Tuesday, July 8, 2014 Game Recap & Discussion [SPOILERS]

[Vermonter]

Has anyone heard from Golf? I'm a bit worried.

Here's tonight's Final Wager video, hot off the presses

[opusthepenguin]

OK so..J! writers, I have a suggestion. Find some lighter fluid, and pour it all over that Band Name category. Then set it on fire. Once the fire burns itself out (hopefully not before consuming your writers' notes for the rest of the season), flush the ashes down the toilet. For refreshment, stick your heads in the bowl while it swirls.

*nod* Maire's FJ wager was better than this category.

Oooooooh, snap!

[Johnblue]

Great game up until that FJ bet and, as many have noted, that awful band category. I thought Maire would bet wisely. At least she'll go back to a fantastic job!

[xxaaaxx]

Has anyone heard from Golf? I'm a bit worried.

Here's tonight's Final Wager video, hot off the presses

You took it quite well

[zakharov]

Normally I am opposed to being mean to contestants regarding wagering, but I gotta say Keith nailed it there.

[skullturf]

Ironic that it was a work based on a theory, not settled science. Not surprising though, knowing which direction the J! writers consistantly lean.

All scientific works are based on a theory. There is no such thing as settled science.

Yes, and furthermore, some topics in science have such a large amount of consensus among knowledgeable experts so as to be close to "settled", even though philosophically speaking we cannot know things about the physical world and its history with 100% certainty.

Besides, Jeopardy! using this clue isn't "endorsing" evolution, or thumbing their nose at creationists. Darwin and evolution are part of science and part of scientific terminology, whether or not you agree with every claim they make. Even if you think evolution is controversial, controversial science is still science.

[hscer]

Has anyone heard from Golf? I'm a bit worried.

Here's tonight's Final Wager video, hot off the presses

And as for the color coding in the blog recap, there is unfortunately no hex triplet smaller than #000000

[TheyCallMeMrKid]

What would upset you more?

A) Maire doing what she did today in FJ

B) Campbell betting $1 to prevent a tie by Maire and getting it wrong

Scenario A, ignorance.
Scenario B, selfishness?

Scenario B would upset me more because of my assumed motivations behind the actions.

[RKane]

That being said, I am afraid to say I did not get what must have been a very easy final. I was not aware that "Evolution" appeared in the title. I thought the full title was "On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection". In fact, Wikipedia says it is "On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, or the Preservation of Favoured Races in the Struggle for Life", so I was not quite there. HOWEVER, I guessed "selection" think that the etymology seemed off, but it made more sense than "means" or "natural".

So if anyone could clear up where "evolution" comes from in the title, I would appreciate it. The answer makes sense now, etymologically, but I still don't see where it appears in any title.

This FJ clue didn't contain the word "title".

I interpreted it as discussing the question of whether the term "evolution" appears somewhere in the body of the work.

Rereading the clue, I'm kicking myself. Thank goodness I wasn't on the show tonight. Wow.

What would upset you more?

A) Maire doing what she did today in FJ

B) Campbell betting $1 to prevent a tie by Maire and getting it wrong

C) Campbell betting $1 to prevent a tie by Maire and winning by that $1 against Maire's all-in bet.

If I can't have that, I'll take A. Scenario B would just make me laugh. I'd point at the screen and yell, "If only you'd been willing to share! HA ha!!! Time for somebody to repeat Kindergarten!" That is TONS better than my Scenario C where the douchebag doesn't get his comeuppance and the person who did the smart thing suffers. Scenario A was bad, but there was no douchebaggery or injustice or thwarted savvy. There was just one perfectly likeable contestant who made the obvious smart bet and one perfectly likeable contestant who didn't. It was painful but it didn't make me hate the universe.

Oh, and Thwarted Savvy is the name of my new band. When they go on tour, they'll be opened for by Douchebag Comeuppance.

Honestly, I disagree. C) doesn't bother me. The person in the lead after DJ winning is fair enough, the fact that it's a moronic wager notwithsstanding. And it's not like great contestants haven't made horrid wagers before.

A) certainly makes me the most angry, because not only is it a moronic wager, it's also a moronic wager that precludes any chance of winning. But I'll take a selfish "douchebag" over someone not trying to win anytime. And yeah, B) would be hilarious, indeed.

