Talking Soup

     Recent Coryats:
originally 10-28-05: 15000 (The first time I kept score, it was 13600.)
2-24: 25000
originally 1-9-06: 18800
originally 1-10-06: 28200
     Today's contestants:

Brooks Humphreys (He still looks nervous to me!)

Patrick Quinn (First time on this blog!)

Justin Hofstetter

     Two of these guys, Justin and Patrick, are from Missouri! And as noted many a time here, Brooks is from Omaha.
     Did you see the double gun-finger (or is there another name for it?) from Justin? And the double crossed fingers during the think music at the end? His dramatic gestures! He created kind of a stir, which I got a little involved in, over on the Jeopardy! message boards when he made a Big Papi-style sign of the cross after making the finals on the 22nd. I didn't even go back to that thread after my most recent post there. (At least not til I had to make a link there just now!) My friend's been keeping me updated on it in general, and now it seems the discussion has gone a different direction. Looks like I survived!
     Anyway, Brooks started at Double I, which I wound up sweeping, including this clue I simply must note (even though I haven't played in a long time!): "Games for this product include 'Fortune Street,' 'The Legend of Zelda,' & 'NASCAR Unleashed'."
     Patrick moved to Soup, which I was sweeping when Brooks inexplicably went to 5 Flags Over Texas. Nice try, Brooks: It didn't interrupt my rhythm. I was sweeping it, too, til we got to the last clue in the category, which was the Daily Double. Brooks found it. He had 1600, Justin had 1400, and Patrick had 1200. Brooks wisely wagered everything on this clue: "Following annexation, the U.S. flag was first raised officially in Texas in this city Feb. 19, 1846." This was the first clue of the game that I missed, guessing "San Antonio." Brooks missed it too, going with "Houston." Then he went back to Soup, and naturally, I missed that clue (clammed on it), too: "This name for a thick soup that usually contains pureed seafood is also used for a type of unglazed white porcelain." All three fellas looked like they were trying to ring in, but Justin got there first and incorrectly said "chowder." That must've been the other guys' response, as no one else rang in!
     I felt sorry for Patrick during his interview - Mr. Trebek wasn't clear to me either what he wanted. He asked about Patrick's education, so Patrick started talking about where he went to college (Mizzou). Then Mr. Trebek asked about grade school, so Patrick identified his. Then Mr. Trebek said he didn't want to know that, he was more interested in Patrick's teachers. You know, why do some people assume that everyone's been inspired by some teacher? Mine were just there. Just weird on Mr. Trebek's part, though. No wonder Patrick seemed wrong-footed. Mr. Trebek asked Justin if he went to parochial schools (he didn't), and Brooks said he went to Notre Dame and Creighton.
     I went on to sweep Possessive Actors' Possessions. At the end of the round, Brooks had 1000, Justin had 6800, and Patrick had 2800.
     Speaking of the gaming console in the clue above, I'd not have gotten this clue right in Rolling Stones Lyrics if it had not been for the awesome Just Dance 2: "'Pleased to meet you, hope you guess my name...but what's puzzling you is the nature of my game.'"
     Brooks had 3800 to Justin's 13200 and Patrick's 6800 when he found the first Daily Double in Places to "C."  He wagered 3000...why not all of it, then? Here's the clue: "This body of water receives many rivers, including the Ural & the Kura." He got it right and so did I, but my voice was a lot shakier, as I was far from sure!
     I was happy to get this triple-stumper in European Holidays, as I remember looking it up when my family came across it in a trivia game once: "To celebrate St. David's Day, the Welsh wear this onion relative in their caps or as a corsage."
     Justin found the next Daily Double, in Social Studies. He had 16800 while Brooks had 8800 and Patrick had 8000. Justin wagered 4000 on this clue: "'The Social' this plural noun 'Marketing Book' has chapters on networks like MySpace and Facebook." Justin didn't give a response. (I said "Networks" pretty confidently.)
     I got this triple-stumper in Small Talk (it was a guess): "6-letter word used by People magazine to describe Rachael Ray's 'Dancing with the Stars' dress."
     I also swept the easy Literary Title Overlaps and European Holidays.
     At the end of the round, each guy was in good shape: Justin had 11200, Patrick had 11600, and Brooks had 8800. The Final Jeopardy category was U.S. Memorials. This was the clue: "'No day shall erase you from the memory of time,' from Virgil's 'Aeneid,' is inscribed on a wall at this memorial." This was a triple-stumper, and I got it almost instantly! Justin looked extremely pained when Mr. Trebek said that the memorial is not in the nation's capital. He and Brooks both said the Vietnam Memorial, and Patrick said the D-Day Memorial. Brooks lost 3000, Justin lost 6401, and Patrick lost 6011. Their totals will be added to tomorrow's to determine who replaces as Charles Temple as reigning Teachers Tournament champion.
     My Coryat today was 33400!

Another Oracle of Omaha?

     (I wondered if I should save that title in case Brooks wins this tournament!)
     My Coryat for last night's GSN episode was 23600. The first time I kept score, only in August, my score was 16600.  I guarantee you I didn't answer as many in The Spanish-American War the first time, having studied for my Jeopardy! appearance now!
     Before I get into today's episode, this is weird but it's my blog and I can do this: I'm entering Jeff Korbelik's Dining with Jeff contest in the Lincoln Journal Star. There is one question, Lincolnite though I may be, that I can't find the answer to. I figure since a Nebraskan is on Jeopardy! today, maybe more Nebraskans will be reading this - and I want to win really bad. Here it is: Where was the Rio Grande restaurant located? Help me out, people! Please! I need to know by 5 p.m. on February 27th.
     Now for the moment I've been waiting for - Omaha resident Brooks Humphreys/my chance to blog about one of his episodes.

