Friday, November 2, 2012 Game Recap & Discussion [SPOILERS]

[Archivists]

Game Recap for Show #6470, 2012-11-02

Keith Whitener game 8.
Paul Nelson game 1.

CONTESTANTS
Paul Nelson, a Senate staff aide originally from Iowa City, Iowa
Ariane Helou, a graduate student of literature from Santa Cruz, California
Keith Whitener, a research chemist originally from Charlotte, North Carolina (whose 7-day cash winnings total $118,398)

OPENING REMARKS
Alex: Thank you, Johnny. Welcome, ladies and gentlemen. Our champion, Keith, he's a good one. I'll be very brief so that ariane and Paul will have a good opportunity to try and replace him. But Keith could win again. Let's go to work. Here comes the Jeopardy! Round. And these are your categories for today. Starting off with...

JEOPARDY! ROUND CATEGORIES
PYRAMIDS (5/5)
WORDS THAT SHOULD RHYME (4/5)
TRIOS (5/5)
CROSBY (3/5, including 1 missed Daily Double)
STILLS (5/5)
NOSH (5/5)

THE RIGHTS & THE WRONGS
Paul: 16 R, 1 W
Keith: 7 R (including 1 rebound), 1 W (including 1 DD)
Ariane: 4 R, 1 W

Clues revealed: 30
Triple Stumpers: 2
Jeopardy! Round Potential Lach Trash: $1,200



SCORES AT THE FIRST BREAK
Paul: $4,400
Ariane: $2,400
Keith: $1,200

CONTESTANT INTERVIEWS



Alex: Paul Nelson, a Senate staff aide--

Paul: Yep.

Alex: --who won his first student government election by doing what?

Paul: I was afraid you'd ask this. A rap. A rap video.

[Laughter]

Paul: I can't explain it, either.

[Laughter]

Alex: Who hired you?

[Laughs]

Paul: I guess the class.

Alex: The class did. Okay. A rap video?

Paul: Rap video.

Alex: You don't look like a rapper.

Paul: That's exactly it.

Alex: Oh, okay.

[Laughter]




Alex: Ariane Helou from Santa Cruz, graduate student of literature. What kind of literature are we talking about?

Ariane: Renaissance and classical literature.

Alex: And yet, you have studied culinary history.

Ariane: Yeah, for fun. As a student of literature of various time periods, I'd keep running across references to all kinds of interesting food, so I started doing some research and found, in my university library, copies of cookbooks that were hundreds of years old, started cooking from them 'cause I love to cook anyway, and it's great.

Alex: All right.




Alex: Keith Whitener is our champion. Look at this young man, ladies and gentlemen. Would you believe he played in a funk band?

[Laughter]

Alex: What distinguishes a funk band from all the others?

Keith: They're... more fun.

[Laughter]

Keith: Easily. Easily way more fun.

Alex: You don't have long hair. You don't have the beard.

Keith: I used to have long hair and a beard.

Alex: Really?

Keith: Yes, I did.

Alex: Well, you will when you get older and revive your band.

JEOPARDY! ROUND DAILY DOUBLE
Keith found the Daily Double on the 26th clue. Keith had $3,600, Ariane had $2,400, and Paul was at $6,600. Keith wagered $1,000.

CROSBY $800: The answer to this TV question of the 1980s was Kristin Shepard, played by Bing's daughter Mary
(Keith: What is What's My Line?)

TRIPLE STUMPERS IN THE JEOPARDY! ROUND
WORDS THAT SHOULD RHYME $200: An explosive device & a hair accessory

CROSBY $1000: Crosby won a 1944 Oscar for his role as singing priest Father O'Malley in this film
(Ariane: What is The Bells of St. Mary's?)

SCORES AT THE END OF THE JEOPARDY! ROUND
Paul: $7,800
Keith: $3,000
Ariane: $2,400

[Archivists]

DOUBLE JEOPARDY! ROUND CATEGORIES
GEORGIAS ON MY MIND (5/5)
WHO'S THAT GIRL DIRECTOR? (3/5)
19TH CENTURY AMERICA (2/5, including 1 correct Daily Double)
EUROPEAN LITERATURE (4/4)
ENDS IN 2 VOWELS (4/5) (Alex: Each correct response...)
SCIENCE "C" STUFF (5/5, including 1 correct Daily Double)

THE RIGHTS & THE WRONGS
Keith: 10 R (including 3 rebounds and 1 DD), 3 W
Ariane: 6 R (including 1 rebound), 0 W
Paul: 7 R (including 1 DD), 5 W

Clues revealed: 29
Triple Stumpers: 6
Double Jeopardy! Round Potential Lach Trash: $7,600



FIRST DOUBLE JEOPARDY! ROUND DAILY DOUBLE
Paul snagged the next Daily Double on the 7th clue. Keith had $6,200, Ariane had $4,400, and Paul was at $11,400. Paul wagered $5,000.

