Monday, January 2, 2012 Game Recap & Discussion [SPOILERS]

[dmleach]

Thank you all for the kind words! I have to say, tonight's Final Jeopardy was brought to you by the good folks at sporcle.com. On the flight to L.A. I sprung for in-flight wi-fi and my best friend Mischelle and I played quizzes on her iPad. Cabaret came up in at least three of them, and if I'd not come across it so often and so recently prior to this game, I doubt I've have come up with the correct response. It was my Slumdog Millionaire moment

My big story from this game: I purposefully let Art take the lead from me heading into Final Jeopardy. As I mentioned in the thread for the previous game, I had no confidence going into FJ. I'd only gotten one of the five right from the Tuesday taping, and had missed both the ones I'd played so far. I knew from practicing at home that, if the scores were close, I could miss the Final Jeopardy answer and, with a smart bet, win from second so long as Art missed too. So once I grabbed the lead on the first two clues in Fashion, I didn't even try to ring in on capris or stirrups even though I knew them. In retrospect it was a terribly stupid and shortsighted maneuver, but at the time seemed like brilliant strategy (I remember being proud of it at the time). This game was me dodging a bullet that I fired myself.

Anyone wanna tell me what blatantly obvious hint I missed out on om Recent Books for $200?

Keith Olbermann and Chris Berman are two of the best known alumni of ESPN. If you didn't know that and didn't know the book outright, I don't see any other hints in the clue.

...I'll spare all planned remarks about not hearing from him in the Super Bowl category.

Tell me about it. I'm not that great in football, or sports in general (*shakes fist at Derek Jeter*). That said I did have the correct responses for both the L.A. Raiders and the Buffalo Bills, but I just could not get in faster than Art. He really found his rhythm in that column.

Dave, those DDs were rough for you today; thought you were going to drop all three for a few seconds there. At least you pulled the last one out.

Boy howdy. For some reason I had myself convinced that antebellum meant before the Civil War, and I couldn't stop my brain from fixating on it, even though I was debating which was correct. There are half a dozen ways I should have gotten it correct: antes means before in Spanish; your anterior is your front and your posterior your back; the anteroom is what you pass through before entering a throne room. After I came home I was telling people that this was my most embarrassing miss, and I'll stand by that.

As for inhibit, though, I wasn't even in the neighborhood. Wordplay categories are my strong suit; hence the large wager. In retrospect I might have done better if I'd run through some possible endings for the word ("-abit", "-ebit", "-ibit"), but even that's wishful thinking.

Borglum really is about my proudest pull from my games. I knew he was the Mount Rushmore sculptor, but even more than that I knew that he also did the carving on Stone Mountain, just a few miles from my home. That's what I was thinking and pulled the name at the last second.

[dhkendall]

Incredibly rough game for me today. After being on fire on yesterday's repeat (from June 28, 2011) I completely spazzed on a lot of these, my palm was like an application of HEAD-ON it was APPLIED DIRECTLY TO THE FOREHEAD so much ...

Anyone else think that the $2000 in "Alphabetically Last" ("... of the countries of the world") was way overvalued?

Thank you all for the kind words! I have to say, tonight's Final Jeopardy was brought to you by the good folks at sporcle.com. On the flight to L.A. I sprung for in-flight wi-fi and my best friend Mischelle and I played quizzes on her iPad. Cabaret came up in at least three of them, and if I'd not come across it so often and so recently prior to this game, I doubt I've have come up with the correct response. It was my Slumdog Millionaire moment

I second the awesome help Sporcle can be - I know before this month's test I'll be Sporcling my ass off for a while ...

For some reason I had myself convinced that antebellum meant before the Civil War, and I couldn't stop my brain from fixating on it, even though I was debating which was correct.

Ummm, maybe I'm missing something, but antebellum *does* mean "before the [Civil] War" ...

Borglum really is about my proudest pull from my games. I knew he was the Mount Rushmore sculptor, but even more than that I knew that he also did the carving on Stone Mountain, just a few miles from my home. That's what I was thinking and pulled the name at the last second.

If Borglum = Mount Rushmore carver isn't on the "Art and Artists Pavlov", it must be. A great player, however, can take more than one approach to the correct answer.

[OrangeSAM]

Cabaret popped up for me after a couple of seconds and I spent about a minute of doubt and terror wondering if it was correct.

Was anyone else expecting an "Arthur's Camel Lot" category in DJ?

[MarkBarrett]

Speaking of one TOCer beating another, did anyone besides me notice that Ryan Chaffee (who was beaten by Stephen Weingarten) was on tonight's Who's Still Standing? I just thought I'd mention.

i noticed that ryan was not the only familiar player there. someone else on the show was a much bigger winner. not size wise, but money wise.

the player selections of the heroes almost seem predictable in their order is the nicest way i can put it.

[mrbungle]

Speaking of one TOCer beating another, did anyone besides me notice that Ryan Chaffee (who was beaten by Stephen Weingarten) was on tonight's Who's Still Standing? I just thought I'd mention.

i noticed.

[vellore]

I feel like such a name-dropper, but I sat with Art during the taping of the next show (tonight's). Didn't talk about football team loyalties, but I got the sense from his show that he was pro rather than anti-Steelers. Art did mention his passion for hockey--he's a Habs fan--and love for the Hockey Hall of Fame, with its replica of the Canadiens' locker room. We admired Trebek's Leafs jersey, which is mounted in the studio lobby, jersey number "?"