Leslie Decker

Nate Rice

Brooks Humphreys (I still think he was in my audition, but I may never know.)

     I loved the categories of the Jeopardy round, including French 101, Toys and Games, and College Mascots. The players had trouble, though: Let's just say there were a lot of triple-stumpers throughout the game. I wanted to count them but I'm trying to blog and compile my results for my Twitter friend at the same time, and I'm not sure if I will watch this episode a third time for it!
     Would you believe this was the very first clue of the game, in College Mascots?: "Herbie Husker." I just saw Herbie on both Saturday and Sunday, at basketball games. Nate beat Brooks to the buzzer on this one! For much of the Jeopardy round, Brooks looked like he had trouble ringing in, though. And he looked nervous to me. If he is the guy I'm thinking of at my audition, he was nervous there, too. At the first break, he had 600 while Nate had 3800 and Leslie had 1800.
     Were you taken aback when Brooks said he lives 4 blocks from Warren Buffett?
     Leslie's and Brooks' scores were still 1800 and 600 respectively when Nate found the Daily Double in the round. Nate had 4400. The category was Other Wonders of the World. Nate wagered 2400 on this clue: "The Alcazaba is the citadel of this Moorish masterpiece in Granada, Spain." Nate had nothin', and neither did I. (It doesn't really matter, but I used to live near the California town of this name!)
     Was anyone else wondering how was this a triple-stumper, in Potpourri?: "If you know the correct procedure, you 'know' this, also a tool." Brooks looked surprised when "awl" wasn't accepted. Then I got this triple-stumper in the same category: "'Shaping a Life,' 'Building a Home,' and 'Creating a World' are on the U.S. postage stamp promoting awareness of this." Brooks drew a laugh when he then went to another category. I did notice this: Every clue in the category was a triple-stumper. The scores were dismal at the end of the round: 2000 for Nate, 1000 for Brooks, and 2400 for Leslie.
     We interrupt this recap...About this time during the show, Jeopardy! tweeted this. (They have a way of tweeting while I'm watching the show, don't they?) I'm gonna be near D.C. a couple times this spring (unofficial Jeopardy! reunion, anyone?!), but not when this is happening. In fact the reunion is the very next weekend. While I'm at it, I noticed there are a lot more details about the reunion on the History Bowl site.
     Back to regularly-scheduled programming - Leslie found the first Daily Double of the Double Jeopardy round, in Lesser-Known Women. She had just taken the lead and had 3200. She wagered 1700 on this clue: "Massachusetts' state heroine is Deborah Samson, who, disguised as a male soldier, fought in this war." Leslie got it right! I wound up sweeping the category.
     But Brooks was not to be outdone. He sank his teeth into Toot Sweet and it seemed like game-over from there. (But maybe I'm biased!) He found the Daily Double in the 800 spot in that category. He had 7000 while Nate had 10000 and Leslie had 11300. Brooks wagered 5000 on this softball: "This Sousa piece, the official march of the U.S., includes the tooting of the euphonium, clarinet, & cornet." Brooks seemed to pause, but he got it and looked like he knew it all along. He swept the category. I got 4/5, clamming on "1812 Overture." Just like that he had 16800 to Nate's 10000 and Leslie's 11300. There was one category left, Engineering. Brooks got two of those clues and Nate got one. Nate had one neg in the category. So the round ended with Brooks leading: 19200 to Nate's 9600 and Leslie's 11300. The Final Jeopardy category was Singers. Just before Mr. Trebek read the clue, he gave sort of a hint when he said the singer was "well-known." He gave even more hints immediately after the think music: "a number of hit songs," "a great activist for the environment," and "took us on many a Rocky Mountain High." [rolling my eyes] I couldn't help but notice that none of the contestants looked worried when Mr. Trebek was saying all this. The clue: "On the eve of Earth Day, 2011, he became the first performer inducted into the Colorado Music Hall of Fame." Now this is the second consecutive day I have to go, "Really?!" All three contestants got it right. Nate doubled his score. (Forget it, I'm not touching the wagering today.) Leslie wagered 2000. Brooks wagered 3401, and boy did he look happy to be a finalist! Vamos, Brooks!

There will be blood oranges

     Today I decided to look at my e-mail address book and send out a mass e-mail  to anybody whose name I recognized that I'd lost touch with - co-workers when I lived in California, teachers and classmates from my alma maters (College of Saint Mary and University of Nebraska Medical Center), etc. (I had to make sure of the plural form on that one!) I thought I'd tell people on the early side, and I thought I could make it somewhat simple - five weeks from today! I got 8 responses in half an hour, and some more after that! I feel lucky. I told them about the blog and leaving comments, so I hope I'll be getting more of those soon.
     Before I get into today's episode, my Coryat from last night's GSN episode was 24600. The first time I played...10600?!? I almost couldn't believe it when I looked it up. I wrote that I had 11 negs compared to the contestants' 6, 6, and 3. I wrote that my Coryat would've been 20200 without the negs. This time I count 4 negs.
     Today's contestants (familiar faces, now that it's the semifinals!):

Lisa Johnston (I kinda like her hair and clothes today.)

Justin Hofstetter

   

Kathryn Wendling (Does she look a little like Sela Ward?)