SCIENCE "C" STUFF $800: This pigment comes in different letter types; the C version is found in algae
(Alex: [*] is correct, and you didn't use your rap look when you came up with that response.)
(Paul: You should all be thankful.)

SECOND DOUBLE JEOPARDY! ROUND DAILY DOUBLE
It was Keith who snatched up the last Daily Double of the game on the 23rd clue. Keith had $7,000, Ariane had $9,600, and Paul was at $15,200. Keith wagered $6,900.

19TH CENTURY AMERICA $1200: On March 1, 1803 it became the 17th state & the first created from the Northwest Territory

TRIPLE STUMPERS IN THE DOUBLE JEOPARDY! ROUND
ENDS IN 2 VOWELS $800: In the names of tasty Morningstar Farms products, this word precedes "corn dogs" & "burgers"
(Keith: I was gonna say "boca" but that's not it.)

19TH CENTURY AMERICA $1600: In 1872 this party had its first natl. convention & nominated James Black for Pres.; we assume no booze was served
(Paul: What is the Temperance Party?)
...
(Alex: What is [*]? Not temperance--get rid of it completely.)

19TH CENTURY AMERICA $2000: (Sarah of the Clue Crew delivers the clue from Fort Abraham Lincoln in Mandan, North Dakota.) In 1876, Lt. Col. George Custer left his home here at Fort Abraham Lincoln in the Dakota Territory with this regiment and led them into a battle from which they'd never return
(Alex: Led [*].)

WHO'S THAT GIRL DIRECTOR? $2000: "Clueless" & "Fast Times At Ridgemont High"
(Keith: Who is John Hughes?)
...
(Alex: Who is [*]? And Keith is upset with himself right now because the category is GIRL DIRECTOR. John Hughes is not offended, by the way.)

19TH CENTURY AMERICA $800: In the 1812 election, President Madison defeated this man, the nephew of his first Veep George Clinton
(Alex: And his name was [*].)

WHO'S THAT GIRL DIRECTOR? $400: "You've Got Mail" &
"Sleepless In
Seattle"
(she also
wrote both)

SCORES ENTERING FINAL JEOPARDY!
Keith: $16,300
Paul: $14,000
Ariane: $10,000

FINAL JEOPARDY! CATEGORY
COLLEGE FOOTBALL TEAM NICKNAMES

VENUSIAN MONOLOGUES/MARTIAN CHRONICLES
Four-fifths for first place.
Keith: Wager $11,701 to cover Paul.
Paul: You're faced with a legitimate choice in strategy. You can either choose to cover Ariane, hoping that you give the correct response and Keith doesn't, in which case you'll want to wager $6,001 to cover Ariane's doubled score, but no more than $9,400 if you want to top Keith on a Triple Stumper; or bet up to $3,999 and win if both Keith and Ariane miss Final.
Ariane: If you think Paul is going to wager to cover you, try wagering less than $2,000 to beat Keith and Paul on the Triple Stumper; or, if you think Paul is going to wager small in hopes of a Triple Stumper, wager between $4,001 (venusian, to top a $0 wager by Paul) and $10,000 (martian, which may win in some cases but may also risk dropping you from second to third place if you get Final wrong).

FINAL JEOPARDY! CLUE
The team known as these since 1895 plays its home games on top of the Hayward Seismic Fault

FINAL SCORES
Ariane: $10,000 + $0 = $10,000 (Who are the Cal Golden Bears? (Go Bears!)) (2nd place: $2,000)
Paul: $14,000 - $0 = $14,000 (What is Thanks, mom & dad) (New champion: $14,000)
Keith: $16,300 - $11,701 = $4,599 (What is the Trojans?) (3rd place: $1,000)
(Alex: Seismic Fault should've led you to the West Coast somewhere.
[revealing Ariane's response]
Did you go to school there?)
(Ariane: I did.)
(Alex: You did, oh, my gosh, you are correct. The Hayward Fault is just south of Berkeley.)

