fairly close together. Also knew 78 records and cement.

My first thought for FJ was Dealey Plaza in Dallas, basically the same answer as the grassy knoll, but I'm not sure that location is officially considered a national historical site. Same with the Watergate hotel. It took a few seconds for Ford's Theater to come into my head, but I would still have had enough time to write it down.

I was surprised that no one knew about 78s, but when you think about it, they began to be replaced by LPs (and 45s) in the late 1940s, and there has not been a revival of interest in 78s as there has been for vinyl LPs. So I guess it's not surprising that neither Jake nor anyone else knew it, but some of his other answers were pretty dumb as well.

At least he was sure that Miss Ross isn't 45 or 33!

When I typed in Yungsheng Wang into a google search box, the automatic options that came up were: "Yungsheng Wang Jeopardy", "Yungsheng Wang Public Defender" and "Yungsheng Wang Married."

Obviously some people are curious about him and searching for him.

He's also changed the photo on his LinkedIn page. It now is one with him wearing a bow tie. Last night, it was a photo of him in a tee-shirt where he looked to be mid 20s.

R579, How could the grassy knoll in Dallas, TX even be considered a correct response?

"Less than 100 yards north of the J. Edgar Hoover Building is this notorious location"

Who thinks the FBI Headquarters is located in Dallas? Like, really?

R579, Vintage 78s are still much in demand by collectors.

You have to know the J. Edgar Hoover building is in the headquarters.

R585, It IS the headquarters.

"The J. Edgar Hoover Building is a low-rise office building located at 935 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., in the United States. It is the headquarters of the Federal Bureau of Investigation."

Anyone who had watched an episode of “Forensic Files” has seen a stock shot of the J. Edgar Hoover Building, clearly identified as being located in D.C.

[quote]I was surprised that no one knew about 78s, but when you think about it, they began to be replaced by LPs (and 45s) in the late 1940s, and there has not been a revival of interest in 78s as there has been for vinyl LPs.

Most people under age 40 have no reason to know that there were ever record speeds, much less that they were 78, 45 and 33 1/3.

They've only known CDs, iPads and now streaming.

A thoroughly ridiculous comment, R588.

This thread is almost full. So here's the link to the new one.

[quote]Most people under age 40 have no reason to know that there were ever record speeds, much less that they were 78, 45 and 33 1/3. They've only known CDs, iPads and now streaming.

That's not completely true. In case you haven't noticed, there has been a huge revival of interest in vinyl over the past several years, and many turntables and record players that are sold now play both 33 1/3 rpm LPs and 45 rpm singles. But, as I noted, they don't play 78s, which is why so many young people are unfamiliar with that speed.

Can't wait for tonight's show! I do hope Yungshen has run out of bow ties.

Yay! That was a close one.

But I stupidly guessed" rice" for FJ.

BEST part of the show: Yungshen referred to his "partner!" I think we know what that means.

20th century novel by... Goethe. Glad she didn't win.

Yungshen is cute as a button.

I’m so glad that fat, pushy lesbian with the “fun” fashion eyeglasses got her ass handed to her today. She was not to be borne.

I totally blanked on FJ, and was impressed that all three figured it out. Good game.

Huh R596?? Were you watching a rerun??

Never mind R596. I watched two episodes today since yesterday’s (and Monday’s) episodes were preempted by reporting about the Highland Park shootings. I’m not as think as you drunk I am.

I guessed grapes for FJ, soybeans never occurred to me.

R591, or you could be someone who knows something about the history of technology or popular culture. I'm not surprised a younger person didn't know it, but I wouldn't be shocked if they did, either.

R586, that's the point - you have know the J. Edgar Hoover Building is FBI headquarters in Washington. It's obvious if you know it; if you don't, the Hoover Building could be any Federal building, and there's one in every major city.