Andy here!
In case you missed it, here’s our Q&A with Arthur Chu!
This week’s players:
Nancy Akerman – Arlington, VA (WJLA)
Derek Arnold – Akron, OH (WOIO)
Douglas Beeler – Roanoke, VA (WDBJ)
Nathan Chadwick – Germantown, MD (WJLA)
Deborah Ellis – Rogue River, OR (KDRV)
Julia Levine – Los Angeles, CA (KABC)
Joe Morse – Minneapolis, MN (KARE)
Amy Nienaber – Bettendorf, IA (KWQC)
Matt Prasse – Needham, MA (WBZ)
Clay Walls – Birmingham, AL (WIAT)
Emily Waltenbaugh – Nashville, TN (WUXP)
Today’s contestants:
Will Joe Morse win a second game?
J! round categories:
CAMPING
MAPS
TENSE
GRAIL MIX
FOREST KNOWLEDGE
INSECT, REPELLENT
Joe and Derek got off to the best start over the first 15 clues. Scores at the first break:
Joe $4,000
Derek $2,000
Nancy $400
Meanwhile, Nancy’s story about her husband’s marriage proposal interview story probably has Arthur Chu gritting his teeth in frustration (see the Q&A above!). Joe repairs Coast Guard helicopters!
The first Daily Double went Nancy’s way, under MAPS $600! Scores:
Joe $4,000
Derek $3,200
Nancy $1,600
Poor Nancy! Her first attempt at a bet was $2,000! Oops. She then quickly changed it to $1,600. Her clue: Able to change naturally over time, an ambulatory boundary on a map is formed by one of these. Nancy’s response of “river” was deemed acceptable and her score went to $3,200!
By the end of the round, the scores were:
Nancy $6,400
Joe $5,800
Derek $5,400
We have a great game going here!
DJ! round categories:
AMERICAN ART & ARTISTS
CHEESY NAMES
RECENT NONFICTION
THE CHUCK WAGON
CITY SEALS
DOUBLE “Z”
Leading to the first Tweet of the night:
#Jeopardy, you've been slacking on the sports categories lately. Step up your game.— Robyn Flynn (@ladyhabs) March 24, 2014
Our three contestants kept buzzing along in this round. CHEESY NAMES $2000 proved to be a stumbling block, though (The name of this Italian cheese means “beautiful country”, referring to the Lombardy area). Derek forgot his phrasing on “Belleterre” and Joe negged as well when he repeated Derek’s answer with the proper phrasing!
A surprising Triple Stumper at CITY SEALS $1200 (The seal of DeLand, FLorida has a cross, anchor & heart, symbolizing faith, hope & this).
The very next clue had the Daily Double (CITY SEALS $1600). Joe’s to play with the following scores:
Nancy $10,000
Derek $7,800
Joe $7,000
Joe bet $7,000! Clue: The capital of Switzerland has had this animal on its seal since the 1200s. Joe said St. Bernard and fell to $0.
The final Daily Double went Derek’s way, under RECENT NONFICTION $1200! Only $1600 and $2000 remained. Scores:
Derek $13,800
Nancy $11,600
Joe $4,400
Derek bet $2,000. His clue: A 2012 expose goes “inside” this church to tell “the story of America’s most secretive religion. Derek went for the Mormons and fell to $11,800.
Nancy got the $1600 clue and Joe the $2,000, leading to scores going into Final of:
Nancy $13,200
Derek $11,800
Joe $6,400
FJ! category: HISTORICAL NICKNAMES
FJ! clue: Nickname shared by George Armstrong Custer, Native American chief Crazy Horse & a member of a 1930s comedy act
Joe 6400 – 6400 = 0
Derek 11800 – 11800 = 0
Nancy 13200 – 10401 = 2799
Leading to our second Tweet of the Night:
And I think they accidnetally inserted tonight's FJ from the #BattleOfTheDecades stack. #Sheesh— Eddie Timanus (@EddieTimanus) March 25, 2014
It does mean that Nancy is the champ and she’ll be back tomorrow! I’d like to play against Joe and Derek, though — or at least people who bet like them! Were we spoiled by Arthur Chu’s strategies? I think so!