A bit of a bummer to start – Just yesterday I added John Krizel’s Taste My Sad blog to my dashboard, and today I find out he’s retiring it. (Coincidence?) Taste My Sad indeed. But, he says he’s writing for a sports blog now, and he’s also started a Tumblr but doesn’t know what he’s going to do with it. If I hear anything more, I’ll let you know.
On a happier note, I’ve recently been trying to read more, still wanting to learn and thinking that maybe something I’d read would be relevant to Jeopardy!, and I’d be able to blog about it. Well…it’s already happened, but not quite the way I expected!
I’m reading Running the Books by Avi Steinberg. I don’t have a compelling reason, except I was looking at something nearby on the library shelf, and it looked appealing. While I didn’t get any clues today from reading the book (and wouldn’t necessarily expect to that quickly), there is a strange Jeopardy! connection – Steinberg writes about the Jeopardy! appearance of one of his friends, who he calls “Yoni.” There was a “Yoni” on the archive, but the contestant’s winnings and Final Jeopardy did not match what was in the book. I did find the guy when I searched for the Final Jeopardy subject matter. And when I checked to see how long the guy lasted, I see he was defeated the next day by future ToCer Terry Linwood. When I searched my own blog, I see I played this episode when it reran on a weekend. I just think all this is cool! He’s a colorful character in the book, and it seems to have showed on his winning episode.
Now for even more good news. It’s Day 2 of the Teen Tournament Finals. See here for a recap of Day 1.
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| Elyse Mancuso |
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| Rose Schaefer |
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| Catherine Briley |
Denim was an interesting choice (and a good one, in my opinion) from Elyse…but not her last one of the day.
The contestant interviews were similar to yesterday’s, when they talked about who inspired them. Today they could talk about whatever they wanted, but they all just thanked people. Elyse and Catherine squeezed in their high school names (Elkhorn South and Sacred Heart, respectively). Rose (who by the way could consider a career in modeling) mentioned her church, Parklane Portland Christian. Did you guys notice Mr. Trebek reading the contestant lecterns when he said their names?
At the first break, Rose had 800, Catherine had 4400, and Elyse had 2000. I had only missed two clues by this point, and I kept it up, missing only four in the whole round. I didn’t realize I’d done that well til I counted them at the end! That might be my best round ever, but it’s sorta sad because I really think I could’ve swept the board. The ones I missed were “melting point” (got distracted), “Pepsi,” “Hancock,” and “Houston.” I swept 1,2,3, “Go” and May Days.
Catherine found the Daily Double in Historical Entertainment. She had 4600, Elyse had 2200, and Rose had 2000. Catherine wagered 3400 on this clue: “‘The King’s Speech’ featured Timothy Spall as this quippy future prime minister.” You may recall I haven’t seen this movie, but I took a guess here and it was right. Catherine got it, too. Maybe as a result she had a big lead with 10200 at the end of the round. Elyse trailed with 3600 and Rose had 5400. Elyse found the first Daily Double of the Jeopardy round, though, only 5 clues in. She had 4800 while Rose had 6200 and Catherine still had 10200. She wagered it all on this clue, in Also a Musical Term: “This adjective can mean ‘very useful’ or ‘performed without vocals.'” She got it right!
I got this triple-stumper in Literary Characters: “Emma is the first name of this bored & adulterous 1856 French title character.” I also swept Pre-Civil War America, which is where Rose found the last Daily Double with only two clues on the board after that one. She had 7800. Elyse had 24800 and Catherine had 15400. How would you wager? I’ll take a stab at it, against my better judgment. Then I’ll ask on the boards out of curiosity, but I won’t change what I say here! 🙂 Keep in mind yesterday’s totals:
Elyse 23200
Catherine 10000
Rose 12400
I think Rose should wager everything, even though she runs the risk of not having any money going into the Final. Once again, I think she would just have 0 for the day, in that case. Rose actually wagered 4000, on this clue delivered by Jimmy: “St. Louis’ old courthouse was the scene of two trials involving this slave. He won his freedom in the second trial, but the Supreme Court held otherwise, helping spark the Civil War.”
The picture made me certain on this one, and Rose too answered it correctly right away.
Elyse answered the next two right, giving her 28400 at the end of the round. So Catherine still had 15400 and Rose had 11800.
Now, let’s talk wagering again. If Catherine doubles today, she’d have 40800 after two days. Rose, if she doubled today, would have 36000. If Elyse wagered nothing today, she’d obviously have well over 40800 for two days. So I think if I were Catherine, since she couldn’t beat Elyse assuming Elyse makes a predictable wager, today I’d wager 10601 to beat Rose if I get the Final right. As for Rose, I guess I’d assume Catherine would wager 10601, even though I doubt she would. In that case, I’d probably wager nothing.
The Final Jeopardy category was American History. This was the clue: “When the future state of Iowa became part of the United States, this man was president.” This was an instaget for me. They counted Rose’s response, even though it looked like this:
She did wager it all for a two-day total of 36000. Catherine too had a correct response, and wagered 5600, for a two-day total of 31000. (Guess it worked out for Rose!) But Elyse…she got it right and wagered 28000, for a two-day total of 79600. I liked the reaction
so much I had to run out and finally buy a card reader. So here it is:
Congratulations and well done, Elyse. While I’m at it, I’d still like to throw it out there that I think the National History Bee is looking for a high school to host in Lincoln or Omaha. Leave a comment if you’re interested, anyone, or e-mail me by clicking on “Contributors” below.
I was 5/5 on Finals this week. Even though it’s the Teen Tournament, I’d like to think I’m getting a little stronger!
Here’s the message board thread for today’s episode.
Now that I have a card reader, I’ve pulled the Jeopardy! reunion champions panel off my phone. But I fear the sound is still poor. I may publish it tomorrow anyway. I also have the Jeopardy! contestant bee and the entertainment bee where Drew Scheeler emerged victorious.
Are you guys going to watch the Power Players next week?