Total Potential Lach Trash: $8,800

GAME DYNAMICS


CORYAT SCORES
Keith: $11,600, 17 R (including 1 DD), 4 W (including 1 DD)
Ariane: $10,000, 10 R, 1 W
Paul: $9,800, 23 R (including 1 DD), 6 W
Combined Coryat: $31,400

BATTING AVERAGES
Paul: 23/59 = .390
Keith: 17/60 = .283
Ariane: 11/58 = .190
Team: 51/63 = .810

MISCELLANEOUS INTERESTING CLUES
STILLS $200: It's the year this still photograph was taken

STILLS $400: He's the politician seen here at a General Dynamics plant

STILLS $800: He went first on the mission alphabetically
(Paul: Who is Armstrong?)

STILLS $1000: Sharbat Gula is the name behind the face that graced this periodical in 1985

STILLS $600: The quiet, yet harrowing lunch documented here took place in this city in 1932

TRIOS $200: In First Corinthians, St. Paul described the 3 greatest virtues as faith, hope & this
(Paul: What is [*]?)
(Alex: [*]. Good.)
(Paul: Baby, don't hurt me.)

SCIENCE "C" STUFF $2000: (Alex Trebek stands by railroad tracks and delivers the clue.) I love the smell of this in the morning. It's a distillation of coal and wood tar, and for years and years, it has been the main preservative for wooden railroad ties. Don't say napalm

ENDS IN 2 VOWELS $1600: It's the one-word name for the receptacle seen here

ENDS IN 2 VOWELS $1200: In 1998 Kia Motors was acquired by this largest South Korean automaker
(Paul: What is Subaru?)
(Keith: What is Daewoo?)

GEORGIAS ON MY MIND $2000: The U.S. state of Georgia claims its 1818 boundary with this neighbor to the northwest is literally off by a mile
(Paul: What is North Carolina?)

WHO'S THAT GIRL DIRECTOR? $800: "The Hurt Locker"
(Paul: Who is Sophia Coppola?)

GEORGIAS ON MY MIND $1200: The Georgia Strait separates this 290-mile-long island from Canada's western mainland
(Paul: What is Baffin?)

GEORGIAS ON MY MIND $800: The Golden Age of Medieval Georgia ended with the 13th Century onslaughts of these Asiatic invaders
[less than a minute to go]

19TH CENTURY AMERICA $400: In an 1875 ceremony at St. Patrick's, Archbishop John McCloskey became the first in the U.S. to achieve this position
[The end-of-round signal sounds.]

CORRECT RESPONSES
"Who shot J.R. Ewing?"
bomb and comb
Going My Way
chlorophyll
Ohio
veggie
the Prohibition Party
the 7th Cavalry
Amy Heckerling
DeWitt Clinton
Nora Ephron
The Cal. Golden Bears
1945
(Michael) Dukakis
Aldrin
Naitonal Geographic
New York City
love (or charity)
creosote
a cornucopia
Hyundai
Tennessee
Kathryn Bigelow
Vancouver
the Mongols
Cardinal

[JFanForever]

12 right in the first round. I should have gotten Aldrin. Seven right in DJ to give me 19. I did not know FJ and guessed the Hawaii Warriors.

That was an amazing comeback Keith had and unfortunate to see that happen. I wonder how he will perform in the Tournament of Champions.

[TenPoundHammer]

Anyone else catch Paul's "What is love, baby, don't hurt me"?

Ran Nosh, missed only the $1000s in Trios and Should Rhyme. On the flipside, nothing seemed remotely familiar in Pyramids (Trans-America Building? Huh?), nor did anything $400 and below on Crosby. (I had a brain lock on "White Christmas" and blurted out "Here Comes Santa Claus" based on the "merry and bright" part of the clue.)

I looked over that "colon" clue three times and I still have no idea what they were talking about. Also, since when the heck is calcium a metal?

Veggie was my only miss in "Ends in 2 Vowels". Was bouncing all around it with tofu, soy, natural, etc. Then again, I'd rather eat rusty barbed wire than go vegetarian.

"Neighbor to the northwest of Georgia" at $2000? Really? You guys sure you didn't leave in a Kids' Week clue by mistake?

DeWitt Clinton joins coloratura soprano for "most undervalued $800" in my book.

Yet again a FJ! where the category is enough for me to know that I'll ever get it. Even worse was that I actually put all the pieces together. "Fault" puts it in California, Hayward's near San Francisco. But wait, I can't think of a single California college. I've heard of UC Berkeley, but NHO their mascot.

Also, oddball wagering is oddball.

[heelsrule1988]

Okay... I was thinking that exact part of the country, but what in "Golden Bears" screams earthquakes?! The clue made it sound like the nickname would be related to earthquakes. Ugh. Needless to say, I didn't get it right. And neither did Keith, obviously.

