All last week, I kept track of how many clues I get in each round right. Today, on a whim, I decided to do it again today as the first clue was being read. (I don’t keep track of my score via the Challenger on nights that I am able to blog.) I did about as well as I did on a few of the Kids Weeks rounds: 17/27 in the Jeopardy round, and 18/29 in the Double Jeopardy round, thanks to sweeping TV Adjectives.
There were two clues in 1920s Lit that I was surprised didn’t get answered correctly. First, for 400: “He had more than 2 dozen works published in the 1920s, including 7 Tarzan novels.”* The second was a Daily Double that Saad Hasan found: “In 1920, he published ‘Glinda of Oz,’ a story about the impending war between the Flatheads and the Skeeters.”* Saad lost 1000 on it and moved into second place, but I’d say he more than made up for it on the next clue, again in 1920s Lit: “Dr. Paul de Kruif, author of ‘Microbe Hunters,’ was a consultant for this Sinclair Lewis novel.”* Did you guys know any of these?
When 1-day champ Aaron Wicks found the first Daily Double of Double Jeopardy only three clues in, he wagered all of his 3400. He had just moved into the lead over Barbara Gayle’s 3000 and Saad’s 3200. The category was Just a Bill on Capitol Hill (I’m gonna have that song in my head for a while, but I kind of like it!). The clue: “He reached the Hill in 1979, after stops in Princeton, Oxford, and the NBA.”* Aaron (and I) got it right!
At Final Jeopardy, Aaron led with 15600, Saad had 14400, and Barbara had 9400. The category was Actors: “With 5 each, these 2 men have the most acting Oscar nominations among African-American performers.”* There were three actors in my mind that could have met these qualifications, and indeed all three of them were mentioned. I didn’t think of one of the correct answers until the very last second, but I ditched the other right answer in favor of one that was wrong. Only Saad, who wagered 8300, got the correct response on the show. His reaction to winning reminded me of Andy Murray. What do you think; separated at birth?:
Reminder: I’m interviewing 2010 Tournament of Champions winner Vijay Balse. This is your chance to pick the brain of a Jeopardy! powerhouse! Tell me what you want to know from him!
And because I can’t resist, here is my favorite clue of the day, in Bummer to Bummer Traffic Report: “I-80 is backed up in this state; plan ahead if you’re heading to Kearney airport.”*
*Edgar Rice Burroughs, L. Frank Baum, ‘Arrowsmith,’ Bill Bradley, Morgan Freeman and Denzel Washington, Nebraska
