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So this morning I was laying around thinking of this tweet I’d seen hours earlier:
More details forthcoming, but I’ll be playing in the quarterfinals of the #Jeopardy Battle of the Decades on Tuesday, May 6!
— Russ Schumacher (@russ_schumacher) April 22, 2014
The significance of the date occurred to me suddenly: If the quarterfinals are the week of May 6, is week 2 of the finals the very next week? I got up and opened my suitcase, then opened a bag with the postcard holding the airdates. Sure enough.
So what’s the problem? I’d planned to visit my sister in Wisconsin with my family at the end of that week. But don’t panic like I did. I have some ideas, including staying at my sister’s in Chicago to blog on Thursday and Friday before joining my family on Friday evening. (I learned from Colby Burnett the show airs at 2:30 there.) No matter what, I am there for you.
I got my copy of Tom Nissley‘s Readers Book of Days in the mail today, as well as Brendan DuBois’ My Short, Happy Life in Jeopardy!
Anyone read these? You can buy them here:
A Reader’s Book of Days: True Tales from the Lives and Works of Writers for Every Day of the Year
My Short, Happy Life In “Jeopardy!”
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| Julia Collins |
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| Donna Innes |
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| Dilip Rajagopalan |
Yesterday, Julia Collins won her first game. Was it her last?
There seemed to be something to say about every clue today, including this first one in Food-Titled Books: “It’s the title offering seen here.” And more pictures! Okay, I’ll get off the couch but I won’t crouch down.
Anyway I didn’t know that the ham was green too, in this book. Did you? Julia went 4/5 in this category.
And I thought of the correct response to this one in Top 40 Debuts, but didn’t think they were a trio: “1987: This female trio pushed onto the charts with ‘Push It.'” And here’s a notable one in the same category, thanks to something that happened at the O’Brien’s quiz I attended in January: “2009: This single-named British gal was ‘Chasing Pavements.'”
I said what Donna did for this one in On My Hands: “To keep from slipping, gymnasts use this substance, mainly magnesium carbonate, on their hands.” This was the last clue before the end of the round.
Julia 5800 (10 right)
Dilip 0
Donna 1400 (4 right and one wrong)
Poor Donna – she seems like someone who’s had a colorful life but can’t really say much about it!
Shoutout to the U.S.T.A. in Dilip’s interview! I mentioned it to them on Twitter, and here’s what they said:
@vamosdavid We heard – thanks for mentioning! Great to see/hear one of our leagues players on the show.
— USTA (@usta) April 23, 2014
Is Julia that old that there was no Teen Tournament when she was in high school? When do you think the first one was?
Dilip finally rang in and answered correctly, and the next clue was the Daily Double!
Julia 6600 (2 right)
Dilip 800 (One right)
Donna 1400
Dilip wagered just 500 on this clue in I’ve Got Time: “There are 60 billion of these in a minute.” Dilip was wrong but I got it right. My closed-captioning said he said “quarks,” but it didn’t really sound like it!
At the end of the round:
Julia 7600 (2 right)
Dilip 1100 (2 right)
Donna 4600 (5 right)
I got this triple-stumper in Changing the White House Towel Monograms: “From WJC to this.” The next clue was the Daily Double, in the same category. Julia found it.
Julia 10800 (4 right)
Dilip 700 (One right and one wrong)
Donna 4200 (One wrong)
Julia wagered 2000 on this hard one: “From RBH to this.” She and I didn’t get it.
I got this triple-stumper in Colleges, not Universities: “The name of this one of the Seven Sisters is a Welsh phrase meaning ‘high hill.'” I got this next one too, a triple-stumper in the same category: “This pizza magnate & 2012 presidential candidate was a math major at historically black Morehouse College.” I was thinking the same thing Trebek said. How quickly they forget!
Julia found the next Daily Double in U.S. Bodies of Water.
Julia 13200 (3 right)
Dilip 1100 (One right)
Donna 4600 (One right)
She wagered on this clue: “Oregon’s Wizard Island in this volcanic lake
has a cinder cone rising 760 feet above the lake.” She got it.
I swept Crossword Clues “O”, which included this triple-stumper: “‘Boom’ or ‘cuckoo,’ for example (12).” Remember this?
There were three clues left covered at the end of the round.
Julia 18400 (3 right)
Dilip 3900 (2 right)
Donna 7400 (2 right)
The Final Jeopardy category is Baseball. This is the clue: “Vine Line is the official magazine of this major league baseball team.” I got this instantly. Dilip was wrong and lost 3501. Donna didn’t have a response and lost 600. Julia got it right! I’m surprised they all didn’t. She added 2600. We’ll see her tomorrow.
My Coryat today was 20600 (22800 without negs).
One year ago: Crater Fake
Two years ago: Axes of Evil
Three years ago: You’re hot then you’re cold, you’re yes then you’re no
Four years ago: Did I mention I’m holding a contest?
