Q and A with Kathy Wright

Q: How many times did you try out for the show? 

Kathy: I had always thought it would be fun to be on the show, ever since I was a teenager, but that was back in the day when you had to send in a postcard, and then go to LA to audition. It just seemed like one of those one-in-a-million things, so I never tried.

     Then, in 2009, I had my second go-round with breast cancer. Part of my treatment was chemotherapy, and I definitely felt the after effects of that, the so-called "chemo brain". It's very real, by the way. So, in an effort to combat my fuzzy thinking, I started watching the show again in earnest, every night. That's when I heard about the online test, which I took for the first time in 2011. I got called for the in-person audition in Seattle in August, 2011, and got "the call" in February, 2012.
     Each step of the way, I thought of it as something fun to do that probably wouldn't go any further. (I'm the queen of lowered expectations.) Online test -- "Hey! That was fun!" In-person audition -- "Free Jeopardy! pen, woo-hoo!" Getting the call -- "I get to play Jeopardy! You're kidding me!" Winning -- "What the...just happened?" My friends have commented on my seemingly calm demeanor on the show, but my heart was going a mile a minute. Also, a major life-threatening disease can make a lot of other things seem less scary. I was just so happy to be there... I'm happy to be anywhere, now! (I'm done with treatment and things are looking good, fyi.) (And, Jeanie, NURSES RULE!!!)
     I missed a couple of gimme questions at the Seattle mock game, and really felt mortified, plus I thought my interview was lame, so I left there thinking that was the end of it. Consequently, when I got the call I had not been studying in the interim, and I really wished I could've had those 5 months back. 

Q: Did you do anything to prepare?

Kathy: I used the archive and the pavlovs before the audition, so I went back to those to prepare. I also spent a lot of time with an atlas, and the excellent series of Cartoon History books. The best thing I did was to enlist my friends' help. I asked them to tell me about things they were proficient in. My mom helped me with opera and classical music, coworkers helped with certain literary specialties, my brother (a librarian with an MFA in theater) reviewed drama with me, and I had my poet husband read me a poem aloud every night. My son, an Asperger's genius who had memorized the presidents at a very early age thanks to a giant poster in his room, helped me with that. I thought this method would help things "stick" and it did. For example, my brother went over the wives of Henry VIII with me, which got me "Anne of Cleves". One of my favorite things about playing my games was that as the "answers" on the board were revealed, I would think of the way I had learned a particular fact, or be reminded of the person who taught it to me. In that way, I felt like my friends and family were there with me on stage. It was wonderful!

     I will also say that there are some things you just can't study for. Like who would know to study cleaning products? And the wordplay categories, which are some of my favorites, I don't know how you would study for that.
     Believe it or not, I also studied wagering  . My brain, even before chemo, just does not deal with math. I remember shedding tears when trying to understand the < > symbols in elementary school. My grasp of wagering concepts, especially under pressure, was shaky. With my wager against Aaron, in the first game, I knew what I was supposed to do, but I added rather than subtracted. Or was it the other way around? I still can't get it right. But, it does seem to me that TPTB don't really care about wagering skill, or they would screen contestants for it, or spend more time teaching it. I think they just care about a well-played game, and who wins or loses is irrelevant.Q: Did you stay to watch the last episode of the day?

Kathy: I'm sorry to say I did not stay for the final show of the day. I had watched all five shows taped the previous day without being picked to play, which was very fun, but somewhat tiring. I slept ok the night before the first taping day, but after a day of sitting in the studio audience waiting to be called at any moment, and getting no exercise other than walking to Dinah's Fried Chicken near the Doubletree with my brother to get some dinner, I got almost no sleep the night before my shows taped. I thought of taking something but I thought it might slow down my reaction time. Note to future contestants: the workout room at the Doubletree is open 24 hours. I didn't notice that until the next morning, though, so I was running laps in my room at 3 am trying to tire myself out. So, after playing my three games, I was pretty wiped out. And we had an 8 pm flight back to Seattle.

Q: Did you happen to go to O'Brien's pub quiz while you were out there?

Kathy: I didn't do the pub quiz you mentioned. In fact, I've yet to attend one at all. I have some much younger co-workers who play at one in Seattle, which they mentioned when they heard I was going to be on Jeopardy! but in a way that meant, "you're too old to hang with us." I will be going to TCONA in Las Vegas in August, which I think will be a blast. I love Las Vegas!

Q: You said your grandparents lived in Victoria. Do you still visit Canada often? (Funny story about this: I'd tweeted Andy asking if he had any questions for you, and when he responded like this I thought he meant I said I have grandparents in Canada. I was like, What did I ever say that led you to think that? I puzzled over it for quite a while before I read that he intended to ask you that.  )

Kathy: My grandparents ran two bookstores under the name Poor Richard's Books in Victoria BC in the 1970's. My grandfather was originally from Lethbridge, Alberta, but went to the University of Oregon and lived in the States for many years. They retired to mainland BC, and were living just over the border near White Rock when they passed away a couple of years ago. I wish they had been around to see me on Jeopardy! since they were my introduction to the show, which seems to be the case for a lot of contestants. But, if there is a heaven, I imagine they have Jeopardy! on the TV. I haven't been back to Canada since they died, but I would like to get to Victoria again some day.

