I’m back! (Andy, that is.)
I’m writing this post in between days of the Northern Championship Scrabble tournament, where I’ve been directing! If you really care about what’s going on, you can always check out the standings here!
Jared did quite well yesterday, will he make it 2 wins today? The challengers are Leigh Hoopes and Bruce Richards!
J! round categories:
RENTERS
“ONER”S
WHO’S ON TOUR?
COUNTRIES BY AIRPORTS
JOHN TYLER
AMERICA’S CUP RACING
COUNTRIES BY AIRPORTS $400 was an early head-slapper for this blogger, as it was a Triple Stumper on the show (but not for me!): Bergen & Kristiansand-Kjevik.
Thankfully, the Daily Double was in COUNTRIES BY AIRPORTS (at $800) and not the all-video AMERICA’S CUP RACING! It was Jared’s to play, with scores of:
Leigh $600
Jared $400
Bruce -$400
Jared bet $1,000. Clue: Puerto Princesa & Ninoy Aquino International
By the end of RENTERS, AIRPORTS, and JOHN TYLER, the scores were:
Jared $4,800
Bruce $1,800
Leigh $600
as the show went to commercial.
Bruce is an LSU fan; his tailgate parties usually involve “eating the opposition”.
Jared’s buzzer mojo continued over the final three categories, though Bruce did well at the bottom of AMERICA’S CUP! Scores at the end of 30:
Jared $9,200
Bruce $4,800
Leigh $2,200
DJ! round categories:
WRITERS IN WARTIME
QUOTED IN BARTLETTS
FASHION
FANTASTIC 4
JAPANESE HISTORY
SAME FIRST & LAST LETTER
Leigh went straight into WRITERS, but she was only able to get the two bookend clues! She had much better luck in FASHION, finding the Daily Double at $1,200. Scores were:
Jared $10,800
Bruce $6,800
Leigh $5,800
Leigh bet just $3,000. Sigh. Her clue: This fashion weekly began publishing in 1867; it got the double “A” in 1929. Of course, her correct answer left her score short of the lead. That’s not how you beat a guy who dominated so convincingly yesterday!
By the time we reached the bottom of FANTASTIC 4, Leigh had taken the lead! The other Daily Double was in JAPANESE HISTORY $1200. Scores:
Leigh $16,000
Jared $14,400
Bruce $7,200
Note that had Leigh bet more earlier, she’d have a bigger lead, and more options here in terms of good bets! She chose $2,000 here, which feels as though it’s a middling wager without much upside. If she’s wrong, she loses the lead. If she’s right, she really hasn’t made too much headway.
Anyway, her clue: In 1914 Japan joined the Allies & quickly seized this European power’s islands in the Pacific. It seemed as though Leigh pulled out a guess here, but it was right, and she went to $18,000!
The remaining 9 clues saw the following Triple Stumper (BARTLETT’s $1600: “Oh my God, they killed Kenny!” (2 people)) – I got it, while the contestants each negged trying to name South Park characters!
Scores going into Final:
Leigh $19,200
Jared $18,400
Bruce $4,800
FJ! category: CLASSICAL MUSICIANS
FJ! clue: The cover of the May 19, 1958 Time Magazine called him “The Texan who conquered Russia”
Bruce 4800 + 4799 = 9599
Jared 18400 + 10000 = 28400
Leigh 19200 – 800 = 18400
Honestly? I believe Leigh’s first wagering mistake limited her options later on, which only served to compound her issues! If she’d had more going into Final, she might not have felt so afraid about the category! That being said, Jared’s now a 2-day champion, $59,600. Sadly, the next 7 weeks will be: Kids Week, and 6 weeks of reruns!
What should Jeanie and I blog about over the next 7 weeks? Leave suggestions in the comments! (We might just start with Kids Week, though! Check out what we do with Monday’s show!)