Thursday, July 18, 2013 Game Recap & Discussion [SPOILERS]

[Archivists]

Game Recap for Show #6654, 2013-07-18

CONTESTANTS
Berek Marcus, a video game quality assurance tester from Northborough, Massachusetts
Matthew Mahan, a child-support officer from Hooksett, New Hampshire
Kerri McCoy, a pediatric emergency-room nurse from Jersey City, New Jersey (whose 1-day cash winnings total $10,600)

OPENING REMARKS
Alex: Thank you, Johnny. Thank you all, ladies and gentlemen. Welcome to our program. On yesterday's show, we said goodbye to a young champion who had won over $112,000, and we replaced him with Kerri, who's won $10,600. She has $100,000 to go if she wants to match that record. Matthew and Berek, welcome aboard, and good luck to all three of you. Let's go to work, shall we? Here comes the Jeopardy! round. And here come the categories. We start you all off with...

JEOPARDY! ROUND CATEGORIES
THAT'S SOME "TUDE"! (5/5)
BUSINESS HISTORIES (5/5, including 1 correct Daily Double)
CROSSING THE PARTY LINE (5/5)
AROUND THE WORLD (5/5)
BABY REGISTRY ITEMS (5/5)
LONG MOVIE TITLES (5/5)

THE RIGHTS & THE WRONGS
Berek: 16 R, 2 W
Matthew: 8 R (including 1 rebound and 1 DD), 0 W
Kerri: 6 R (including 1 rebound), 0 W

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



SCORES AT THE FIRST BREAK
Berek: $4,000
Kerri: $2,200
Matthew: $2,200

CONTESTANT INTERVIEWS



Alex: Watching Jeopardy! was a family affair for Berek Marcus. You and your dad and brothers used to watch but in different rooms.

Berek: We did. Originally we started out on my dad's bed, but when we all got too big for that and got our own televisions, we ended up in our own bedrooms, all watching at the same time, with the doors open, shouting the answers back and forth at each other.

Alex: That's a difficult way to carry on a competition. Who would usually win?

Berek: Um, dad, usually, but I got in more than my fair share, and my brother held his own.

Alex: Okay. Good for you.




Alex: Matthew Mahan from Hooksett, New Hampshire. I mentioned a moment ago that you're probably the father of a little one. Are you?

Matthew: I am expecting little ones, twins.

Alex: Twins. Good for you.

Matthew: Very shortly, My wife, Lisa, and I are expecting twins.

Alex: So you've already been out and done some shopping for baby items.

Matthew: Other people have done a lot of that shopping, but it's all waiting for me when I get home, and, uh, to put together and be ready to go. Yeah.

Alex: Okay. Good.

Matthew: Thank you.

Alex: Good luck with the babies.

Matthew: Thank you.




Alex: Kerri McCoy is a pediatric emergency-room nurse. And I'm curious to know if kids
are better patients than adults.

Kerri: Oh, they totally are.

Alex: Yeah?

Kerri: Believe it or not, they're less whiny than adults.

Alex: Less whiny?

Kerri: Less whiny.

Alex: What do adults whine about?

Kerri: Um, they want something to eat. They want something to drink. They don't want another blanket. Kids are...

Alex: What about when it comes to hypodermics, getting a needle?

Alex: Yeah, all the kids --that's the first question they ask when they come to the hospital. "Am I gonna get a needle?"

Alex: But you guys are usually pretty good, you nurses. You distract them and then sneak it up, and you don't show them the needle.

Kerri: Right. Never show them the needle.

Alex: Never show them the needle.

Kerri: Never. Never.

Alex: My dentist is like that. "Never show them the needle." That's what he says.
Okay, and it doesn't bother me.

JEOPARDY! ROUND DAILY DOUBLE
Matthew found the Daily Double on the 24th clue. Kerri had $2,200, Matthew had $3,800, and Berek was at $6,600. Matthew wagered $2,000.