Q: Is there anything else you want to say?

Kathy: I really enjoyed every moment of my Jeopardy! experience, especially meeting the other contestants and Robert, Maggie, Corina and the crew, and just getting to be on the set. I will certainly go to a taping if I'm in the area at the right time. Thanks, everyone!

     Kathy was cool enough to pass along photos of her father when he looked like Mr. Trebek during the latter's "High Rollers" days. (She mentioned their resemblance in her first contestant interview.)
     Congratulations on your wins Kathy, and thank you!

     






     
     


     

June 28, 2012

Again, Andy here with the recap of the June 28 episode. A day late, I know, but I won't be a dollar short!

Three female contestants today, with Lindsay Shields and Amy Paull challenging one-day champion Anna-Lise Santella.




J! round categories: PEN NAMES, FRUITY RHYME TIME, BUSINESS & INDUSTRY, THIS & THAT, MARX, LENNON

All three ladies had no problems ringing in, and it was quite a competitive game to open; Lindsay found the first Daily Double under LENNON $600. Holding $2,200 to Anna-Lisa's $2,000 and Amy's $1,400, Lindsay bet $1,000 and saw the following: John & Yoko's favorite area of Central Park was officially named this in 1981, after a Beatles song that he wrote. Her correct response brought her to $3,200.

In case you were wondering, you can find Lindsay's blog at http://shesgoteverything.blogspot.com and her Tumblr at http://litterinstoreslitterindoors.tumblr.com/ - I really found myself cheering for her through the first two rounds...I may have had my heart broken slightly by the end of 30 minutes, though!

Lindsay did kept her roll going through most of the rest of the Jeopardy! round; your scores had Amy at $1,600, Anna-Lise $3,200, and Lindsay leading at $6,200.

DJ! round categories: RAISE "A" GLASS, STATE CAPITAL BIRTHPLACES, AFRICAN-AMERICAN ACTRESSES, REACH FOR THE STARS, THE 14TH CENTURY, and PARTIAL OPPOSITES

This was an interesting round; it felt as if RAISE "A" GLASS might have been better suited for a Tournament of Champions, in my opinion.

REACH FOR THE STARS got the game back on track, and it was Amy that found the first Daily Double in the round, at the bottom of that category. She had $5,200, Lindsay $6,200 and Anna-Lise $7,200. Betting only $1,000, her clue read, "A Y-shaped group of 4 stars depicts a water jar in this constellation"; she got it correct and tied herself with Lindsay.

After everyone seemed to have so much trouble in PARTIAL OPPOSITES as well, it seemed interesting that the final Daily Double was in there, at the $1,600 level. Amy saw this one as well, just after taking the lead. Holding $7,800 to Anna-Lise's $7,200 and Lindsay's $5,400, she bet $1,000 once again. Her clue: "The OED says this 12-letter adjective meaning definitely not amazed & impressed dates back to the 1950s". After counting the letters, Amy got to the correct answer, and her score went up to $8,800.

The minute-to-go signal came with 9 clues to go, and on came the Triple Stumpers! I think if I were Lindsay, only down $200, I might have actually started at the top of the final category (THE 14TH CENTURY), if only to keep Anna-Lise from taking the lead in the span of one question. As it turned out, Amy got the $1600 clue to make the scores the following going into Final:

Amy $10,400
Lindsay $8,600
Anna-Lise $7,200

FJ! categories: NOVEL TITLES

FJ! clue: The title of this scandalous novel set in 1930s Paris symbolizes "the disease of civilization"

Anna-Lise 7200 - 1401 = 5799
Lindsay 8600 - 3500 = 5100
Amy 10400 - 6801 = 3599

Anna-Lise remains champion as a 2-day champion, with $21,199.

I'm not sure I can see a redeeming quality to Lindsay's bet here, to be honest. The situation had her in Stratton's Dilemma, but her bet both fails to win a Triple Stumper as well as covering in case Anna-Lise doubles. I think I would have had to grit my teeth and bet to cover Anna-Lise myself, but it certainly isn't the easiest situation to bet from, either!

I didn't track Coryat today, but I did get the Final -- it was the best guess I could come up with. I'll be back with a couple of recaps next week; Jeanie's got some fun interviews lined up that I'm looking forward to reading, though!

June 27, 2012

No fancy title today as I don't want to confuse anyone, as we're a couple of hours behind this week on recaps; Andy here with the recap of the June 27th game!

Tim Wong and Anna-Lise Santella are your challengers for newly-minted champion Jon Shoup.





J! round categories: FASHION, PRESIDENTS BY KIDS, BOY SCOUT TIES, HAPPY BIRTHDAY, "FOR", HE'S A JOLLY GOOD FELLOW

Surprise of the day, under HAPPY BIRTHDAY $400: & a big happy Sept. 26 birthday to her, born at Sea World in 1985 & the 1st killer whale to survive being born in captivity. Had no idea the answer was female. Learn something new every day, right? I hope this isn't a bad omen for the rest of this game for me...

