Monday, June 30, 2014 Game Recap & Discussion [SPOILERS]

[Archivists]

Game Recap for Show #6871, 2014-06-30

CONTESTANTS
Ben Zimmer, a linguist and language columnist from Jersey City, New Jersey
Melinda Dudley, a recent law school graduate from Hayden, Colorado
Jill Rowley, a flight attendant from Baltimore, Maryland (whose 1-day cash winnings total $12,201)

OPENING REMARKS
Alex: Thank you, Johnny. And thank you, ladies and gentlemen, and welcome to the start of another great week here on Jeopardy! I don't think I'm telling tales out of school when I say that on Friday's program, Jill was very nervous throughout the entire play of the game until she was declared the winner, and then her whole demeanor changed. Tell me you're feeling more relaxed today.

Jill: I think I am, yeah.

Alex: Okay, good. Melinda and Ben, welcome aboard, and good luck to all of you. Here we go into the Jeopardy! Round. And here come the categories. First off we have...

JEOPARDY! ROUND CATEGORIES
MAN OVERLORD! (5/5)
3-LETTER WORDS (5/5)
TV HOSTS (5/5)
REMEMBER THE ALIMONY (5/5)
POTENT POTABLES (5/5)
A MODEL OF FORD, &... (4/5, including 1 missed Daily Double)

THE RIGHTS & THE WRONGS
Melinda: 13 R, 1 W (including 1 DD)
Ben: 9 R, 0 W
Jill: 7 R, 0 W

Clues revealed: 30
Triple Stumpers: 0
Jeopardy! Round Potential Lach Trash: $0



SCORES AT THE FIRST BREAK
Jill: $3,000
Ben: $2,800
Melinda: $2,400

CONTESTANT INTERVIEWS



Alex: Ben Zimmer met his wife in high school at camp, and there is a Jeopardy! connection between the two of you that goes all the way back to that time.

Ben: That's true. It wasn't quite a camp. I guess you could call it a nerd camp. My wife, Maria, and I were part of the New Jersey Scholars Pprogram with kids from around the state. Uh, that year, we were learning about the Middle Ages, and then when we went home, we would stay in touch, talk on the phone watching Jeopardy! every night.

Alex: And Jeopardy! led to that blossoming into romance.

Ben: There you go.

Alex: Hey. Good.




Alex: Melinda Dudley, a recent law school graduate from Colorado who collects stamps with a specific purpose in mind. What is that?

Melinda: That's right. It's for the National Park Service's passport program. Much like a regular passport, all the locations have stamps with where you were and the date you got them. I started in 2012 and got 100 in the first year.

Alex: Okay, you've got the stamps, but have you visited a lot of the national parks?

Melinda: You have to go to the park to get the stamp.

Alex: Oh, good for you. And you got 100?

Melinda: I was living in D.C., so I cheated with all the monuments and the battlefields.

Alex: Oh, I see. Okay.




Alex: Jill Rowley is our champion. She is from Maryland, as you heard in the introduction. She is flight attendant who had a well-known passenger that you are all familiar with on one of her flights one day. And that passenger was...?

Jill: Yeah, I had Vanna White on one of my flights. Uh...

Alex: Not Pat, just Vanna?

Jill: Just Vanna. Apparently, they aren't always a pair, which, you know, was good to learn. Yeah.

Alex: Uh-huh.

[Laughter]

Alex: Now, impressions of Vanna.

Jill: She is very gracious and very small--very small.

Alex: She's like you--very slim, good-looking lady.

JEOPARDY! ROUND DAILY DOUBLE
Melinda found the Daily Double on the 20th clue. Jill had $3,000, Melinda had $4,000, and Ben was at $3,200. Melinda wagered $2,500.

A MODEL OF FORD, &... $600: A thermonuclear reaction
(Melinda: ...)

