Millionaire 2016-17 Season Discussion [SPOILERS]

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MarkBarrett
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Re: Millionaire 2016-17 Season Discussion [SPOILERS]

Post by MarkBarrett »

Millionaire is back with new episodes after three weeks of reruns. This week is another Whiz Kids. Sarah Schwartz needed her first lifeline on this question.
Spoiler
$5,000
Image
Next:
Spoiler
The 50:50 left Adjectives & Verbs.
Next:
Spoiler
Sarah knew "Happy" was an adjective. I thought there was no correct answer since the 2nd line is, "You live in the zoo." :)
Next:
Spoiler
$7,000 was the a typical math thing for this kind of week with 101 Dalmatians each having 101 puppies to get to 10,201. $10,000 wanted the office James Garfield was elected from as he is the only to become Prez from that position. The audience game 42% for the correct U.S. Representative with Senator, Governor and Vice President the other options. $20,000 was a Crayola color and shortest wavelength color that can be seen being violet.
Next:
Spoiler
$30,000
Image
For Whiz Kids week a 4th lifeline is available, the cut, to get rid of a question and replace it with another of the same value.
Next:
Spoiler
Sarah did not know the correct answer was 60 degrees south, so good use of a lifeline.
Next:
Spoiler
Sarah needed dad's help for the landmark covered with the crusty verdigris. Pops knew it was not Eiffel Tower, Taj Mahal or Washington Monument and since they were in Vegas he gave his daughter enough nerve to gamble on the correct Statue of Liberty.

Next:
Spoiler
$50,000
Image
Next:
Spoiler
Sarah walked with her 30K and Chris had her take a guess before leaving. She would have been right with Discovery.
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Re: Millionaire 2016-17 Season Discussion [SPOILERS]

Post by Volante »

($10,000 discussion)
MarkBarrett wrote: Mon Apr 10, 2017 4:03 pm Next:
Spoiler
$7,000 was the a typical math thing for this kind of week with 101 Dalmatians each having 101 puppies to get to 10,201. $10,000 wanted the office James Garfield was elected from as he is the only to become Prez from that position. The audience game 42% for the correct U.S. Representative with Senator, Governor and Vice President the other options. $20,000 was a Crayola color and shortest wavelength color that can be seen being violet.
Spoiler
At first I thought that's a brave one to poll the audience on. Then actually putting a little thought into it, yeah, that one's easily gettable. Then I realized the audience still had to go through the train of thought I did and now I'm back to thinking that was a brave ask the audience :lol:
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Re: Millionaire 2016-17 Season Discussion [SPOILERS]

Post by Vermonter »

Thoughts on three questions from Tuesday:
Spoiler
Note to writers: None of these kids has seen Captain Planet

Asked the other way, Cookie Monster = Sid would have been a great upper-tier question for regular play

Entomology vs. herpetology for $7k is way too hard for kids (and maybe even for adults)
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Re: Millionaire 2016-17 Season Discussion [SPOILERS]

Post by Volante »

Vermonter wrote: Wed Apr 12, 2017 12:28 pm Thoughts on three questions from Tuesday:
Spoiler
Entomology vs. herpetology for $7k is way too hard for kids (and maybe even for adults)
Spoiler
I'd disagree herpetology is too hard for kids with a caveat that they'd have to read (or otherwise be familiar with) A Series of Unfortunate Events. Adults, maybe. It might help to see the full question tho.
Also, I think I'm gonna like that spoiler hint feature. :D
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Re: Millionaire 2016-17 Season Discussion [SPOILERS]

Post by MarkBarrett »

Volante your comment is funnier than you realize especially if you did not see the show.

$5,000
In A Series of Unfortunate Events, what of these was fittingly book #12?
A: The Reptile Room
B: The Wide Window
C: The Penultimate Peril
D: The Ersatz Elevator
Spoiler
C: of course
The $7000 question from the Tuesday show:

By head count & certainly by leg count, what dept. boasts the most specimens at NY’s American Museum of Natural History?
A: Icthyology
B: Mammalogy
C: Herpetology
D: Entomology

Brooke Elliott used her 50:50 and it left C & D.

