Wednesday, December 18, 2013 Game Recap & Discussion [SPOILERS]

[Vermonter]

Congrats, to me it was a high caliber game between three worthy contenders. Good luck "tonight".

Agreed. Thanks for sharing your experience; I look forward to your (first) defense tonight!

[alietr]

While watching the interview segment yesterday, I realized I inadvertently said I won my school's "spelling bee" obviously instead of geography bee (I am a mediocre speller at best).

I was wondering about that. It didn't make any sense.

[econgator]

I don't know them by size, and didn't think to approach them that way anyway, since I was stuck on this side of the country

When there's a question about big states, don't even think about anything east of the Mississippi.

Yeah, that was stupid of me. But again, living in the biggest state east of the Mississippi gummed up my thought process, as did forgetting that Montana even exists.

You moved to Georgia?

[dhkendall]

Would have been a *lot* easier to run through the states by size in your head. "Alaska - doesn't begin with M. Texas - doesn't begin with M. California - doesn't begin with M. Montana - begins with M. Done!"

I don't know them by size, and didn't think to approach them that way anyway, since I was stuck on this side of the country, and kind of went into panic mode too. "Michigan is pretty big, but it's already been used. Argh… Minnesota? Mississippi? Missouri?… Too late." I just don't know how to run through a limited data set like that properly.

To be fair, I don't know the 5th through 46th largest states (and I'm not certain on 47 and 48); fortunately I didn't need to know them.

[thenextofken]

I have the states memorized in alphabetical order (forwards AND backwards), but as Montana is last alphabetically of the M states, I couldn't tease it out in time. If I'd been on the show, I probably could've gone through them and got it in the nick of time.

[Woof]

Aranea -> spider -> Charlotte's Web -> Charlotte. Had it before the clue finished. I was surprised none of the contestants got it, but reading this topic I see several smart people here also having no clue, so I probably overestimated how easy it was.

Araneus is the genus of orb-weaving spiders, of which the common barn spider is a member. I was fortunate to recall that E B White made Charlotte a barn spider (and also fortunate to have Wikipedia'd them after finding multiple specimens outside our house), so Aranea was a huge TOM for me. Without that, no hope I'd think.

[dhkendall]

I have the states memorized in alphabetical order (forwards AND backwards), but as Montana is last alphabetically of the M states, I couldn't tease it out in time. If I'd been on the show, I probably could've gone through them and got it in the nick of time.

Despite having maple syrup run in my veins (yeah, I probably should see a doctor about that) when I was a teen, I memorized the states in alphabetical order, and was able to say them (plus the District of Columbia, between Delaware and Florida) in under 30 seconds (I just tried now and got 18 seconds). And I wondered why I got picked on all the time ...

[JyV92]

I was thus very fortunate to win, especially against the other two who are indeed very good players. To make the win sweeter, a certain J! legend was in the audience.

Don't be coy. Who was there?

[TenPoundHammer]

I don't know them by size, and didn't think to approach them that way anyway, since I was stuck on this side of the country

When there's a question about big states, don't even think about anything east of the Mississippi.

Yeah, that was stupid of me. But again, living in the biggest state east of the Mississippi gummed up my thought process, as did forgetting that Montana even exists.

You moved to Georgia?

This list says Michigan is #11 and Georgia is #24. Whose standard for size are you using?

[Vermonter]

This list says Michigan is #11 and Georgia is #24. Whose standard for size are you using?

I was told growing up that size doesn't matter.

-- Vermonter

[JyV92]

Well, you're grown now. So, you're old enough to face the truth.

[dhkendall]

This list says Michigan is #11 and Georgia is #24. Whose standard for size are you using?

I was told growing up that size doesn't matter.

-- Vermonter

That's because you were need to be told that, to make you feel better. Whereas those who are blessed with considerable size were told "if you got it, be proud of it!".

(Manitoba. If it was a state, it'd be 3rd, just a little below Texas. (And is the 8th largest of 13 in Canada. "Size doesn't matter." Pfft.))

[econgator]

I don't know them by size, and didn't think to approach them that way anyway, since I was stuck on this side of the country

When there's a question about big states, don't even think about anything east of the Mississippi.

Yeah, that was stupid of me. But again, living in the biggest state east of the Mississippi gummed up my thought process, as did forgetting that Montana even exists.

You moved to Georgia?

This list says Michigan is #11 and Georgia is #24. Whose standard for size are you using?

The one that doesn't cheat by adding in water area roughly the size of Kentucky.

[Lefty]

I had a feeling "an old woman who lived in a shoe" was longer than they'd likely ask for in FJ, but I hoped that maybe those kids' names appeared in the lesser-known verses that separate the boys from the babies.

[cinemaniax7]

I haven't read Charlotte's Web in decades, but I managed to snag it with a WAG.