SCORES AT THE END OF THE JEOPARDY! ROUND
Ben: $5,400
Jill: $4,800
Melinda: $4,700

[Archivists]

DOUBLE JEOPARDY! ROUND CATEGORIES
MASHED-UP BOOK TITLES (5/5, including 1 correct Daily Double)
WILDLIFE (5/5)
ONE-HIT WONDERS (5/5)
U.S. COLONY NAMES (4/5, including 1 correct Daily Double)
"EAU", NOT SORRY (5/5)
LASTS (4/5)

THE RIGHTS & THE WRONGS
Jill: 10 R (including 4 rebounds), 1 W
Ben: 10 R (including 1 rebound and 1 DD), 2 W
Melinda: 8 R (including 1 rebound and 1 DD), 4 W

Clues revealed: 30
Triple Stumpers: 2
Double Jeopardy! Round Potential Lach Trash: $3,600



FIRST DOUBLE JEOPARDY! ROUND DAILY DOUBLE
Melinda snagged the next Daily Double on the 15th clue. Jill had $12,000, Melinda had $5,100, and Ben was at $11,800. Melinda wagered $3,000.

MASHED-UP BOOK TITLES $800: " 'A' is for Trespass"

SECOND DOUBLE JEOPARDY! ROUND DAILY DOUBLE
It was Ben who snatched up the last Daily Double of the game on the 23rd clue. Jill had $16,800, Melinda had $7,300, and Ben was at $11,400. Ben wagered $4,000.

U.S. COLONY NAMES $1200: Massachusetts means "at the big" one of these; colony Gov. John Winthrop said, "we shall be as a city upon" one of these

TRIPLE STUMPERS IN THE DOUBLE JEOPARDY! ROUND
U.S. COLONY NAMES $1600: New York is named for the duke of York, who would become this king in 1685
(Ben: Who is King George I?)

LASTS $2000: This Hitler deputy was the last prisoner at both the Tower of London & Spandau

SCORES ENTERING FINAL JEOPARDY!
Jill: $18,800
Ben: $15,800
Melinda: $7,300

FINAL JEOPARDY! CATEGORY
1970s FILMS

VENUSIAN MONOLOGUES/MARTIAN CHRONICLES
Four-fifths for first place.
Jill: Wager $12,801 to cover Ben.
Ben: Try wagering $1,199, which is as much as you can put up against Jill without being usurped by a doubled score on the part of Melinda.
Melinda: There's no way you can cover a rational wager by Ben, but if Ben decides for some reason to wager everything, you can eke out a win on a Triple Stumper if you wager no more than $1,300.

FINAL JEOPARDY! CLUE
In 2013 Mario Cuomo said he finally saw this film, which he had boycotted for personal reasons, & called it "maybe... a masterpiece"

FINAL SCORES
Melinda: $7,300 + $3,000 = $10,300 (What is The Godfather?) (3rd place)
Ben: $15,800 + $3,000 = $18,800 (What is The Godfather?) (2nd place)
Jill: $18,800 + $12,801 = $31,601 (What is The Godfather?) (12202-day champion: $31,601)

Total Potential Lach Trash: $3,600

GAME DYNAMICS


CORYAT SCORES
Jill: $18,800, 17 R, 1 W
Ben: $13,000, 19 R (including 1 DD), 2 W
Melinda: $7,600, 21 R (including 1 DD), 5 W (including 1 DD)
Combined Coryat: $39,400

BATTING AVERAGES
Melinda: 22/60 = .367
Ben: 20/59 = .339
Jill: 18/58 = .310
Team: 60/63 = .952

MISCELLANEOUS INTERESTING CLUES
TV HOSTS $200: Let's make a deal--name this host of "Let's Make a Deal"

TV HOSTS $400: Nathan Sawaya created a life-sized, Lego-ized version of this TV pundit, & that's "The Word"

TV HOSTS $600: Stay up "Late Late" with this funnyman seen here

WILDLIFE $800: Badger and Toad
could hang with the star-nosed this seen here
(Melinda: What is platypus?)

MASHED-UP BOOK TITLES $1600: "Mansfield Abbey"
(Melinda: What is Mansfield Park & ...

"EAU", NOT SORRY $1600: Named for a region of Burgundy, it's a red wine drunk when it's young; the "nouveau" type, when it's very young
(Ben: What is chableau?)