Tim saw the first Daily Double of the game on the game's 5th clue at the bottom of HAPPY BIRTHDAY. Holding $800 to Jon's $400 and Anna-Lise's $200, Tim bet $1000 and saw the following: The commemoration of this former U.S. Senator's June 3, 1808 birthday is a legal holiday in several southern states. My first instinct was Sam Houston but I eventually settled on the correct answer. Tim was unable to come up with an answer and fell to -$200.

The first break seemed to come early, after only 12 clues. I usually only see that if one person's dominating the buzzer, and I didn't really see that taking place too much. Unusual.

In spite of my limited camping experience, I did get the following Triple Stumper (BOY SCOUT TIES $1000): A clove hitch is useful in camping; tie a rope to your sack of food, whick you'll hang high to make this alliterative "bag"

At the end of the J! round Tim had $-200 (he did get in a couple of times but his negs cancelled out his gets), Jon had $4,600 and Anna-Lise led with $6,600.

DJ! round categories: IN UTAH ROW, NATURE, "M"USICALS, THE RIVER OF HISTORY, A FEW 4-LETTER WORDS, MY BIG FAT GREEK LIT CATEGORY

The first Daily Double came early again, Jon found it under THE RIVER OF HISTORY $1600. Trailing Anna-Lise by the clue value (5000 to 6600, Tim still at -200), he bet only $1500 and saw the following: Until the Erie Canal opened, this 981-mile tributary of the Mississippi was the main route west for goods & people. His correct response put him $100 off the lead.

Anna-Lise did quite well on "M"USICALS to build up a lead, but it was Tim who found the final Daily Double under NATURE $1600. Holding $1800 to Jon's $6900 and Anna-Lise's $11,400, Tim bet $2000. His clue: The moonflower, whose blossoms open in the evening, is a fragrant variety of this A.M. flower. His correct response put him at $3,800.

Tim found his buzzer mojo as the Double Jeopardy! round wore on, to the expense of Jon, who was unable to keep Anna-Lise at bay.

While I didn't like Anna-Lise's idea of going to the bottom of IN UTAH ROW while trying to protect a lock game, it didn't end up hurting her, as the scores going into Final:

Anna-Lise $19,400
Jon $7,300
Tim $5,800

FJ! category: EARLY FILMS OF OSCAR WINNERS

FJ! clue: The 1995, 2003 & 2006 winners for Best Actor all appeared in this 1982 teen comedy

Tim: 5800 - 0 = 5800
Jon 7300 + 4301 = 11601
Anna-Lise 19400 - 4000 = 15400 (1-day champ, $15,400)

I did get the Final, half from "1982 teen comedy", the other half knowing about Nicolas Cage and Sean Penn.

I'll be back in 24 hours with the recap of the June 28th game!

Two more unofficial Jeopardy! reunions

      I'm back in blogging mode after having been gone to Baltimore/D.C./New York for several days. Even though I had to watch both new and rerun episodes after I got back, Jeopardy! was on my mind: I got to see both Beau Henson (lunch) and Vince Gatton (coffee) in New York City on Monday. (Click here to see a picture of me and Vince.)

Our third attempt. We were successful only after Beau held the camera with me!

   











     Actually me and Vince's picture took way more than 3 tries, but it was because we couldn't figure out which direction his eyes should be aimed to look normal!
     To be honest, I'm not sure how much to say about either rendezvous! There was plenty of interesting conversation but I don't want either guy to be surprised that something he said is published here. I'm even afraid to ask if they mind me saying particular things they said! I have a feeling a lot of it will come up in future posts though. And I'll be less likely to worry if you ask us questions here and we answer 'em. I do hope you like the pictures! Both were gentlemen and I appreciate their willingness to go out of their way for us to get together.
     Now speaking of Beau, who still has a chance (admittedly remote) of making the next ToC, David Menchaca lost his 6th game on Thursday. (Last reminder that he'll be answering questions here. I'd look for it Monday evening, but after this past week, who knows?) And Margaret Swanson (see the comments in that same post) won her third episode on Monday, but had not earned as much money as Beau did in his three wins. I had not expected to be able to blog about any of her episodes, but due to a series of events I couldn't plan (both David and Margaret's extended runs, both delayed and miscommunication, getting called off work tonight, etc.), I am able to blog about her last episode. Did she make it four wins and overtake Beau on the ol' ToC list? Find out below...
     The contestants:

Jim Abbott of St. Augustine, Florida (Did you half-expect to see the one-handed pitcher?)

Jon Shoup of Charlottesville, Virginia

Margaret Swanson of Somerville, Massachusetts (like another champ we know!)

     Mr. Trebek described Charlottesville as a "beautiful, beautiful city." (Did you also notice he said sometimes episodes end in tears...for children?) Well I was just in Charlottesville this past week, at Monticello and also a local Chick Fil-A. If you haven't gone to a Chick-fil-A, don't. (You're welcome.) I do recommend Monticello, but bring $24 for admission.

