Friday, September 23, 2011 Game Recap & Discussion [SPOILERS]

[alietr]

And on William Henry Harrison, if this game had been 3 years ago I would've have been a little less surprised at Amit's miss (though, like everyone else said, it is a pretty famous story and the only notable thing about his presidency). However, after Obama's inauguration, I would think everyone on the planet would know the story. I didn't even watch the inauguration very closely (I missed the actual swearing-in part) but it was on TV the whole day and because it was so very cold that day in DC, everyone kept repeating the story of WHH, ad nauseam.

Then I'm glad I didn't have a TV with me when I went. It was bad enough being that cold; being reminded of said fact continuously would have made it a lot worse.

[StevenH]

In the last 7 years or so I actually think that the clues have gotten harder but less well-written, in general. But they do go in phases.

[MinnesotaMyron]

How long can the list get for misses on the FJ clue?

Werther
Mars
Stover
Cadbury (category should have kept anyone from guessing that one)
Kraft

Wonka

(At first I went with Mars, but I thought of Hershey and changed my mind before the 30 seconds were up.)

Justin can't get out of bronze in my book. He's good enough to get by the first round of the TOC, but I would never pick him to dominate and lead outright a game in the semifinals. His knowledge base has some unusual gaps, his buzzer is ordinary and he gets a little guess happy. That's a recipe for $5000 and goodbye.

I saw only the last 2 categories of DJ and FJ, and I haven't seen any of his other shows. Was his "random" guessing usual for him (he had a couple of wrong guesses), or was he playing desperately from 3rd place? If he loses his cool under pressure, he's sunk, because I think this will be one of the most competitive ToC's we've ever seen.

-M

[SkoolRN]

Thanks, everyone, for the support and post-game encouragement. I have finally settled on an appropriate avatar. I don't know the protocol around here, but if I wanted to post a recap of my show experience (I'd try to keep it short), would I do it here or in a separate thread?

My avatar on the old Sony board was based on th FJ that I went down in flames with. I feel your pain.

[billiej]

Anyone else say Brach, as I did?

Yes, I switched to that after first thinking of Werther. Hershey never crossed my mind.

[DBear]

Agree with John Boy. J! was easy, DJ! was brutal.
The Reagan quote was a gimme even without the impression.

But I answered Mars for FJ.

[jbillygirl]

Don't know if anyone is still reading this thread, but I've posted my full account of my J! appearance on the WWTBAM Bored, here:

http://wwtbambored.com/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=36339

(The thread may take a little while to load; the Bored has been having problems lately.)

Here's an excerpt (still quite long, sorry):

I had been hoping for some real “wheelhouse” categories, such as classical music (my specialty), but no such luck. Instead I got a big ol’ honkin’ sports category. So I was a bit concerned to begin with that I might not be able to get an edge. However, using my “Jedi” buzzer technique (timing by sound and instinct and not looking at the lights), I managed to get in on far more questions than I expected. Because of adrenaline (I think), instead of going blank on everything I knew, as I had feared I might, I remembered things I hadn’t thought of in years. I have no idea where I got the Bear Bryant = Alabama connection from, except that I grew up in the ’70s and ’80s and must have absorbed something from when Bryant was really big. Alex’s accents on the JFK and Reagan questions had no impact at all on my answers; I simply got them on content. (I think Alex actually re-recorded his JFK accent to make it better.)

For the most part I followed the rule of “Stay CLAM.” If I didn’t know something, I didn’t answer. But sometimes, as on that Bryant question, I would have an inkling without being totally sure, but I’d press the button. Then, lo and behold, my lights would come on, and I’d think, “Well, I guess I have to answer now!” And when I did this, it worked out. The only question I got dinged on was that damn “tariff/s” question; some people have told me that wasn’t quite fair, but I know that’s how Jeopardy works, and I have no problem with that.

During the breaks, a glass of water would magically appear at my left hand, and Maggie would tell me what a great game I was playing. (I’m not sure I actually believed it, though!) All our buzzers were checked each break. At one point we were taken up to Alex’s lectern for our contestant pictures (which we still haven’t received yet). On my way up, I tripped and nearly fell in Alex’s direction. I thought of making some lame joke about not tearing my Achilles tendon, but instead I just smiled and picked myself up. (I do remember his look of concern, though.) Maggie and Glenn carefully took me by the hands and made sure I did not trip on my way back to the podiums. They made me laugh. Jeopardy has a truly awesome contestant team.

