Friday, July 22, 2011 Game Recap & Discussion [SPOILERS]

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Friday, July 22, 2011 Game Recap & Discussion [SPOILERS]

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Re: Friday, July 20, 2011 Game Recap & Discussion (SPOILERS)

Post by alietr »

Zergcam!

Well-played, close match. Jeopardy fate is just too fickle, and Brian goes down after one victory. Again, the boards seemed pretty easy. I was sure I had Peary right, and when they revealed Brian's response of Byrd, I went "uh oh ...". Another nice pay day for the champ. And if you read this, Zach, PLEASE don't even bother!
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Re: Friday, July 20, 2011 Game Recap & Discussion (SPOILERS)

Post by Bamaman »

My local station showed Wednesday's episode again for some reason. Could somebody please post FJ for me, with the proper response in a spoiler box?
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Re: Friday, July 20, 2011 Game Recap & Discussion (SPOILERS)

Post by jepkid97 »

I thought that after yesterday, Brian would dominate again. Oh well. I had an average game myself, but missed FJ. I knew that it was the North Pole but, not being able to come up with the North Pole guy's name, I just said Scott, knowing I was wrong. Also, was it just me, or was the ZergCam unnecessary tonight?
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Re: Friday, July 20, 2011 Game Recap & Discussion (SPOILERS)

Post by jeff6286 »

Famous Americans
IN 1909 HE SENT THE MESSAGE "STARS AND STRIPES NAILED TO THE POLE"
Spoiler
Who is Robert Peary? Brian said Admiral Richard Byrd and Tim said Teddy Roosevelt.
Tim Wagner: $16,200-$16,000=$200
Linda Percy: $15,800+$15,800=$31,600
Brian McEntee: $13,600-$0=$13,600
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Re: Friday, July 20, 2011 Game Recap & Discussion (SPOILERS)

Post by thejeopardyfan »

Is "Aswan Dam" the same as "Aswan High Dam"?
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Re: Friday, July 20, 2011 Game Recap & Discussion (SPOILERS)

Post by jeff6286 »

That was definitely a bit of a surprise outcome given how impressed we all were with Brian yesterday. It was yet another very well-played game this week between 3 very strong players. If there was some way to quantify the overall strength of all 11 players that appeared in a given week, this week's group would definitely have to be near the top. Congratulations to LInda on a well-earned victory and to Tim and Brian for quite a battle throughout the game.

The very first clue of tonight's game was yet another example of a growing trend that has been driving me crazy lately, the fact that the show keeps having "gimmick" categories, in which the clue itself isn't enough to lead to the correct response, without the benefit of knowing what the category is looking for. In these cases, they really need to start explaining before the first clue is given what the clues will be looking for, in this case they wanted the film in question, rather than the actor who played the given role. Fortunately for Brian, they did credit him later, which I was hoping and assuming that they would, but there is no reason for them not to have told all 3 players before the first clue that they were looking for the name of the movie. Also, the tone of Alex's voice when he gave The Fighter as the correct response made it quite clear, at least from my seat, that he had absolutely no idea that Mark Wahlberg was indeed the star of the movie and played the given role.
jepkid97 wrote: Also, was it just me, or was the ZergCam unnecessary tonight?
I, for one, enjoyed it, as I believe it is the first time that I have ever seen a ZergCam "live", at least since I knew what it was. I liked seeing Linda's shock and excitement when she realized that she was walking away with more than $30K. Why wouldn't we want to see that?

I ran into an interesting conundrum when posting the FJ clue in the previous post. I don't generally follow Jeopardy!'s standard of writing the clue in all capital letters, simply because I don't like the way it looks. When transcribing tonight's clue, it occurred to me that I didn't know if I should or should not capitalize the beginning of the word "Pole", so I went ahead and re-wrote the whole clue in all-caps. I assume that most players would know that the clue was referring to either the North Pole or the South Pole, but if anyone didn't figure that part out, the treatment of Pole as a proper noun would have been a bit of a hint that was not intended to be present in the clue.