     You know this game started out on the right foot for me when Health & Nutrition. The whole category was left when Mr. Trebek gave the less-than-a-minute warning, and we didn't see one of the clues. I got the four right we saw!
     The game started out well for Jon too, who had gotten 5 clues right and had 1 neg when he found the first Daily Double in Speech! He had 1600 at the time. Jim too had gotten 1 right and had 400. Jon wagered on this clue: "In 1862 he told the Prussian diet, 'The great questions of the time' will be decided by 'iron and blood.'" Jon and I missed it, but only he lost 1000. ;-)
     By the first break, Mr. Trebek felt the need to say, "Poor Jon, he's been up, he's been down, he's been up, he's been down..." Jon had just guessed "Bela Lugosi" for the second (still wrong) time in The Scream Actors Guild. Jon had also gotten 2 right though since his Daily Double and had 600. Jim had gotten 1 wrong and 4 right and had 1800, and Margaret had gotten 3 right and had 2000.
     Jim put on glasses after the break. He got 4 more right and 1 neg, and ended the round with 3000. Jon got 6 more right and had 3800. Margaret had 3 more right and 1 neg, and had 3800. I swept Last Name's the Same.
     Jon endeared himself to me when this happened:

     I was proud to get this triple-stumper in Other Red, White, & Blue Flags: 

Brittanica says the white disc on this landlocked Asian nation's flag , seen here, honors the Japanese.

     When Jon found the first Daily Double in Travels with Charley, he had gotten 7 more right and 1 wrong and had 9800. Margaret had gotten 4 right and 1 neg and had 5400. Jim had gotten 3 right and 2 wrong and had 3000. Jon wagered 2200 on this clue: "Prince Charles traveled to Aberystwyth, where he learned this language to prep for a 1969 investiture." Jon and I got it right.
     I was a little surprised when Margaret said "Revelations" in response to this clue in Antonyms of Bible Books: "'Concealment.'" It seems like this has happened a few times before. Jim picked it up.
     We had a minute to go and seven clues left. Margaret found the next Daily Double in John Steinbeck with 3 clues after that one. She'd gotten 2 right and the 1 neg since the last Daily Double, and had 8200. Jon had gotten 2 more right and had 15200. Jim had gotten 4 more right and had 6600. Margaret wagered 2000 on this clue (I'd probably not have wagered that much.): "'Jody put out his bruised hand again, and...' this title animal 'let his nose be rubbed.'" She didn't get it right. The next clue was a triple-stumper, and the last two clues were left hidden. This made the game a runaway then for Jon.
     The Final Jeopardy category was Historic U.S. Cities. This was the clue: "A 1905 treaty named for this U.S. city ended a foreign war 7,000 miles away & was actually signed at Kittery, Maine." I didn't get this one. Neither did Margaret, who lost 5800. Jim got it and added 5801. Jon missed it but it didn't matter of course. He lost 14179 but got to play again today. Andy will recap today's episode, tomorrow.
     My Coryat today was the magical 28000 (but 30200 without negs). Now for the updated ToC list:
1. Monica Thieu $100,000 (College Champion)
2. Patrick Quinn $100,000 (Teacher's Champion)
3. Jason Keller $213,900 (9 wins)
4. Joel Pool $116,800 (6 wins)
5. Dave Leach $98,054 (6 wins)
6. David Menchaca $116,503 (5 wins)
7. David Gard $84,700 (4 wins)
8. Dan McShane $62,001 (4 wins)
9. Patrick Morrison $80,701 (3 wins)
10. Francis Lansangan $78,401 (3 wins)
11. Joey Falco $53,999 (3 wins)
12. Beau Henson $51,203 (3 wins)
13. Margaret Swanson (3 wins)
14. Claudia Gray $45,202 (3 wins)
15. Dan Adkison $37,400 (3 wins)
----
16. Jacob Silverman $35,998 (3 wins)

     My recent Coryats:
6-21-12: 15400 (19400 without negs)
6-22-12: 19200 (25600 without negs)
6-25-12: 30400 (32800 without negs, and I had at least 1800 worth in Double Jeopardy, not counting 3 in the Peas category, where I should've buzzed in.)
originally 10-2-08: 23400 (26200 without negs)
originally 10-3-08: 21200 (24800 without negs. I blogged about this one when it was a weekend rerun almost two years ago.)
originally 10-6-08: 14000 (22000 without negs. I know.)
originally 10-7-08: 28000 again (but 31800 without negs)

Q and A with Sally Greene

     Presenting Sally Greene, who appeared June 15th on Jeopardy!