     I started strong today, going 14/15 before the first break. I swept School of Rock and Go "Big", including this triple-stumper: "Ovis Canadensis is this mountain dweller." This is the only one I missed before the first break (I guessed Gucci even though I didn't really know). In Italian Dressing: "One of the first designs of this Italian woman, first name Muiccia, was a handbag made of pocono nylon." Lisa said "Pucci"! At the first break, Justin had a huge lead that was typical of him when you consider yesterday (6000 already to to Kathryn's 1200 and Lisa's -800). And speaking of yesterday, Justin ditched the polo for an orange shirt today, but he still looked quite casual! I don't mind a guy's undershirt showing, but on Jeopardy!?
     I tweeted another Jeopardy! blogger about Justin's clothes. You've probably already clicked it, but watch out for the f-bomb. I don't necessarily feel the need to warn you, but last time I linked to his blog I got nailed - and we're talking almost instantly. The reader was a child whose comments were ghost-written by his dad. I haven't seen the boy around here in a long time, but he has a way of showing up once I think he is not coming back! Don't get me wrong - he did have valuable comments.
     Anyway, I was curious what the blogger thought of Justin's outfit because the blogger has griped in the past about male contestants who don't wear ties! This is what he had to say. (He doesn't disappoint!)
     And speaking of orange, this clue made me think of one on a recent GSN rerun (the entire clue is visible in the picture):

     You know, a former super-champ who advised me after I passed the test but before my audition, specified fruit as something I should focus on. I thought that was so strange, but here it is.
     Did anyone else go "What the crap?!" when Kathryn's "Trump Towers" was accepted in response to this clue in Or Go Home? I know my Trump stuff and I knew that was wrong, but I fell for it anyway and was gonna count mine wrong: "To the penthouse of this alliterative building at 725 5th Avenue, if you're the star of a reality show filmed downstairs." When Lisa found the Daily Double in the same category 2 clues later (also the last clue of the round), Mr. Trebek informed her of her mistake and penalized her. Lisa had 3800, Kathryn had 2000, and Justin had 7400. I'd have wagered it all, but she wagered 1800 on this one: "To Springwood Estate in this New York town, if you're our 32nd president (or his ghost)." This is a poorly-worded clue, and I doubt it's just because I made the same mistake Lisa did. We both gave the correct president, but that's not what they wanted.
     Kathryn had a little chance for revenge when she found the first Daily Double of the next round 2 clues in, in the category February is Black History Month. (Weird category title.) She wagered all of her 2400 on this clue: "A vessel called this historic ship 'of Liberia' left the U.S. in February 1820 carrying free blacks back to Africa." Now I thought this clue was terrible, too! She missed it, but she had a better guess with "Amistad" then I did. That is, none at all.
     I did what Lisa, then Justin did, on this clue in Autobiographies: "A Vietnam veteran: 'Born on the Fourth of July.'" I totally thought it was "Kovacs." Lisa said "Kovac? Kovacs?" then Justin said "Kovacs."
     Now how could a Jeopardy! fan go wrong with a category called This is...a Jeopardy! Category! Too bad - it was terrible too. A clue was read by Mr. Trebek, then Johnny would yell, "This! Is! [another piece of the clue]!" Two of the clues were triple-stumpers.  In fact there was such a "plethora" of triple-stumpers (to reference another clue) that Justin apologized to Mr. Trebek. I did get this one in U.S. Place Names, and I suspect you did too!: "This North Carolina fort likes to 'boast' that it's named for a confederate general who was born in the state." Two people even guessed wrong!
     Mr. Trebek announced that there was less than a minute left in the round, with 6 clues remaining. When there were three clues left - a 1200, 1600, and 2000 - Justin went for the 1600, which I think was the right move. I think the remaining Daily Double would be more likely to be found there, and he was already leading. It wasn't the Daily Double though, and Lisa answered it correctly. Then for some reason she went for the 1200, instead of the higher-value clue, when she was so far behind! It was the Daily Double, though. Then, oh Lisa. She wagered only 3000 of her 8000 while Justin had 18200, and with one clue left that may well remain covered. Even if she'd doubled, though, she'd still have less than Justin. This was the clue: "The name of this suburb of Washington, D.C. is from the Hebrew for 'House of Grace.'" I had the "Beth-" part right but couldn't come up with the whole thing. When Lisa gave the correct response, even Mr. Trebek told her she should've bet more! Lisa laughed it off. I'd like to have seen some fire in her belly.
     *Edit: I don't like to read the message board thread on the episode I'm blogging about until after I've published. Well, I get there and the consensus - so far, and it's early - is that Lisa should've bet less - 1100 in fact. If she'd gotten it right, then, she'd have half of Justin's total with one clue left that may remain covered. She could wager it all on the final then and hope to tie Justin, forcing a one-question playoff. So they say.)
     At any rate, that last clue did remain covered. The Final Jeopardy category was The New Testament - appropriate for Ash Wednesday! The clue: "In chapter 1 of the Acts of the Apostles, Matthias is chosen to replace him." I don't like it much when people go, "Really?" but...Really? This was a no-brainer for me, and all three contestants got it right, too.
     Usually I don't get into the wagering discussion over on the Jeopardy! message boards, but it's worth it here tonight: Kathryn wagered 219. (I'd probably have wagered nothing.) Lisa added 10500, a wager that was too big: She should expect Justin to cover her if she'd doubled. Since he would win in that case, assuming he answered correctly, she should wager as if he'd answer incorrectly. Lisa could expect Justin's wager to be 3801. So if Justin misses, he'd have 14399.  Lisa then should wager 3400 - her only real chance. Justin actually wagered 4000.
     Lisa's wager was too big vis a vis Kathryn, too. If Kathryn had doubled and Lisa missed, she'd wind up in third place.
     So Justin wins, and get this - he made the sign of the cross at the end! And I criticized his nasty Twitter feed yesterday! We'll see him in the finals. Tomorrow - Brooks Humphreys.

