Wednesday, July 29, 2015 Game Recap & Discussion [SPOILERS]

[OrangeSAM]

Did anyone notice that the “re-recorded” disclaimer was different today? It said “Some of Alex’s audio was re-recorded when his voice recovered.”

No, I did not have the chance to notice it. (This is not a complaint. This is so rare in Los Angeles that I always picture someone at the station having to blow the dust off an instruction manual when they need to do one of these.)

Yeah, it's been a strange summer in Southern California.

We've seen fire and we've seen rain.
We've seen sunny days that we thought would never end.
We've seen lonely times when we could not find a friend...

Oh, wait, that was just me.

[MTGcollegestudent]

My prediction of yesterday that Jonathan was a lightweight whose tenure would be short-lived came obviously true today. Whyever did he bet EVERYTHING on FJ? If he had covered MAXIMUM BETS by his challengers, he would be a champion again today. In addition to that egregious mistake, he had to be prompted to phrase in the form of a question TWICE in the J! round.

LOL@ the new champ for raking in less money than the 2nd and 3rd place finishers.

LOL@ Jonathan for his answer of Canada as the newest independent English-speaking country in the W.H.

Three cheers for Jennifer for knowing her electronics well enough to know what an IC is.

You know, going back to your theory on Jonathan's "short-lived" win, I can't think of a more hard explanation of a fail bet. One of two things did question me...his wagering, and almost a possible 2nd low score win...I'm wondering my thoughts on ending with low winnings would be an affectance this week...

This was yet one of the most unusual games so far.

[MTGcollegestudent]

This was so strange of a weird game. I'm not sure if Jonathan was maybe trying to be the next Dan Feitel. If he was, he picked a bad time to do that. Unfortunately, rule #1 when you wager in FJ! is to make sure to wager enough, determining which place you are in. Plus too, if he's trying to copy Dan Feitel's style, he needed more FJ! responses right and wager smartly as well, even in a lock. Had he bet $12,301. he would have survived another day. My guess in this case, after yesterday's show Jonathan really wanted more and more money. Here's my theory, If he had got final wrong and chose to bet a covered wager, he wouldn't be getting more money and it would have took him a lot more longer to win even more money. I'm wondering if that's what he was thinking.

[seaborgium]

You know, going back to your theory on Jonathan's "short-lived" win, I can't think of a more hard explanation of a fail bet. One of two things did question me...his wagering, and almost a possible 2nd low score win...I'm wondering my thoughts on ending with low winnings would be an affectance this week...

This was yet one of the most unusual games so far.

This was so strange of a weird game. I'm not sure if Jonathan was maybe trying to be the next Dan Feitel. If he was, he picked a bad time to do that. Unfortunately, rule #1 when you wager in FJ! is to make sure to wager enough, determining which place you are in. Plus too, if he's trying to copy Dan Feitel's style, he needed more FJ! responses right and wager smartly as well, even in a lock. Had he bet $12,301. he would have survived another day. My guess in this case, after yesterday's show Jonathan really wanted more and more money. Here's my theory, If he had got final wrong and chose to bet a covered wager, he wouldn't be getting more money and it would have took him a lot more longer to win even more money. I'm wondering if that's what he was thinking.

What is your first language, again?

[opusthepenguin]

I'm wondering my thoughts on ending with low winnings would be an affectance this week...

I'd wonder the same thing if I knew how.

[BigDaddyMatty]

Coryat: $34,400
45 R/2 W
DD: 3/3
FJ: No chance whatsoever
LT: Belize/British Honduras (DD)

After a Google search, I credited myself with a correct response for "integrated chip." Judges? My two negs were very costly, as I blew $2,000 on dogma for catechism and $1,600 on 1946 for 1947. I also clammed on It's A Wonderful Life because I couldn't believe the $2,000 movie quote could be so easy.

My mom was a huge fan of the Thorn Birds miniseries back in the day, but that was zero help to me. I've heard of McCullough, and in retrospect I remember the unflattering obit, but I couldn't have come up with a single Australian female author if you gave me all day.