Q: Were you there on both Tuesday and Wednesday the week you taped? Will you tell us about Tuesday, if you were there?
Sally: I was only there on Wednesday (Kathy sat through the Tuesday tapings and was the "leftover" from that day). Since I was selected last on Wednesday, I got to sit through four other tapings which I think helped to calm my nerves. However, it was frustrating to see so many earlier categories come up that I could easily run.  My strengths are history and sports, and there was a little less history on my board than usual.
Q: I thought Bissell and Edison were some of your better gets.
Sally: I had actually studied a list of inventors and was excited when that category came up. The stock ticker and carpet sweeper were two from my studies I thought were interesting - not what you would expect so they stood out.
Q: What did you use to study? Also, how many times did you take the Jeopardy! test?
Sally: This was only my second try at the online test although I have watched the show since the Art Fleming days (that will date me). I used the world almanac and book of facts for a lot of my studying, as well as various lists I got from the internet.
Q: I'd seen on the Internet, someone thought you were Tournament of Champions material after your impressive J round.
Sally: Obviously, I couldn't be more pleased with the way the first round went, but I am very disappointed with the second round. The categories weren't the best for me - there were a lot more than usual that I didn't even try to ring in on, and I lost a lot of momentum. I wish I had gone to the zodiac rhyme time earlier, or gone for larger amounts near the end, but in retrospect, if I had been ahead going into FJ and then blew the last question it would have been even more disappointing.
Q: Is there anything else you want to say?
Sally: David played a great game. I knew both Daily Doubles in the second round but just didn't hit them. David did a better job of fishing for them which wasn't my strategy - a poor one in retrospect. The game was exciting and I did the best I could at the time.  My two goals going in were to have fun and not totally embarrass myself and I think I accomplished both of those. My two biggest disappointments were the two questions I missed. I taught government for years and covered polling and "margin of error" with my students. The judges actually had quite a
conference on that one for about five minutes, so they at least talked about giving me credit for "percentage of reliability". As for final - I totally approached that question the wrong way. I focused on the French part, then put down "Dominican Republic" and the minute I wrote it down I knew the actual island was Hispaniola but didn't change it as I knew it was wrong too and I was trying to think of something better. Had I just started with the list of the largest islands, which I knew, and worked backwards from there, I might have had a better chance.

     Thank you so much, Sally! 

Q and A with Aaron Cappocchi

Q: When I heard you were a writer, I intended to ask what you write. You sort of answered that on your last day! You're writing a fantasy novel - What about the screenplay?

Aaron: I was very pleased that Alex asked me about that on my third show (he went “off card” and didn’t ask about any of the 3 stories he had for me on his reference card).  I would have been even more pleased to have my novel finished by the time the show aired, as I’m sure a few people searched for it after watching.  I plan to have that novel or another one I’m working on published as an e-book this year. 

     As far as screenplays, I am lucky enough to work in the entertainment industry, and have access to lots of scripts, analysis and critiques of them, and a view into the moviemaking process.  As you might imagine, I have many scripts in various stages of concept and completion.  The one I’m primarily working on finishing right now is Los Angeles Grand Prix, about a ex-race car driver who gets forced into a dangerous, illegal 24-hour street race, which takes him tearing all over the city – with his sulky teenage daughter along for the ride.

Q: Do you have a favorite author?

Aaron: I’m a big fan of William Gibson, George R.R. Martin, Lev Grossman, Catherynne Valente, and Christopher Moore. But my favorite is probably Neal Stephenson – he writes dense, thinky historical fiction tomes, along with light and snappy adventure tales.  My favorite is The Diamond Age, which is somewhere in between those extremes.

Q: I found you on a board game forum. Can you tell me about that interest?

Aaron: That would be www.boardgamegeek.com, a treasure trove of information and news about boardgames with a great community of users. 

     I enjoy board games because I have a very competitive nature (who would have guessed?), because they’re a good way to gather a group of friends around a table for some fun, and because a good game experience tells a story, with a beginning, a middle, and an end (and maybe a few surprises on the way). There are more options than Monopoly – Settlers of Catan and Carcassonne have somewhat broken into the mainstream, but there are games of just about any style, subject, and complexity that you might desire. 

     A couple of my favorites are 1960, an election game recreating JFK and Nixon’s struggle for the White House, and Battlestar Galactica, a game where one or more players are secretly traitors working against the rest.   I own over 200 board games – that might seem excessive, but it’s less than a lot of addicts, I mean enthusiasts, I know.

Q: One word - Pentecost.

Aaron: Jeopardy! airs over 600 questions a week and writes many more.  So of course there are occasional mistakes, or clever answers given that they do not expect, but still turn out to be acceptable. But what a strange experience to be on a show where the Final Jeopardy clue did not point to the answer the writers were looking for! 

     For anyone who didn’t see it, on my second show (airdate June 11, 2012): The Final Jeopardy question in the category “Events in The Bible” was ‘Acts 1:13 says this event occurred in "an upper room" ‘.  The answer they were looking for was The Last Supper and the answer I gave was Pentecost.  With a pretty thorough knowledge of the Bible, I was fairly confident in my answer but not 100% (sometimes 13 years of Christian school pays off!).  Pentecost (actually the name of a feast day, but it also refers to a miracle where tongues of flames descend from heaven) actually occurs in Acts 2, but I knew the timing was very close.   Last Supper was ruled correct, and my answer incorrect.  My lead was large enough that I won the game anyway. 

     However, I (and the producers) immediately knew that something was amiss.  Taping of the show is often stopped for a couple of minutes to confirm an answer, check a fact, or correct a mistake.  But instead of moving on to the next show after this Final Jeopardy, taping stopped for a good 15-20 minutes, longer than I have ever experienced.  I could see producers and judges offstage conferring, looking up things in books, and making phone calls. 