And yes, I often take things way too seriously, and since I tend to watch the show at or shortly after its 7:30 airtime almost every night, and I have a DVR, I seem to have inherited the mantle of posting the scores and FJ clue on most nights. Rest assured that I do not take this responsibility lightly, so I am always very careful to ensure that my version of the clues matches Jeopardy!'s, down to the smallest details such as punctuation. Although I do usually add a period to the end of the clue, while J! does not, but it would just look silly without one, right? Speaking of punctuation, is it allowable to put an apostrophe immediately after an exclamation point, as in Jeopardy!'s, as I used twice above? Should it be Jeopardy's!? Darn it, now I used three consecutive punctuation marks. That will surely be showing up in the Intellectual Pet Peeves thread very soon.
Last edited by jeff6286 on Fri Jul 22, 2011 10:59 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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Re: Friday, July 20, 2011 Game Recap & Discussion (SPOILERS)

Post by dhkendall »

alietr wrote:Zergcam!
jepkid97 wrote:Also, was it just me, or was the ZergCam unnecessary tonight?
I was quite pleased to see the Zergcam! (Where was it that said "You Know You're A Jeopardy! fan if you can identify a Zergcam in the wild?" Was this from a post on the Sony board?) jepkid - I think they show it whenever the circumstances dictate, ie a trailing contestant has a look of surprise on the realization of their win. It's always necessary (and rare because I don't think it actually happens that often) because it makes for good TV. I think a lot of us forget that J! is a TV game show first and foremost, and therefore is centred around what makes "good TV" (including contestant and story selection, fyi all ... ) I'm sure this is why Alex encourages TDDs, especially in runaway leads, because a TDD in that situation, while most likely foolish, makes good TV, and their goal is to encourage good TV. The Zergcam definitely falls into that category.

As for Final, I wonder if more people would have come up with the answer is "Pole" was (blatantly) capitalized? (It was the "1909" that got it for me.)
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Re: Friday, July 20, 2011 Game Recap & Discussion (SPOILERS)

Post by jeff6286 »

thejeopardyfan wrote:Is "Aswan Dam" the same as "Aswan High Dam"?
According to Wiki: Since the 1950s, the name commonly refers to the High Dam, which is larger and newer than the Aswan Low Dam, which was first completed in 1902. Given that, I would assume that they would have accepted either answer, but someone with more knowledge may have a better answer than that.

Funny story about the Aswan Dam: When I was in 6th grade, 20+ years ago, I did projects on both the Aswan Dam and the artifical heart. Why these two subjects, you ask? Because we only had the "A" volume of the encyclopedia, of course. We eventually got the whole set, but the first 2 or 3 volumes came just one at a time for some reason. My Aswan High Dam model was truly awesome, featuring Micro Machines driving across the top of it. Unfortunately, I don't seem to have learned much from either project, as my knowledge of the Dam is pretty much limited to the fact that it is in Egypt and it crosses the Nile, while my knowledge of the artificial heart is pretty much limited to the fact that it was in the "A" volume of the encyclopedia.
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Re: Friday, July 20, 2011 Game Recap & Discussion (SPOILERS)

Post by dhkendall »

jeff6286 wrote:Funny story about the Aswan Dam: When I was in 6th grade, 20+ years ago, I did projects on both the Aswan Dam and the artifical heart. Why these two subjects, you ask? Because we only had the "A" volume of the encyclopedia, of course. We eventually got the whole set, but the first 2 or 3 volumes came just one at a time for some reason. My Aswan High Dam model was truly awesome, featuring Micro Machines driving across the top of it. Unfortunately, I don't seem to have learned much from either project, as my knowledge of the Dam is pretty much limited to the fact that it is in Egypt and it crosses the Nile, while my knowledge of the artificial heart is pretty much limited to the fact that it was in the "A" volume of the encyclopedia.
Despite the outcome, I hope the encyclopaedia volume wasn't the only thing that had an "A" on it where your project was concerned.