Polo Power

     Maybe it's because I've been up a greater amount of time before 4:30 than usual, but Jeopardy! and subsequent blogging just seemed like it was never get here. Finally!
     First, I got to catch up on 5 recent weekend reruns on Sunday. Here are my scores, followed by the score I got the first time I watched them:
originally July 1, 2011: 24600/23400
originally July 11, 2011: 22200/18800
originally July 18, 2011: 27000/19000
originally July 19, 2011: 27800/24000
originally July 20, 2011: 32400/37800 (I cannot explain that! I wish I still had the Coryat grid to compare.)
     My friend Robert tells me that next weekend, Roger Craig's record-setting game (where he achieved the highest one-day total) airs next weekend.
     Other recent Coryats:
originally January 5, 2006: 24400
originally January 6, 2006: 22600
February 20: 20000
originally October 25, 2005: 19400
     (The first time I kept track of my score, it was apparently 26200! I wish I could explain what happened. And I wish I could say I'd kept track of that one with my Jeopardy Challenger.)
     By the way, I'd still love to see other people's Coryats. If you keep track of yours, please post them any time - every time - here in a comment!
     Today was the last day of the Teachers Tournament quarterfinals, but I didn't even realize it til Mr. Trebek had today's winner join him near his lectern.  The contestants:

Pian Wong

Leslie Decker

Justin Hofstetter (He's from Kansas City. I wonder when he auditioned.)

     Justin bears a striking resemblance to my computer guy, right down to the polo shirt. (You don't see that very often on Jeopardy!) He seemed just as warm and nice as my computer guy until I read his R-rated tweets. Whoa! I'm not even gonna link to it. Funny how something like that can cancel my admiration for a guy instantly. It's too bad.
     Anyway, the list of categories in the Jeopardy round redeemed itself with Crossword Clues "S." The contestants went to it first. I only didn't get this one in the category, at 1000: "To consecrate or make holy (8)."
     I got this triple-stumper in Acts of Congress: "This act of 1964 established the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission." Nobody even took a stab at it! Justin found the Daily Double a couple of clues later in the same category. He had an early lead with 3000 while Leslie had 400 and Pian had 1000. Justin said he'd wanted to say it for 21 years (Why that number, I don' t know!): He'd make it a true Daily Double.  Here was the clue: "Britain couldn't afford to pay cash for war materials much longer, so FDR proposed this alliterative act in December 1940." Justin said, "What is the, I just lost $3000 Act?" At the first break, Leslie had 800, and Pian and Justin were tied with 1800.
     I swept Trademarks in the Jeopardy! round, despite not knowing the answer to this clue that Jeopardy! tweeted this afternoon.
     I have no very good reason to include this clue, except I love the subject of it. I break into Salt-N-Pepa's "Whatta Man" whenever I think of him! In The All-Star Game MVP: "2000 was a nice year for this Yankee shortstop; he was both the All-Star & World Series MVP."
     I got this triple-stumper in Let's Hear the Composer's First (Name), probably from studying for my appearance on Jeopardy!: "Menotti's first (& second)."
     At the first break, Leslie had 1600, Justin had 3600, and Pian had 4600.
     I couldn't believe this was a triple-stumper, in Death on a Sitcom: "Chuckles the Clown, dressed for a parade as Peter Peanut, was shelled to death by an elephant on this 70s sitcom." Nick at Nite, anyone?! I swept this category, which the contestants had gone to first.
     When Justin found the first Daily Double of the round, I had answered 10 of the 11 clues right, missing only this one in Teacher's "Pet": "A woman's undergarment like a thin loose skirt." Justin got that one, and I never would have! The Daily Double was in War, Who Ya Got? He had 12400, Leslie had 4000, and Pian had 5000. Justin wagered 4000 on this clue: "Punic Wars: Rome vs. ________." He got it right.
     Justin found the next Daily Double, too, in A Hell of a Quote. He had a huge lead: 17600 to Leslie's 5200 and Pian's 5400. He wagered 6000 on this clue: "'All Hell Broke Loose' comes from this 17th century epic poem." He got it right immediately.
     Justin kept right on steamrolling, and ended the round with a lock at 28400. Leslie had 6400 and Pian had 11800. The Final Jeopardy category was Asian Borders. (Yuck!) This was the clue: "In 1893, the British established the Durand Line, now the boundary, much in the news since 2001, between these 2 countries." (Too many commas!) Justin shrugged when the camera came across him during the think music. He missed it, as did Pian, who lost 10112. Leslie got it right and added 6399, which is good enough to give her a wild-card spot in the semifinals. Those start tomorrow, and I can blog about it! And the next night, too, when Brooks Humphreys plays again! Vamos!
     My Coryat today was 30000!

