Wednesday, April 2, 2014 Game Recap & Discussion [SPOILERS]

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southsidehitman
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Re: Wednesday, April 2, 2014 Game Recap & Discussion [SPOILERS]

Post by southsidehitman »

econgator wrote:
southsidehitman wrote:Out of curiosity, does anyone know why they left Alex's blunders regarding the category name and the $800 clue in the final production tape? I went to a taping last year where he botched one of the categories in the third game of the day and they almost immediately re-shot it. The blundered clue, especially, seems too blatant to be left in a final production cut.
I'm guessing it's because no one caught it until just before the correction?
The category I understand, but the accidentally-uttered response? There's certainly precedent for replacing clues for reasons such as this.
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Re: Wednesday, April 2, 2014 Game Recap & Discussion [SPOILERS]

Post by seaborgium »

It's a tough clue, but I don't think it's that impressive to successfully name a 1943 novel with a title plant. I paused the recording and tried to pick apart "ailanthus": I knew the "anth" root was Greek for "flower," but then I tried to combine it with Latin or French to turn "ail" into garlic. Eventually I gave up and blurted out A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, albeit well after time would have been called on me.

Edit: Just looked back at the clue and realized that it didn't say "title plant." Larissa did very well not to be thrown. (And, by extension, so did I!)
OrangeSAM wrote:
seaborgium wrote:...I was thinking Larissa would go for $6,000 on the last DD she hit. I can't say that would have made a difference, since Russ well could have bet more in turn on his. But maybe she would have gotten under the wire if she had rounded up from $3,600 to $4,000...
That late in the round, I think Russ would have bet whatever was necessary to prevent a lock.
Well, duh, but given he missed FJ, his win hinged on more than just preventing a lock; he needed to (and barely did) get to a point where she led him by less than half his score. What we don't know is, if the scores had been $25,200 to $10,400, whether Russ still would have bet $5,000 (which would have given Larissa the TS victory on FJ), or upwards of $6,400 (which would have put him back in the range where he'd win on a $0 wager).
Last edited by seaborgium on Fri Apr 04, 2014 5:55 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Wednesday, April 2, 2014 Game Recap & Discussion [SPOILERS]

Post by opusthepenguin »

Vermonter wrote:
lieph82 wrote:
georgespelvin wrote:More to the point--they made Tom Nissley beg for votes and picked Tom as an automatic qualifier? :o
Yeah, if they were going to pick a white guy, I would have thought they'd pick Nissley over Whitener or Kavanaugh.
My understanding is they wanted to fill the "Keith W" demographic. Unfortunately, they didn't pick me. :(

;)
If it's any consolation, I hear you were third on the list.
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Re: Wednesday, April 2, 2014 Game Recap & Discussion [SPOILERS]

Post by opusthepenguin »

Rex Kramer wrote:Um, HELLO?! Could we have this eye-candy/deserving-2000s-contestant conversation someplace a little more tactful? Some of the undeserving ugly people are starting to cry.
Oh, Rex! Please don't do that!

It makes you look even worse.
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Re: Wednesday, April 2, 2014 Game Recap & Discussion [SPOILERS]

Post by jkbrat »

seaborgium wrote:It's a tough clue, but I don't think it's that impressive to successfully name a 1943 novel with a title plant. I paused the recording and tried to pick apart "ailanthus": I knew the "anth" root was Greek for "flower," but then I tried to combine it with Latin or French to turn "ail" into garlic. Eventually I gave up and blurted out A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, albeit well after time would have been called on me.
I, on the other hand, deconstructed "ailanthus" as possibly having some relation to the only other ail- word I could think of: ailurophile. So I spent a few minutes trying to think of a famous 1943 novel about cats. Turns out I was barking up the wrong tree.
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Re: Wednesday, April 2, 2014 Game Recap & Discussion [SPOILERS]

Post by opusthepenguin »

Dr. J wrote:
pdano wrote:Maybe someone will jump in and correct me, but sitting in Contestant Row, I don't remember anyone getting it. We were blown away.
I thought it was a flower. I never put that book in the 1940s. It was an amazing get, especially given the drama of the time she took. She's a quiet killer, that Larissa.
Boy howdy. I just assumed she was going to get zonked. Her ability to stay calm and mentally sort through possibilities to make a credible guess... wow.

Larissa's a big fan favorite here at Chez Penguin, much like your estimable self. Mrs Penguin was quite happy at the end of SJ, what with Larissa having such a nice lead and all. But I reminded her darkly that Stephanie Jass had been doing quite well at the same point in her game. That sobered her up a bit. I hate being right.