She returned today and used her +1 dad on this question after already using her CUT and ATA on previous questions.
Spoiler

$30,000
Image
Next:
Spoiler
With dad's thinking that D was the way to go and the money not mattering, Brooke locked in the correct Prometheus.
Next:
Spoiler
$50,000
Image
Next:
Spoiler
Brooke walked with her 30K and would have guessed A. It was Nevada, Utah & Colorado that would lead to Cheyenne, Wyoming.
Next:
Spoiler
Connor Higgins was unsure at the $3000 level
Image
He got a laugh with wondering comment about potential lifeline use.
Next:
Spoiler
Image
While the voting was happening Chris had mentioned that he hoped the audience would not misspell the word misspelled. :)
Next:
Spoiler
Fortunately for Connor he decided to use another lifeline and he CUT the question.]
Next:
Spoiler
$5000 was the easier HOMES = Great Lakes, so he'll return tomorrow for the $7000 with the 50:50 & +1 remaining.
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Re: Millionaire 2016-17 Season Discussion [SPOILERS]

Post by Volante »

MarkBarrett wrote: Wed Apr 12, 2017 3:46 pm Volante your comment is funnier than you realize especially if you did not see the show.

$5,000
In A Series of Unfortunate Events, what of these was fittingly book #12?
A: The Reptile Room
B: The Wide Window
C: The Penultimate Peril
D: The Ersatz Elevator
Spoiler
C: of course
The $7000 question from the Tuesday show:

By head count & certainly by leg count, what dept. boasts the most specimens at NY’s American Museum of Natural History?
A: Icthyology
B: Mammalogy
C: Herpetology
D: Entomology

Brooke Elliott used her 50:50 and it left C & D.
HA! No, I didn't see the show (never do, actually, except what gets posted here). But I'll stick with my justification given the 'leg count' hint and as
Spoiler
the Incredibly Deadly Viper has no legs
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Re: Millionaire 2016-17 Season Discussion [SPOILERS]

Post by IronNeck »

I didn't know what ichthyology and herpetology were at that age, but I did know entomology. I would say the questions are generally reasonable and an appropriate level of difficulty.
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Re: Millionaire 2016-17 Season Discussion [SPOILERS]

Post by bomtr »

Hate to be the one to say it, but how are these 'whiz kids?' What exactly are the criteria? Maybe my distant memories of my youth are a little rosy, but I don't think at 13 I'm struggling with this stuff, and these kids are not sure of anything.
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Re: Millionaire 2016-17 Season Discussion [SPOILERS]

Post by IronNeck »

bomtr wrote: Wed Apr 12, 2017 6:44 pm Hate to be the one to say it, but how are these 'whiz kids?' What exactly are the criteria? Maybe my distant memories of my youth are a little rosy, but I don't think at 13 I'm struggling with this stuff, and these kids are not sure of anything.
It's just a slogan. There is no real definition for the buzzword. "Whiz kids" is also more concise than "Well-educated X-year olds with above average IQs".
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Re: Millionaire 2016-17 Season Discussion [SPOILERS]

Post by kprather895 »

The first couple go-arounds, they made a point to cast kids who were particularly outstanding. Inventors, teenage college students, etc. Looks like they've been loosening up on that lately, which is alright. Having kids that are more relatable to kids watching isn't a bad thing necessarily.

It does seem to me that this week, they went to the pop culture well a lot more than they did in previous Whiz Kids Weeks, which could have contributed to the lower scores from the book-smart whiz kids.
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Re: Millionaire 2016-17 Season Discussion [SPOILERS]

Post by IronNeck »

kprather895 wrote: Sat Apr 15, 2017 3:08 pm The first couple go-arounds, they made a point to cast kids who were particularly outstanding. Inventors, teenage college students, etc. Looks like they've been loosening up on that lately, which is alright. Having kids that are more relatable to kids watching isn't a bad thing necessarily.
Eh, as someone who knew a lot of these "young inventors" (participants and award winners in the Intel and Siemens high school science fairs) growing up, there is a ridiculous amount of nepotism among them. There are exceptions, obviously, but one can practically guess the parents' professions in most cases. Occasionally, it wasn't even well-hidden; a science project by a 15 year-old would be about an original new use for (costly) chemicals only found within a commercial lab.

So ultimately, sometimes all this means is that their parents are very smart and heavily involved with their kids. Which admittedly, would give them significantly above average intelligence, anyways. :)
kprather895 wrote: It does seem to me that this week, they went to the pop culture well a lot more than they did in previous Whiz Kids Weeks, which could have contributed to the lower scores from the book-smart whiz kids.
Pop culture would have destroyed me and everyone else on our (good) high school quiz bowl team back then.

Seems like the purpose might be to make a generic viewer go "Haha, I knew that answer, and the "whiz kid" didn't!".
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Re: Millionaire 2016-17 Season Discussion [SPOILERS]

Post by Vermonter »

Friday:
Spoiler
What a waste of a softball on 50K. "I know it when I see it" is Pavlovian, unlike most other questions at that level
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Re: Millionaire 2016-17 Season Discussion [SPOILERS]

Post by MarkBarrett »

Vermonter wrote: Sat Apr 22, 2017 8:47 am Friday:
Spoiler
What a waste of a softball on 50K. "I know it when I see it" is Pavlovian, unlike most other questions at that level
There was another gift 50K Q on Tuesday and at least the player converted it to see the next Q.

