2011-13 Tournament of Champions Standings (enter at your own risk)

[KenJenningsFan74]

My Gold, Silver and Bronze standings heading into the tournament are as follows:

Gold: David Menchaca, Jason Keller, Keith Whitener, Stephanie Jass, Jason Shore

Silver: Dave Leach, David Gard, Joel Pool, Dan McShane, Ashok Poozhikunnel

Bronze: Paul Nelson, Kristin Morgan, Colby Burnett, Patrick Quinn, Monica Thieu

My automatic semifinalists are: Stephanie Jass, David Menchaca, Jason Keller, Keith Whitener, Dave Leach

My three semifinal winners are: Jason Keller (versus Ashok Poozhikunnel and David Menchaca, coming from second place to overtake Menchaca in the Final Jeopardy! round), Keith Whitener (versus David Gard and Jason Shore), Dave Leach (versus Stephanie Jass and Joel Pool, coming from behind in Final Jeopardy! to overtake Stephanie Jass)

My winner is Jason Keller, coming from behind on the last Final Jeopardy! clue, Keith Whitener first runner-up, Dave Leach second runner-up

Good luck to all fifteen players! I can hardly wait to see what happens!

[georgespelvin]

This will be an interesting experience for me. Because I haven't been on the message board for a very long while and (gasp!) have missed the show a lot during the past year for various reasons, I actually don't know or "know" anyone in the ToC, the first time that's happened in several years. I don't even know which of the ToC contestants post here (although it was easy to recognize Stephanie because of the photo, having caught two of her games). Don't tell me, I'll find out as I go along.

[alietr]

So what the heck is Stephanie doing in the photo on the bus?!?!?

[sarahbree]

Nice tiara, Dr. J- mine is ready for the viewing...good luck to all!

I am going with my man Keith to take it all for selfish reasons (to justify my pitiful loss), as far as analysis goes, I'll leave that to you experts. I think it could be anyone's game- so exciting!!

[MarkBarrett]

My question is what is Patrick Morrison thinking? "If I had only won one more game."

What is David Menchanca? Chopped liver? Or just clipped out next to Monica?

Relax Dave Leach you have plenty of time until QF5.

Where is the "Vote for Paul Nelson" sign? He looks like a political candidate.

[marpocky]

My question is what is Patrick Morrison thinking? "If I had only won one more game."

What is David Menchanca? Chopped liver? Or just clipped out next to Monica?

Relax Dave Leach you have plenty of time until QF5.

Where is the "Vote for Paul Nelson" sign? He looks like a political candidate.

David Menchaca is in the back, behind Jason Keller. Ashok is the one next to Monica.

[StevenH]

Tonight's match up (Stephanie vs. Paul vs. Jason S.) reminds me of the Joon Pahk/Tom Kunzen/John Krizel quarterfinal game from the 2011 ToC, when judging both match ups based on how they looked on paper before we saw them air. The Joon/Tom/John match didn't exactly go how we were expecting it to. I am thinking that Stephanie may be similar to Tom Kunzen, but I don't think Jason is any Joon Pahk. On paper this looks like about the worst possible draw that Paul could have gotten: he is up against two contestants who not only displayed far superior knowledge bases in their regular runs, but were also very good on the buzzer--the one thing that Paul might have had going for him. I give the edge to Jason (and I agree that his video left something to be desired), but I am going to be optimistic and predict that this match will be close and will produce at least one wild card.

I will say that I like how Paul is the only male contestant wearing a jacket and tie. He also looks pretty happy in the group photo.

And just for fun: if I were to make my prediction on who made the semifinals based on the group photo (I will put in a spoiler in case anyone actually thinks there might be something to this):

Spoiler: show

Stephanie, Jason S., Paul
Colby, Joel, David M.
Jason K.
Keith
Dave L.

[Sherm]

I don't know how you cannot have Jason Shore on your semi list. He's one of the few that I believe can hang with Stephanie. I think Paul Nelson got a brutal draw. It will make for an interesting first game.

