Friday, September 23, 2016 Game Recap & Discussion [SPOILERS]

[Rackme32]

"Body of water where WHAT happens?!?" was all I could think this whole time. I don't even understand the clue. Explain?

That is a little awkwardly worded, but I think the thing that "happens" is the water from that river goes into the sea/ocean/whatever. In this case, that river happens to run into
the Mozambique Channel and it does that in the country of Mozambique.

for the record, I couldn't think of any African countries with a body of water that had the same name, at least not while the music was playing.

[IronNeck]

Seth set himself up for intimidation factor with the new taping day's pool of players at some point being hit with the news of a 5x champ who has won six figures. No one wants to hear their names for first up in that situation.

Is "intimidation" really a factor, though?

Personally, I would even take heart in knowing that the 5 or 6-day champion is likely very exhausted (as Pranjal, Andrew, and others visibly were near the end of their run) and not playing on the same level as he/she was at the beginning of their run.

[seaborgium]

My logic for responding to FJ correctly was "name a country with 'zamb' in it that's less on-the-nose than Zambia." I developed a theory at some point that Zambia, Mozambique, and Zimbabwe were all named for the Zambezi. Only Zambia is, but all three are touched by the river, and the coincidental z-mb connection helps to keep that in mind.

I got lute on the last DD, but I was tempted to say "viol."

[MTGcollegestudent]

I kind of withdraw my statement about Seth's 4th win there. First, he plays like Alex Jacob does in his runaways, now this one, he played Hunter Appler's strategy, and managed to pull it off. Seth pulled a heart attack right there, because HAD Elena got her answer right, Seth would have lost the same way Hunter Appler did on his last game. Somehow, him not liking the categories does seem to play well. I mean, if I had a hard category, I would just give up there and hope the others got their answers wrong. But, on an all-in-all emphasis, Seth now truly has earned his wings to be in the ToC. Hunter, Pranjal, Andrew, and Buzzy have their work cut out IF either of them go up against Seth in the ToC.

[Vermonter]

Seth set himself up for intimidation factor with the new taping day's pool of players at some point being hit with the news of a 5x champ who has won six figures. No one wants to hear their names for first up in that situation.

Is "intimidation" really a factor, though?

Yes.

Personally, I would even take heart in knowing that the 5 or 6-day champion is likely very exhausted (as Pranjal, Andrew, and others visibly were near the end of their run) and not playing on the same level as he/she was at the beginning of their run.

That's a good psychological strategy, but probably not applicable here – since next week is the third of the new season, and J! usually tapes its weeks in pairs, Seth likely had some time off between games 5 and 6. In this case, you can tell yourself that his buzzer timing is rustier than it would be otherwise (and he might get dethroned before your name gets called, anyway).

[yclept]

Just as a curiosity, if you are going to bet the way Seth bet (not making a cover bet), would the best bet actually be $2? This way, if the challenger makes what is a fairly common bet ($1 over the leader's current score) you at least have a little safeguard if FJ ends up being a gimmie.

[Vermonter]

Just as a curiosity, if you are going to bet the way Seth bet (not making a cover bet), would the best bet actually be $2? This way, if the challenger makes what is a fairly common bet ($1 over the leader's current score) you at least have a little safeguard if FJ ends up being a gimmie.

I'd say $3,099 was his best wager here. Assuming third place is not a factor, if you're going to force a trailer to get it right rather than cover, I always recommend wagering the difference minus a dollar. The odds the trailer wagers something other than $0 and >$3,100 are very small, I imagine (thanks for the analysis idea!).

[Bamaman]

No chance for me on FJ. It was clumsily worded but wouldn't have gotten it anyway. I wrote down Congo just to have something.

Had I been Seth I would have gone for $2,000 in the medical category after I got HGH in case the DD was there to keep it away from Elena.

I thought she might bet $9,599 on FJ.

Seth's FJ wager was shocking given his earlier bets

[alamble]

The writing staff really needs to get better fact-checkers, because Chris Farley was still very much alive - at age 28 - in 1992.

Yeah, I'm counting that one right even though I said John Candy (d1994), cause it was the date that lead me from Farley. That's a pretty awful miss by the writers. The science clue vagaries are one thing, that was a flat out whiff. WORSE there was no clarification (unless it was done after the credits...)

No clarification that I recall, though I was watching on DVR delay. Candy would have been doubly wrong because he was never an SNL cast member.