Oscar makes a grouch out of me tonight

     (Just kinda.)
     Wow. I can't believe it's been a week since I blogged. I worked every evening this week but tonight! So I missed blogging about the end of the College Tournament. (Monica Thieu won.) I also missed blogging about yesterday's episode, which featured an Omaha teacher named Brooks Humphreys. I didn't want to miss that because, the more time passes, the more certain I am that he was in my audition. Brooks won his quarterfinal so I may get my chance to blog about him. Also of note: a buddy texted me the other morning to tell me Brooks was being interviewed on the local Catholic radio station. Maybe I'll get to do that!
     Before getting into today's episode, here are my recent Coryats. (By the way, my friend Robert and I tweet details about our daily Jeopardy! performances. I think I can speak for him; we'd love to have you join us!):
originally 1-3-06: 27600
originally 1-4-06: 23600 (This episode featured message board moderator Andy Gefen!)
2-13-12: 23600 again
originally 10-19-05: 14400
2-14-12: 12600
originally 10-20-05: 19400
2-15-12: 22000
originally 10-21-05: 21600
2-16-12: 18800
originally 10-24-05: 15000
     Also new: I found out today that 6-time champ Dave Leach has his own website, including write-ups of his Jeopardy! experiences. I want to share it with you, too, although I don't see a place for comments there.
     Today's contestants:

Lisa Johnston (I keep wanting to call her "Lori.")

Catherine Whitten (I keep wanting to call her "Elizabeth.")

Nate Rice (I love a man with a deep voice.)

     I should've calmed down before I watched today's episode. First I slept way longer than I thought I would - til 7 p.m., and I like to publish this blog at 9:25 p.m.! When I woke up I had a tweet from the guy who writes about the movies in the Lincoln newspaper. It was in response to my question whether he was holding his annual Oscar contest. He is, which means I had to buy a Friday newspaper today since the Oscars are next weekend and the contest runs in the Friday paper. I don't live in Lincoln, and apparently the gas station on the corner doesn't carry the Journal-Star anymore. So I went to another gas station I know has it, and they don't either! Finally I tried Walgreens, which has always had it - Not anymore. I'm frustrated, but I guess there's nothing I can do now, since it looks like I can't enter online. I don't like to miss his contest! >:-(
     There was that, and I was trying to respond to another guy who tweets back and forth with me and my friend Robert about Jeopardy! And once I started blogging, my poor mom called me to say hi, but when I told her I was blogging she was too nice and said she'd call me tomorrow. She's wise, too, as I'm sure she knew I'd be distracted and anxious to get back to this. I love you, Mom.
     Despite the frenzied feeling, I started out by sweeping Beauty and Makeup. Jeopardy! had tweeted a clue from this category that afternoon, so I was eager to see the whole thing. My favorite clue was about my own makeup, which I hate to admit is as good as the hype: "Bare Escentuals has a foundation called Bare these, said to have no irritating chemicals or preservatives."
     Has anyone else never heard of this man, in Born in 1912?: "This cartoonist's 100th birthday was commemorated with a Google doodle featuring a drawing of his ghoulish family."
     I stumbled through Name the Network: VH-1 for NBC, Nickelodeon for Comedy Central, and TLC for A & E. The first break came in the middle of that. Lisa had 3400 at that time, Nate had 2400, and Catherine had 1400.
     Did anyone else think of National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation when Lisa said she's been attacked by a flying squirrel?:

     I followed up the Network mess by sweeping State Farm, including nailing this triple-stumper: "Fairwinds Farm in Bowdoinham." I doubt I'd have gotten this one if it weren't for a recent clue in the College Tournament.
     I got the next two clues right when the Daily Double came up, in Born in 1912. Nate found it. He had 4000, Lisa had 5000, and Catherine had 2400.  He wagered 1500 on it. I regret missing this one, as I am a dyed-in-the-wool Catholic: "Born in Italy in 1912, he chose a papal name that honored his 2 immediate predecessors." Nate got it right. At the end of the round, he had 6700, Lisa had 5600, and Catherine had 3200.
     I got tripped up again in A Well-Stocked Library: "World Encyclopedia" for "World Book Encyclopedia," and "1001" for "1000."
     I was a little surprised when just "Lee" was accepted for this clue in Last Major Movie Role: "Eric Draven in 'The Crow''; he was fatally wounded on the set." I swept that category, by the way.
     Lisa found the first Daily Double, in Pirates. She had 10400, Nate had 12700, and Catherine had 10800. Lisa wagered 3000 on this clue on which there was no hope for me: "The first Barbary Coast Wars fought on the 'shores of Tripoli' against pirates occurred under this president." This is one where I probably would not dare to guess anything because I'd probably be 100 years off. Lisa got it wrong, too.
     I am giving myself credit for sweeping That's Not Gneiss, even though I said out loud "coal" for "quartz" on this clue: "You're looking at this silica mineral, widely used in clocks and watches."

I had said "quartz" in my head when the clue came up, then just said the wrong thing. "Coal" was the answer to the previous clue.
     The next clue was the next Daily Double. Lisa found it, too, in That's Not Gneiss. She had 8600, Nate still had 12700, and Catherine had 14000. Lisa wagered 3000 again, on this clue: "I am giving myself credit for sweeping That's Not Gneiss, even though I said out loud "coal" for "quartz" on this clue: "This porous volcanic rock floats; After the eruption of Krakatoa, banks of it covered the ocean for miles."

Lisa didn't get it right, but it was insta- for me.
     At the end of the round, Lisa had 6800, Nate had 19500, and Catherine still had 14000. The Final Jeopardy category was Literary Characters. This was the clue: "The only title character in her creator's 6 major novels, she was portrayed in a 1996 film & a 2009 miniseries." I had the right answer instantly, but I switched it to "Mildred Pierce" because I couldn't think of a miniseries with that correct response. Arrrggggh!!!  I liked the movie. This is my favorite part:

Lisa got it right. She'd wagered it all. Catherine got it right, too, and had wagered 7173. Nate got it wrong, and lost 3000. So Catherine wins today.  My Coryat was that magical 28000.
     Now excuse me - I'm going to soak in the tub. (Okay, after I read the message boards.) I deserve it.

