I am home for Mother’s Day weekend. That means I get to watch Jeopardy! my favorite way – with my dad! He was way into the show today – so into it that he didn’t notice when other people in the room answered correctly along with him. This happened not once, but twice!
This episode originally aired in July of last year. The champion, Stefan Goodreau of California, was still on the show when this season began. That means we should be seeing him in the Tournament of Champions, which begins Monday. What a perfect way to get ready for the Tournament!
I also watched today’s episode with my sister, also visiting from out of town. (She asked me not to use her name, but said I could use my nickname for her, Peaches, which refers to her lovely skin.) Peaches was brave enough to use a Jeopardy! Challenger today, for her first time. She competed against Sarah Linn of California (who Peaches says looks like Anne Hathaway), Brent Philyaw of Georgia, and Goodreau, who had won one game. I remember Goodreau, and I like him. I like his sense of humor and his casual attitude. Example: His response to this Daily Double in A Round of Gulf: “In 1989, over 11 million gallons of oil spilled into this sound in the Gulf of Alaska.”* The response: “The Sound of Silence.” That elicited an “Oh, brother!” from my dad. Stefan also drew laughs from the audience after he missed this Daily Double in the Jeopardy round, in the category Say It in Latin: “From the chair of authority.”* The next clue he selected was from That’s Just Ducky! And he said it as one would who just lost everything on a Daily Double. At the end of the Jeopardy round, Stefan and Sarah each had 1800, and Brent had 6000. Peaches had 3400.
Stefan made a comeback, though. He dominated in the Double Jeopardy round, and he had the game out of reach (not counting Peaches) by the end of Double Jeopardy. He had 15400, Brent had 6400, and Sarah had 4200. Peaches had 10080. Here is the clue in Books Inspired by History: “‘Follow the Drinking Gourd’ tells how slaves escaped to freedom guided by a song about this star group.”* Peaches wagered 5322, I think in part because I said Stefan might not wager anything, since he had the win locked up. Stefan got Final Jeopardy right, and he wagered 1617. Peaches and Sarah both got it right, and Brent got it wrong.
Speaking of wrong, Peaches and I want to know what you think about this situation that sometimes comes up on the show: Sarah answered a clue and was told she was wrong. Brent then gave the response they wanted. Later, Mr. Trebek said they were crediting Sarah with a correct response after all. Peaches wondered why Brent’s correct response wasn’t negated then; that is, the money taken away. I just told her that’s not how they do it. She didn’t seem to think that was fair. What do you think? She suggested I post a poll, and I think that is a great idea! I will give you two weeks to respond.
In closing, before I became a “Blog of Note,” – thank you again, Blogger! – I had expressed my dismay that the Game Show Network is no longer showing Jeopardy!, at least at this time. I had asked readers to join me in contacting Game Show Network about it, encouraging them to bring it back and also to show episodes from the 80s and 90s and even from the Art Fleming days. I’d like to renew that request to you, now that I have more readers. And I’d love to know about it if they respond!
*Prince William Sound, ex cathedra, the Big Dipper