Yeah, everyone's FJ! wagers created the giant sucking sound that Ross Perot warned us about, but how about that all-in DD by Jennifer? That's a wager we can get behind.

[ACW]

$200...is that the smallest amount a winner's had?

[dhkendall]

OMG, I came here as soon as I could! Is Keith all right? Did someone alert the authorities?

Oh, one more cheap shot: "Belize" is pronounced with a voiced "z" at the end (I even checked with the country's official website), even though Alex insists on imposing a Spanish unvoiced one on it. Well, maybe the Spanish-speaking population says "Belees," but it was a Britlish colony and speakers of English and English-based creole are the majority.

I have a friend from Belize and you are right that Belizeans pronounce it with a "z" sound rather than an "s" sound. (She doesn't speak Spanish, though, English is her native language and aside from her tan colour skin, you wouldn't know she was from Central America by the sound of her voice.)

You know, going back to your theory on Jonathan's "short-lived" win, I can't think of a more hard explanation of a fail bet. One of two things did question me...his wagering, and almost a possible 2nd low score win...I'm wondering my thoughts on ending with low winnings would be an affectance this week...

This was yet one of the most unusual games so far.

This was so strange of a weird game. I'm not sure if Jonathan was maybe trying to be the next Dan Feitel. If he was, he picked a bad time to do that. Unfortunately, rule #1 when you wager in FJ! is to make sure to wager enough, determining which place you are in. Plus too, if he's trying to copy Dan Feitel's style, he needed more FJ! responses right and wager smartly as well, even in a lock. Had he bet $12,301. he would have survived another day. My guess in this case, after yesterday's show Jonathan really wanted more and more money. Here's my theory, If he had got final wrong and chose to bet a covered wager, he wouldn't be getting more money and it would have took him a lot more longer to win even more money. I'm wondering if that's what he was thinking.

What is your first language, again?

Cut him some slack, his mother was a badly-translated-from-the-Japanese manual for a 1994 Hitachi refrigerator.

Glad they got to all the clues in the Independence Day category, that is a wheelhouse category of mine. (So much so that I didn't need Facebook to remind me of a certain friend's birthday today, I remember that she was born the day of Vanuatu's independence and I also have the date of Vanuatu's independence (July 30, 1980) memorized.)

[forzagiersy]

Bit of fun for you guys: What does today FJ! have to do with this video?:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gODZzSOelss

Hint:

Spoiler

A certain New York Jets OT.

Spoiler

Bingo! Key said that hearing his name while watching football inspired them to come up with the sketch.

Damn shame Key and Peele are wrapping up the series, but considering all the work they're getting I understand why they're doing it.

I’m missing the connection to FJ. Regardless, it’s fun to hear that T’Variusness King went to my alma mater, where we didn’t even get a football team until my junior year.

My alma mater had to settle for The Player Formerly Known as Mousecop. (And no, I'm not considering going to an embroidery place, getting his symbol put on a nameplate, and stitching it to a game-used jersey I bought at the last athletic department tent sale, no sir.)

[opusthepenguin]

$200...is that the smallest amount a winner's had?

Technically, for any final score of $1000 or less you don't get to be called a "winner". You're just a "contestant who gets another try".

My inner Wagering Viking is full of bloodlust at this point. It wants to see Colby come in third tomorrow. That way he goes home with less than the $2000 that half the losers get. I don't condone this attitude, you understand. But I have to acknowledge that it's a part of me.

I suppose, to be fair, the least bad wager won. So Colby's got that going for him. Which is nice.

[opusthepenguin]

I have a friend from Belize and you are right that Belizeans pronounce it with a "z" sound rather than an "s" sound. (She doesn't speak Spanish, though, English is her native language and aside from her tan colour skin, you wouldn't know she was from Central America by the sound of her voice.)

But you would know she comes from a former British territory because her skin has "colour".

[silverscreentest]

While the current corporate franchise of the Washington Nationals has never won a World Series, there was a different Washington Nationals that did win a World Series and their flag flies in Washington, D.C. at Nationals Park.