Nobody messes with the 'do

     Recent Coryats:
2-7-12: 28400
2-8-12: 21000
2-9-12: 33800
originally 1-2-06: 12000
originally 10-17-05: 20000
originally 10-18-05: 18200
     Today's contestants:

Connie Shi

Matt Olson

Zack Terrill

     I wondered whether there'd a female in today's episode. (I know I could've looked it up.) Two females had already secured their spots in the finals, going into today's episode. Today Connie vied for that third spot. Mr. Trebek said people were asking, "Will this be the year when they have three females in the finals?"
     I thought today's show might go as well for me as yesterday's (see the above Coryat) when this was the first clue, in Pre-Columbian Americans: "A flint spear point from an ancient Mexican civilization was found lodged between 2 ribs of one of these 'woolly' animals." For real? But I didn't know the answer to this next clue in the same category: "2 major deities of the Zapotecs of Mexico: Coquihani, the god of light, & Cocijo, the god of this weather phenomenon." I clammed, but I have to admit I was wondering, Tornado? (I never would've pulled the trigger on that one!) This pretty much illustrates how the week has gone: Easy one second, hard the next.
     At first I thought Zack just speaks quickly (okay, very quickly), but when I see him ring in it seems he's just had too much caffeine. Like I can talk. I do like Zack's hair. It reminds me of Fernando Verdasco's in the unforgettable 2009 Australian Open:

     At the first break, Matt had 2200, Zack had 3800, and Connie had 3200 once her response of "Dr. Xavier" was accepted on this clue in Superhero Movies (speaking of hair): "James McAvoy (with hair) & Patrick Stewart (not so much) have both played this X-Men leader."
     Connie found the Daily Double in Librarians. I wondered how many I could name, but this category was not that hard. The correct responses were people who were known for something else. Matt had 2600 at that time, Zack had 5000, and Connie had 4200. She wagered 1200 on this clue: "As an assistant librarian at Peking University in 1919, he red up on communist theory." (No, that's not a typo.) She and I got it right, and in fact I got all three Daily Doubles right today. At the end of the round, Connie had 7200, Matt had 4200, and Zack had 4600.
     Matt found the first Daily Double in the Double Jeopardy round, which was a cruddy round for me. I was 1/5 in two categories and 2/5 in two others. I was 3/5 in another and I swept Eponyms, which helped me feel better about the round since it was at the end. I also got this last clue of the round, a triple-stumper in Poetic Characters: "e.e. cummings began a poem, this western bison hunter & showman is 'defunct.'"
     Anyway that first Daily Double was in Volcanoes. He had 5800, Zack had 5000, and Connie had 8000. He wagered 2200 on this clue: "In 1944, allied forces in Italy had to evacuate an airfield when ash from this volcano damaged planes." He got it right.
     Matt found the second Daily Double too, in Eponyms. He seemed to be looking for it. There were 5 clues left in the round, counting that one. Matt had a big lead with 18000, while Zack had 10200 and Connie had 8800.  Unfortunately (since he missed it) Matt wagered 6000 on this clue: "Both a horse race & a man's hat are named for Edward Stanley, 12th earl of this." I thought this was a slam-dunk, but like I said, Matt missed it. A painful miss so close to the end of the round. When it came, Matt still led with 13200, while Zack had 11800 and Connie had 8800.
     Usually I wait until after I've blogged (on nights that I do) to read the thread on that day's episode, but I simply couldn't wait to see if anyone was saying anything about the Final. I was proud to get this triple-stumper, especially after a friend tweeted me during the show, indicating he missed it too. The category was Ancient Quotations. This was the clue: "When Byzantine emperor Justinian completed Hagia Sophia, he declared, this king, 'I have surpassed thee.'" I've heard the words "Hagia Sophia," but I don't know what it is. I have to admit I even wondered whether it was a written work. You can't tell from the clue! I gave the correct response almost immediately anyway. Connie lost all but 2 dollars, nearly ending the speculation that she'd make the third girl in the finals. Zack lost 7000, and Matt lost 10401, making Zack a finalist! I didn't realize what a teeny little dude he was until he stood next to Mr. Trebek, who himself isn't very tall. I favor tall dudes but I'm going for Zack in the finals anyway, who by the way has already played Sarah Bart. Boys rule!
     As for next week, I can't blog Monday night and Tuesday's questionable - I have something to do at 2 p.m. meeting and then a friend is working for me in the evening, but not so I can blog - so I can sleep (since I'd be getting up at the equivalent of 2 a.m. and working both nights)! If I'm feeling up to it I'll blog, but we'll see.