(Whereas my family was so poor, we could only afford the "A" volume of Wikipedia! (Now you know why I no longer do standup))
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Re: Friday, July 20, 2011 Game Recap & Discussion (SPOILERS)

Post by jeff6286 »

dhkendall wrote: Despite the outcome, I hope the encyclopaedia volume wasn't the only thing that had an "A" on it where your project was concerned.
No comment.
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Re: Friday, July 20, 2011 Game Recap & Discussion (SPOILERS)

Post by Samer »

dhkendall wrote:
jeff6286 wrote:Funny story about the Aswan Dam: When I was in 6th grade, 20+ years ago, I did projects on both the Aswan Dam and the artifical heart. Why these two subjects, you ask? Because we only had the "A" volume of the encyclopedia, of course. We eventually got the whole set, but the first 2 or 3 volumes came just one at a time for some reason. My Aswan High Dam model was truly awesome, featuring Micro Machines driving across the top of it. Unfortunately, I don't seem to have learned much from either project, as my knowledge of the Dam is pretty much limited to the fact that it is in Egypt and it crosses the Nile, while my knowledge of the artificial heart is pretty much limited to the fact that it was in the "A" volume of the encyclopedia.
Despite the outcome, I hope the encyclopaedia volume wasn't the only thing that had an "A" on it where your project was concerned.

(Whereas my family was so poor, we could only afford the "A" volume of Wikipedia! (Now you know why I no longer do standup))
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Re: Friday, July 20, 2011 Game Recap & Discussion (SPOILERS)

Post by Samer »

alietr wrote:Zergcam!

Well-played, close match. Jeopardy fate is just too fickle, and Brian goes down after one victory. Again, the boards seemed pretty easy. I was sure I had Peary right, and when they revealed Brian's response of Byrd, I went "uh oh ...". Another nice pay day for the champ. And if you read this, Zach, PLEASE don't even bother!
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Re: Friday, July 20, 2011 Game Recap & Discussion (SPOILERS)

Post by barandall800 »

This was only my second time watching J! live (or at all, really) in a few weeks...so I was a bit off my game tonight, though I liked both of the boards a lot. I had a terrific J! round, though I gave some gibberish answers (I blurted out "quili," of all things, for the "mer" clue in Words In Planets) at a few points, and I was KICKING myself for missing the clue about "The Social Network," which I absolutely loved. (I can even see the regatta scene with Prince Albert clearly in my head right now. UGH. :x ) The DJ! round, on the other hand? Picture someone shooting themselves in the foot, multiply that by a billion, and that's pretty much how that went for me.

All 3 players were very strong today, and that made this a great game to watch. (Tim's $1K DD wager was a bit timid, though, I thought. If you get a DD at the very end of the round, in a softball category like that, why not bet a bit more?) Linda's comeback was nice, and it was great to see her FJ reaction. (I'm glad to see the Zergcam whenever they trot it out.)

I might as well have went with my made-up word "quili" on FJ, because my actual response was pretty much just as ridiculous. (It was Samuel Morse, for the record...I zeroed in on the "message" part at first, and then stuck with him simply because I had absolutely nothing else I could think of.)
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Re: Friday, July 20, 2011 Game Recap & Discussion (SPOILERS)

Post by Bamaman »

jeff6286 wrote: I seem to have inherited the mantle of posting the scores and FJ clue on most night. Rest assured that I do not take this responsibility lightly, so I am always very careful to ensure that my version of the clues matches Jeopardy!'s, down to the smallest details such as punctuation. Although I do usually add a period to the end of the clue, while J! does not, but it would just look silly without one, right? Speaking of punctuation, is it allowable to put an apostrophe immediately after an exclamation point, as in Jeopardy!'s, as I used twice above? Should it be Jeopardy's!? Darn it, now I used three consecutive punctuation marks. That will surely be showing up in the Intellectual Pet Peeves thread very soon.
As the former FJ poster from the old board, I am happy to pass the torch to you. I was able to get it up early every day because I got to see the show earlier than moist people and was under/unemployed for a while. Now I've gotten more steady work requiring travel, so I don't always know when or if I'll see the show every day. (Biggest complaint....MyTV affiliates who caryy the show but aren't on hotel's TVs). And even if I can see the show, I don't have a DVR at the hotel, so being able to accurately transcribe the clue is difficult.

I tried doing the FJ in all caps and the unanimous response (well the one person who commented) was to leave it the way it was.

howierules seems to have been lost in the move, so I guess you'll need to do both scores and FJs. Thanks again for posting it today.

I saw Peary in someone's post so was partially spoiled on FJ. I think I'd have gotten it anyway, so I'll give myself credit for it.

