Courtesy of Tunein, we have
#43, aired 1984-11-07, John Genova game 1 and the earliest previously unentered game in our backlog.
Alex frequently called on John Genova by his full name, for some reason. Was he trying to distinguish from Mr. Gilbert?
When Alex asks George what he plans to do with the money ($23,800 to that point), George explains:
George: Oh, well, for many years, I've been trying to get a bubble gum card collection known as Mars Attacks--
[Robin snickers.]
George: --which came out in 1960, and I'm finally going to be able to afford it.
[Laughter]
Alex: Are you serious?
George: Oh, it's a wonderful set.
Alex: [Incredulously] Okay...
George: And after that, there's a Three Stooges set.
[Laughter]
Alex: Man is putting me on. I don't know why. I don't fit. All right.
The
Mars Attacks collection actually came out in 1962. There are reprints and copies out there for cheap, but to acquire all 55 cards of the original set in mint condition today would probably take all of George's considerable 1984 winnings and then some. The cards were, of course, the basis for the 1996 Tim Burton movie, whose title ended with a bang, even if the plot didn't. (In the movie, Earth is saved with a silly plot device cribbed from
Attack of the Killer Tomatoes. In the card series, Earth is saved by blowing up Mars.) I'd venture George made an investment that appreciated well if he collected the whole set in 1984.
The Noah's ark DD was used as a Final twice, in
#959, aired 1988-11-03 and
#3644, aired 2000-06-08, and as a DD again in
#8497, aired 2021-10-26.
Check out the game dynamics graph. Champ George imploded late in the Double Jeopardy! Round, after hurting himself on a big DD wager and then picking from the bottom of the board to try to recover but only striking out. He avoided the lock by staying in a category he was comfortable with, working up the column at a pace I've never heard on the show. Alex seemed to be on his side against the clock to make the game competitive. During his interview, Alex candidly disclosed that the head grip, Mike, was rooting for George, something that would probably be edited out today.