Greer and Clothing in Los Angeles

     Recent Coryats:2-3: 30200
originally 12-30-05: 23000
     I went to the archive hoping that today's episode would be there, since I watched the episode from my friend's hospital room (this time in Minnesota!) and didn't have access to a recording. I was faked out at first - not only was today's episode there, but tomorrow's was there too! When I didn't see the names of today's contestants, I thought the episode wasn't posted yet. Come to find out it still really isn't (as of this writing).
     So needless to say conditions were not ideal, but I am just grateful to have seen the show without interruption. (If I'm being picky, there was also no closed-caption and the sound was softer because it came from the little call light device.) I could've gone back to the hotel room but I didn't want to leave my friend since that's why I came. Also the walk is a long one, and I'd already made it to get my netbook and Coryat scoresheet. Today I lucked out because, unlike the last hospitalization, the TV was low enough that I could take the contestants' pictures, as long as they didn't blink or make a weird face when I took the picture:

Marie McGraw

Sarah Bauer

Greer Mackebee

     I wish I had a picture of Mr. Trebek's funky tie: purple with pink polka dots.
     At the first break, Marie (I keep thinking her name is Emily) led with 4800 while Sarah had 1200 and Greer had 1000. It didn't seem like her lead should have been that much, at that time. But she led through most if not all of the game. When Sarah found the Daily Double of the round in a category about strings, she had 3400, Greer had 1800, and Marie had 6000. The clue was about a guy named Donald Duncan, and they were looking for "What is yo-yo?" Sarah guessed string cheese and lost 2000. I got it right but it was a guess, and I'd never heard of Duncan. I looked him up just now. He founded the Duncan Toy Company, which I think I have heard of.
     The only one I missed in the category was about tennis, oddly enough! I didn't know the strings were Kevlar, and I'd never have pulled that out.
     At the end of the round, Sarah had 2000, Greer had 3400, and Marie had 5800. Until we came back from the commercial break, I hadn't noticed how Sarah was holding her buzzer. Mr. Trebek mentioned it then but I noticed it too - She had it poised in mid-air. Then when she pushed it it seemed like she was wasting a lot of time in the move before actually plunging down on the button. But it seemed to be working.
     I swept Pop Culture, but I was clueless about the clue that Jeopardy! tweeted this afternoon from that category: "In the last episode of this NBC spy comedy, Subway buys out the Buy More." Speaking of Twitter, while I was looking for this clue I discovered that 4-time champ Bill MacDonald is on Twitter now! As I tweeted him, this is AWESOME. I deleted it because I'd asked "When did you join Twitter?!" even though I could see he posted his first tweet today. But he responded to it around the same time! He's gonna be an asset to the scene.
     I also swept Around the Whirled. And how was "clef" a triple-stumper? (I wish I had the clue!)
     Like one of the female contestants, I said "Zeus and Hera" when they wanted "Jupiter and Juno" in the Pairs The next clue was the Daily Double, in the same category. They wanted "Troilus and Cressida" but Greer said something like it but not right. He lost 3000.
     At the end of the round, the game was close. Sarah had 12400, Greer had 10400, and Marie still led with 12900. The Final Jeopardy category was Colonial History. It could've been from the Pairs category! They wanted two men in the response. (Sorry, no one's posted the clue on the message boards yet.) I was thinking about Paul Revere and...someone. They wanted Mason and Dixon, which never crossed my mind. Greer was the only one of the three to get it right. He added 7600 to his total, so he's lucky he got it right. The other two guessed Lewis and Clark. Sarah lost 3600 and Marie lost 2000. We'll see Greer for sure in the semis, then.
     My Coryat in the Double Jeopardy round alone was 24800, a good day any other time! My Coryat for the whole game was 33400.

Egg on their faces

     Today's contestants:

Connie Shi

Jaime Alayon

Anne Rozek

     Have you ever heard anyone pronounce "Jaime" like Mr. Trebek does, with the emphasis on the second syllable? He started out hot, Jaime, by sweeping Band Name Adjectives. Anne and Connie each got one right before Connie found the Daily Double in You're Historical. Mr. Trebek noted it was "a bit early for you to find it." The implication in my mind was that Jaime could've capitalized! Connie wagered 1000 on this clue: "This explorer and courtier for whom a state capital is named actually spelled his last name without an 'i.'"

     She and I got it right. At the end of the round, Connie had 4400, Anne had 400, and Jaime had 9600.
     After the Jeopardy round, my friend Robert tweeted me that he thought this game was harder than a ToC game! The Jeopardy round had been average for me, so I was wondering what Double Jeopardy would be like. It seemed average for me too, but my Coryat turned out higher.
     I was pleased to see this clue in The Sophomore Jinx: "In 2004 Bobby Crosby hit 22 HRs for this 'Moneyball' team; 9 in 2005 didn't give much bang for the buck." I had this book reserved at the library, and I just picked it up today. (Has anybody read it?) I'm not sure I'd have gotten this if I hadn't seen the movie. But maybe.
     What was with the weeny wagering by the girls in Double Jeopardy? Connie found the first Daily Double in "Post" Graduate. She had 8400, Anne had 6800, and Jaime had 17600. Why did she wager only 1600? And after answering the previous two in the same category. Anyway, here was the clue, which she seemed to know as soon as she read the clue: "William Barry in 1829 was the first & Winton Blount in 1969 was the last to be this as a cabinet member."
     And why did Anne wager just 2000 on her Daily Double in Entrance Exam? The clue was in the 800 spot. She had 10400, Jaime had 18400, and Connie had 8000.  Here's the clue: "The Anne Boleyn gatehouse at Hampton Court is in this historic architectural style." Anne and I guessed the same thing, and we were wrong.