BUSINESS HISTORIES $800: In 1916 Pullman Brown was chosen as the color of this company's vehicles

SCORES AT THE END OF THE JEOPARDY! ROUND
Berek: $6,800
Matthew: $6,400
Kerri: $4,400

[Archivists]

DOUBLE JEOPARDY! ROUND CATEGORIES
MEDICAL HISTORY (3/5, including 1 missed Daily Double)
2 WORDS, 12 TOTAL LETTERS (5/5)
A CROSS TO BEAR (4/5, including 1 correct Daily Double)
BALLPARK TOWNS (5/5)
THE CHARACTER'S NAME HAS BEEN CHANGED (4/5) (Alex: I'll give you a quote in which the name has been changed. You have to give the correct name.)
TO PROTECT THE INNOCENT (4/5)

THE RIGHTS & THE WRONGS
Berek: 11 R, 1 W
Kerri: 9 R (including 1 rebound and 1 DD), 4 W (including 1 DD)
Matthew: 5 R (including 1 rebound), 1 W

Clues revealed: 30
Triple Stumpers: 4
Double Jeopardy! Round Potential Lach Trash: $5,600



FIRST DOUBLE JEOPARDY! ROUND DAILY DOUBLE
Kerri snagged the next Daily Double on the 4th clue. Kerri had $5,200, Matthew had $6,400, and Berek was at $7,600. Kerri wagered $2,000.

MEDICAL HISTORY $1600: In 1896 physician Pringle Morgan described this condition as "word blindness"
(Kerri: What is amnesia?)

SECOND DOUBLE JEOPARDY! ROUND DAILY DOUBLE
It was Kerri who snatched up the last Daily Double of the game on the 19th clue. Kerri had $5,600, Matthew had $10,800, and Berek was at $11,600. Kerri wagered $2,000.

A CROSS TO BEAR $1600: One of the crosses in the Union Jack is the Saltire, the X-shaped cross of this saint

TRIPLE STUMPERS IN THE DOUBLE JEOPARDY! ROUND
MEDICAL HISTORY $400: The first quarantine island to prevent the spread of disease was in this city's lagoon
(Kerri: What is New York?)

THE CHARACTER'S NAME HAS BEEN CHANGED $2000: "Sister Christian., was possessed of a mind rudimentary in its power of observation and analysis"
(Kerri: Who is Sherlock Holmes?)

A CROSS TO BEAR $1200: The cross called this has three bars representing the bearer's roles of high priest, high teacher, and chief shepherd

TO PROTECT THE INNOCENT $2000: Instead of cash for clunkers, the Houston PD asks the public to I.D. criminals with a program called "Cash for" these
(Berek: What are guns?)

SCORES ENTERING FINAL JEOPARDY!
Berek: $17,600
Matthew: $12,000
Kerri: $10,000

FINAL JEOPARDY! CATEGORY
HISTORIC TELEGRAMS

VENUSIAN MONOLOGUES/MARTIAN CHRONICLES
Two-thirds for first place. Stratton's Dilemma.
Berek: Wager $6,401 to cover Matthew.
Matthew: You ought to wager to cover Kerri, but since you cannot win on a Triple Stumper if you do so, you should choose between wagering $0 and maximizing your winnings by betting all $12,000. You are in Stratton's Dilemma, calling for a wager of more than $8,000 (to shut out Kerri) or less than $800 (risking the possibility of being passed from behind by Kerri). Go with the smaller bet if you believe a Triple Stumper is more likely than a singleton miss by Berek.
Kerri: Considering that you're going to lose on a Triple Stumper by at least $1,200, you need to bet either $2,001, and play for a win if Matthew tries to two-thirds Berek, or bet at least $7,601 to cover Berek's $0 bet (though, from this position, a wager of all $10,000 is acceptable and perhaps preferred).

FINAL JEOPARDY! CLUE
In May 1945 Churchill cabled Truman that this "is drawn down upon their front. We do not know what is going on behind"

FINAL SCORES
Kerri: $10,000 - $4,000 = $6,000 (What is ?) (3rd place: $1,000)
Matthew: $12,000 + $10,000 = $22,000 (What is the Iron Curtain?) (2nd place: $2,000)
Berek: $17,600 + $7,599 = $25,199 (What is the Iron Curtain?) (New champion: $25,199)
(Alex: And about a year later, Churchill made a famous speech about this.)