[opusthepenguin]

I'd say $3,099 was his best wager here. Assuming third place is not a factor, if you're going to force a trailer to get it right rather than cover, I always recommend wagering the difference minus a dollar. The odds the trailer wagers something other than $0 and >$3,100 are very small, I imagine (thanks for the analysis idea!).

What's maddening is that Seth would have lost thousands of dollars by following your sound advice over the last few days. It's like he's at the blackjack table showing 18 and he says "Hit me." You just bury your face in your hands... as the dealer turns over a 3.

[opusthepenguin]

"Body of water where WHAT happens?!?" was all I could think this whole time. I don't even understand the clue. Explain?

I agree that this was a tortuously written clue. This merits discussion right here in the main thread, not in some ghetto. Everyone should read that clue again in all its glory:

• THE ZAMBEZI RIVER REACHES THE OCEAN
  IN THIS COUNTRY THAT LENDS ITS NAME TO
  THE BODY OF WATER WHERE IT HAPPENS

I gotta tell you, I would NOT want to be under the lights and have that clue thrown at me. I happened to parse the clue correctly first time around. So I didn't really read it again; I just started thinking of possible responses. This is actually a failing of mine. I've missed several FJs because I didn't re-read the clue to make sure I understood it. I keep forgetting that I need to do that. But on this clue, I think my failing helped me out.

Note that the clue has the word "its" and the word "it". It's not unnatural on a quick read to link both "it" words back to the same antecedent, viz. "this country." That ends you up with "the body of water where THIS COUNTRY happens." Only that makes no sense. So are they talking about "the body of water where THE ZAMBEZI RIVER happens"? Where "THE OCEAN happens"? Where "ITS NAME happens"? There is no obvious antecedent to that second "it".

Now you're panicking, trying to figure out what "it" even refers to (even though your calmer self might notice that you don't really need to know). Turns out "it" refers back to "the Zambezi river reaching the ocean." Yeah. That's not good writing.

[opusthepenguin]

I got lute on the last DD, but I was tempted to say "viol."

Mrs P went with viol. I went with lyre, expecting that it would turn out to be harp. Lute never occurred to me. Too many 4-letter string instruments.

[John Boy]

My good laugh for the night was on the Medical Abbreviations category. What is Fx? Ever since my gym was bought and renamed FX fitness I've been joking with them, do you really know what that means? Rx is prescription, Dx is diagnosis, Hx is history, and Fx is, um fracture. They are not amused.

congrats to the 5-time champ.

[skullturf]

I got lute on the last DD, but I was tempted to say "viol."

Mrs P went with viol. I went with lyre, expecting that it would turn out to be harp. Lute never occurred to me. Too many 4-letter string instruments.

I agree. Naurae29 said "harp" and I said "lyre" at home.

[TenPoundHammer]

I got lute, probably because I can play the mandolin.

[hbomb1947]

I got lute on the last DD, but I was tempted to say "viol."

Mrs P went with viol. I went with lyre, expecting that it would turn out to be harp. Lute never occurred to me. Too many 4-letter string instruments.

I agree. Naurae29 said "harp" and I said "lyre" at home.

I won the coin toss between lute and lyre. I'm glad that harp didn't occur to me.

MarkBarrett, if you see this in time, can you make that DD one of the poll choices?

[Pendleton71]

I don't think Seth's FJ bet was shocking. He's just one of those players who wagers on category rather than game theory.

[MinnesotaMyron]

Daily Double, INTO AFRICA for $2000 (July 15, 2016): This coastal republic of 23 million is separated from Madagascar by the channel of the same name

Final Jeopardy, AFRICAN GEOGRAPHY (September 23, 2016): The Zambezi River reaches the ocean in this country that lends its name to the body of water where it happens

2 months (20 game days) part.

[BigDaddyMatty]

Coryat: $31,600
45 R/3 W
DD: 2/3
FJ:
LT: Hilo, Scandinavian Airlines, lead, The Jerk

Gutsy, gutsy call there by Seth.

I lost coin flips on the last DD and FJ!, going with harp and Kenya, respectively. C'est la J! I also got wires crossed up on the RoboCop clue, seeing "Alex" and thinking "Axel," so I negged with Beverly Hills Cop. Speaking of RoboCop, here's something for all you dummies who say that pro wrestling is fake:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JcLlxXqKCRE

[chmmr]

NHO oud. But most Japanese stringed instruments look more like a guitar/lute than a harp/lyre, so lute is correct.

Never going to learn African geography. At least I'm in good company.