What do you guys think of Austin Rogers so far? [POSSIBLE SPOILERS]

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Re: What do you guys think of Austin Rogers so far? [POSSIBLE SPOILERS]

Post by Johnblue »

While his knowledge is impressive, he's tough to watch. There was a clue where the answer was Library & one contestant answered in plural form and then the second answered "librarian." When Rogers answered correctly, he did one of his odd dances which seemed especially obnoxious at that point. He's not the worst one I've seen but he's close. I enjoyed Matt Jackson during his run. I will say as a native NYer we do pronounce that dessert as "sherbert" but you still have to drop the second r for tv!
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Re: What do you guys think of Austin Rogers so far? [POSSIBLE SPOILERS]

Post by econgator »

Johnblue wrote: Wed Oct 04, 2017 10:53 pm I will say as a native NYer we do pronounce that dessert as "sherbert" but you still have to drop the second r for tv!
Ditto. I've never heard it as "sherbet".
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Re: What do you guys think of Austin Rogers so far? [POSSIBLE SPOILERS]

Post by hbomb1947 »

econgator wrote: Wed Oct 04, 2017 11:09 pm
Johnblue wrote: Wed Oct 04, 2017 10:53 pm I will say as a native NYer we do pronounce that dessert as "sherbert" but you still have to drop the second r for tv!
Ditto. I've never heard it as "sherbet".
Then you've never heard me (a 21-year New Yorker) order one. :D
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Re: What do you guys think of Austin Rogers so far? [POSSIBLE SPOILERS]

Post by zerobandwidth »

Anachronism wrote: Wed Oct 04, 2017 3:16 pm One thing that occurred to me... Alex opened yesterday by saying he would make a concerted effort to get through both boards, something that hasn't been happening lately. I'm not sure why. I know these games are edited so the timer has to be somewhat adjusted, mid-game, to a perception of how the episode will be edited. And perhaps the answer is as simple as Sony has been asked to leave room for (yet another) 15 seconds of commercials (I don't think I'd watch J! without a DVR).

Were there problems in taping with a lot more emoting than usual? What Alex said seemed a bit unusual in its timing. I wonder sometimes about breaks (your comment about them having to move the hidden DD because of a goof was interesting) in taping. Does it apply to that kind of thing? Aside from the celebrity episodes which are tough to watch - there was some newsbunny last year who seemed more like an SNL parody than a real person.
The stoppages probably did throw a bit of a wrench into the timing works, since they're probably not sure how much of the stoppage will have to be edited in/out, and they throw off the players' momentum. And yes, those video categories where celebrities deliver the clues are often a boat anchor on pace. You could tell Austin was trying everything to get away from the Dr. Oz category but Bonnie just kept going back to it. :lol:

I've often wondered why they don't simply have an explicit, visible game clock.
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Re: What do you guys think of Austin Rogers so far? [POSSIBLE SPOILERS]

Post by badgerfellow »

zerobandwidth wrote: Wed Oct 04, 2017 11:36 pm
Anachronism wrote: Wed Oct 04, 2017 3:16 pm One thing that occurred to me... Alex opened yesterday by saying he would make a concerted effort to get through both boards, something that hasn't been happening lately. I'm not sure why. I know these games are edited so the timer has to be somewhat adjusted, mid-game, to a perception of how the episode will be edited. And perhaps the answer is as simple as Sony has been asked to leave room for (yet another) 15 seconds of commercials (I don't think I'd watch J! without a DVR).

Were there problems in taping with a lot more emoting than usual? What Alex said seemed a bit unusual in its timing. I wonder sometimes about breaks (your comment about them having to move the hidden DD because of a goof was interesting) in taping. Does it apply to that kind of thing? Aside from the celebrity episodes which are tough to watch - there was some newsbunny last year who seemed more like an SNL parody than a real person.
The stoppages probably did throw a bit of a wrench into the timing works, since they're probably not sure how much of the stoppage will have to be edited in/out, and they throw off the players' momentum. And yes, those video categories where celebrities deliver the clues are often a boat anchor on pace. You could tell Austin was trying everything to get away from the Dr. Oz category but Bonnie just kept going back to it. :lol:

I've often wondered why they don't simply have an explicit, visible game clock.
Stories cut into that time too. We know those get edited as well and would complicate any sense of a game clock.
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Re: What do you guys think of Austin Rogers so far? [POSSIBLE SPOILERS]

Post by TenPoundHammer »

I've said it before: if they can cram all 61 clues in during TOC games, they should be able to do it every game. If even Alex is complaining on-air about unfinished boards, then something needs to change. It at least feels like there's been a major drop in unnecessarily verbose clue-calling, because I don't remember seeing much "Um...I will take... Things That Wouldn't Taste Good on a Stroopwafel for... six... hundred dollars... please... Alex..."