Nice comeback attempt, though. Can't wait to cheer him on in the TOC!

[DWS]

As someone who doesn't know much about college football, I was pleased that I was able to get to California and then the correct response for FJ. However, I wasn't very confident in my response because I couldn't figure out a connection between Golden Bears and earthquakes.

[Austin Powers]

PAGING DR HEIMLICH TO PAUL'S DRESSING ROOM never mind.

Shame such a choke job got bailed out by a weird final. I knew the Hayward Fault was associated with the SF Bay area so I went with Cal over Stanford. But since their nickname has nothing to do with quakes - except for the generic "California gets earthquakes" - it seems like a stupid, lazy question. I mean, really, it's like they had a somewhat guessable question that they felt the need to add a degree of difficulty to, so naturally only the girl gets it when it becomes about sports.

Keith was a funny champ, I can't see him winning the TOC but perhaps he will surprise me.

[Snaxx]

I just got home in time during the pre-final commercial break and now realize I have it DVR'd so I can watch the main show in non-suspense. I did manage Final: Having visited the area earlier this year, I recognized Hayward as near the Oakland Coliseum, but that is pro sports. Well I guess either Cal or Stanford. Neither nickname suggests earthquakes. Those faults tend to run N/S making Cal more likely so I guessed correctly.

[StevenH]

This board was pretty easy, for the most part. And I am really starting to get freaked out by how much material the writers seem to be stealing from me.

Keith and the other male contestant seemed to take turns getting hot, but I was impressed with all 3 contestants. I love how the clues left at the end of the DJ round were all top and second row clues. I thought that Keith was sunk after the John Hughes neg but I forgot that there was a Daily Double still in play. It really looked like fatigue had set in on Keith in this game. It was good that he got himself back in it but I knew that he was a goner when the FJ category was revealed.

I was in the right part of the country but had no guess for FJ, as I was also trying to think of something related to earthquakes. I guessed banana slugs. I agree that it was an awful clue.

[Spaceman Spiff]

12 right in the first round. I should have gotten Aldrin.

Just as a note -- if you see a still picture of the lunar EVA from the Apollo 11 mission, it's Aldrin, unless you see a reflection in his helmet visor. Armstrong had the camera the entire time on the moon surface. (They were supposed to switch midway on the EVA, but President Nixon call came at that point, and they just forgot about it.)

I backed into the Cal Bears -- knew that was a NoCal fault, and the part of the clue "named this since 1895" ruled out Stanford -- they had a name change from the Indians to The Cardinal sometime in the past few decades.

[Bamaman]

I had no idea where the fault was, but figured it was in California. Stanford was the Indians until the 1970s, so that eliminated them. So I was down to Cal, USC and UCLA. Took a guess and went with USC and the Trojans.

Got a chuckle when Keith said he used to be in a funk band and missed a clue about George Clinton.

[Paucle]

4 for 4 this week in FJ and was excited to see the category. Yes! 5 for 5 is in the bag!
Then I saw the clue. Hunh. I thought they said college team nicknames. But instead it's a geography/ science clue.
Ok, so what California College team sounds earthquakey? (Year helped me not at all, I've no idea when these teams were named. Just know their names.)
Finally went with the UCLA Bruins. So, I got the Bear part right. I can't believe 2 contestants got it! I'm thinking it's gonna poll pretty terribly.

[ComingUpMilhouse]

I can't believe 2 contestants got it! I'm thinking it's gonna poll pretty terribly.

I thought Paul missed it too.

[teapot37]

Yeah, that was a terrible FJ clue.

[jeff6286]

College Football Team Nicknames
The team known as these since 1895 plays its home games on top of the Hayward seismic fault.

Spoiler

Who are the California Golden Bears? Ariane got it right, adding "Go Bears!", as she went to school there, but she wagered nothing. Paul had no guess, writing (Thanks, Mom + Dad), but he also bet nothing; Keith said Trojans (for USC).

Keith Whitener: $16,300-$11,701=$4,599
Paul Nelson: $14,000-$0=$14,000...now a 1-day champion with $14,000
Ariane Helou: $10,000+$0=$10,000

[dhkendall]

Anyone else catch Paul's "What is love, baby, don't hurt me"?

Not until you pointed it out. I mean, I heard him say it, but since there was quite a pause (with Alex speaking) between the two, I didn't clue in until you put the two phrases side by side. Clever, Paul!

On the flipside, nothing seemed remotely familiar in Pyramids (Trans-America Building? Huh?)