     The Last Supper had never occurred to me, because it occurs in three of the first four books of the New Testament, right before the crucifixion. Jesus gathers his 12 apostles, including Judas, in an upper room (hmmmmm) for a famous meal – I think Leonardo Da Vinci was also there to paint the scene, though I don’t know why everyone was sitting on the same side of the table!  :) 

     Later, in the book of Acts, Jesus has already died and risen again.  Judas is dead.  And in the beginning of that first book of Acts, Jesus has just ascended into heaven! He’s gone, baby.  How can Acts 1:13 be referring to the Last Supper, something that happened many days ago with a different cast of characters? 

     Well, it’s not.  My theory is that the writers originally drafted the clue to cite Luke 22:12 or Mark 14:15 - verses that reference an ‘upper room’ and immediately lead into the tale of the Last Supper.  Perhaps they thought those were too obvious, and switched to the Acts verse to throw us off a bit?  Or they simply got into a mindset while crafting the clue that Upper Room always equals Last Supper, and didn’t examine the surrounding verses for context. 

     So what is the right answer?  If you read all of Acts 1, you’ll find that they went into the upper room and they prayed there.  A bit later, they elected Matthias to replace the dead apostle Judas. Those two things are probably the best correct answers to the question as phrased – but they are not exactly what you’d think of when trying to recall major “Events in The Bible”, are they?  They require very specific knowledge of one book, and they aren’t very momentous events.  Even though those are the best answers, we can infer that they really aren’t what the writers were looking for.

     Is the Last Supper a correct answer?  Maybe.  It did happen in an upper room, though it occurred many days before the events in Acts.  Scholars even disagree whether it was the same upper room or not (a different word is used in the original language). 

     Is Pentecost also a correct answer?  Maybe. Trust me – I have done a lot of studying and research on this issue!  Pentecost (in Acts 2) follows closely after the events in Acts 1, but the location isn’t stated outright.  I have seen some authors plainly say “it took place in the same upper room” and some say that its location could be anywhere nearby.  Pentecost could be correct, and it’s a fairly major event in the Bible, as the category seems to imply… but it could be wrong too. 

     What a nightmare for the Jeopardy crew, to ask (and film) a Final Jeopardy clue with… no correct answer? A variety of possibly correct answers?  A very obscure answer that no one but a biblical scholar could get, and not the same answer they judged correct?  Luckily for them, no scenario of correct/incorrect answers could affect the outcome of the game – I was first place no matter right or wrong, and 2^nd place was 2^nd place no matter right or wrong.  So the only thing to do was credit us both with right answers.  The show aired as taped, with my answer judged incorrect but me still finishing in first, and then an immediate edit where Alex explains that there was a mistake in the clue and I would be awarded an extra $12,002 for my $6,001 Final Jeopardy wager.  Whew!

Q: Can you talk about your Final Jeopardy wager on Tuesday?

Aaron: Before going in to appear on the show, I had studied quite a bit on how to bet.  I am shocked at how many wagering mistakes I see regularly on the show – though I made one as well, a $6000 Daily Double bet that should have been an $8400 “true” Daily Double. It is difficult to do math and think about all the implications of your bets there under the studio lights, with the crowd waiting for your answer, Alex looking at you expectantly, and precious seconds ticking by.  But if you ever have the opportunity to go on the show, study wagering theory and potential Final Jeopardy scenarios very closely.  Strategic wagering is nearly as important to your chances of winning on Jeopardy as your buzzer skill and your base of knowledge.  A lot of good advice can be found in former champ Michael Dupee’s How to Get on Jeopardy!... and Win.
     At the end of Double Jeopardy on Tuesday, I had $19,200 and the leader had $21,000.  My wager was $1,999 and hers was $17,398.  Why such a tiny wager? You always assume that the leader will wager to cover second place's maximum total.  In a close game like that, the best shot at second place getting the win is for the leader to miss Final Jeopardy.  With the right bet, 2^nd place will end up ahead whether they were right or wrong. If the leader misses in my game (new total $3,602), I win with any answer (right = $21,199, wrong = $17,201).

     Why not bet it all?  Because that simply takes away some of my winning scenarios.  I still lose if we both get it right, and if we both miss, I now have $0 and LOSE – with the small bet, I win if we both miss. 

     You can see how this worked for a second-place player a few shows after mine (airdate June 14, 2012) – a small bet on a question that all 3 players miss leaves him with a winning total:

Kathy Wright: $20,000-$16,800=$3,200

David Menchaca: $18,400-$2,500=$15,900...now a 1-day champion with $15,900

Stu Weaver: $10,800-$10,799=$1 

     The very smart bet-calculating program over at J-Archive (www.j-archive.com) says my best wager would have been anywhere from $3,601 to $15,600.  So it was a bit of a small wager, but I knew my only real chance was if the leader missed Final Jeopardy. Unfortunately we both got it near-instantly and I knew my second place was coming as soon as I saw the clue. 

     But wait!!  Did the leader miscalculate?  Her total for a correct answer was $38,398 and my total by betting it all and being correct would have been $38,400!  I could have won by betting it all??  Yes – she should have bet $17,401 instead of $17,398 – although as you might guess from the above I never really even considered betting it all.  In retrospect, it would have been a winning move, just due to the leader’s $3 mistake – but it was never a smart move - you can’t bet hoping that your opponent trips up on math!

     Thank you so much, Aaron!

