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| Greg Draves |
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| Susan Torsell-Damico |
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| Tim Anderson |
Greg won for the first time yesterday, and boy did he look happy about it while being introduced. Come to find out later (that is, if you didn’t see the spoiler on the Hometown Howdy page), Greg has tried out for the show, he thinks, at least 12 times. Let me tell you, if you plan to use an anecdote like this one: The contestant coordinators want a number. They will not accept an adjective, and they’re not all that nice about it if you want to know the truth. I had to take a wild guess but Mr. Trebek didn’t ask me anyway. Greg says “It’s very difficult” (to guess how many times he’s taken the test), and he’s right! The first time Greg took the test it was for the Teen Tournament, as was the case with me. But it sure wasn’t 1988. 😉
We also found out at the top of the show that Greg’s favorite cereal is Cap’n Crunch, noteworthy because it was the correct response to yesterday’s Final!
Tim asserted his authority early today. By the first break, which Susan and Greg were probably glad to see, Tim had gotten 9 right and had 5200. Greg had gotten 3 right and one wrong, and had…nothing! Susan had gotten one right and one wrong and was in the hole 200.
Tim got the Daily Double of the round, in Split “N”s. He’d gotten 2 right since the break and had 5800. Susan had gotten one right and had 200. Greg too had gotten one right and had 1000. Tim wagered only 1200 🙁 on this clue (and by the way, each correct response begins and ends with “n”): “A doc who cuts into the brain.” Tim coined a word for his correct response, and lost the money he wagered.
I was pleased to see Time for Some Hair Care. I would’ve been even if I hadn’t been to my hair lady today. It’s true, and I never waste an opportunity to take a “selfie” of the ‘do after someone else has created it:
This selfie stuff is not easy, and even I would argue it was probably a waste of time. Phew! I actually texted these pics to my hair lady (and my sister) asking if they were good enough. I wanted a man’s opinion too (Andy’s), but he hadn’t watched the episode and wasn’t planning on it til after this published. (And I didn’t want to spoil anything.) Andy, by the way, taught me the word “selfie.” Turns out he’s not a neologian.
You know Mr. Trebek was dying to make a crack about Greg’s lack of hair once he responded correctly. Greg wisely moved on with no hesitation whatsoever, and he went on to another category. He even went to the only other clue in another category once he’d wiped out Will the Real Chemical Element Please Stand Up? Eventually he had to go to hair care, and this clue came up: “Barbicide, used by barbers to disinfect salon equipment, says it’s ‘distinctly’ this color.” Is this common knowledge? Tim got it right. I only knew this because my hair lady has this at her station, clearly labeled. I knew the color before today, but it helped that I looked at the stuff today.
Enough about hair – At the end of the round, Greg had gotten 5 right and had 4400. Tim had gotten 2 right and one wrong and had 5400. Susan had gotten 2 right and had 1200.
Now for another new word: “Carny”? When I saw the tweeted clue today, it gave me pause because I live in Kearney. Unfortunately the correct response to that clue came to mind but I ruled it out. I got this one wrong but it wasn’t even the same response as Susan or Greg, who also responded incorrectly: “The weirdness of carnivals was a natural subject for painters following this -ism, like Roualt & Beckmann.”
Susan found the first Daily Double of the round in 4-Letter Country Names. She had gotten 3 right since the round began and had 4800 now! Tim had gotten 4 right though and had 9400, and Greg had gotten 3 right and 2 wrong, and had 4000. Susan said “I’ve been warned about you, Alex,” when he told her she had enough money to take the lead. She wound up wagering 3000 on this clue: “A Pacific island republic.” She didn’t get this one, but I did and in fact swept the category.
I know the “Red Zone,” but not in this context (in End “Zone”: “It’s colorful football talk for the part of the field between the 20 & the goal line.” Where I’m from, the “Red Zone” is the section of basketball fans made up of NU students.
Greg found the second Daily Double of the round, in that Carny Art. This time Mr. Trebek said he can’t catch Tim. He had 5200 and Tim had 12200. Greg had gotten 2 right and one wrong since the last Daily Double. Tim had gotten 2 right, and Susan had gotten one right and one wrong and had 200. Greg wagered 4000 on this clue: “Here, Bruegel the Elder’s workshop depicts, on one side, Carnival, and on the other, this period that ends it.” Greg got it immediately, and so did I.
I also got this triple-stumper in Drinks: “This energy drink that comes in flavors like juiced mango uses a star for the ‘a’ in its name.”
Mr. Trebek gave the less-than-a-minute warning, but we saw all the clues. I think Mr. Trebek just wanted to say “Saint-Saens.” Anyway, did you notice Greg’s reaction when Tim got that last clue right? Greg was paying attention – It gave Tim a lock on the game. It also hurt earlier when Tim rebounded on a 2000 neg of Greg’s. (Ouch!) Greg ended the round with 8800, after getting one right and one wrong since his Daily Double. Tim ended with 18200 after getting 5 right, and Susan ended with 1400 after getting 3 right and one wrong.
The Final Jeopardy category was American Writers. Somehow 2 of the 3 contestants got this wrong: “Contemporary reviews called this writer ‘a Yankee Diogenes’ & the ‘Concord Diogenes.'” Susan the bookseller got it. She wagered 700. Greg lost 5999. Tim lost 200. We’ll see him Monday.
This was a fun episode. Tim looked comfortable from the word “Go” today. Maybe
he will stick around for a while.
My Coryat today was 26400 (30800 without negs).