Here it is – the beginning of my behind-the-scenes account from 90s week (day, for me). You’ve come to the right place.
Mercifully, I arrived the night before as scheduled. (I wasn’t so lucky for 80s week.) What did go wrong is I went to the wrong Travelodge to start, and it was already kind of late. Also, I had to pay an additional $5 a night for parking at the right hotel. To me that’s wrong. But I won’t complain because the hotel had ESPN and ESPN2, which was handy when I woke up the next day at 2 a.m. The Australian Open was going on, and if you can’t sleep that’s the next best thing. Sometimes, it’s better! Especially if Stan Wawrinka, or anyone else, defeats Novak Djokovic. I see now the match lasted 240 minutes.
I knew I wanted to get to the Sony studios at least an hour before the 45-minutes-ahead (10:30 a.m.) that is recommended. I got there at 9:15. 😉 I didn’t want to take any chances, and I won’t next time either. I’m proud of this:
The next people to arrive turned out to be Randy and Lillian, guests of Mark Dawson. They were very nice, chatty people, and they helped me out a lot. For example, Randy approached these two for me when I suspected the lady in the middle of this picture was Christine Valada:
It was, and the lady at right is Lisa Klink. I also saw Cliff Galiher, Michael Rooney and Bob Harris’s girlfriend, as well as a woman someone said was Brad Rutter’s publicist. (I don’t know if that’s true.) Then I saw Jerome Vered and Alan Bailey.
Incidentally, Lillian surprised me when she said off-handedly after hearing I was from Nebraska, “I know someone in Kearney.” Are you kidding?! That’s where I live! Strange coincidence.
I was seated on the same side of the audience as the contestants, which of course I love. Bob Harris looked at me and smiled. Of course we couldn’t really talk yet because he hadn’t played. And guess who was back. Contestant coordinator Robert! He wasn’t there the month before, and I was afraid he was gone. The first thing he said was “Are you here tomorrow?” I hoped I’d be given the chance to eat lunch in the Sony cafeteria again. 🙂 Robert made me laugh later when he was naming the contestants for today’s episode. He moved his head around in a circle before choosing Pam. Robert winked at me.
Randy and Lillian both e-mailed me after the taping that day. You’ll find out later this week if I’ll see them again. 😉
Before I get to today’s episode, I finished India Cooper‘s classic one this weekend. My Coryat was 15000 (18400 without negs). I played Richard Cordray’s, too (4-21-87): 12600 (15800 without negs). My Coryat on the weekend episode, which originally aired 1-7-13, was 28200 (31200 without negs). The first time I played, my score was 25000 (28800 without negs).
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| Pam Mueller |
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| Fritz Holznagel |
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| Dan Melia |
Pam looked different with her red hair!
Fritz found the first Daily Double, in Like It’s 1998.
Fritz 1200 (2 right)
Dan 0
Pam 1400 (3 right)
Fritz wagered 1111 (?) on this clue: “On July 17 this ruler & some of his family members were re-buried in St. Petersburg.” He got it right.
At the first break:
Fritz 5111 (4 right)
Dan -200 (One right and one wrong)
Pam 2400 (3 right)
It was fun to watch Brad as Pam told the story of being recognized when they were together in New York City. Mr. Trebek said “You go, girl!” Then Dan told the story of being married by Bob Harris on the Jeopardy! stage. But wait…Did Trebek say Bob was appearing tomorrow?! Heads snapped all around in the studio. Later a contestant coordinator said to the contestants, “Alex and his big mouth.”
At the end of the round:
Fritz 7711 (5 right)
Dan 2200 (3 right)
Pam 4200 (4 right and one wrong)
Dan found the first Daily Double of the round in Art & Artists.
Fritz 7311 (One wrong)
Dan 6200 (4 right and 2 wrong)
Pam 4600 (One right and one wrong)
Dan wagered 2500 on this clue: “His 1911 work ‘I and the Village’ evokes the look of his Hasidic hometown.” Dan missed it. Pam then promptly swept As “If”! Then, Fritz got one right and found the next Daily Double in Science Timeline.
Fritz 8511 (One right)
Dan 3700
Pam 12600 (6 right)
Fritz said he wasn’t crazy about the category, then wagered 777 on this clue: “In 1576 King Frederick II granted him title to the island of Ven to build an observatory.” Fritz missed it.
At the end of the round:
Fritz 12934 (4 right)
Dan 5700 (2 right)
Pam 17000 (5 right)
The Final Jeopardy category was Borders. Now, I wish you could’ve seen Pam carry on while she appeared to calculate her wager. Good thing I’m here for you. She looked stressed resting her head on her hand as she wrote during the break, and she took a really long time. Eventually Mr. Trebek said to her, “Have you got your wager made?”
Here’s the clue: “Twice as long as Hadrian’s Wall, Offa’s Dyke was the traditional border between these 2 lands.” Dan got it right and added 4000. Fritz got it wrong and lost 1331. Pam got it wrong too. So that wager she appeared to agonize over? 0. 0! I thought the studio audience went a little more nuts than it sounded like tonight from home. Anyway we’ll see Pam in a couple months. And as you know, we’ll see Bob
tomorrow.
I noticed after Pam played she went from high heels to foam flipflops. I wondered what she’d wear the next night at the pub!
One year ago: Anecdotally speaking
Two years ago: Know and Tell
Three years ago: I’ve got to keep on Walken
Four years ago: Introducing calendar clues
