I was lucky enough to be at home (my parents’) today, and both of them watched Jeopardy! with me. I was expecting my dad to remind me that I once said on this blog that watching with him is my favorite way to watch Jeopardy! He didn’t this time!
Speaking of my dad, I had recruited him play the Summer Hiatus Challenge on the Jeopardy! message boards, but his first try didn’t go well. It wasn’t that he knew fewer answers than other people, it’s just that it was difficult to figure out how to post. I tried to give him instruction over the phone, but it didn’t work, and he hasn’t played since. Today he told me that he thought the questions were hard, too. I can’t wait to tell him what one of today’s categories is: “THEY SEE ME MOWIN’ MY FRONT LAWN,” devoted to, yes, lawn-mowing. My dad is a lawn-mower extraordinaire. I feel sure he’ll play today, especially after I give him a lesson on posting in person. He told me I could give you his message boards username, by the way: jkenkel. (By the way, you can still enter my giveaway of Chuck Forrest’s Secrets of the Jeopardy! Champions. Just sign up to play the Summer Hiatus Challenge, and let me know here that you did.
Here are the clues from the most recent completed round. The first set of questions was written by DadofTwins. “Paucle,” a moniker on the message boards, is the author of the second set of questions:
RELIGIOUS HEADWEAR
2: This hemispheric skullcap worn by observant Jews is sometimes called a kippah or hech cap.
4: The face- and head-covering portion of this politically-controversial garment is sometimes called the purdah or the hijab.
6: Catholic and Anglican bishops both wear this, from a Greek word meaning “headband.”
8: A person who has successfully completed the hajj traditionally wears this color turban.
10: From the Latin for “three kings,” this traditional papal tiara has not been worn since Paul VI laid it on an altar in 1963.
CORPORAL PUNISHMENT (by Paucle)
3: The Grammies started awarding this genre in 1989 when DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince triumphed.
6: This comedy style likes to employ exaggerated violence, yet generates little bodily harm.
9: This control device first appeared in arcades in 1972 on Pong; Magnavox home consoles had them later that year.
12: George Robert Philips McFarland was better known as this when he hung out with Our Gang.
15: This furniture construction method can use rattan vines, wicker, or other similar weavable materials.
Today was the last day of the Teen Tournament that originally aired in November last year. You recall that the final of the Teen Tournament consists of two days, and the scores from the two days are combined to determine a winner. On yesterday’s episode, Rachel Rothenberg ended with 33000, Will Dantzler ended with 26000, and Aidan Mehigan ended with 0. Today, my dad gave a thumbs-up to the first round categories On the U.S. Map and Biblical Women. I liked Let’s Go for a Swim, because, coincidentally, my mom and I were going to the pool tonight!
Rachel had 600 when she found the Daily Double in Biblical Women today. She wagered 1000. She looked shocked after answering confidentally (but incorrectly) on this clue: “Her name comes from the Hebrew word for ‘life.'”* Rachel bounced back, though, and by the end of the Jeopardy round she had 8000, while Aidan had 1400 and Will had 5200. Rachel continued to roll in Double Jeopardy, including adding 2500 on this Daily Double in National Geographic Channel Expedition Week: “‘When Crocs Ate Dinos’ takes us to this period, named for chalk cliffs, the dinosaurs’ final period.”* Rachel ended the round with 21300. Will had 17600, and Aidan had 9400. The Final Jeopardy category was Historic Speeches. This was the clue: “He said, ‘We look forward to a world founded upon’ freedom of speech, of worship, from want & from fear.”* Aidan lost all of his 9400 on the clue, so his two-day total was 0. Will lost 12000, making his two-day total 31600. We knew, then, that Rachel would be the winner even before her response was revealed, because her total on the first day alone was 33000. But, as one might expect, she got it right! She wagered 9500. Rachel is the reigning Teen Champion! Mr. Trebek addressed the boys, and I was expecting him to console them and tell them how well they did. Instead he said something like, “You guys played against a super champion.” Well, it wasn’t a lie.
Don’t forget that I am organizing a “birthday party” for Blogger in Lincoln, NE on August 31st. You can meet other bloggers, exchange ideas, and just have fun! Sign up today!
*Eve, cretaceous, FDR
Answers to the above Summer Hiatus Challenge questions: yarmulke, burka, miter, green, triregnum, rap, slapstick, paddle, spanky, caning