I have Jason Shore in my Gold group, but his video interview for the TOC left me less than inspired.

The draw for this TOC seems very fair with no person having a right to complain.

7/5/4
T/5/6
4/9/C
4/5/7
6/4/T

9,7,7,6,6 were all separated. T,T and C were separated. The women were separated. The 4xers were split. The 5xers were split. As for Paul getting a brutal draw? Plug him in for another 5 spot.

Paul, Colby, Joe
Dan, Paul, Keith

Any better? Jason Keller earned the right to get a decent appearing draw with David G. and Monica. Paul did not.

Everyone has got to play someone. In Paul's shoes, replace the other 5 game winners and put him in game 2 or 4, and I think it is a better draw. Jason Shore is only a 4 game winner, but he looked very good in the games he was in. High Coryat and a couple locks. Of course, I say this and he'll pull a Tom Kunzen on me.

Last Year, I said give me Craig, Kunzen and Runsvold, you can have the rest and I think I have the winner. The the other two I thought would do well where Joon and Tom Nissley. Joon just hammered that QF with Kunzen in it, when I thought those two would really battle it out.

This year give me Keller, Jass and I feel I'd have the best two going in. Shore, Menchaca and Whitener would round out my top five in some order. The wild card to me is Colby Burnett. The teachers tourny get some heat because the questions don't seem quite as hard, but he really rolled his tourny, and the second best player in that tourny was in three of his four matches. Chemteacher hung with him, but Burnett was really the class of the tourny by a good margin.

[PatMorrison]

My question is what is Patrick Morrison thinking? "If I had only won one more game."

Oh there were several thoughts running through my head, principal among them, "Wait, I don't even get to watch the games? I have to sit in the green room for five hours watching "Scott Pilgrim" and "Iron Man"? Motherf..."

[jeff6286]

Thinking about the alternate, a question occurred to me and I wondered if any former participant in a Jeopardy! tournament would know the answer. If a player were to fall ill or be in an accident of some sort after they have qualified for the semifinals, would they replace that player with the next highest qualifying wild card? Do any or all of the eliminated quarterfinalists usually come to the next day's taping?

I'm guessing this has never happened, but I'm wondering if it is ever mentioned during the presentation of the rules before the tournament. I assume that the alternate would step in if a player got sick and was unable to make their quarterfinal, but after that, I would assume that the highest scoring non-qualifier would become the "new alternate". Has there ever been any Jeopardy! tournament where the alternate got to play?

[Dr. J]

So what the heck is Stephanie doing in the photo on the bus?!?!?

I don't know what I'm doing 1/2 the time (or more!), but I think I was pointing to my hideous makeup-free visage. You don't know what a sacrifice it was to tell me that I had to show my face in public without some semblance of makeup, and then they're taking pictures of it? And then they're publicly posting them?! The HORROR!

[omgwheelhouse]

Wrong thread dippy.

I posted at game 3 or 4 of his run that Keller might end up being the TOC favorite, and I still think he is. I'll predict that he wins it with Stephanie 2nd and Menchaca 3rd.

[hanzz]

Thinking about the alternate, a question occurred to me and I wondered if any former participant in a Jeopardy! tournament would know the answer. If a player were to fall ill or be in an accident of some sort after they have qualified for the semifinals, would they replace that player with the next highest qualifying wild card? Do any or all of the eliminated quarterfinalists usually come to the next day's taping?

I'm guessing this has never happened, but I'm wondering if it is ever mentioned during the presentation of the rules before the tournament. I assume that the alternate would step in if a player got sick and was unable to make their quarterfinal, but after that, I would assume that the highest scoring non-qualifier would become the "new alternate". Has there ever been any Jeopardy! tournament where the alternate got to play?

Olivia, who ranked 5th in the WC standings in my tourney, indeed came along with us the next day as the semifinal alternate. I imagine if Sam, Erin, or I had fallen ill during lunch or something, then Steve Greene would have ended up as a finalist as the highest scoring non-winner in the semifinals. I always appreciate that Maggie makes very clear to the alternate of the very, very low probability that they will get to play, and the alternates always seem to understand that.