[Bamaman]

In Tuesday's thread, I defended Jonathan's bet somewhat. His MSBIW was so low ($999) that I assumed he decided to bet it all since he loses on a miss.

I am retracting that defense. He just likes to bet it all for the heck of it.

I remember the miniseries coming on TV, I think my parents might have watched it. But I don't know what it is about, who wrote it or the fact is was set in Australia. So I missed this one.

[Volante]

While the current corporate franchise of the Washington Nationals has never won a World Series, there was a different Washington Nationals that did win a World Series and their flag flies in Washington, D.C. at Nationals Park.

That would be for the Washington Senators (that eventually became the Minnesota Twins, not to be confused with the Washington Senators that later became the Texas Rangers).

[alietr]

All I was coming up with was My Brilliant Career and The Sundowners. Not that I knew the author of either of those. I've definitely put Thorn Birds out of accessible memory. Not exactly my type of thing. Plus it was too much of an investment in time back then.

[John Boy]

Not much to add about the wagering.

I knew they wanted the author of The Thorn Birds, but I couldn't think of her name. Not sure if that's worth a poll question or not.

This describes my stand-and-stare (or in my case sit-and-stare) perfectly. Recall the miniseries, but the author never registered in my brain-pan.

[opusthepenguin]

In Tuesday's thread, I defended Jonathan's bet somewhat. His MSBIW was so low ($999) that I assumed he decided to bet it all since he loses on a miss.

I am retracting that defense. He just likesliked to bet it all for the heck of it.

Fixed that for ya.

Yeah, I totally agree. His first FJ bet was defensible. It took an unnecessary risk, but not a huge one. And he even got an extra $999 out of it. His bet in this game? No defense. None. This wasn't a Wagering Viking situation for him. It didn't involve some obscure scenario about betting from second against a first place opponent who has employed Shoretegy in its strong form but not its intermediate and your third place opponent dresses to the right. (It's distracting. Point that thing somewhere else, buddy.) This was Wagering 101. It was a situation that just needed the bog standard shutout bet that contestants have been able to calculate on their own without prior study for the past 30 years.

[John Boy]

Whyever did he bet EVERYTHING on FJ? If he had covered MAXIMUM BETS by his challengers, he would be a champion again today. In addition to that egregious mistake, he had to be prompted to phrase in the form of a question TWICE in the J! round.

Not necessarily so, not that any explanation forgives the wagering we saw. Jonathan had to bet $12,301 to cover an all-in bet by Colby. So if he misses, he drops "only" to $5,799.

Colby, meanwhile has to realize he can't beat the leader if the leader answers correctly and wagers properly. If 3rd place is not a factor, Colby's best bet is anything up to $9,400. If he also misses, he drops to $5,800 and beats Jonathan by a buck.

But since Jennifer IS a factor, Colby has to bet $6,401 to cover a doubling wager from 3rd place. But if he bets that and misses, he drops to $8,799...which then becomes Jennifer's Number-To-Beat if she is thinking about wagering strategy at all. Therefore...

Jennifer's optimal wager is $2,000. If either of the guys answers correctly, she can't win anyway. The only scenario in which that bites her is if either of the leaders bets really small, which I think is a low probability. In a TS (Jennifer's only realistic hope) she would then win:

Jonathan $18,100 - $12,301 = $5,799
Colby $15,200 - $6,401 = $8,799
Jennifer $10,800 - $2,000 = $8,800

As usual, the third-place player gains an advantage if the FJ clue is a real toughie, and if he/she is savvy enough to know how to take advantage. Of course in this game none of the three seemed to have ever considered wagering strategy. This was a truly sad end-game.

[nklotz]

I'm wondering my thoughts on ending with low winnings would be an affectance this week...

I'd wonder the same thing if I knew how.

Oh god my sides

[brick]

I'm wondering my thoughts on ending with low winnings would be an affectance this week...

I'd wonder the same thing if I knew how.

Oh god my sides

To say nothing of your folios!