Total Potential Lach Trash: $5,600

GAME DYNAMICS


CORYAT SCORES
Berek: $17,600, 27 R, 3 W
Kerri: $11,600, 15 R (including 1 DD), 4 W (including 1 DD)
Matthew: $10,800, 13 R (including 1 DD), 1 W
Combined Coryat: $40,000

BATTING AVERAGES
Berek: 28/58 = .483
Kerri: 15/60 = .250
Matthew: 14/59 = .237
Team: 57/63 = .905

MISCELLANEOUS INTERESTING CLUES
BABY REGISTRY ITEMS $600: Since its introduction in 1989, this pillow has been a perennial best-seller

BABY REGISTRY ITEMS $800: Lots of moms "wish" for this Playtex product that makes the disposal of Pampers & Huggies a snap
(Alex: Sounds like a father of a young one.)

BABY REGISTRY ITEMS $1000: Heads up! It's the smart line of developmental products that features the image seen here on its logo

AROUND THE WORLD $600: Corinth is at the northern edge of this peninsula making up southern Greece
(Berek: What is the Balkan Peninsula?)

CROSSING THE PARTY LINE $1000: NYC Republican mayor Fiorello La Guardia served as chief of the office of civilian defense under this president
(Berek: Who is Eisenhower?)

A CROSS TO BEAR $400: The common Christian cross, or crux ordinaria, is also known as this, the language of "crux ordinaria"
(Berek: What is a crucifix?)

2 WORDS, 12 TOTAL LETTERS $400: Any prince whose succession to the crown appears certain
(Matthew: What is crown prince?)

CORRECT RESPONSES
UPS
dyslexia
St. Andrew
Venice
Sister Carrie
the papal cross
crooks
the Iron Curtain
Boppy
Diaper Genie
Baby Einstein
the Peloponnesian Peninsula
FDR
a Latin cross
heir apparent

[jeff6286]

Historic Telegrams
In May 1945 Churchill cabled Truman that this "is drawn down upon their front. We do not know what is going on behind."

Spoiler

What is an iron curtain? Kerri had no guess.

Berek Marcus: $17,600+$7,599=$25,199...now a 1-day champion with $25,199
Matthew Mahan: $12,000+$10,000=$22,000
Kerri McCoy: $10,000-$4,000=$6,000

[whammy007]

Instaget Final for me... surprised that it drew a miss, but I guess she didn't connect the telegram to the later speech.

Couple decent runs for me today, but too many negs (including Ben & Jerry's, though I realized it pretty much simultaneously with the players on-screen). The 2 Words, 12 Total Letters category was a fun one, though the $400 and $2,000 clues seemed inappropriately valued.

[Bamaman]

I got FJ, but was worried he made the remark at a speech, then Alex's comment made me feel much better.

[dhkendall]

Two questions for the judges in DJ!: "disaster zone" for "disaster area"? (Same number of letters ...)

Also for the cross DD, shouldn't St. Patrick also count? Any X-shaped cross is a saltire, and there are two on the Union Jack: the white on blue St. Andrew's of Scitland and the red on white St. Patrick's for (Northern) Ireland.

[dhkendall]

Also got FJ instantly, but was convinced that the first usage of it was the 1946 speech ("an [*] has decended across Europe") so wasn't sure, but couldn't think if what else it could be and scribbłed it down just in time.

[Linear Gnome]

Same here: I thought the first use of the term was in the speech (in Fulton, MO, not very far from here), but I had nothing else for FJ so I went with it.

It's probably because I'm a mathematician, but I was annoyed that both contestants said "THE iron curtain" rather than "AN iron curtain".

They got through all of the clues in both rounds despite Kerri's saying the whole name of the category Every Single Time.

[xxaaaxx]

Also got FJ instantly, but was convinced that the first usage of it was the 1946 speech ("an [*] has decended across Europe") so wasn't sure, but couldn't think if what else it could be and scribbłed it down just in time.

Same here: I thought the first use of the term was in the speech (in Fulton, MO, not very far from here), but I had nothing else for FJ so I went with it.

Echo...echo...echo...

Seemed like easy boards today, though the bottom of that baby register category ate me alive.