Rather distinctive building, don'tcha think? (That's why it's called the "Transamerica Pyramid, and I'm sure *I*'ve learned about it in an Uncle John's once. (Also, btw, the image is from Wikipedia, a site I'd assume you spend some time on as an editor).

I don't get how the 5th floor, not the first, would be the widest, however.

I looked over that "colon" clue three times and I still have no idea what they were talking about.

"Colon" can refer to the punctuation (:) or the internal organ. The clue was trying to be clever in the fact that it had a lot of the punctuation mark in there as TOMs. (Don't worry, it sailed over my head until the answer was given, too.)

Also, since when the heck is calcium a metal?

What would you say it is? It isn't a liquid or a gas, and those are really the only states elements are in on the periodic table (although I usually see "synthetic" (ie "man-made") as another "state" on the table as well.

"Neighbor to the northwest of Georgia" at $2000? Really? You guys sure you didn't leave in a Kids' Week clue by mistake?

Tripped up one contestant ...

Yet again a FJ! where the category is enough for me to know that I'll ever get it. Even worse was that I actually put all the pieces together. "Fault" puts it in California, Hayward's near San Francisco. But wait, I can't think of a single California college. I've heard of UC Berkeley, but NHO their mascot.

I do *not* follow US college sports at all (although I've heard of the Golden Bears) so I knew I had no hope there. (Put "Quakers" to have something). This is one of those rare clues where I think even if you know the subject matter inside and out, it still isn't going to help you. Definitely liederkrantz-level, but I'll wait for someone who does know their college sports to give an official declaration, since it'd be unfair for me to do so.

[CyrusChan]

Yeah, that was a terrible FJ clue.

How was this a bad clue? There's 3 clues in this clue: the year(hence, a major university), Fault(West Coast), Hayward(A Nor-Cal City).

The first clue gives you a renowned university coupled with the second one leaves you with just about California school.

The last clue is the hardest part which is to find out which school of UCLA, USC(these two are pretty close, so I would opt for the last one), and Cal.

From here, all you need to know is California what.....

Just a fun fact, it would be absolutely mind-blowing had someone said Cal State as its main campus is in Hayward and knew its mascot!

[Austin Powers]

Yeah, that was a terrible FJ clue.

How was this a bad clue? There's 3 clues in this clue: the year(hence, a major university), Fault(West Coast), Hayward(A Nor-Cal City).

The first clue gives you a renowned university coupled with the second one leaves you with just about California school.

The last clue is the hardest part which is to find out which school of UCLA, USC(these two are pretty close, so I would opt for the last one), and Cal.

From here, all you need to know is California what.....

Just a fun fact, it would be absolutely mind-blowing had someone said Cal State as its main campus is in Hayward and knew its mascot!

Well that's why it's a dumb question, right? I mean, sorting out Stanford aside, if you've got another university in Hayward, well that's a problem. You would like for the answer to "feel right" even if you don't know it, and nothing close to that happened here. Really, anyone can guess that a fault would be in California, but beyond that it felt like a minor crap shoot, and it was reflected in the contestants' answers.

Now, if the Cal nickname actually pointed to earthquakes, or Hayward, or anything, then it would make sense why to ask it. But the question could have easily asked:

"This university's football team plays near the Hayward fault, now tell us that chef who opened Chez Panisse in the same town back in the 1970s."

The actual fact in the question has a "so what" factor to it. Okay, the school is on a fault, and the school's nickname is the Golden Bears. And?

On the other hand, a question like the following might have been more along the traditional process you guess a Final Jeopardy:

"This school's nickname for its sports teams dates from 1895; the subspecies of the animal that they're named for hasn't been seen in the wild since 1922." Adjust its difficulty by adding "West Coast," perhaps, but at least you have to work through it a little bit, and knowing the nickname is actually essential to how you get the answer.

Again, just an incredibly stupid question.

[TenPoundHammer]

Rather distinctive building, don'tcha think? (That's why it's called the "Transamerica Pyramid, and I'm sure *I*'ve learned about it in an Uncle John's once. (Also, btw, the image is from Wikipedia, a site I'd assume you spend some time on as an editor).

First I'd heard of it.

"Colon" can refer to the punctuation (:) or the internal organ. The clue was trying to be clever in the fact that it had a lot of the punctuation mark in there as TOMs. (Don't worry, it sailed over my head until the answer was given, too.)

And it tried way too hard, because the clue: was broken up: so much: that I couldn't: tell what: it was: even: saying:.

What would you say it is? It isn't a liquid or a gas,

…a solid?

[ComingUpMilhouse]

Calcium's in the second column on the period table, so it's an alkaline earth metal.