"EAU", NOT SORRY $2000: It's the clothing & linens a bride assembles for her marriage
(Melinda: What is a dowry?)

U.S. COLONY NAMES $800: Rhode Island may be named for a place in this sea
(Jill: What is the Mediterranean Sea?)
(Alex: I want you to be
more specific than that.)
(Jill: What is the...)
[ beep ]
(Alex: No, sorry.)

U.S. COLONY NAMES $2000: Pennsylvania comes from the Latin for this area "of Penn", "Penn" referring to William Penn's dad
(Melinda: What is valley?)

LASTS $1200: (Sarah of the Clue Crew presents the clue from the California Science Center in Los Angeles.) The Space Shuttle Endeavour's final mission began May 16, 2011; among those watching the launch was this Arizona congresswoman, whose husband, Mark Kelly, was on board as commander

CORRECT RESPONSES
Fusion
" 'A' is for Alibi & 'T' is for Trespass
a hill
James II
Rudolph Hess
The Godfather
Wayne Brady
Stephen Colbert
Craig Ferguson
a mole
Mansfield Park & Northanger Abbey
Beaujolais
a trousseau
the Aegean Sea
woods
(Gabrielle) Giffords

[jeff6286]

1970s Films
In 2013 Mario Cuomo said he finally saw this film, which he had boycotted for personal reasons, & called it "Maybe...a masterpiece".

Spoiler

What is The Godfather?

Jill Rowley: $18,800+$12,801=$31,601...now a 2-day champion with $43,802
Ben Zimmer: $15,800+$3,000=$18,800
Melinda Dudley: $7,300+$3,000=$10,300

[dhkendall]

Took me a while to figure out what the Ford category was about, and judging from the reaction of the contestants in the first clue, so did they. Why couldn't they just call the category "Also A Ford Model"? (I caught on eventually, but only got one get ($800) and two negs ($400 and $1000 - worst part about the last neg was that I own a Focus (as does my dad)! (2003 Ford Focus SE wagon to be specific!))

I actually have - or looks like had - something in common with Mario Cuomo! Although I haven't "refused" to see the movie, ti's been tops on my "want to see" list for a long time, just never got around to it.

Most happy about this fact: Now that the month has ended, I can calculate my average Coryat for the games this month. Of the first-run episodes (not including repeats or tournaments), I scored $26,390 in average for Coryats for the month of June! That's by far my highest yet! (Previous record was held in April of this year, $24,056). Except for four months (including those two) the rest are below $22,000 average for first-run games, so I'm quite happy at my playing along abilities and how they've improved! Hopefully, if The Email doesn't come this year, I can keep it up until the next test in January!

[Bamaman]

I got FJ as soon as I saw Cuomo's name. However, I was unaware he was a big critic of Italian steretypes.

I wonder who was unhappy with the FJ category.

[Leander]

Read an article about Cuomo and this specific subject last year, so this one was automatic for me.

[TenPoundHammer]

Never heard a $5 being called a "fin". That and Fusion cost me runs in their categories.

I thought US Colonies was very very tough, but got $2000 somehow.

3/5 in One Hit Wonders. I said "Kaja-goo-JOO", but G can make a J sound, so I'm calling it.

That Platypus moment was a laugh riot.

Never heard of "no-fault" divorce.

Cuomo = Italian name = Godfather. Instaget before AT was done with the clue.

[econgator]

I got FJ as soon as I saw Cuomo's name. However, I was unaware he was a big critic of Italian steretypes.

Ditto. I figured, "What else could it possibly be?"

[Golf]

Anyone else want to admit knowing moral turpitude only from Miss Balbricker's quote in "Porky's"?

http://youtu.be/PmF7QopMG60?t=48s

Melinda certainly should have rang in and taken a WAG on Hitler's Deputy to avoid being locked out by a smart wager from 2nd place. But of course in the end smart wagers are laughable in FJ.

[esrever]

Congrats to Jill on her second win! Very impressive.

Not many triple stumpers. I did get "James II".

