Today’s contestants:
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| Eureka Nutt |
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| Doug Payne |
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| Lisa Dvorak |
Was it just me, or did this group of contestants seem rather bland? Eureka told a story of a project she did for a psychology paper in college. It was nearly identical to a science fair project I did in 7th or 8th grade: trying to get fish to respond a cue of tapping on the glass of the aquarium. It would never occur to me to mention it on Jeopardy! as something interesting about me.
I figure now is a good time to start making entries about triple-stumpers that stumped me, too. The Australian Open is not quite over, but this final could not thrill me less, I don’t think, unless you’re talking about any womens’ match. (Prove me wrong?) There were plenty of triple-stumpers to choose from today, enough to cover me over the next few days. I was in disbelief that this one was a triple-stumper in So Sayeth the Talk Show Host. It was the easiest clue on the board, I’d bet!: “This ‘Late Show’ guy: ‘Fall is my favorite season in L.A., watching the birds change color and fall from the trees.'”* Not only did everyone miss it, but someone actually guessed wrong. ???
Doug found the first Daily Double in Start Spreading the Booze. He had 1600, Lisa had 1400, and Eureka had 2600. Doug wagered everything on this clue: “Barbayanni and Aphrodite are varieties of this anise-flavored, colorless liqueur.”* Doug got it right. I was sorry to have missed it because it is a common word in crossword puzzles. (I do LOTS of puzzles while I’m watching tennis and other TV.) I want more from the puzzles to stick in my head!
There were two clues left at the end of the round. Lisa had 3800, Doug had 3600, and Eureka had 5200. This was a tough round for me. My Coryat score for the round was 4000. I didn’t get any of the 2000s right (although two were left hidden), and only one of the 800s.
Was that a new commercial about the upcoming “Watson” shows today? I took notice because the narrator mentioned that Watson was practicing with former champs. The only one I definitely recognized was a stressed-looking Justin Bernbach. Did you guys notice any others?
Doug found the next Daily Double, in Island Nicknames. Just the name of this category gives me a nightmare. Doug had 7200, Lisa had 7400, and Eureka quietly led with 15200. Doug wagered 4000 on this clue: “The Island of Mutineers.”* I should’ve known this, but I missed it, and Doug did, too.
Eureka found the last Daily Double, in “Stan” in the Place Where You Live, after Mr. Trebek said there was less than a minute left in the round. She had 16000, Doug had 2000, and Lisa still had 7400. How do you suppose you’d have wagered, considering the “less than a minute” warning? She wagered 1000 on this clue: “If you don’t count the two ‘y’s, the ‘a’ in this ‘stan’ is the only vowel in its 10-letter name.”* I think my answer would’ve been counted right, although I didn’t pronounce it quite like she did. She got it right.
At the end of the round, again with two clues left, Lisa had 9400, Doug still had 2000, and Eureka still had 17000. That means it was not a runaway. The Final Jeopardy category was Disney Movies, which I felt good about. This was the clue: “With special sound equipment needed in the auditorium, this 1940 film was initially released in only 14 theaters.”* I thought this was pretty easy, and all three contestants got it right. Doug wagered everything but a dollar. Lisa led Eureka by a dollar until Eureka’s correct response was revealed. She added 1801 to her score and is the new champion. Is she strong enough to win more than once? My Coryat score was low, for me: 14800. Lisa’s was 9400, Doug’s was 5400, and Eureka’s was 17600.
There were two clues left at the end of the round. Lisa had 3800, Doug had 3600, and Eureka had 5200. This was a tough round for me. My Coryat score for the round was 4000. I didn’t get any of the 2000s right (although two were left hidden), and only one of the 800s.
Was that a new commercial about the upcoming “Watson” shows today? I took notice because the narrator mentioned that Watson was practicing with former champs. The only one I definitely recognized was a stressed-looking Justin Bernbach. Did you guys notice any others?
Doug found the next Daily Double, in Island Nicknames. Just the name of this category gives me a nightmare. Doug had 7200, Lisa had 7400, and Eureka quietly led with 15200. Doug wagered 4000 on this clue: “The Island of Mutineers.”* I should’ve known this, but I missed it, and Doug did, too.
Eureka found the last Daily Double, in “Stan” in the Place Where You Live, after Mr. Trebek said there was less than a minute left in the round. She had 16000, Doug had 2000, and Lisa still had 7400. How do you suppose you’d have wagered, considering the “less than a minute” warning? She wagered 1000 on this clue: “If you don’t count the two ‘y’s, the ‘a’ in this ‘stan’ is the only vowel in its 10-letter name.”* I think my answer would’ve been counted right, although I didn’t pronounce it quite like she did. She got it right.
At the end of the round, again with two clues left, Lisa had 9400, Doug still had 2000, and Eureka still had 17000. That means it was not a runaway. The Final Jeopardy category was Disney Movies, which I felt good about. This was the clue: “With special sound equipment needed in the auditorium, this 1940 film was initially released in only 14 theaters.”* I thought this was pretty easy, and all three contestants got it right. Doug wagered everything but a dollar. Lisa led Eureka by a dollar until Eureka’s correct response was revealed. She added 1801 to her score and is the new champion. Is she strong enough to win more than once? My Coryat score was low, for me: 14800. Lisa’s was 9400, Doug’s was 5400, and Eureka’s was 17600.
Here are my scores from earlier this week:
1-26 Coryats: Ryan Nelson 7200 Tom Jennings 19000 Gitta Neufeld 11400 Me 22600
1-27 Coryats: Kara French 15000 Lisa Dvorak 16600 Tom Jennings 10200 Me 18000
*David Letterman, ouzo, Pitcairn, Kyrgyzstan, “Fantasia”