smallest hometown of a contestant

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Cat Hammarskjold
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smallest hometown of a contestant

Post by Cat Hammarskjold »

I was wondering if anyone keeps track of something like this. I'm asking because tomorrow, there's a contestant from Greenwich, OH, whose population has 1,476 people according to the 2010 census. I take it that there are much smaller places than that which have been represented.
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Re: smallest hometown of a contestant

Post by badgerfellow »

Cat Hammarskjold wrote: Tue Apr 18, 2017 10:04 pm I was wondering if anyone keeps track of something like this. I'm asking because tomorrow, there's a contestant from Greenwich, OH, whose population has 1,476 people according to the 2010 census. I take it that there are much smaller places than that which have been represented.
Well, to complicate things, TPTB recently changed the policy to allow contestants to say where they are originally from; you must use your current hometown.

That said, when looking at contestants on J-Archive from my original area code, I found the following player:

http://www.j-archive.com/showplayer.php ... =wisconsin
Vicki Aken, a writer from Couderay, Wisconsin (Season 18). Population: 88
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Re: smallest hometown of a contestant

Post by Category 13 »

This may be a bit off topic, but I missed the April 17 player introductions and was curious what Vermont town Kevin was from.
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Re: smallest hometown of a contestant

Post by MarkBarrett »

Category 13 wrote: Tue Apr 18, 2017 11:26 pm This may be a bit off topic, but I missed the April 17 player introductions and was curious what Vermont town Kevin was from.
https://www.jeopardy.com/about/this-week-on-jeopardy

https://thejeopardyfan.com/2017/04/week ... -2017.html

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Re: smallest hometown of a contestant

Post by jeff6286 »

badgerfellow wrote: Tue Apr 18, 2017 10:34 pmWell, to complicate things, TPTB recently changed the policy to allow contestants to say where they are originally from; you must use your current hometown.
What are you saying here?
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Re: smallest hometown of a contestant

Post by AndyTheQuizzer »

jeff6286 wrote: Wed Apr 19, 2017 12:55 am
badgerfellow wrote: Tue Apr 18, 2017 10:34 pmWell, to complicate things, TPTB recently changed the policy to allow contestants to say where they are originally from; you must use your current hometown.
What are you saying here?
I think he's missing a "no longer". But I'll let badgerfellow confirm.
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Re: smallest hometown of a contestant

Post by Blue Lion »

badgerfellow wrote: Tue Apr 18, 2017 10:34 pmVicki Aken, a writer from Couderay, Wisconsin (Season 18). Population: 88
But how many taverns did that town have? (Michigander here; I've heard tavern stories from Wisconsin folks).
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Re: smallest hometown of a contestant

Post by badgerfellow »

OntarioQuizzer wrote: Wed Apr 19, 2017 3:31 am
jeff6286 wrote: Wed Apr 19, 2017 12:55 am
badgerfellow wrote: Tue Apr 18, 2017 10:34 pmWell, to complicate things, TPTB recently changed the policy to allow contestants to say where they are originally from; you must use your current hometown.
What are you saying here?
I think he's missing a "no longer". But I'll let badgerfellow confirm.
Apologies for not being clearer. You are no longer allowed to say where you are originally from, just where you currently reside.
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Re: smallest hometown of a contestant

Post by badgerfellow »

Blue Lion wrote: Wed Apr 19, 2017 3:37 am
badgerfellow wrote: Tue Apr 18, 2017 10:34 pmVicki Aken, a writer from Couderay, Wisconsin (Season 18). Population: 88
But how many taverns did that town have? (Michigander here; I've heard tavern stories from Wisconsin folks).
I am going to guess probably not too many in the town limits itself, but as the area has a lot of lakes and tourism, probably quite a few not far away. There was also this claim to fame that I believe is still around:
https://www.google.com/amp/www.nola.com ... eout_s.amp
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Re: smallest hometown of a contestant

Post by Robert K S »

badgerfellow wrote: Wed Apr 19, 2017 5:15 am Apologies for not being clearer. You are no longer allowed to say where you are originally from, just where you currently reside.
Did they say why? That's a silly rule. What if you're just somewhere for a job temporarily, and it's not nearly as interesting or meaningful as your hometown? What if you are in college? Where is your residence then?

I can't recall if there were any "originally from"s in the Art Fleming era. I believe the tradition originated because a disproportionate number of the early Trebek-era contestants were L.A.-based and TPTB wanted to convey the impression to the viewership of greater geographical diversity among their contestants. Fortunately, a good number of people in Southern California are not "originally from" there.
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Re: smallest hometown of a contestant

Post by dhkendall »

Robert K S wrote: Wed Apr 19, 2017 9:51 am
badgerfellow wrote: Wed Apr 19, 2017 5:15 am Apologies for not being clearer. You are no longer allowed to say where you are originally from, just where you currently reside.
Did they say why? That's a silly rule. What if you're just somewhere for a job temporarily, and it's not nearly as interesting or meaningful as your hometown? What if you are in college? Where is your residence then?
I believe the college championship this year was after this change was instituted and they list where they are from. But that's just for college students in the college championship, I don't know if we've had any in regular games yet, when that happens we'll find out soon enough.
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Re: smallest hometown of a contestant

Post by AndyTheQuizzer »

Robert K S wrote: Wed Apr 19, 2017 9:51 am
badgerfellow wrote: Wed Apr 19, 2017 5:15 am Apologies for not being clearer. You are no longer allowed to say where you are originally from, just where you currently reside.
Did they say why? That's a silly rule. What if you're just somewhere for a job temporarily, and it's not nearly as interesting or meaningful as your hometown? What if you are in college? Where is your residence then?