     I picked up this triple-stumper in Fresh, Man: "The 18th C. book 'Art of Cookery' says a fresh one of these will sink in water & a rotten one will float." Anne's response of "grape" was almost but not quite as good as yesterday's "Dolly Parton" response.
     Everyone who's taped Jeopardy! - and stayed at the hotel, that is - knows the answer to this next clue in the same category: "Every Doubletree hotel bakes these fresh daily & gives one to each arriving guest." My sister and I were happy recipients in December.
     I said "avocado" for this last clue of the round, in still the same category - will you accept it? "Leave the pit in this south of the border dip to keep it fresh longer."
     At the end of the round, Jaime had 18800, Anne had 7200, and Connie had 12400. The Final Jeopardy category was 19th Century Authors.  I was pleased by this Final - It was an instaget for me, at least in part because there was a clue about this on a recent GSN episode.  But it seemed pretty easy anyway: "One of this author's greatest successes came after remarking, 'I want to write about a fellow who was two fellows." Anne got it right and added 4300 to her total. Connie had it right, too, and added 6600. Jaime got it wrong!! He lost 6001, but of course he and Anne both had higher totals - at 12799 and 11500 respectively - than yesterday's contestants, who each finished with a dollar. Too bad. Not to take anything from Connie, but I believe Jaime was stronger today. I believe he led the entire time. feel like his Coryat will definitely be higher than hers. My own Coryat was 24000.
     Next week will be hit-and-miss as far as blogging - I'm going up to the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota to visit my friend, who's going to have surgery tomorrow. I'm gonna bring my netbook, and I might be able to watch the show in her hospital room like we did that one week, but I can't promise anything.

"Give me" a break

     Recent Coryats:
originally 12-28-05 (featuring a contestant from Grand Island, NE!): 13000
originally 12-29-05: 15800
1-30-12: 24200
originally 10-7-05: 13600
1-31-12: 6400 (Ouch!) I feel like I have to admit I could've blogged last night. I just didn't have much to say on the episode, and it has nothing to do with my Coryat. Honestly.
     Speaking of "ouch," I had pen/buzzer in hand and Coryat sheet ready this morning, only to see that last night's GSN episode was a Back to School Week episode.  I didn't play, therefore, and I won't be playing those in the coming days.
     At the beginning of today's episode, I thought I didn't have much to say about it, either. But at the end, it took me three tweets to share my results with my friend Robert. Today kicked off the College Tournament, featuring the same theme song as last time, it seems. The contestants:

Carrie Tian

Weston Mangin

Charlie Rooney

     Were you annoyed by Weston's "Give me..." before choosing a category? He must've planned to say that each time he selected - He was so eager that he actually started to say, "Give me formaldehyde" instead of "What is formaldehyde?" when responding to a clue with that response. At the first break, he had 4200, Charlie had 1200, and Carrie had 2600.
     At the end of the round, I had swept Famous Expressions and Children's Books. I thought I had missed this one, but a boardie said Weston's response actually should've been negged, so I'm counting mine right: "In chapter VIII of this favorite, our heroes take a trip through the deadly poppy field." Weston said "The Wizard of Oz," and I said "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz." I got 4/5 in every other category in the round. I missed, from left to right: "Ghost Protocol," "tag," "frequency," "Volkswagen." Weston had 7400, Charlie had 7200, and Carrie had 2800.  But Weston and Charlie's was not to last.
     How was this a triple-stumper, in I Married a Singer (and at the top of the category?! And among college students?!): "Singer Gavin Rossdale: No doubt, this singer and designer."  "Avril LaVigne," Carrie?! The contestants moved to another category and didn't come back to this one til there was nothing left! There were two more triple-stumpers in the category, both of which I nailed to the wall:

• "Actress Kimberly Williams: This country cutie."
• "Actor Eddie Cibrian: This country sweetheart." (I hope Charlie's reading this - I'd like to know his train of thought: "Dolly Parton"?!)

     I'd have swept the category, but here's what happened on this clue: "MTV VJ Vanessa Minnillo: This former 'Newlywed' & host of 'The Sing-Off.'" I knew it was Nick Lachey, 100%. But before Mr. Trebek was done reading the clue, I thought "Lachey" would not be enough because of Drew. So when it was time to ring in I was thinking about Drew, and I said, "Who is Drew Lachey?" I assure you, I absolutely knew it was Nick Lachey, but I still counted it wrong for misspeaking.
   This is probably not a big deal to anybody else, but I was proud to get this one right when I probably wouldn't have before preparing for Jeopardy!: In It's a Watery World: "In area, this body of water is the smallest of its quintet."

     This is the only other one I got right in the category: "Named for a Dutch explorer, this sea exceeds 3 miles in depth and is known for its unpredictable storms."

     Weston seemed to start his hot streak here, answering the bottom three clues in this category. Then he picked up a cool 2000 and 4800 on Daily Doubles. He also had a nasty get or two. ("Hesperides," anyone?) To be be fair, it looked like Carrie and Charlie were trying to ring in like crazy a few times.
     I was proud to get this triple-stumper in African Americans, also from studying for the show: "His 1912 autobiography 'A Negro Explorer at the North Pole' includes a foreword by Robert Peary."
     I definitely would've expected to get more than one in 12-letter Words, but this is the only one I got: "It's when family and friends gather to tell an addict about his problem & firmly ask him to get help."
     So at the end of the round, Weston had 29400, Charlie had 10800, and Carrie had 4800. The Final Jeopardy category was Word Origins. This was the clue: "For the Arabic for 'storehouse,' in 1731 it was first used to refer to a monthly storehouse of information." No one got the correct response, myself included. Charlie and Carrie had their final amounts to consider, which Mr. Trebek pointed out quite plainly. They wagered all but a dollar, though, so it's basically curtains for them, but Mr. Trebek said they did the right thing! ?
     My Coryat today was 32400. I don't know about you, but I can already see this Weston dude in the ToC.  We'll "C."