On Final Jeopardy, I knew I could be in trouble when the category came up. What the hell did I know about business? I was tempted to bet small, but no, I was told in no uncertain terms by multiple people that a first-place contestant MUST bet enough to cover an all-in bet by second place. And Amit was right on my tail, so I had to bet big. When the question about who invented “Crystal-A Caramels” came up, I freaked out a little bit, but then I focused on the word “caramel” and came up with “Werther.” (I simply didn’t know that Werther was a German town and not an American businessman.) However, “Hershey” (the correct answer) also came to me quite strongly, and I was waffling between the two. However, I had already written “Werther,” and I wasn’t sure I had time to change my answer, so inertia won out. Under such circumstances, 30 seconds is both an eternity and no time at all.

After the game, Justin congratulated Amit and me for being tough competitors, and that meant a lot to me. Amit was also a very gracious winner. I am a big fan of both these guys. I will be rooting hard for Justin in the TOC.

Ever wondered about what Alex talks about with the contestants at the very end of the show? In our case he talked about my “favorite” subject at that moment: chocolate. About how creamy, soft chocolate was so much better than harder chocolate. We must have talked about other things, but all I can remember was thinking over and over again, “Oh sh#@, I just lost.” Ha! Such is life.

My main regret (other than FJ) was not having bet bigger on the Daily Doubles. In preparing for the show I spent weeks, if not months, telling myself that if I got a Daily Double in the first round I would go all in and make it a true DD. I should have realized that the setup for this was perfect – I should have realized presidential addresses was definitely an easy category – but when the time came I chickened out. Heck, I don’t know if I was fully aware of my score at the time I made my bet. Same thing with the DD in Double Jeopardy, but with a riskier category. This of all places is where my nerves came into play. Betting bigger would probably not have allowed me to win, but it might have allowed me to salvage second place.

I’ve long dreamed about becoming a Jeopardy champion, even a one-time champ, but that was not to be. All in all, though, I think I played well, had a great time, and ended being able to hold my head up high. And that works for me.

[Volante]

I defy anyone on the board to name one other thing Harrison was (famously) known for during his presidency (note "dying", "being the first to die in office", "serving for 30 days", "shortest presidency" and the like are all tangentially related to the above).

Longest inaugural address! (Well, also tangentially related I guess...)

[Suze]

I’ve long dreamed about becoming a Jeopardy champion, even a one-time champ, but that was not to be. All in all, though, I think I played well, had a great time, and ended being able to hold my head up high. And that works for me.

Thanks for sharing your story, Jessica. I'll probably do the same eventually, but not half so eloquently.

[SkoolRN]

Don't know if anyone is still reading this thread, but I've posted my full account of my J! appearance on the WWTBAM Bored, here:

http://wwtbambored.com/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=36339

(The thread may take a little while to load; the Bored has been having problems lately.)

Here's an excerpt (still quite long, sorry):

I had been hoping for some real “wheelhouse” categories, such as classical music (my specialty), but no such luck. Instead I got a big ol’ honkin’ sports category. So I was a bit concerned to begin with that I might not be able to get an edge. However, using my “Jedi” buzzer technique (timing by sound and instinct and not looking at the lights), I managed to get in on far more questions than I expected. Because of adrenaline (I think), instead of going blank on everything I knew, as I had feared I might, I remembered things I hadn’t thought of in years. I have no idea where I got the Bear Bryant = Alabama connection from, except that I grew up in the ’70s and ’80s and must have absorbed something from when Bryant was really big. Alex’s accents on the JFK and Reagan questions had no impact at all on my answers; I simply got them on content. (I think Alex actually re-recorded his JFK accent to make it better.)

For the most part I followed the rule of “Stay CLAM.” If I didn’t know something, I didn’t answer. But sometimes, as on that Bryant question, I would have an inkling without being totally sure, but I’d press the button. Then, lo and behold, my lights would come on, and I’d think, “Well, I guess I have to answer now!” And when I did this, it worked out. The only question I got dinged on was that damn “tariff/s” question; some people have told me that wasn’t quite fair, but I know that’s how Jeopardy works, and I have no problem with that.

During the breaks, a glass of water would magically appear at my left hand, and Maggie would tell me what a great game I was playing. (I’m not sure I actually believed it, though!) All our buzzers were checked each break. At one point we were taken up to Alex’s lectern for our contestant pictures (which we still haven’t received yet). On my way up, I tripped and nearly fell in Alex’s direction. I thought of making some lame joke about not tearing my Achilles tendon, but instead I just smiled and picked myself up. (I do remember his look of concern, though.) Maggie and Glenn carefully took me by the hands and made sure I did not trip on my way back to the podiums. They made me laugh. Jeopardy has a truly awesome contestant team.