I really really really wanted to see you and Larissa duke it out at some point. Sigh. I don't know if you've seen that viral video of the six-year-old boy with two sisters finding out that little Expecting is a girl as well. When Larissa's loss came right on the heels of yours, I started whining and carrying on just like that poor kid. Mrs P didn't get what I was doing until I yelled, "IT'S TOO MUCH BOYS!!!"
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Re: Wednesday, April 2, 2014 Game Recap & Discussion [SPOILERS]

Post by opusthepenguin »

skullturf wrote:I don't remember what I said, if anything, but I didn't clue in that "ailanthus" referred to a plant. I thought it might be an animal.
Same here. I followed a false trail from "ailurophobe" to guess that "ailanthus" was a kind of cat. That got me nowhere and I ended up saying "The Leopard," just to say something. I figured maybe the 1960s movie by that name had been based on a book.

Turns out I was right about that, anyway. But looking it up, I see the book came out in 1958. And Il Gattopardo, the title animal, though translated as "leopard" from the Italian, is actually a serval. I don't know that I've ever heard of a serval before. I notice, though, that servals belong to the Genus Leptailurus. That's pretty darn close to "ailanthus."

I'm going to ignore the part where I was wrong and count this as one of my more impressive gets.
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Re: Wednesday, April 2, 2014 Game Recap & Discussion [SPOILERS]

Post by opusthepenguin »

georgespelvin wrote:
LeFlaneur wrote:What a great game to watch and even more fun to read all the boardie's comments on the post game parties et al. In all the years that I've watched the show Larissa has been one of my favorite players of all time, especially for the following reason: She has the most wonderful, almost roboticlike quality to her voice. A divine syntax to the way she asks for, and answers the clues. I was saddend for her loss but was happy just to hear that unique syncopation that she does so well.
I agree, but if she and Roger played each other in the next round, as great a match as that would be, I think that the sereneness of their voices and manner might put me to sleep.
Ha! Now I'm imagining a game where Ken Jennings is the hyper one.
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Re: Wednesday, April 2, 2014 Game Recap & Discussion [SPOILERS]

Post by sherder »

Mark B wrote:I continue to believe that Larissa is one of the deepest players we've seen on J! Did anyone else get A Tree Grows from that clue?
I got it, only because of dumb luck. The thought process went like this: "Ailanthus sounds like a plant. What book has a plant in the title? A Tree Grows in Brooklyn does, but I've never read that and have no idea when it came out. Time is running out." I then just blurted that answer out, since I had nothing else. There is no way I would have gotten that under pressure.
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Re: Wednesday, April 2, 2014 Game Recap & Discussion [SPOILERS]

Post by georgespelvin »

southsidehitman wrote:
econgator wrote:
southsidehitman wrote:Out of curiosity, does anyone know why they left Alex's blunders regarding the category name and the $800 clue in the final production tape? I went to a taping last year where he botched one of the categories in the third game of the day and they almost immediately re-shot it. The blundered clue, especially, seems too blatant to be left in a final production cut.
I'm guessing it's because no one caught it until just before the correction?
The category I understand, but the accidentally-uttered response? There's certainly precedent for replacing clues for reasons such as this.
I'm just speculating, but the blunder wasn't at the clue itself but during the introduction of the category when Alex mistakenly said that all of the correct responses contained "self" instead of "self-e". Had all of the contestants gotten through the category unscathed, my guess is that Alex would have retaped the category intro at the next commercial break for the folks watching at home. However, once Larissa negged on a response that included "self" but not "self-e", they could not retape without having some of the game not being transparent to viewers (probably a last resort under Standards and Practices). The easier solution was just to have Alex admit the error and give Larissa the money. Again, I'm just speculating because the topic was not addressed publicly off-air at the taping. As I noted earlier, I immediately recognized Alex's error while watching the taping, and my guess is that the other contestants did as well given their pedigree and Larissa just goofed. Russ, did you notice Alex's mistake right away?
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Re: Wednesday, April 2, 2014 Game Recap & Discussion [SPOILERS]

Post by Bamaman »

I noticed the E was also in the quotation marks and wondered why Alex only specified that self was going to be in each question.
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Re: Wednesday, April 2, 2014 Game Recap & Discussion [SPOILERS]

Post by Dr. J »

georgespelvin wrote: I'm just speculating, but the blunder wasn't at the clue itself but during the introduction of the category when Alex mistakenly said that all of the correct responses contained "self" instead of "self-e". Had all of the contestants gotten through the category unscathed, my guess is that Alex would have retaped the category intro at the next commercial break for the folks watching at home. However, once Larissa negged on a response that included "self" but not "self-e", they could not retape without having some of the game not being transparent to viewers (probably a last resort under Standards and Practices). The easier solution was just to have Alex admit the error and give Larissa the money. Again, I'm just speculating because the topic was not addressed publicly off-air at the taping. As I noted earlier, I immediately recognized Alex's error while watching the taping, and my guess is that the other contestants did as well given their pedigree and Larissa just goofed. Russ, did you notice Alex's mistake right away?
I remember Dan Pawson turning to me and saying, "they're going to have to give her that one" and then explaining to me what Alex had done wrong. I STILL said the same thing as Larissa while playing at home, so I guess Alex led us both astray! (Not the first time...)
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Re: Wednesday, April 2, 2014 Game Recap & Discussion [SPOILERS]