Conversely, wasn't there at least one game not too long ago where they edited out something like the last three clues because they were all stand-and-stares? I remember seeing at least one game where someone actually called for a clue and they immediately spliced in the time's-up beeps without showing the clue that was called.
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Re: What do you guys think of Austin Rogers so far? [POSSIBLE SPOILERS]

Post by seaborgium »

triviawayne wrote: Wed Oct 04, 2017 12:00 pm Here's the 5-day Coryats of past champs, I don't have Austin's at this time:

Jerome Vered $27,480
Ken Jennings $27,000
Brian Weikle $26,520
Roger Craig $24,440
David Madden $23,240
Robin Carroll $22,760
Chuck Forrest $22,400
Stephanie Jass $22,080
Brad Rutter $21,960
Alex Jacob $21,840
Jason Keller $21,280
Frank Spangenberg $21,080
Arthur Chu $20,960
Larissa Kelly $20,560
Dan Melia $19,640
Greg Seroka $19,560
Tom Nissley $16,840
Ben Ingram $16,800
Julia Collins $16,480
Tom Kavanaugh $14,760
Dan Pawson $14,680
Drew Horwood $11,960
Wes Ulm $25,920 (I believe his $18,000 Coryat in his first game is the pre-doubled era record—it certainly is among games that have been archived—and Ken Jennings appears to be the only post-doubling contestant who has broken a $36k Coryat)
me $19,000
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Re: What do you guys think of Austin Rogers so far? [POSSIBLE SPOILERS]

Post by KellyLasiter »

TenPoundHammer wrote: Thu Oct 05, 2017 1:25 am I've said it before: if they can cram all 61 clues in during TOC games, they should be able to do it every game. If even Alex is complaining on-air about unfinished boards, then something needs to change. It at least feels like there's been a major drop in unnecessarily verbose clue-calling, because I don't remember seeing much "Um...I will take... Things That Wouldn't Taste Good on a Stroopwafel for... six... hundred dollars... please... Alex..."

Conversely, wasn't there at least one game not too long ago where they edited out something like the last three clues because they were all stand-and-stares? I remember seeing at least one game where someone actually called for a clue and they immediately spliced in the time's-up beeps without showing the clue that was called.
Yes, they will edit out a few clues at the end if nobody rang in on them.
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Re: What do you guys think of Austin Rogers so far? [POSSIBLE SPOILERS]

Post by teapot37 »

seaborgium wrote: Thu Oct 05, 2017 2:34 am
triviawayne wrote: Wed Oct 04, 2017 12:00 pm Here's the 5-day Coryats of past champs, I don't have Austin's at this time:

Jerome Vered $27,480
Ken Jennings $27,000
Brian Weikle $26,520
Roger Craig $24,440
David Madden $23,240
Robin Carroll $22,760
Chuck Forrest $22,400
Stephanie Jass $22,080
Brad Rutter $21,960
Alex Jacob $21,840
Jason Keller $21,280
Frank Spangenberg $21,080
Arthur Chu $20,960
Larissa Kelly $20,560
Dan Melia $19,640
Greg Seroka $19,560
Tom Nissley $16,840
Ben Ingram $16,800
Julia Collins $16,480
Tom Kavanaugh $14,760
Dan Pawson $14,680
Drew Horwood $11,960
Wes Ulm $25,920 (I believe his $18,000 Coryat in his first game is the pre-doubled era record—it certainly is among games that have been archived—and Ken Jennings appears to be the only post-doubling contestant who has broken a $36k Coryat)
me $19,000
$24,800 here
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Re: What do you guys think of Austin Rogers so far? [POSSIBLE SPOILERS]

Post by triviawayne »

teapot37 wrote: Thu Oct 05, 2017 7:14 am
seaborgium wrote: Thu Oct 05, 2017 2:34 am
triviawayne wrote: Wed Oct 04, 2017 12:00 pm Here's the 5-day Coryats of past champs, I don't have Austin's at this time:

Jerome Vered $27,480
Ken Jennings $27,000
Brian Weikle $26,520
Roger Craig $24,440
David Madden $23,240
Robin Carroll $22,760
Chuck Forrest $22,400
Stephanie Jass $22,080
Brad Rutter $21,960
Alex Jacob $21,840
Jason Keller $21,280
Frank Spangenberg $21,080
Arthur Chu $20,960
Larissa Kelly $20,560
Dan Melia $19,640
Greg Seroka $19,560
Tom Nissley $16,840
Ben Ingram $16,800
Julia Collins $16,480
Tom Kavanaugh $14,760
Dan Pawson $14,680
Drew Horwood $11,960
Wes Ulm $25,920 (I believe his $18,000 Coryat in his first game is the pre-doubled era record—it certainly is among games that have been archived—and Ken Jennings appears to be the only post-doubling contestant who has broken a $36k Coryat)
me $19,000
$24,800 here
Sorry, I wasn't trying to miss anyone. I don't even know how this list was put together in the Matt Jackson thread, or how to scrape this information from the archive. I would find it interesting to see a true top 10 or 25 list with this criteria.
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Re: What do you guys think of Austin Rogers so far? [POSSIBLE SPOILERS]

Post by John Boy »

acthomas wrote: Wed Oct 04, 2017 10:12 am The intros are just a lose-lose all around for the contestants. Stand still and feel awkward? Let loose a little and get mocked? I know which camp I'd rather be in, and Austin's not doing anything there beyond what I think I'd feel comfortable doing. Though I am glad that "bat flip" is now officially off the list for future mini-celebrations.

I'm actually a little surprised more people don't dance a little to the theme either during the intros or FJ to get the blood going to the brain.

tl,dr: Austin's the first superchamp* in a while where I've felt inspired by their in-game performance and not terrified/put off by it.
There's a lot of territory available between "stand still and look awkward" and the kind of behavior exhibited by Austin and (earlier) Jennifer. Wave. Mouth "Hi, Mom." Smile. It's only for 5 seconds, after all, and you get to "let loose a little" in the interview or possibly even during the game. I was not a fan of Jennifer's dancing and I'm not a fan of Austin's pantomimes.

What is it the boardie wrote some time ago? The game should be about the game, and anything that draws attention away from the game should be kept to a minimum.

PS Most of us would be so excited to finally get our chance to be on the show, the LAST thing we would need would be something to "get the blood going." That's like asking the coach how he expects to motivate his team to play in the Super Bowl. They ARE motivated, and anyone who isn't would never have gotten here. No need for rah-rah to pump you up.
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Re: What do you guys think of Austin Rogers so far? [POSSIBLE SPOILERS]

Post by zerobandwidth »

John Boy wrote: Thu Oct 05, 2017 8:20 am
acthomas wrote: Wed Oct 04, 2017 10:12 am The intros are just a lose-lose all around for the contestants. Stand still and feel awkward? Let loose a little and get mocked? I know which camp I'd rather be in, and Austin's not doing anything there beyond what I think I'd feel comfortable doing. Though I am glad that "bat flip" is now officially off the list for future mini-celebrations.

I'm actually a little surprised more people don't dance a little to the theme either during the intros or FJ to get the blood going to the brain.

tl,dr: Austin's the first superchamp* in a while where I've felt inspired by their in-game performance and not terrified/put off by it.
There's a lot of territory available between "stand still and look awkward" and the kind of behavior exhibited by Austin and (earlier) Jennifer. Wave. Mouth "Hi, Mom." Smile. It's only for 5 seconds, after all, and you get to "let loose a little" in the interview or possibly even during the game. I was not a fan of Jennifer's dancing and I'm not a fan of Austin's pantomimes.

What is it the boardie wrote some time ago? The game should be about the game, and anything that draws attention away from the game should be kept to a minimum.

PS Most of us would be so excited to finally get our chance to be on the show, the LAST thing we would need would be something to "get the blood going." That's like asking the coach how he expects to motivate his team to play in the Super Bowl. They ARE motivated, and anyone who isn't would never have gotten here. No need for rah-rah to pump you up.
The people who do at least something weird/silly/whatever during the intro are going to be in better shape for the game, because (especially in the first game) it's the point at which the reality of the situation hits you. I was in the middle of wondering what I should be doing for my intro when Johnny Gilbert started introducing me and my bloodstream instantly became 50% adrenaline and all I managed was an eyebrow raise. Staying loose through this moment is about the game; it's as much a part of a good strategy as anything else.
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Re: What do you guys think of Austin Rogers so far? [POSSIBLE SPOILERS]

Post by badgerfellow »

zerobandwidth wrote: Thu Oct 05, 2017 8:32 am
John Boy wrote: Thu Oct 05, 2017 8:20 am
acthomas wrote: Wed Oct 04, 2017 10:12 am The intros are just a lose-lose all around for the contestants. Stand still and feel awkward? Let loose a little and get mocked? I know which camp I'd rather be in, and Austin's not doing anything there beyond what I think I'd feel comfortable doing. Though I am glad that "bat flip" is now officially off the list for future mini-celebrations.