Though it’s the name of a river in France, which of the following can be played in SCRABBLE because it’s also a kind of volcanic lava?
A: Aa
B: Ee
C: Oo
D: Uu
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Re: Millionaire 2016-17 Season Discussion [SPOILERS]

Post by OrangeSAM »

MarkBarrett wrote: Sat Apr 22, 2017 10:05 am
Vermonter wrote: Sat Apr 22, 2017 8:47 am Friday:
Spoiler
What a waste of a softball on 50K. "I know it when I see it" is Pavlovian, unlike most other questions at that level
There was another gift 50K Q on Tuesday and at least the player converted it to see the next Q.

Though it’s the name of a river in France, which of the following can be played in SCRABBLE because it’s also a kind of volcanic lava?
A: Aa
B: Ee
C: Oo
D: Uu
I had thought it was Hawaiian. I had not heard of the French river.
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Re: Millionaire 2016-17 Season Discussion [SPOILERS]

Post by ElendilPickle »

Vermonter wrote: Sat Apr 22, 2017 8:47 am Friday:
Spoiler
What a waste of a softball on 50K. "I know it when I see it" is Pavlovian, unlike most other questions at that level
:x
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Re: Millionaire 2016-17 Season Discussion [SPOILERS]

Post by Vermonter »

MarkBarrett wrote: Sat Apr 22, 2017 10:05 am
Vermonter wrote: Sat Apr 22, 2017 8:47 am Friday:
Spoiler
What a waste of a softball on 50K. "I know it when I see it" is Pavlovian, unlike most other questions at that level
There was another gift 50K Q on Tuesday and at least the player converted it to see the next Q.

Though it’s the name of a river in France, which of the following can be played in SCRABBLE because it’s also a kind of volcanic lava?
A: Aa
B: Ee
C: Oo
D: Uu
Yeah, definitely – the writers should know the trivia/Scrabble crossover is much higher than in the general population!
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Re: Millionaire 2016-17 Season Discussion [SPOILERS]

Post by kprather895 »

MarkBarrett wrote: Sat Apr 22, 2017 10:05 am Though it’s the name of a river in France, which of the following can be played in SCRABBLE because it’s also a kind of volcanic lava?
A: Aa
B: Ee
C: Oo
D: Uu
Heck, if you're a Scrabble/Words With Friends player, you could know that "Aa" is a valid word even if you have no idea what it means.
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Re: Millionaire 2016-17 Season Discussion [SPOILERS]

Post by nlw44 »

So I just watched today's (4/24/17) ep and feel the need to comment on one question in particular...
Spoiler
I don't have the exact wording, but basically it was asking which of the given instruments would lend itself to improving the upper airway strength of a player. The choices were a) harpsichord, b) musical saw, c) didgeridoo, and d) timpani.

I listened to this one with the sound muted, so I don't know exactly what the contestant was thinking. But I do know that she used her 50/50 (leaving harpsichord and didgeridoo) then her "ask the audience" (15% harpsichord, 85% didgeridoo.) Two lifelines used in what should have been a dead easy question if she'd used just a little logic. Honestly, the only one that uses the airways in any way is, of course, the didgeridoo, so the whole thing just hit my "rant-o-meter" at a very high level.
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Re: Millionaire 2016-17 Season Discussion [SPOILERS]

Post by Bamaman »

I guess she has never watched The Addams Family.
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Re: Millionaire 2016-17 Season Discussion [SPOILERS]

Post by OrangeSAM »

nlw44 wrote: Mon Apr 24, 2017 1:09 pm So I just watched today's (4/24/17) ep and feel the need to comment on one question in particular...
Spoiler
I don't have the exact wording, but basically it was asking which of the given instruments would lend itself to improving the upper airway strength of a player. The choices were a) harpsichord, b) musical saw, c) didgeridoo, and d) timpani.

I listened to this one with the sound muted, so I don't know exactly what the contestant was thinking. But I do know that she used her 50/50 (leaving harpsichord and didgeridoo) then her "ask the audience" (15% harpsichord, 85% didgeridoo.) Two lifelines used in what should have been a dead easy question if she'd used just a little logic. Honestly, the only one that uses the airways in any way is, of course, the didgeridoo, so the whole thing just hit my "rant-o-meter" at a very high level.
Spoiler
I think she was conflating harpsichord with harmonica.
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