Axes of Evil

      At the top of Friday’s episode, Mr. Trebek said, “Because the material seems to be a little more difficult in our recent shows, we haven’t managed to get to all of the clues in each game. Let’s hope that that can change today…” Do you guys think a) the clues have been more difficult, and b) that’s why the boards haven’t been cleared? In any case, thank you, Mr. Trebek: You make the title of yesterday’s blog post ever so apt. Read on to see if Mr. Trebek’s wish comes true.
     Today’s contestants:

Dan Adkison

Kerr Houston

Amy Drittler

     Did Onomatopoetic Words remind anyone else of this incident in the last ToC?
     The game started with a bang when Dan found the Daily Double only the second clue in. He’d answered one 200 clue correctly, and wagered 1000 on this one in Axis & Allies: “An ‘axis’ binding these 2 cities was proclaimed in 1936.” Dan got it right. I was at sea on this category. 0/5, and I finished it with a neg on this 1000 one: “‘Terminal’ was the code name for the final allied wartime conference, held in 1945 in this German city.” How’d you guys do? I went 0/5 on Jazz Pianists later, too, and with 2 flippin’ negs.
     Kerr’s somewhat-modified use of the “Forrest Bounce” seemed to work to his advantage, at least until the first break. He had 5200 while Dan had 2600 and Amy had 1000. It may have messed me up in the Double Jeopardy round, as I’d been sweeping The ACLU but clammed on this last one when Dan got back to it after answering his Daily Double: “In Kitzmiller v. Dover, the ACLU fought the required teaching of this 2-word alternative to natural selection.” Actually I read “alternative” as “alliterative,” but I don’t think I’d have gotten it anyway. So I was puzzled at first when Kerr said “evolutionary theory” and when Mr. Trebek gave the correct response.
     I was amazed that Dan mentioned the Peace Corps during his interview – My mom had suggested it to me during dinner as we are thinking of what I’m going to do next.
     Well we did clear the board in the Jeopardy round. Dan ended with 7800, while Amy had 2400 and Kerr had 7200.
   I swept The Midwest, luckily. But I object to Michigan, Indiana, and Ohio being considered “Midwest.” The first Daily Double was the last clue of the category. Kerr had answered the top three clues, but Dan answered the fourth, giving him control of the Daily Double. He had 11400, Amy had 2800, and Kerr had 14000. Dan wagered a whopping 8000 on this clue: “This river passes through Waterloo, Iowa as well as through the cities named for its falls & rapids.” Dan got it right.
     I got this triple-stumper in It’s a Cover-Up: “The name of this warming item is from the French for ‘white.'” “You use it every day,” said Mr. Trebek when revealing the correct response.
     Amy struggled but she did find the second Daily Double, in Biblical Idol. She had 2800 while Dan had 20200 and Kerr had 16800. Amy wagered 1200, which is what she had just picked up on this, the previous clue: “Nehustan was a brass one of these reptiles fashioned by Moses & later worshipped by the Israelites as if it were a god.” Here’s the Daily Double clue: “Also known as the Lord of the Flies, this god of Ekron was consulted by Ahaziah, king of Israel.” This was a toughie that Amy and I missed. As a matter of fact, I only got one right in the category, this one at 400: “This wise king unwisely made God angry when he erected an altar for the Moabite god Chemosh.” I would’ve expected to get more than one in a Bible category. Then as if to have salt rubbed in her wounds, Amy’s response to the Daily Double was the correct one on this next clue, but Dan rang in: “The prophet Elijah worked hard to stamp out the cult of this Canaanite god the Israelites had worshipped in the wilderness.” Amy didn’t look like she was trying to ring in, though.
     I’m sure Mr. Trebek was pleased that the Double Jeopardy board was cleared, too. Dan ended the round with 20600. Kerr had 16400, and Amy had 2400. The Final Jeopardy category was World Currencies. I guess if I were Dan I’d wager 12201, to cover Kerr if he doubled. If I were Kerr, I’d wager 8400, expecting Dan to wager 12201 and hoping he’d miss on the Final. If I were Amy? I suppose I’d wager nothing in the hopes that Kerr would over-wager.
     This was the clue: “1 of the 4 small U.N. member nations that use the Euro as their official currency even though not in the European Union.” I’m both relieved and surprised that no contestant got this right, as I didn’t either. And with 4 possibilities! I wonder if a final, or any clue for that matter, has ever been a “one of four.” Mr. Trebek had to read from his card to give the correct response. Amy lost 600. Poor Kerr lost 11500, but he looked like he took it well that he was wrong. It looks like he was trying to play for at least second place, because he was left with 4900 (more than Amy if she’d doubled). He’d have lost less…and won…if he wagered the way I suggest in the previous paragraph. Play to win, please! Anyway, Dan lost 15000, leaving him with 5600, enough to make him a three-time champ with 37400. Dan’s fun, but I’m still hoping Beau will make the next ToC. Beau’s total after 3 wins, according to j-archive.com, was 51203. I’m also hoping Nick Condon will use his formula and keep track of this stuff over on his nifty blog with a cool concept. I’ve left a comment asking about it. Nick’s total after three wins was 80101, and he didn’t make the cut! 🙁
     My Coryat today was identical to yesterday’s: 17200.
     I’ll be eager to read the wagering discussion there’s sure to be on the boards. Here’s the thread.
     I played a few J! GSN reruns tonight. My Coryats:
originally 12-9-05: 23000
originally 12-12-05: 26000
originally 12-13-05: 14800