I'm actually a little surprised more people don't dance a little to the theme either during the intros or FJ to get the blood going to the brain.

tl,dr: Austin's the first superchamp* in a while where I've felt inspired by their in-game performance and not terrified/put off by it.
There's a lot of territory available between "stand still and look awkward" and the kind of behavior exhibited by Austin and (earlier) Jennifer. Wave. Mouth "Hi, Mom." Smile. It's only for 5 seconds, after all, and you get to "let loose a little" in the interview or possibly even during the game. I was not a fan of Jennifer's dancing and I'm not a fan of Austin's pantomimes.

What is it the boardie wrote some time ago? The game should be about the game, and anything that draws attention away from the game should be kept to a minimum.

PS Most of us would be so excited to finally get our chance to be on the show, the LAST thing we would need would be something to "get the blood going." That's like asking the coach how he expects to motivate his team to play in the Super Bowl. They ARE motivated, and anyone who isn't would never have gotten here. No need for rah-rah to pump you up.
The people who do at least something weird/silly/whatever during the intro are going to be in better shape for the game, because (especially in the first game) it's the point at which the reality of the situation hits you. I was in the middle of wondering what I should be doing for my intro when Johnny Gilbert started introducing me and my bloodstream instantly became 50% adrenaline and all I managed was an eyebrow raise. Staying loose through this moment is about the game; it's as much a part of a good strategy as anything else.
Do you recall if TPTB gave any instructions on what to do during the intro other than let you know what camera would be pointing at you? I don't seem to remember anything like that.
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Re: What do you guys think of Austin Rogers so far? [POSSIBLE SPOILERS]

Post by zerobandwidth »

badgerfellow wrote: Thu Oct 05, 2017 9:15 am
zerobandwidth wrote: Thu Oct 05, 2017 8:32 am The people who do at least something weird/silly/whatever during the intro are going to be in better shape for the game, because (especially in the first game) it's the point at which the reality of the situation hits you. I was in the middle of wondering what I should be doing for my intro when Johnny Gilbert started introducing me and my bloodstream instantly became 50% adrenaline and all I managed was an eyebrow raise. Staying loose through this moment is about the game; it's as much a part of a good strategy as anything else.
Do you recall if TPTB gave any instructions on what to do during the intro other than let you know what camera would be pointing at you? I don't seem to remember anything like that.
They didn't really, just pointing out which camera would be aimed at each person, and you're on when the light on that camera is on.
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Re: What do you guys think of Austin Rogers so far? [POSSIBLE SPOILERS]

Post by slam »

KaladinStormblessed wrote: Wed Oct 04, 2017 5:02 am
Cat Hammarskjold wrote: Wed Oct 04, 2017 1:07 am I don't find anything wrong with him. He's a little too reckless at times (why did he wager more than 33,600 on FJ on Tuesday), but people often make math mistakes under the lights. It will be interesting to see how far he goes, and whether or not he'll be in November's TOC.
Disagree that it was a math mistake. Look at his face -- it was an intentional decision. I love it. Jeopardy contestants are often cautious, conservative, and dare i say, boring. I would never want the show to turn into the screaming and clapping or manufactured suspense of other game shows, but a player with flair does not go amiss.
I'd classify it as a math mistake because, as pointed out elsewhere, he could have eliminated a significant amount of risk with a slightly lower wager. I don't think it was a math mistake to risk the lock and agree that was an intentional decision. It would be much clearer that it was a math mistake if he missed FJ and Amy wagerer something like $17,000. I think it was more of a conceptual math mistake rather than an arithmetic mistake, though.
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Re: What do you guys think of Austin Rogers so far? [POSSIBLE SPOILERS]

Post by Wheatley »

The important math wasn't the wager, it was the odds of getting that one question right versus the odds of winning tomorrow. If he feels more confident about 20th c. world leaders than about the average J! category, then he made the right call.
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Re: What do you guys think of Austin Rogers so far? [POSSIBLE SPOILERS]

Post by AndyTheQuizzer »

slam wrote: Thu Oct 05, 2017 11:12 am I'd classify it as a math mistake because, as pointed out elsewhere, he could have eliminated a significant amount of risk with a slightly lower wager. I don't think it was a math mistake to risk the lock and agree that was an intentional decision. It would be much clearer that it was a math mistake if he missed FJ and Amy wagerer something like $17,000. I think it was more of a conceptual math mistake rather than an arithmetic mistake, though.
Classifying it as a math mistake implies that Austin would do math in this sort of a situation, and aside from the "do I have a runaway" math and "bet enough to cover", I get the impression from my brief conversations with him on Twitter that math isn't exactly something that he's concerned himself with so far. I must therefore disagree with your take.
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Re: What do you guys think of Austin Rogers so far? [POSSIBLE SPOILERS]

