What a show tonight. I enjoyed it, and I did well. The contestants:
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| Chris Hauck |
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| Sam Meyer |
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| Tim Kuehn (Doesn’t he look like he’s from Venice, California?) |
Before the first commercial break, Sam had 4000, Tim had 800, and Chris had 1200. After the break, Sam’s score was reduced to 2400 because he was ruled incorrect on this clue in the The 90s: “This large Indian city on the Hooghly River was founded in 1690 by Job Charnak of the East India Company.” Sam said “What is Calicut, or Calcutta?” Turns out Calicut is not the same thing as Calcutta. I guess the lesson is, Keep it simple.
Sam’s troubles continued when he found the Daily Double in Just Chute Me. By that time he had 4000 again, which is good. Tim had 1800 and Chris had 1600. Sam wagered 3000 on this clue: “In 1797, Andre Garnerin became the first to use a parachute without a rigid frame when he jumped from one of these.” I thought this was a toughie. Sam said “mountaintop,” which was like my guess of “cliff.” (Did anybody get that right?) Consequently (maybe), Sam trailed with 2600 at the break, while Tim had 4600 and Chris had 3600. I swept “Kick”ing and Assets (Yes, those were next to each other on the board.) I only missed this one in The 90s: “In 1793 this Irish college allowed Catholics to study for degrees for the first time.”
I was sweeping Around the Body when Chris found the Daily Double there as the second-to-last clue. She had 15200, Tim had 11000, and Sam had 9000. Now, I have to wonder if she realized that the last clue was the other Daily Double. In any case, on this one she wagered 2000 in a category in which she’d gotten two right. This was the clue, read by Jimmy of the Clue Crew: “When an injury like a cut is sustained, these blood cells change shape, become sticky, build up on the wound, and form a plug.” Chris answered very quickly, even before Jimmy was off the screen, but I’m giving myself credit because I truly believe I’d have gotten it, too.
So, the next clue, the other Daily Double, in They Give Us Gas. Let’s review the scores, shall we? Chris: 17200. Tim: 11000. Sam: 9000. Chris said, “Sorry, guys,” to her opponents when she found the clue. You’d think that means, “I’m about to put this game out of reach.” But no. I mean, it would’ve been so easy to do that. Say she wagered 5000, or even 4801. She’d still have the lead even if she’d missed. It seems that even Mr. Trebek noticed. Here was the clue: “The ‘Our History’ section of this gas giant’s site shows its path from an ‘Anglo-Persian oil company to global energy group.'” Side note: Would you believe my mom read me a Trivial Pursuit question over the phone about this very clue last night? And I’d missed it! I tell you, I didn’t miss it this time, and neither did Chris. My frustration turned to peace in an instant. Studying is such a beautiful thing. I think it’s true that the harder you work, the luckier you get.
The Final Jeopardy category was The Movies. Here was the clue: “Lt. Col. A.P. Clark played a key role in the elaborate breakout from Stalag Luft III that inspired this 1963 movie.” Props to Sam and Tim. They got it right. All I could manage was “Papillon.” Chris missed it. She’d have still won with a decent wager in Double Jeopardy. Not even two, just one. On the Final, she wagered 199, which puzzles me, too. Was she trying to lock up second place in case Sam doubled? It reminds me of a lesson I’ve mentioned before in Brad Gilbert‘s great I’ve Got Your Back: Coaching Top Performers from Center Court to the Corner Office: (I’m paraphrasing) Don’t play not to lose. That is, play to win. (I love Brad Gilbert.) I hope Chris will find this blog and comment on her wagering strategy.
So, Sam wagered 8765, and Tim wagered 7201, enough to win today. I like him. We’ll see him tomorrow. My Coryat score today was 29800. A good day for me. I need more like these. Sam‘s Coryat was 12000, Tim’s was 11000, and Chris’s was 19200.