I can't recall if there were any "originally from"s in the Art Fleming era. I believe the tradition originated because a disproportionate number of the early Trebek-era contestants were L.A.-based and TPTB wanted to convey the impression to the viewership of greater geographical diversity among their contestants. Fortunately, a good number of people in Southern California are not "originally from" there.
I wonder if the change was publicity-based, in that media in the places where contestants were living were annoyed that they didn't know when locals were going to be on (or there was someone "local" who was an "originally from" that hadn't lived there in many years.)
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Re: smallest hometown of a contestant

Post by rmfromfla »

Well, I just entered Mark McDermott's third game in the Archive, & one of the challengers, Mary Zeiss Stange, is from Ekalaka, Montana (Alex thought she was from Hawaii), population 332, at the last census in 2010. 8-)
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Re: smallest hometown of a contestant

Post by Magna »

Aren't there contestants from rural areas who don't reside in any city or town?
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Re: smallest hometown of a contestant

Post by AndyTheQuizzer »

Magna wrote: Wed Apr 19, 2017 1:19 pm Aren't there contestants from rural areas who don't reside in any city or town?
If this were the case, how would such a person receive mail from the US Postal Service?
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Re: smallest hometown of a contestant

Post by seaborgium »

rmfromfla wrote: Wed Apr 19, 2017 1:14 pm Well, I just entered Mark McDermott's third game in the Archive, & one of the challengers, Mary Zeiss Stange, is from Ekalaka, Montana (Alex thought she was from Hawaii), population 332, at the last census in 2010. 8-)
I want to know if that town has a lake, as "Ekalaka Lake" would be a palindrome.
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Re: smallest hometown of a contestant

Post by badgerfellow »

OntarioQuizzer wrote: Wed Apr 19, 2017 1:22 pm
Magna wrote: Wed Apr 19, 2017 1:19 pm Aren't there contestants from rural areas who don't reside in any city or town?
If this were the case, how would such a person receive mail from the US Postal Service?
Knowing the area that Vicki is from, it's very likely she was not actually residing in Couderay, but within its ZIP code. The mail would still be delivered to her from the Couderay P.O., but by a rural mail carrier.

Speaking of which, there was a rural mail carrier from Sharon, Wisconsin on the show about 5 years ago; Nathan Fuller. Population: 1605 (if I got the right Sharon).
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Re: smallest hometown of a contestant

Post by dhkendall »

seaborgium wrote: Wed Apr 19, 2017 1:24 pm
rmfromfla wrote: Wed Apr 19, 2017 1:14 pm Well, I just entered Mark McDermott's third game in the Archive, & one of the challengers, Mary Zeiss Stange, is from Ekalaka, Montana (Alex thought she was from Hawaii), population 332, at the last census in 2010. 8-)
I want to know if that town has a lake, as "Ekalaka Lake" would be a palindrome.
When I saw that comment I wasn't surprised to see you were the one that made it. :)

As luck would have it, there is, but it's unnamed on all the maps I checked (primarily topographic maps from the US government, figured that's my best chance to find a name). Tremendous opportunity wasted if the lake is indeed unnamed (or not named Ekalaka Lake)
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Re: smallest hometown of a contestant

Post by badgerfellow »

OntarioQuizzer wrote: Wed Apr 19, 2017 1:05 pm
Robert K S wrote: Wed Apr 19, 2017 9:51 am
badgerfellow wrote: Wed Apr 19, 2017 5:15 am Apologies for not being clearer. You are no longer allowed to say where you are originally from, just where you currently reside.
Did they say why? That's a silly rule. What if you're just somewhere for a job temporarily, and it's not nearly as interesting or meaningful as your hometown? What if you are in college? Where is your residence then?

I can't recall if there were any "originally from"s in the Art Fleming era. I believe the tradition originated because a disproportionate number of the early Trebek-era contestants were L.A.-based and TPTB wanted to convey the impression to the viewership of greater geographical diversity among their contestants. Fortunately, a good number of people in Southern California are not "originally from" there.
I wonder if the change was publicity-based, in that media in the places where contestants were living were annoyed that they didn't know when locals were going to be on (or there was someone "local" who was an "originally from" that hadn't lived there in many years.)
I will tell you that I got zero press from Louisville. Not sure if that was due to the station not reaching out, Jeopardy not telling the station, or me not going to the station to mention it. Any press I got was in Wisconsin. News does travel fast in a small town.
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Re: smallest hometown of a contestant

Post by Spaceman Spiff »

badgerfellow wrote: Wed Apr 19, 2017 5:15 am
OntarioQuizzer wrote: Wed Apr 19, 2017 3:31 am
jeff6286 wrote: Wed Apr 19, 2017 12:55 am
badgerfellow wrote: Tue Apr 18, 2017 10:34 pmWell, to complicate things, TPTB recently changed the policy to allow contestants to say where they are originally from; you must use your current hometown.
What are you saying here?
I think he's missing a "no longer". But I'll let badgerfellow confirm.
Apologies for not being clearer. You are no longer allowed to say where you are originally from, just where you currently reside.
I always thought that was a ploy by the J! folks to obscure how many Californians were on the show, and make them sound a little more geographically diverse.
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