On Final Jeopardy, I knew I could be in trouble when the category came up. What the hell did I know about business? I was tempted to bet small, but no, I was told in no uncertain terms by multiple people that a first-place contestant MUST bet enough to cover an all-in bet by second place. And Amit was right on my tail, so I had to bet big. When the question about who invented “Crystal-A Caramels” came up, I freaked out a little bit, but then I focused on the word “caramel” and came up with “Werther.” (I simply didn’t know that Werther was a German town and not an American businessman.) However, “Hershey” (the correct answer) also came to me quite strongly, and I was waffling between the two. However, I had already written “Werther,” and I wasn’t sure I had time to change my answer, so inertia won out. Under such circumstances, 30 seconds is both an eternity and no time at all.

After the game, Justin congratulated Amit and me for being tough competitors, and that meant a lot to me. Amit was also a very gracious winner. I am a big fan of both these guys. I will be rooting hard for Justin in the TOC.

Ever wondered about what Alex talks about with the contestants at the very end of the show? In our case he talked about my “favorite” subject at that moment: chocolate. About how creamy, soft chocolate was so much better than harder chocolate. We must have talked about other things, but all I can remember was thinking over and over again, “Oh sh#@, I just lost.” Ha! Such is life.

My main regret (other than FJ) was not having bet bigger on the Daily Doubles. In preparing for the show I spent weeks, if not months, telling myself that if I got a Daily Double in the first round I would go all in and make it a true DD. I should have realized that the setup for this was perfect – I should have realized presidential addresses was definitely an easy category – but when the time came I chickened out. Heck, I don’t know if I was fully aware of my score at the time I made my bet. Same thing with the DD in Double Jeopardy, but with a riskier category. This of all places is where my nerves came into play. Betting bigger would probably not have allowed me to win, but it might have allowed me to salvage second place.

I’ve long dreamed about becoming a Jeopardy champion, even a one-time champ, but that was not to be. All in all, though, I think I played well, had a great time, and ended being able to hold my head up high. And that works for me.

Thanks for sharing your story. It resonates with all of us. As far as your picture with Alex goes, they don't actually spring for postage. If they don't email it to you within a reasonable amount of time, contact the coordinators and ask for it.

[earendel]

Hey, Jess - given how the Bored has been acting lately I'll post here (and probably there as well).

I was really rooting for you (although it was Saturday before I watched the episode) and thought you were going to pull off the victory. FWIW outscoring a 6X champion is no mean feat, and for you and Amit both to do it says a lot about your skills. You do indeed have 'mad buzzer-foo skillz". It's a shame that FJ! did you in - I went through all of the caramel manufacturers (Kraft, Brach, and Cadbury) but finally realized the key to the clue was "product under his own name" which led me to Hershey. Having been to Hershey helped also.

[joepozz]

Isn't it just a little unfair that Alex did his JFK and Reagan impersonations when reading the inaugural quote clues?

And not very well, either.

[Serge]

I thought it was a great game! Jessica, you were so impressive. Great job! Having taped the next taping day, I had known Amit won (and he's also a really nice and funny guy), but it was a great competition to the end. Congrats on a great show!

[heelsrule1988]

I thought one of our own would become yet another female giant killer, but it wasn't to be. Still... congratulations on getting to the big show, Jessica!

[Ryan]

On my way up, I tripped and nearly fell in Alex’s direction. I thought of making some lame joke about not tearing my Achilles tendon, but instead I just smiled and picked myself up. (I do remember his look of concern, though.) Maggie and Glenn carefully took me by the hands and made sure I did not trip on my way back to the podiums. They made me laugh. Jeopardy has a truly awesome contestant team.

I could not take a step on or off the stage without someone grabbing my hand and telling me to watch my step. Now I get their concern!

Thanks for the recap and nice game!

Ryan

[jbillygirl]

A belated thanks to everyone who offered their encouragement and congratulations in this thread. It has really meant a lot to me as I continue to process the whole experience. It did not turn out like I hoped, but at least I can say I played well up until the end, and that's worth a lot. It's nice to know so many great people have my back. Best of luck to one and all who still have yet to make it on the show (and may your reign be long and prosperous).

[khiddy]

I really enjoyed your recap, it was very well written and inspiring to those of us still waiting to get out of the pool and behind the podium!

[SkoolRN]

On my way up, I tripped and nearly fell in Alex’s direction. I thought of making some lame joke about not tearing my Achilles tendon, but instead I just smiled and picked myself up. (I do remember his look of concern, though.) Maggie and Glenn carefully took me by the hands and made sure I did not trip on my way back to the podiums. They made me laugh. Jeopardy has a truly awesome contestant team.

I could not take a step on or off the stage without someone grabbing my hand and telling me to watch my step. Now I get their concern!

Thanks for the recap and nice game!

Ryan

We had a contestant trip and fall at our taping. Those piano key st eps are awful.