Looks like a pretty close game, hate I missed it. Hopefully my station will get it's act together next week.
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Re: Friday, July 20, 2011 Game Recap & Discussion (SPOILERS)

Post by MarkBarrett »

50/50/90 as I went with Brian's guess. The year let me know it was a polar exploration type clue imediately. I just picked the wrong guy.

Brian was too good yesterday and my "game of his life" comment yesterday had me expecting something like what happened tonight. Brian had the low Coryat of 12,400 in a very competitive match with each player correct on a DD.

Brian missed the FJ clue, so he does not have to kick himself over only betting 2000 on the Prado DD. Linda won, so she does not have to regret only betting 1000 on her DD and trailing by 400 entering FJ. Tim led entering FJ, but also missed the clue so his 1000 DD bet didn't cost him the game either.

Can these three play again on Monday? That was fun. At one point I looked at the scoreboard in the DJ round and saw two tied and one 200 away.

I did not anticipate Linda's FJ wager. She fooled me with the all-in. I expected something low after she only bet 1000 on her DD.

It doesn't bother me and only helps my scoresheet, but even I couldn't help but notice the wealth of Biblical clues tonight scattered around the boards.
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Re: Friday, July 20, 2011 Game Recap & Discussion (SPOILERS)

Post by seaborgium »

I said Scott for FJ, realized too late that he probably wouldn't have died on Antarctica if he could have sent messages out.

Linda's wager wasn't exactly optimal, forgoing the opportunity to win on a triple stumper if Brian overwagered, but Brian didn't overwager, so Linda's bank account and I have the same amount of complaints.
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Re: Friday, July 20, 2011 Game Recap & Discussion (SPOILERS)

Post by jeff6286 »

seaborgium wrote:
Linda's wager wasn't exactly optimal, forgoing the opportunity to win on a triple stumper if Brian overwagered, but Brian didn't overwager, so Linda's bank account and I have the same amount of complaints.
On that subject, I thought Brian's $0 wager in that position was very smart. In theory, he could have bet as much as $9,200 and still won on a triple stumper. (Tim's shutout wager would have left him with $799, and if Linda had bet to cover Brian by $1, she would have been left with $4,399, therefore any bet by Brian that left him at $4,400 or above could have won on a triple stumper.) I said in theory, because I was thinking what I suspect Brian also may have been thinking, that given Linda's small wager earlier in the game on the DD, there was a strong possibility that she wouldn't risk such a large number, so by betting $0 he left himself in a position to win if she bet as little as $2,201.

Although really, when considering FJ wagering possibilities, it is probably silly to put a whole lot of stock into a single DD wager from earlier in the game. In this game all 3 players made similarly timid DD wagers, and in FJ two bet all or nearly all of their money, while the 3rd bet nothing at all. It does tend to astonish me that a group of players could sit and watch someone earn $50K for 22 minutes work by betting aggressively and risking $6,000-$8,000 repeatedly on DDs, and then go out there and bet $1,000 or $2,000. I would definitely like to think that if I am ever fortunate enough to be in one of these contestants' positions, I would be confident enough to play the game like Nick Condon or Mark Runsvold. I'm sure that many have said the same thing in the past, but when the bright lights, not to mention the makeup, are on, I'm sure it's a lot harder than it looks to make those big, bold wagers.
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Re: Friday, July 20, 2011 Game Recap & Discussion (SPOILERS)

Post by econgator »

jeff6286 wrote:I ran into an interesting conundrum when posting the FJ clue in the previous post. I don't generally follow Jeopardy!'s standard of writing the clue in all capital letters, simply because I don't like the way it looks. When transcribing tonight's clue, it occurred to me that I didn't know if I should or should not capitalize the beginning of the word "Pole", so I went ahead and re-wrote the whole clue in all-caps. I assume that most players would know that the clue was referring to either the North Pole or the South Pole, but if anyone didn't figure that part out, the treatment of Pole as a proper noun would have been a bit of a hint that was not intended to be present in the clue.
My opinion is that it is only capitalized when used to form the proper noun: North Pole, South Pole, the pole. We don't capitalize polar bear or polar ice cap, right?
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