Oh there were several thoughts running through my head, principal among them, "Wait, I don't even get to watch the games? I have to sit in the green room for five hours watching "Scott Pilgrim" and "Iron Man"? Motherf..."

Some updates, I see! Our options were Monty Python, Mean Girls, and Talladega Nights.

[seaborgium]

Thinking about the alternate, a question occurred to me and I wondered if any former participant in a Jeopardy! tournament would know the answer. If a player were to fall ill or be in an accident of some sort after they have qualified for the semifinals, would they replace that player with the next highest qualifying wild card? Do any or all of the eliminated quarterfinalists usually come to the next day's taping?

I'm guessing this has never happened, but I'm wondering if it is ever mentioned during the presentation of the rules before the tournament. I assume that the alternate would step in if a player got sick and was unable to make their quarterfinal, but after that, I would assume that the highest scoring non-qualifier would become the "new alternate". Has there ever been any Jeopardy! tournament where the alternate got to play?

They do have an alternate for the semis, so Patrick Tucker had to come all dressed up with nowhere to go to my ToC's second taping. (Also, at the beginning of SF3 in 2009, there's a shot of the two finalists, Larissa and Dan, in the audience, and Tom Morris is nearby.) And in Prisoner of Trebekistan, not only does Bob Harris say Rachael Schwartz was the alternate for the semis, but also that since the finals taped on a third day and he was the highest scoring non-winning semifinalist, he was the alternate finalist.

As for the alternate getting to play, not technically, but Kathy Cassity was called to be an alternate a month before the 2003 ToC taped, and got called a week or so later with the news that Vinita Kailasanath couldn't make it. So she became a contestant, and Faith Love presumably got pretty short notice that she was now the alternate.

[dippy]

Sorry about posing in the wrong thread, I should've posted in the thread about today's game.

[CoachP]

[quote="Roadgeek Adam"]Site's up:


Matchups:

Wednesday: Stephanie / Paul / Jason S.
Thursday: Colby / David M. / Joel
Friday: David G. / Jason K. / Monica
Monday: Dan / Kristin / Keith
Tuesday: Dave / Ashok / Patrick

So, FWIW, here are my guesses (and I'm on the west coast so the game won't be airing in my area for another 3 hours). No disrespect is meant to any of the contestants by any omissions in my picks. Can't wait to watch it all play out!
Winners: Stephanie, Joel, Jason K, Keith, Patrick
WC's: Jason S, David M, David G, Ashok/Kristin

[MarkBarrett]

My question is what is Patrick Morrison thinking? "If I had only won one more game."

What is David Menchanca? Chopped liver? Or just clipped out next to Monica?

Relax Dave Leach you have plenty of time until QF5.

Where is the "Vote for Paul Nelson" sign? He looks like a political candidate.

David Menchaca is in the back, behind Jason Keller. Ashok is the one next to Monica.

Yes, thanks for catching my mistake and apologies to the gentlemen I mixed up.

[cdinucci]

Site's up:

http://www.jeopardy.com/minisites/tourn ... pions-s29/
...
Also, I love the video for the TOC with all the former TOC winners (Tom, Rachael, Mike, Dan, Michael, Celeste, Dan, Vijay and Roger.)

Has this video been taken down? I'd love to see it...

[ahirbhairav]

Site's up:

http://www.jeopardy.com/minisites/tourn ... pions-s29/
...
Also, I love the video for the TOC with all the former TOC winners (Tom, Rachael, Mike, Dan, Michael, Celeste, Dan, Vijay and Roger.)

Has this video been taken down? I'd love to see it...

Which Tom?

[opusthepenguin]

Site's up:

http://www.jeopardy.com/minisites/tourn ... pions-s29/
...
Also, I love the video for the TOC with all the former TOC winners (Tom, Rachael, Mike, Dan, Michael, Celeste, Dan, Vijay and Roger.)

Which Tom?

Good question. How are we supposed to figure it out without a TOM?