[Paucle]

Instaget FJ. Kind of a meh game, no categories I was really in love with.
Like the new champ enough, but was kind of rooting for the new dad.

[CrunchyTaco]

Same here: I thought the first use of the term was in the speech (in Fulton, MO, not very far from here), but I had nothing else for FJ so I went with it.

It's probably because I'm a mathematician, but I was annoyed that both contestants said "THE iron curtain" rather than "AN iron curtain".

They got through all of the clues in both rounds despite Kerri's saying the whole name of the category Every Single Time.

Not just the whole category name, but she would usually add "I'll have" at the beginning, and "please" at the end.

[crazymatt1]

It's probably because I'm a mathematician, but I was annoyed that both contestants said "THE iron curtain" rather than "AN iron curtain".

I'm not a mathemetician, but I'm with you on this one. "An" actually appears to be his phrasing, at least according to Wikipedia.

[Bamaman]

I said "baby cam" instead of "baby monitor".

Judges?

[TenPoundHammer]

J! round was a weird mix for me. I ran "Tude", got 4/5 in Business History (missed only the DD because I thought it would be about a car company), and my only other get was Ya-Ya Sisterhood.

I have never heard of The Adventures of Priscilla, The Queen of the Desert, and was surprised to see it at $200. (It only has four other hits in the Archive. Not exactly $200 common-knowledge clue-worthy, IMO.)

Baby Registry Items was a category that I had down as an 0/5 as soon as it came up.

Medical History was weird. Venice lagoon seemed undervalued at $400, but the DD was insultingly easy. And novocain isn't prescribed, you idiot.

I couldn't get "heir apparent" at $400 and have never heard of a "candy striper", but the rest of 12 Letters was easy.

Third day in a row that FJ! was an instaget. What the heck am I on?!

Lousy wagering by the champ. She would've been dead in the water even if right. At least this means no more "I'll have This Is The Longest Category Name That I've Ever Seen in the Show's History for $400, please" EVERY SINGLE TIME.

[BADuBois]

Fun game to watch, though I wish the young dad-to-be from New Hampshire had won. Plus, both Johnny Gilbert and Alex mispronounced his home town of Hooksett. Surprised he didn't correct them, unless he's a newbie from "away", as we closed-mouthed Yankees would say.

Spent a few seconds panicked about the FJ, knowing that the key phrase came from Churchill's famous speech in Fulton, and not knowing about the telegram to Truman. But I definitely overthought it, and managed to get the correct answer before time expired.

Ah, Alex and his impersonations. Is there anything he *can't* do?

[Atalsyter]

At least this means no more "I'll have This Is The Longest Category Name That I've Ever Seen in the Show's History for $400, please" EVERY SINGLE TIME.

lol. Ya that was annoying.

[ElendilPickle]

I got FJ, but was worried he made the remark at a speech, then Alex's comment made me feel much better.

Yup. I immediately thought of the Iron Curtain, then spent the rest of the think music second-guessing myself.

[Bamaman]

]
Lousy wagering by the champ. She would've been dead in the water even if right.

She was in third before FJ but wins on a sole get. Her bet got her above the leader's MSBIW score and also above second's pre-FJ score. She also stayed above second's MSBIW score.

[jeff6286]

Lousy wagering by the champ. She would've been dead in the water even if right.

She was in third before FJ but wins on a sole get. Her bet got her above the leader's MSBIW score and also above second's pre-FJ score. She also stayed above second's MSBIW score.

In other words, from her position, her wager was largely irrelevant. The only way she could really hurt herself would be to bet less than $1,200, or maybe less than $2,000. From 3rd place, you probably are only going to win if you have the sole get, so she just needed to get above what the other players would have on a miss. She can't pass them if they are right.

Instaget Final for me... surprised that it drew a miss, but I guess she didn't connect the telegram to the later speech.

Obviously she was confused by the fact that Churchill died in 1400, so how could he have written a telegram in 1945? If you happen to read this, Kerri, just kidding!

[bpmod]

Ah, Alex and his impersonations. Is there anything he *can't* do?

Maybe he's trying to be the Canadian Rich Little.

Brian