Challenge to boardies: What quotation is painted on the wall of the Canadiens' dressing room?? Who wrote it??

Dave, you're a "giant slayer" of sorts, and if you do win enough to qualify for the ToC, I would relish a rematch between you and Jason.

They really ought to throw Jennifer Green into that game, seeing as she knew FJ and neither of the champs did (OK, OK, pesky matter of the missing R).

[Volante]

And leave it to the writers to find an Oscar themed clue to a movie that I couldn't find a way to include in my TD.

Much nicer game than last Friday's at least.

[Bamaman]

No chance on FJ. Wrote down Coming Home at the last second just to have something.

Risky strategy "throwing" the end of DJ (wondered why you didn't take a stab at frog trailing by less than $2,000) to play from second. Smart wager, however, and it worked out for you.

[Paucle]

With the stipulation that the intended response didn't win Best Picture, I'm surprised at the "...Cuckoo's Nest" guesses. I figured its fame as an "Oscar Sweeper" (one of only three) would be well-known enough.

Not sure why it struck me so fast, but I thought of Cabaret quickly enough. However, I'm glad Network didn't occur to me. I'd buy that as a "place," and knew it had won plenty of Oscars, whereas was only sure of a couple for Cabaret.

[sherder]

Challenge to boardies: What quotation is painted on the wall of the Canadiens' dressing room?? Who wrote it??

Spoiler

I believe it's lines from "In Flanders Fields" by John McCrae, but I can't quite pull the exact quote.

[vellore]

Sorry..should have included the answer (Habs dressing room quotation)

Spoiler

"To you from failing hands we throw the torch/Be yours to hold it high" John McCrae, "In Flanders' Fields"

[iowabelle]

Despite the fact that they ran a commercial for Monday's game, they didn't run it in Des Moines.

I'm surprised more of you didn't instantly think Cabaret. For some reason, I was thinking the clue said something about the early 70s (I'm probably making this up) and Cabaret instantly sprang to mind. And I'm not very good at Oscars or awards in movies--one of my weak spots I'm afraid.

[dmleach]

Anyone else think that the $2000 in "Alphabetically Last" ("... of the countries of the world") was way overvalued?

Right here. Supreme Court justices and decathlon events were much tougher.

Ummm, maybe I'm missing something, but antebellum *does* mean "before the [Civil] War" ...

Nope, you're not missing a thing, other than I was posting at two in the morning *headdesk*

With the stipulation that the intended response didn't win Best Picture, I'm surprised at the "...Cuckoo's Nest" guesses. I figured its fame as an "Oscar Sweeper" (one of only three) would be well-known enough.

Yep. "Cuckoo's Nest" was one of my pre-calls before the question was revealed, but I knew instantly that it was wrong because of the sweep. True story: part of the post-game chat was Trebek trying to tell me that "The Silence of the Lambs" didn't sweep the big awards in its year. I never thought I'd find myself in the position of arguing trivia with Alex Trebek and being the one thinking, "Oooh, sorry."

[Austin Powers]

Many years ago, in a magical place called Fight Club, I wrote a board with the following Final Jeopardy question:

"With eight Oscars, including ones for its direction and its music, this has film has the most Oscars of any film that did not win Best Picture."

Theirs is probably easier, though giving the decade is very helpful, I think, and key.

[bomtr]

Many years ago, in a magical place called Fight Club, I wrote a board with the following Final Jeopardy question:

"With eight Oscars, including ones for its direction and its music, this has film has the most Oscars of any film that did not win Best Picture."

Theirs is probably easier, though giving the decade is very helpful, I think, and key.

I don't know; the music part might be as helpful as the decade.

[Volante]

Many years ago, in a magical place called Fight Club, I wrote a board with the following Final Jeopardy question:

"With eight Oscars, including ones for its direction and its music, this has film has the most Oscars of any film that did not win Best Picture."

Theirs is probably easier, though giving the decade is very helpful, I think, and key.

I don't know; the music part might be as helpful as the decade.

Defiantly would have helped me out. I don't know much about Cabaret, but I know it starts with Willkommen!

Perhaps a "Won Best Picture/Director but NOT the other" would have been a good clue...there's only 21 of those and 13 of those are prior to 1965. If I gave a bonus to "name both"...gravy.

[messyjesse]

I actually added that little factoid to Cabaret's trivia page on IMDb several years back. (I also added the piece of trivia about the last PG-rated movie to win Best Picture on that particular movie's trivia page; anyone know what it is?)

I don't remember much from the game (too busy jumping between it and the Rose Bowl), but congrats to Dave.

Anyone wanna tell me what blatantly obvious hint I missed out on om Recent Books for $200?

Was that the clue that namedropped Olbermann and Berman? I can't recall, but I think it was. If that was the case, then you'd just basically have to know that both guys are well-known for their long stints at ESPN. Berman is still there--you'd probably recognize his distinctive voice.

I also agree that a few of the bottom-row clues were way too easy. Rodin, Zimbabwe, Emmitt Smith, and maybe one or two others.

[bpmod]

I don't remember much from the game (too busy jumping between it and the Rose Bowl)

Blasphemy!

Brian

[messyjesse]

I don't remember much from the game (too busy jumping between it and the Rose Bowl)

Blasphemy!

Brian

I was torn, believe me. I love Jeopardy! but my team was playing.

[bpmod]

I was torn, believe me. I love Jeopardy! but my team was playing.

Yeah, but that's why DVR's were invented.

Watch the game 'live', and then turn your (undivided) attention to Jeopardy!

Brian