Instaget FJ. I precalled the answer, among a few other 1970s films.

[zakharov]

Well done to all 3 players - not a lot of trash to be had today. I personally got none.

Did well in every category except that damn Ford one. Maybe it would help if I owned a car or paid attention to car ads. Also only went 2/5 in the book title category, but not a surprise since literature is not my wheelhouse.

Finally, I know what "trousseau" means!

Ran Potent Potables - does that mean I have a problem?

TV hosts is kids week material. When I run the show, I will ban all clues that are "here's a picture of someone contemporary, who is it?"

Instaget FJ - it was the only movie that seemed to make sense.

[TenPoundHammer]

TV hosts is kids week material.

I got only three, since I didn't know that Colbert had a catch phrase, and I can't say I've heard of The Soup much less that host guy.

[zakharov]

TV hosts is kids week material.

I got only three, since I didn't know that Colbert had a catch phrase, and I can't say I've heard of The Soup much less that host guy.

I confess that I missed Wayne Brady.

[Bamaman]

I had heard of a fin, but couldn't have told you what it was. But it being a slang for money and three letters made it a get for me.

I had several precalls (as I'm sure we all did) and was glad it was a big name film. I rejected All the President's Men as a precall since that was the FJ the last time 1970s Films was the subject with the one Carter screened.

I don't watch much late night TV, so TV hosts wasn't my favorite category, though I did get Brady and Colbert. I was hoping for a brain freeze for someone and they'd say Monty Hall for the first one.

I think I ran Fords, though I'm not really much of a car guy. It helped I drive a Focus.

Golf....what was the Hess clue worth and how would her getting it have kept her from being locked out by a smart wager from second?


Had I been on the show in Ben's spot and had seen Jill's math error on Friday, I might have bet it all just in case she screwed up again. But she got it right today.

[Golf]

Golf....what was the Hess clue worth and how would her getting it have kept her from being locked out by a smart wager from second?

Think it was worth $2k, but she had barely less than half the 2nd place score. The clue would have put her over the halfway mark.

Sorry, I put the wrong name in my post. It was Melinda I was talking about, not Jill. My bad.

[StevenH]

What a great game! A fantastic board, fantastic contestants, really couldn't have asked for more.

I was happy to end the game with the Lach trash on Rudolf Hess. There was a clue on him that used to come up a lot on my old J! PC game.

FJ was an instant get. I was worried that the correct response was too obvious, but I had nothing else.

[TenPoundHammer]

I had heard of a fin, but couldn't have told you what it was. But it being a slang for money and three letters made it a get for me.

Whereas I think of fish when I see that. Add an N and I think of either Europeans who take a sauna, or a teenage boy who hangs around with a shapeshifting dog.

I think I ran Fords, though I'm not really much of a car guy. It helped I drive a Focus.

Mom got Fusion, which was my only miss. And to think that until 2006 we were a strictly Chrysler family. (The rest of my family worked for GM, so they were always pressuring her to buy a GM car. She had a PT Cruiser at the time, so she said "Well, when GM makes a PT Cruiser, I'll switch." Cue the HHR...

[Bamaman]

Oh, you were talking about the third place person, that was Melinda. Jill is the woman who won from the lead who needs to use her winnings on cough drops.

I do think a wager from second to lock out third would have been smart. I just don't get the "wager to top the leader's bet of zero" wager.

[StevenH]

I do think a wager from second to lock out third would have been smart. I just don't get the "wager to top the leader's bet of zero" wager.

Yeah, I have never understood this one either. If the wager to cover the leader's post DJ score by $1 falls within your range of acceptable wagers, then sure, do it. But this game is an example of why it might not be a good idea: http://www.j-archive.com/showgame.php?game_id=2172 Christian Haines was probably the best player in the 2007 ToC, but that move cost him a trip to the finals.

[econgator]

TV hosts is kids week material.

I got only three, since I didn't know that Colbert had a catch phrase, and I can't say I've heard of The Soup much less that host guy.

I know of The Soup from its Talk Soup days (and Greg Kinnear hosting), but never heard of the current host.