Tuesday, April 11, 2017 Game Recap & Discussion [SPOILERS]

[Johnblue]

There's a much better song which also mentions the NJ Turnpike. This was an instaget since I've been on that road at least a thousand times. It's awful just like the state. I was rooting for Steve after the contestant interviews but I-80 doesn't have named rest areas. Good game overall but it did seem to have quite a few TSs.

[dhkendall]

Is there a way I can make my synapses stop misfiring so hard? This was thrown right at me and I still missed it.

Considering you've said your brain works different from ours I highly doubt we can be of much help, as we can only speak for us neurotypical people.

Jeopardy! is not for everyone (though I'll freely admit that you do remarkably well for someone who, by all accounts, shouldn't). Please don't compare yourselves to us, as we are not your peers. Compare yourself to you, and work on getting better with what you can. (After all, Eddie Timanus never asked how he can get better at the video clues, but you can bet when he was at home he crushed it on the clues that he was able to do.)

[dhkendall]

My mother was highly annoyed at the $2000 clue for "Royal They", as she didn't understand why Nikolai II's reign was extended all the way to 1918. I don't understand it, either. He abdicated in 1917.

Were they reigns or lifespans? Since I knew that the Romanoffs were assassinated in 1918 despite abdicating in 1917, my brain didn't register the clue as odd.

[MattKnowles]

My mother was highly annoyed at the $2000 clue for "Royal They", as she didn't understand why Nikolai II's reign was extended all the way to 1918. I don't understand it, either. He abdicated in 1917.

Were they reigns or lifespans? Since I knew that the Romanoffs were assassinated in 1918 despite abdicating in 1917, my brain didn't register the clue as odd.

The dates were the start and end of the marriages. The end date matched with at least one lifespan in every case.

[BigDaddyMatty]

Coryat: $25,600
39 R/4 W
DD: 1/3
FJ:
LT: Lady Gaga, holding pattern, interregnum, meatballs, mercury, earthenware, Robusta (DD)

The only reason I got this FJ was because of a LL mini-league question a while back (JI American Places D8Q5). I was stumped at the time, mainly because rest areas here are just bathrooms, water fountains, vending machines, and a map that says "YOU ARE HERE". (The reference to a song I'm not sure I've heard didn't help here, though.)

Ditto all of this. Actually, having YouTubed the song, I have definitely heard it several times. Wasn't any help on FJ!, though.

[dinghammer]

I know the song. I know that line. So of course my idiot brain decided to play this on a loop for 30 seconds instead of doing anything useful.

Similarly (maybe worse?), I failed to come up with Lady Gaga for the "Just Dance" clue, even though the song immediately popped into my head, and I know she did it.

At least I got holding pattern (at the last second) and interregnum. Maybe some others, too.

[theamazingchong]

DJ! was a train wreck for me today, but at least I got FJ, putting me at 2/2 for the week. Pays to have gone to the East Coast for college and driven up and down I-95 a bunch. That said, I had to go the [Edison, NJ + WW from NJ + Lombardi sounds like it could be a NJ name] route to get to the answer--it wasn't an instaget by any means.

I could actually see the writers doing a NJ TURNPIKE REST STOPS category at some point down the line. It won't have the repeatability of something like NATIONAL STATUARY HALL, but it'd be fun nonetheless.

[dhkendall]

Similarly (maybe worse?), I failed to come up with Lady Gaga for the "Just Dance" clue, even though the song immediately popped into my head, and I know she did it.

I kept thinking of Bowie's "Let's Dance" but, even though I've never cared for any of his music, I knew that the given year was far too late to be Bowie's first number one, as I'm well aware I'm in the minority opinion about his music.

[seaborgium]

I was lucky the Simon and Garfunkel song was in my recent consciousness, as Choir! Choir! Choir! is doing an event in L.A. this Thursday where they'll be teaching the attendees a choral arrangement of "America," then leading a performance of it. Here's one from their home base in Toronto: https://youtube.com/watch?v=jieO8TgBqvI (it's the guys on stage who will be here; the rest is the "audience" which obviously varies from night to night). Chances are good I'll go and participate.

On seeing the clue, my first thought was Route 66. Then I remembered that "America" was that song, and not actually remembering the relevant lyric, named the first road in the vicinity of S&G's early stomping grounds, which was the New Jersey Turnpike. Then I connected Wilson and Edison to it and was pretty confident.

[irene]

...The rest stops meant nothing to me geographically. But on seeing a song called "America" my mind instantly went to the lyrics of the S&G song, and before Alex had finished reading the clue I had the NJ Turnpike.

This

[dinghammer]

Similarly (maybe worse?), I failed to come up with Lady Gaga for the "Just Dance" clue, even though the song immediately popped into my head, and I know she did it.

I kept thinking of Bowie's "Let's Dance" but, even though I've never cared for any of his music, I knew that the given year was far too late to be Bowie's first number one, as I'm well aware I'm in the minority opinion about his music.

My thought process for that clue was basically, while Lady Gaga's "Just Dance" played in my head, "Hmm, no, the David Bowie song was in the '80s... oh well, time's up."

[waterloo_guy]

I remember hearing somewhere about the NJ Turnpike having rest stops named for famous people from the state. And given that I knew Edison and Wilson were from NJ, it was simple despite not knowing the song. In fact, because "New Jersey Turnpike" doesn't sound like it belongs in a song lyric, I was doubting my answer.

