FJs for the 10/26/15 week

[patkav]

It feels like a familiar pattern this season: I cruise through the week and trip up on Friday's FJ. I knew CMU wasn't correct, but it was all I could come up with. D'oh!

[Plactus]

Thriller (i'm pretty sure there was another recent clue about Born that I guessed Thriller for, but can't find it in the archive), Hamilton (thought of him, his name's in the range, okay, great, done... [too late] oh, yeah, that guy), repression, no answer (Djibouti wasn't coming to mind, all other countries that were didn't have a silent initial letter).

Torn between Carnegie Mellon, Vandy, and Stanford; dropped CM because of two names, then went with Vandy because I thought of it first. No box of shame for me this week!

Said spades, but realized it was hearts before the contestant spoke. Still counted it wrong.

[ouachiouat]

I play FJ & the 3 extra clues from the archives or from the posts on here, since I can't see any episodes. I knew Gertrude right away for the 1920s clue, just couldn't place her last name for the life of me, especially once I got Stein stuck in my head. Would've counted it wrong after 8 seconds anyway, but I kept trying to think of it for about 3 or 4 minutes. So frustrating...

[Budphrey]

Regression rather than denial, though props to the Dear Wife for nailing it. As for Vanderbilt ... the brain was trying to reach it, but I guess I still can't wrap my head around a thoroughly New York industrialist endowing a university in Tennessee.

Also, this.

Did not know Pretoria was named for a person, went with Blomfontein, which sounded more Boer-like.

Didn't come up with Ederle before the contestant did.
I blurted "spades" even though the queen of spades, and its role in the game of hearts, popped right up into my head. And I have played plenty of games of hearts.

[hbomb1947]

I'm fascinated that at least as of the time I'm writing this, Thriller is outpolling Born in the USA among responses to Monday's FJ, having garnered a whopping 42% of reported responses. I'm genuinely curious as to why this has occurred. What is it about the wording of the clue that led so many boardies, who are much better than the average contestant at this sort of thing, to give the same response of that Michael Jackson album (as opposed to more of a smorgasbord of responses)? I can understand people mixing up the dates of albums that came out over three decades ago (and only a couple of years apart), but as even acknowledged by some Thriller respondents in the game thread, the one released by the King of Pop doesn't seem to fit the clue very well (e.g., what would have been "appropriate" about Thriller being first?). Is it just that Thriller was an album that came out in the early '80s that sold a bazillion copies?

[StevenH]

I can't speak for everyone who guessed Thriller, but I was almost positive that it was wrong. I figured that the TOM was not referring to the fact that the album sold a lot of copies, and I knew the year was off, but I had no other guess.

[seaborgium]

I think I was lucky enough to have already known that Born in the USA was the first major commercial CD here. It was my kneejerk reaction, and the blockbuster status, release year, and "appropriately" TOM helped confirm it.

[mikeyb]

I can't speak for everyone who guessed Thriller, but I was almost positive that it was wrong. I figured that the TOM was not referring to the fact that the album sold a lot of copies, and I knew the year was off, but I had no other guess.

I wasn't thrilled with it as an answer, either, by my mind was stuck in the pop arena and didn't come out of it in time. The albums I most associate with 1984 are Private Dancer and Purple Rain, and those seemed even more off than Thriller.

[Johnblue]

2nd straight 5/5 week!

[ElendilPickle]

[Plactus]

Is it just that Thriller was an album that came out in the early '80s that sold a bazillion copies?

For me, that and general ignorance of pop music; Thriller's on my radar and Born in the USA isn't. (On the other hand, I'm certain I would recognize "Born in the USA" (the song) but not at all sure about "Thriller.") I didn't like Thriller for the "appropriately" part, but better to go with my best guess and probably be wrong than no guess and definitely be wrong, yeah?

[BigDaddyMatty]

WAGged "memory suppression" on Wednesday. Thought it was a pretty lame clue with no real TOM to grab hold of.

[Vanya]

What's all this about a first guess? Did Jeopardy change the rules?

[MarkBarrett]

What's all this about a first guess? Did Jeopardy change the rules?

With my wording for the Hearts option I was trying to get the box checked only if the voter said Hearts before hearing the contestant incorrectly guess Spades. Some people when they watch at home are more generous with their personal scoring systems.

The fair way to check the Yay Hearts option was Alex read the clue and the person said Hearts. Coming up with Hearts on a rebound proved nothing in a 4-suit option with one already eliminated. For a J! contestant of course that can be the benefit to be the 2nd person in. For home scoring I don't play that way, but some do.

[davey]

Yikes, what a week. Realized Hamilton wasn't a signer but got stuck on him, repression on Wed, not seeing the map of Africa (that's my general geography weakness), was too sure my first guess Stanford was right even though I doubted he was richest, cause it's a J! favorite. Vanderbilt would never have come...
Pop music is not my category either so I dodged that one, but it seemed fairly obvious.
Another Bloemfontein, and I didn't guess on the cards.

[Woof]

Was I the only person to miss with Rockefeller University? And I figured that Pretoria was named for the Praetorian guard, so went with Durban.

[goatman]

Finally 5/5. "Denial" came after wondering; "Suppression"? Then think: Five stages of grief/loss: Denial, Anger, bargaining, depression, acceptance; = Psych 101. Fun!

[Caboom]

Was I the only person to miss with Rockefeller University?

Nope.

[gnash]

"Regression" rhymes with "impression" and Bloemfontein sounds like it would be a Dutch last name. No clue on the CD, and somehow I thought BITUSA was a year or two older. And yes, busted on Spades. No problem getting Hancock and Vanderbilt.

[Woof]

I thought BITUSA was a year or two older.

The recent LL 80s music ML definitely helped out in that regard. I had no problem with the card game as the Black Lady variant of Hearts is a staple chez nous.