Pedicure-ious

      It was a busy but happy day for me that included getting my finger- and toenails done. (Emily Garber might like to know: the color is "Lubu Heels," and I love it.) I hope this doesn't gross you out:

     Can you kinda see the red glittery aspect of it? Anyway I bring this up because I often find myself at the nail place during Jeopardy!, but many times they're showing, off all things, The Weather Channel. Today? Jeopardy! I was sitting in the pedicure chair and had just gotten my fingers done, so I couldn't leave and come back. I just tried to avert my eyes and "tune out" because it was barely audible, but it wasn't working and I had to ask them to change the channel! It was kinda embarrassing but no big deal.
     So today's contestants:

Austin Baird of Provo, UT

David Menchaca of Long Beach, CA (in his best outfit yet, IMO).

Marjorie Parker of Austin, TX

     David is a four-time champ coming into today. (Don't forget: he'll be answering questions for this blog once his run is over.) I thought it a bad sign when he missed the first clue of the game, a highly gettable one in Classical Music: "J.S. Bach played a mean violin but preferred this instrument with a slightly longer body & slightly shorter name." David more than made up for it, though, responding correctly to some pretty nasty ones in this one and this one that I intend to ask him about. The list is getting so long I don't expect him to explain them all! Or maybe his Q & A will have to span two days. ;-)
     David went on to get the next three right in Classical Music, and he found the Daily Double at the end of it. He had 2600 and risked 1000. (Marjorie had gotten 2 right and had 1000; Austin had 3 right with 1 neg and 800.) This was the clue: "In 1696 John Blow, a great British composer of this musical era, wrote an ode on the death of another, Henry Purcell." I took a wild guess here since it was a Daily Double (or that's what I like to think), and I was right. David got it too! At the first break, he'd gotten 3 more right and had 4800. Marjorie had gotten 2 more right and had 1800. Austin still had 800.
     Incidentally, I loved it when Austin said during his interview, and he appeared to mean it, that he's "lucky enough to be dating the most amazing girl he knows." Aww! By the way fellas, don't propose to me the way he did to his girlfriend though, okay?
     I doubt Andy's be pleased that I guessed Montreal on this triple-stumper in I Manage: "Cito Gaston took this north of the border team to consecutive titles in 1992 and '93." I personally thought this one was easier than some of the others, but it was at 2000 and was a triple-stumper: "In every year but one from 1991 to 2005, he led the Atlanta Braves to division crowns." Marjorie said "David Justice." What?! Mr. Trebek gave the less-than-a-minute warning then, and Hershey's was the only category left. Like in the manager category, I thought this one was easier than earlier clues in the category, but it was at 2000: "Products sold under this iconic brand name include the Nutrageous bar & creamy peanut butter."
     At the end of the round, David had gotten 3 right since his Daily Double and had 6800. Marjorie had gotten 2 wrong and 6 right and had 3200. Austin had gotten 4 right and 1 wrong and had 2600.
     It was my turn to neg on the first clue of the round, this one in The League of Nations: "One of the products of the peace conference held in this city in 1919 was the covenant of the League of Nations." I knew this triple-stumper cold, in the same category: "The league dug freshwater wells in the third world & tried to eradicate this, AKA Hansen's Disease." This was Marjorie's first neg of the DJ round, but sadly, not her last. She negged on this next one but I gave the same response (same category): "In a rare success, the league decided in 1921 that the Aland Islands belonged to this country, not Sweden." I don't know about her but I was fooled by Mr. Trebek's pronunciation of "Aland" as if it began with an "o."
     David found the first Daily Double of the round in Zeus Your Daddy. He had gotten 5 right in the round, including the first two of this category, and had 10800. Marjorie had gotten 1 right and 2 wrong and had 1200. Austin had gotten 4 right and had 8200. David wagered 2500 on this clue: "Honey, it's twins! These 2 guys were often called the Dioscuri, meaning 'the sons of Zeus' (but one may have had another dad)." David teased this one out for a correct response. He had to be prompted by Mr. Trebek to respond, but he got it! He then calmly swept the category, but no one clapped. I have to be honest, I didn't notice my first time through either.
     All 3 contestants negged on this one in A Little Brit Lit: "She dedicated 'Jane Eyre' to fellow author William Makepeace Thackeray." It was kinda silly: Austin said "Austen," Marjorie tripped as she tried to say "Elizabeth Bronte," and David said "Emily Bronte." Then "Austen" was the correct response to the very next clue, and David got it: "Edmund Clerihew Bentley once rhymed, 'The novels of' this author 'are the ones to get lost in.'" Anyone else surprised this was a triple-stumper, in the same category?: "He was the 'venerable' early scholar who wrote 'The Ecclesiastical History of the English People."
     Marjorie found the next Daily Double in First Lady Michelle Obama. (Obama was reading the clues.) Marjorie had 1600. David had gotten 4 right with the 1 neg since his Daily Double, and had 20900. Austin had gotten 2 right and the 1 neg for 9400. There were 3 clues left on the board, and a lot of triple-stumpers and slow video clues may have indicated the round wouldn't finish. Marjorie wagered it all anyway on this one: "Speaking on opening night of the 2008 Democratic Convention, I noted that our meeting marked the 88th anniversary of women's suffrage & the 45th of this immortal & profoundly American speech." Poor Marjorie didn't phrase it in the form of a question anyway, but she said something like "The King speech at the Washington Monument."
     David got two of the next three, and Austin got the other, leaving Marjorie with no money at the end of the round. David had 23300 and Austin had 11000.
     The Final Jeopardy category was 2011 Musicmakers. I like this category. :-) This was the clue: "According to Billboard, the top 2 music artists of 2011 were these single-named singers, neither born in the U.S." I got one of them instantly, and the other came within seconds. The fellas got it right too. Austin added 5500 and David added 700 to become a 5-time champ. Will he become a super-champ tomorrow? You'll have to watch for yourself (sorry!) because Aaron Cappocchi's interview appears here tomorrow! Monday? Sally Greene answers questions.
     My Coryat today was 17800 (25800 without negs).
     I'm happy to have finished some GSN reruns, as I won't be able to watch any Jeopardy! for a few days and will be overwhelmed when I can get caught up - I'm off to Baltimore and on Monday, New York City! I'm planning to see Beau Henson, and cannot wait.
originally 9-29-08 (my birthday!): 18200 (25600 without negs)
originally 9-30-08: 32000 (35400 without negs) This board felt like it was made for me.
originally 10-1-08: 22800 (25600 without negs) I've been to the Newseum, but only for the finals of the National History Bowl last year.