Post by georgespelvin »

He's definitely a devil that one. :lol:
I used to be AWSOP but wanted to be more theatrical.
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Re: Wednesday, April 2, 2014 Game Recap & Discussion [SPOILERS]

Post by rschumac12 »

georgespelvin wrote:
I'm just speculating, but the blunder wasn't at the clue itself but during the introduction of the category when Alex mistakenly said that all of the correct responses contained "self" instead of "self-e". Had all of the contestants gotten through the category unscathed, my guess is that Alex would have retaped the category intro at the next commercial break for the folks watching at home. However, once Larissa negged on a response that included "self" but not "self-e", they could not retape without having some of the game not being transparent to viewers (probably a last resort under Standards and Practices). The easier solution was just to have Alex admit the error and give Larissa the money. Again, I'm just speculating because the topic was not addressed publicly off-air at the taping. As I noted earlier, I immediately recognized Alex's error while watching the taping, and my guess is that the other contestants did as well given their pedigree and Larissa just goofed. Russ, did you notice Alex's mistake right away?
Yeah, I noticed that right away and just figured the three of us would all see that the "E" was included and go with it. But of course they were also right to credit Larissa considering what happened.
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Re: Wednesday, April 2, 2014 Game Recap & Discussion [SPOILERS]

Post by opusthepenguin »

rschumac12 wrote:Yeah, I noticed that right away and just figured the three of us would all see that the "E" was included and go with it. But of course they were also right to credit Larissa considering what happened.
I was ok with the ruling. I would've been ok without it. In a regular game, I'd feel the contestant had been rooked. But I don't mind if they want to hold champs to a higher standard.

Congrats on the win, by the way. I'm sure you have mixed feelings about defeating the kindest, warmest, most wonderful J! contestant there ever was by schneaking in from a distant second with a late DD and a canny FJ wager. I don't hold that against you, of course. I just assume your own conscience may trouble you from time to time. :D

Best of retro-luck in the rest of the Battle. It'd be fun to see you slay some more giants.
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Re: Wednesday, April 2, 2014 Game Recap & Discussion [SPOILERS]

Post by econgator »

opusthepenguin wrote:I just assume your own conscience may trouble you from time to time. :D
Oh, no. Precedence has already been established. Conscience-troubling is ALL-CONSUMING AND FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE!
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Re: Wednesday, April 2, 2014 Game Recap & Discussion [SPOILERS]

Post by OrangeSAM »

seaborgium wrote:...
OrangeSAM wrote:
seaborgium wrote:...I was thinking Larissa would go for $6,000 on the last DD she hit. I can't say that would have made a difference, since Russ well could have bet more in turn on his. But maybe she would have gotten under the wire if she had rounded up from $3,600 to $4,000...
That late in the round, I think Russ would have bet whatever was necessary to prevent a lock.
Well, duh, but given he missed FJ, his win hinged on more than just preventing a lock; he needed to (and barely did) get to a point where she led him by less than half his score. What we don't know is, if the scores had been $25,200 to $10,400, whether Russ still would have bet $5,000 (which would have given Larissa the TS victory on FJ), or upwards of $6,400 (which would have put him back in the range where he'd win on a $0 wager).
Well,...D'Oh!

It's an interesting situation.

Any amount you wager to break the lock will cost you any chance of winning the game if you miss. However, bet enough and get it right and you add to your chances of winning. And given that there's no benefit to finishing second over third at this point in the tournament, perhaps a TDD is in order. Of course, pride may make one hold back $1000 or so just to be sure to stick around for FJ!
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Re: Wednesday, April 2, 2014 Game Recap & Discussion [SPOILERS]

Post by CyrusChan »

The last book question Larissa couldn't buzz in before Russ, so that was the point which foreshadowed her defeat and not to mention Russ did the 2/3's bet and got it down and "Royalty" hasn't been good to Larissa.

Really liked her game. Best of luck to all the contestants in whatever big things they have in store.
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Re: Wednesday, April 2, 2014 Game Recap & Discussion [SPOILERS]

Post by CyrusChan »

I fell for Ingrid Bergman and not Greta Garbo. What else was in that clue besides Swedish and American?
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Re: Wednesday, April 2, 2014 Game Recap & Discussion [SPOILERS]

Post by skullturf »

CyrusChan wrote:I fell for Ingrid Bergman and not Greta Garbo. What else was in that clue besides Swedish and American?
If I remember correctly, the clue gave a year.

However, that's probably not an enormous giveaway, as it turns out there was only ten years' difference in the birthdates of those two actresses.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ingrid_Bergman
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greta_Garbo
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