[MarkBarrett]

It was easy to root for Campbell since he handled Good Try! with confidence and ease. 4/5 for me. I knew Jimmy Johnson coached the Cowboys and was on Survivor, but did not know about his driving. Oh, Jimmie. The other one. Still going to stump me even with the alliteration hint. Props to Campbell.

J! has been on 30 years. Maire's wager is not the first time a player in second with exactly half of the leader did not bet it all. Any of you who felt confident that $11,000 was the guaranteed wager have not been watching long enough. Alex has even tipped off the situation even more without it making a difference.

Not everyone shows up on taping day prepared to bet it all in the FJ! round. Too bad for Maire. $20,000 is a lot to throw away needlessly.

In the thread for The Chase I made a comment about not being a science guy while posting that at least I knew something the contestant did not. The trivia gods were quick to get me throwing Science Words out tonight on the real game show.

I considered natural, selection, mutation, fittest, and survival. I wrote mutation for the best-looking of those five. Whether evolve or evolution I was not getting it in 30 seconds. 49/60, all 3 DDs. Of course I could not close the deal.

It's near the end of the season and the writers are showing readiness for the break with the band names and the state capitals. Those are lazy, no effort categories to write. I'm happy with 9/10, but only one of those categories per week at most, please.

As much as my scorecard likes the reality TV that category was not much better either. At least it was not a couple of shows and name the network. Tonight's clues did fit the DJ! round and were not filled with gimmes.

[Golf]

Has anyone heard from Golf? I'm a bit worried.

Here's tonight's Final Wager video, hot off the presses

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sadly I was not surprised, actually expected something other than wagering everything from this dainty little female. Sometimes you can just tell a player has no clue how to compete. But I'm sure if asked she'll say she was just happy to be there, an experience she will always remember, she's thrilled with $2k.

Keith, if something this bad ever happens again, can I do a guest appearance? It would be..... memorable. It doesn't have to be G-rated or politically correct does it? Regardless, I laughed a ton at your comments. Was hoping you were going to slam the whole bottle in the two minutes.

As far as the rest of the game, the band name category was downright stupid. Thought the state capitals were gimmes, not true trivia but we've seen many similar categories before.

[opusthepenguin]

It's like the writers don't understand the art of the mash-up. The object is to take two things that have no similarity whatsoever and put them together in a pleasing way. The more disparate the parts and the more pleasing the combination, the more effective the mash-up. Otherwise, you're just throwing together a surrealist juxtaposition, like a bathtub full of power tools.

Ooooh. Maybe Surrealist Juxtaposition should be my new band name. And the opening act can be Bathtub Full of Power Tools.

So many possibilities....

[This Is Kirk!]

Maybe she thought there was a rule "a tie goes to the military man." Otherwise I don't get it!

My wife said that Alex should have said, after revealing Maire's wager, "none of you has a science background, and clearly one of you does not have a math background, either."

Insult to injury that it was such an easy FJ, too.

[Vanya]

Mash-ups are the stupidest thing to come down the pop culture pike since pet rocks.

[Vermonter]

Keith, if something this bad ever happens again, can I do a guest appearance? It would be..... memorable.

Yes – where do you live?

It doesn't have to be G-rated or politically correct does it?

I am not averse to making two versions

Regardless, I laughed a ton at your comments. Was hoping you were going to slam the whole bottle in the two minutes.

Thanks! But my brother would kill me for slugging his birthday present.

[Golf]

Is it possible that the extra $1k for 2nd place was a huge, huge thing for her? I skipped the interview segment so know nothing, but there's a >0% chance that the money would change something important.

I don't know, just actually trying to be halfway nice and hoping there were other forces at work.

[Dudd]

Embrace the hate, tonight calls for it.

[StevenH]

Am I really the only person who actually didn't mind the band names category? I'll take that over stupid answers, anagrams, or categories like tonight's state capitals one any day.

[zakharov]

Stupid Answers is fun once in awhile. Band Names was just nonsensical.

[Volante]

Am I really the only person who actually didn't mind the band names category? I'll take that over stupid answers, anagrams, or categories like tonight's state capitals one any day.

It just didn't seem inspired; needed more $5 words. Zodiac Haberdashers. Nitrous Vertigo. Rebel Clef.
At least when they break out the college word list you don't feel as bad missing half the clue

Final took me a bit, but basically you spot "Origin of Species" and go out of your way to exclude 'evolve,' that's like asking you not to think of an elephant.

Me, looking at JBoard before the game: "Four pages...either there was a disgustingly controversial clue or someone screwed up their FJ! wager...*sigh*"