Post by Wheatley »

OntarioQuizzer wrote: Thu Oct 05, 2017 11:41 am
slam wrote: Thu Oct 05, 2017 11:12 am I'd classify it as a math mistake because, as pointed out elsewhere, he could have eliminated a significant amount of risk with a slightly lower wager. I don't think it was a math mistake to risk the lock and agree that was an intentional decision. It would be much clearer that it was a math mistake if he missed FJ and Amy wagerer something like $17,000. I think it was more of a conceptual math mistake rather than an arithmetic mistake, though.
Classifying it as a math mistake implies that Austin would do math in this sort of a situation, and aside from the "do I have a runaway" math and "bet enough to cover", I get the impression from my brief conversations with him on Twitter that math isn't exactly something that he's concerned himself with so far. I must therefore disagree with your take.
Did he say anything about how he decides how much to wager on DDs? He almost never wagers a round thousand, suggesting that some calculation happens.
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Re: What do you guys think of Austin Rogers so far? [POSSIBLE SPOILERS]

Post by AndyTheQuizzer »

Wheatley wrote: Thu Oct 05, 2017 11:44 am Did he say anything about how he decides how much to wager on DDs? He almost never wagers a round thousand, suggesting that some calculation happens.
Even on his perfect-to-the-number 5700 in Game 2, he claimed that was literally a random number out of his mouth.
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Re: What do you guys think of Austin Rogers so far? [POSSIBLE SPOILERS]

Post by TheSunWillComeOut »

John Boy wrote: Thu Oct 05, 2017 8:20 am
acthomas wrote: Wed Oct 04, 2017 10:12 am The intros are just a lose-lose all around for the contestants. Stand still and feel awkward? Let loose a little and get mocked? I know which camp I'd rather be in, and Austin's not doing anything there beyond what I think I'd feel comfortable doing. Though I am glad that "bat flip" is now officially off the list for future mini-celebrations.

I'm actually a little surprised more people don't dance a little to the theme either during the intros or FJ to get the blood going to the brain.

tl,dr: Austin's the first superchamp* in a while where I've felt inspired by their in-game performance and not terrified/put off by it.
There's a lot of territory available between "stand still and look awkward" and the kind of behavior exhibited by Austin and (earlier) Jennifer. Wave. Mouth "Hi, Mom." Smile. It's only for 5 seconds, after all, and you get to "let loose a little" in the interview or possibly even during the game. I was not a fan of Jennifer's dancing and I'm not a fan of Austin's pantomimes.

What is it the boardie wrote some time ago? The game should be about the game, and anything that draws attention away from the game should be kept to a minimum.

PS Most of us would be so excited to finally get our chance to be on the show, the LAST thing we would need would be something to "get the blood going." That's like asking the coach how he expects to motivate his team to play in the Super Bowl. They ARE motivated, and anyone who isn't would never have gotten here. No need for rah-rah to pump you up.
Re: the dancing and other shtick:

1. Maggie okayed it in advance. The rule for the intro is this: "You can do whatever you want, so long as you don't fall off the podium."

2. Alex loved it and encouraged me to keep doing it, even after I started to wonder if I needed to tone it down any. And, if you will recall, came out dancing himself in my last show. He was also shimmying a bit for the crowd IN BETWEEN shows, because he enjoyed it so much. You know the first rule of Jeopardy! behavior, the one that supersedes all others: Never contradict Alex.

3. The game's already about the game - I don't really see much of a difference between whether an answer is spoken or sung, or what somebody does when their name and occupation is being read aloud. It takes the exact same amount of time. I made sure to do absolutely nothing that would take longer than doing the stoic version would do.

4. Antics absolutely help with the pump-up process. There was a part of me that felt like I was going to float away like a hot-air balloon from the sheer adrenaline high, but keeping it light and fun counterbalanced that by putting me in the same mindset as I get when I'm at home, on my couch, yelling out wisecracks at the TV. It may be Peak Competition but it's not good for stress levels to focus on the significance of that the whole damn time. I concentrated on getting stuff right and entertaining Alex, and hey, won twice, so it worked for me.

5. Remember I got chosen for the show by behaving basically the same way during my audition - and why wouldn't I? It's who I am. And the show looked at that and said, "Yeah, that one." You're entitled to your opinion, but recognize that it's not the opinion of the show itself. They LOVE "controversial" contestants. It's good for business, and it's good for a laugh during their work day.
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