EDIT: Listened to song on YouTube and I have definitely heard it before. However, not sure I ever knew the name and certainly never listened to it closely enough to know the lyrics.

[IronNeck]

My mother was highly annoyed at the $2000 clue for "Royal They", as she didn't understand why Nikolai II's reign was extended all the way to 1918. I don't understand it, either. He abdicated in 1917.

Were they reigns or lifespans? Since I knew that the Romanoffs were assassinated in 1918 despite abdicating in 1917, my brain didn't register the clue as odd.

The dates were the start and end of the marriages. The end date matched with at least one lifespan in every case.

I went back and watched the episode and nowhere does Alex mention those years were the span of the marriage, as opposed to the reign. Atissa would certainly have a strong argument she was robbed there.

[dexterG]

Had Route 66 for FJ. All I know about the NJ Turnpike is that is where everyone gets dumped from that tunnel in Being John Malcovich.

Cannot believe the contestants didn't know meatballs were in Italian Wedding soup. Love that soup!!

[John Boy]

If I didn't know the song, I probably would have WAGged Route 66 or something. I'm guessing, like the players, there'll be more boardies who live in the northeast that will get it than won't. (Poll broken down by geography?) Fortunately, I forced myself to think of the song to get it, after that, knowing Edison is a Jerseyite (never knew about the other two) was confident going with it.

(Great song, btw)

It IS a great song and I even used to own the album and have heard the song about six bazillion times.

So when I saw the clue I immediately identified this as the Simon and Garfunkle hit, and then sat there for 29 more seconds trying vainly to go through the lyrics in my head: WHAT?! DANGED?! HIGHWAY?!

Sigh. Sometimes the brain just plays dirty tricks on me....

[Elijah Baley]

If I didn't know the song, I probably would have WAGged Route 66 or something. I'm guessing, like the players, there'll be more boardies who live in the northeast that will get it than won't. (Poll broken down by geography?) Fortunately, I forced myself to think of the song to get it, after that, knowing Edison is a Jerseyite (never knew about the other two) was confident going with it.

(Great song, btw)

It IS a great song and I even used to own the album and have heard the song about six bazillion times.

So when I saw the clue I immediately identified this as the Simon and Garfunkle hit, and then sat there for 29 more seconds trying vainly to go through the lyrics in my head: WHAT?! DANGED?! HIGHWAY?!

Sigh. Sometimes the brain just plays dirty tricks on me....

That's why this was a devilish little FJ. The bit about the turnpike is literally the last line in the song, a little over 3 minutes in. Like you, I knew the reference right away for the song, so I started thinking about the lyrics ... and that was never going to work. So, it's a case where the first part of the clue doesn't really help at all. Rest stops seemed to suggest turnpikes and then the reference to Edison was definitely NJ and of course, then I remembered that exact part of the lyrics. So, it was an "insta"-get - insta coming about 25 seconds into the think music. So, 5 seconds to scribble NJ Turnpike.

Which, I swear Alex said "turnpark."

[TenPoundHammer]

Is there a way I can make my synapses stop misfiring so hard? This was thrown right at me and I still missed it.

Considering you've said your brain works different from ours I highly doubt we can be of much help, as we can only speak for us neurotypical people.

Jeopardy! is not for everyone (though I'll freely admit that you do remarkably well for someone who, by all accounts, shouldn't). Please don't compare yourselves to us, as we are not your peers. Compare yourself to you, and work on getting better with what you can. (After all, Eddie Timanus never asked how he can get better at the video clues, but you can bet when he was at home he crushed it on the clues that he was able to do.)

My point is, I am comparing myself to me. Everything about this clue should've been gotten by me. I know turnpikes have rest stops with names. I know that there is a highway called the New Jersey Turnpike. I know that Edison = NJ. I didn't know the S&G song, but by this point, that shouldn't have mattered. Literally everything was screaming New Jersey Turnpike to me, but I just didn't hear it. And that kind of stuff happens ALL THE TIME and it annoys me.

(I did look up the song. Most S&G stuff has pretty harmonies but is otherwise a bit too minimalistically arranged for my tastes. Still has more a pulse than, say, Dave Matthews Band.)

[AFRET CMS]

I remember hearing somewhere about the NJ Turnpike having rest stops named for famous people from the state. And given that I knew Edison and Wilson were from NJ, it was simple despite not knowing the song. In fact, because "New Jersey Turnpike" doesn't sound like it belongs in a song lyric, I was doubting my answer.

EDIT: Listened to song on YouTube and I have definitely heard it before. However, not sure I ever knew the name and certainly never listened to it closely enough to know the lyrics.

I guess I'm older than I thought. I went 1 for 5 on the pop music hits category (and Gaga was a wild and lucky guess), then got the FJ correct about 3 seconds after the clue was displayed. I think the moon might be rising over my open field......

[DBear]

0/5 in pop music. No clue at all on FJ. Now if they had mentioned "covered by Yes" or something like that, then maybe.

[spell4yr]

As the #1s category did not have lead-singer-only stipulations, I'm counting my answer of "Who are Lady Gaga and Colby Adonis?" as correct for "Just Dance".

I also assume "What is NJTP" would have been sufficient for the FJ. A wildcard answer would be "What is I-95?", as even though it's not named as such in the song, I-95 overlaps the Turnpike past all three service areas.