Andy to J! Writers: Buck Lew!

Andy back again, and today we get to watch David Menchaca try to make his was up the ToC standings; as I told Jeanie yesterday, with David having passed a few of her favourites on those standings, that we should be hoping for a Ken Jennings-like run that takes out more than a few people that might otherwise make it!

His opponents: Victoria Steinberg and Curt Renshaw (I wonder if he's related to my mom's side of the family!)





One aside: I really dislike when people make a big deal about winning/losing by $1. It's a completely artificial observation -- something that has usually resulted by the leader following strategy and the loser not. But I digress.

J! round categories: IRON, MAN; AMERICAN YEARBOOK; SEEING SHADES OF RED; THE NAME ON THE AIRPORT; BRAND "EX"; NBA MVPs

One thing I noticed, under NBA MVPs 800 (1971: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar) -- that specific MVP award in question, he was still Lew Alcindor. The clue writers should have used 1972 or 1974!

Curt had control of the board when he went back into AMERICAN YEARBOOK, and he got the Daily Double. The scores were David 400, Curt 200, Victoria -800, and Curt bet only 500. His clue: In 1867 it cost the U.S. about 2 cents an acre to buy this. His correct response put him at $700.

Though there were a few surprising Triple Stumpers through the round, we did get through all 30 clues. Your scores after 30: Victoria $1,600 David $4,200 Curt $4,700

DJ! round categories: IRON MAN; I HOPS; AUTHORS; ITALIAN FOOD; THE CELEBRITY TWEETS; A CITY ON THE WATER

While David got the $400 clue, Victoria got the next four in AUTHORS to take the lead. Curt did reasonably well in A CITY ON THE WATER, and saw the Daily Double at the bottom of the cateogory. The scores had David $5400 Victoria $7200 Curt $7900, and he bet $3000. The clue: Shelburne, Vermont. His correct response put him up to $10,900.

Much to my chagrin, they put the second Daily Double in a video category, meaning I have to transcribe it from Sarah speaking. Grrrrr. David got to face the clue by himself, though. Victoria still had $7200, where David had $8200 and Curt $10900. David bet only $2500, and the clue: Naples is famous for pizza, including this simple but delicious one named for the queen that visited the city in 1889. I've had it, but could I remember what it was called? Of course not! David could remember it, though, and he's now only $200 behind Curt.

We didn't quite get done all 30 clues, but Victoria's final correct response made this a very close game going into Final!

Scores going into FJ!:

David $12,700
Victoria $11,200
Curt $10,900

FJ! category: FABRICS

FJ! clue: The name of this fabric includes the initials of the city where it was introduced at a World's Fair site

Curt 10900 + 9000 = 19900
Victoria 11200 + 11000 = 22200
David 12700 + 9701 = 22401

This win should put David into the Tournament of Champions for sure! Jeanie's blogging tomorrow to see if David makes it 5 wins!

My Coryat today: $24,200 (38 right, 2 wrong)

ToC standings:
1. Monica Thieu $100,000 (College Champion)
2. Patrick Quinn $100,000 (Teacher's Champion)
3. Jason Keller $213,900 (9 wins)
4. Joel Pool $116,800 (6 wins)
5. Dave Leach $98,054 (6 wins)
6. David Menchaca $91,503 (4 wins)
7. David Gard $84,700 (4 wins)
8. Dan McShane $62,001 (4 wins)
9. Patrick Morrison $80,701 (3 wins)
10. Francis Lansangan $78,401 (3 wins)
11. Joey Falco $53,999 (3 wins)
12. Beau Henson $51,203 (3 wins)
13. Claudia Gray $45,202 (3 wins)
14. Dan Adkison $37,400 (3 wins)
15. Jacob Silverman $35,998 (3 wins)
16. Jessamine Price $26,803 (3 wins)