Wednesday, May 19, 2021 Game Recap and Discussion (SPOILERS)

[Volante]

I'll brag and say I got all 6.

Only 5 here... Jordan for Djibouti, thinking about the Gulf of Aqaba... I -was- rushed though, and there's probably a planet in retrograde...

Ahh, "Dade" was the TOM in the silo clue. I'm over here going, "How the hell do you recognize a state from the INSIDE of a silo?!"
Dear TPTB... PLEASE subtitle the video clues with the clue text. If the contestants get the perk, we should too... (No, I am not turning on CC...it messes with my timing)

Wow; Breaking Bad ended 8 years ago...

(And it's a legit use of the tag!)

Are Stevia jokes still embargoed?

And thank you past discussion for getting me the clue of Fred.

[MattKnowles]

35R. 3/4 on big clues. Did not get The Name of the Rose. I got FJ right away and then I tried counting the countries. Counted 7. Added Israel, Jordan, and Somalia. Missed Sudan and Djibouti.

I missed Salman Rushdie again. That just came up. At least I finally got Savonarola.

Got confused and mixed up The Giver with The Giving Tree. I've added it to the list of things I get confused.

If I had noticed the similarity between Cuervo/Corvid I might have gotten that one but I got hung up on the tequila guy. Didn't help me get ravens.

Some clues that I missed that I want to get next time are Wallenberg, Osceola, the Great Rift, banshee, and fennel.

Will a penguin clue bring back the jboard penguin? Not sure what happened to that guy.

[davey]

Buzzy's voice doesn't sit right with me. He always sounds like he's shouting.

He is nebbishy. I don't think he is a candidate to be the permanent host because of his infernal need to explain everything, like Eeyore being Winnie the Pooh's friend. That will not play with viewers and they would switch off Jeopardy instead of listening to that every night.

Go, Jennifer. You rock. I just might be cheering for you in the semi-finals.

I just assumed they added the explanations to bring the program to an appropriate length because of the fast pace of these games.

Or just because it's a natural thing to do in that category. I don't know why anybody would think it was his decision, though, any more than it was his decision to explain there are 2 ways to say aperitif. (Jennifer's way was news to me...)

I did much better in DJ than the J round, but got stumped again by FJ...

[MattKnowles]

Ahh, "Dade" was the TOM in the silo clue. I'm over here going, "How the hell do you recognize a state from the INSIDE of a silo?!"

I didn't ring in but my only thought was Nevada because of Fallout: New Vegas. That game has several real life locations and includes a mission where you can help send ghouls to space with an abandoned rocket.

[OrangeSAM]

I knew this was going to be 0/3 when I saw the category. Apparently, I have no idea where the Red Sea is. Now I do, though.

I know where it is but still caught myself trying to list Dead Sea nations 1/2 way through the think music. Luckily, I pulled myself from those depths in time.

[reddpen]

Buzzy might be my favorite guest host so far. Does anyone know if he's under serious consideration? Assuming Mike R. doesn't choose himself, of course.

I don't want to retro-jinx her, but Jennifer has got game. Calm, solid and deep. She's fun to watch.

Poll request for The Name of the Rose. I got it but it felt like a lucky (not wild) guess that happened to hit. Still haven't read any Eco.

[MarkBarrett]

Buzzy might be my favorite guest host so far. Does anyone know if he's under serious consideration? Assuming Mike R. doesn't choose himself, of course.

I don't want to retro-jinx her, but Jennifer has got game. Calm, solid and deep. She's fun to watch.

Poll request for The Name of the Rose. I got it but it felt like a lucky (not wild) guess that happened to hit. Still haven't read any Eco.

Request seen.

This link works for me since I'm a subscriber: https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertai ... 079688001/

If it does not work for you then let me know and I can probably copy/paste the wording of the story. If the link works then look for links throughout to visit other J! articles.

My understanding is the final decision goes above Mike's head to the Sony suits. Those kind of people always think they have to have a big name.

[MattKnowles]

Buzzy might be my favorite guest host so far. Does anyone know if he's under serious consideration? Assuming Mike R. doesn't choose himself, of course.

I don't want to retro-jinx her, but Jennifer has got game. Calm, solid and deep. She's fun to watch.

Poll request for The Name of the Rose. I got it but it felt like a lucky (not wild) guess that happened to hit. Still haven't read any Eco.

Request seen.

This link works for me since I'm a subscriber: https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertai ... 079688001/

If it does not work for you then let me know and I can probably copy/paste the wording of the story. If the link works then look for links throughout to visit other J! articles.

My understanding is the final decision goes above Mike's head to the Sony suits. Those kind of people always think they have to have a big name.

From the article:

Richards believes Cohen is "the only one that actually physically trained his body to prepare for the three days of intensity of standing and being on and being engaged because it is very difficult. Five episodes a day, that's a lot of time in the studio. You never take a breath. I think people will be surprised at how he takes it pretty seriously. He really delivers as a host."

They did have a professional athlete...

[Shaquebanisa]

Coryat: $24,000

35 R (3 DDs), 5 W

FJ-- Of all the geography categories that could've come up, it had to be the worst one for me. Had no idea, was nowhere close and said Lebanon.

LT: ricin, The Name of The Rose, zebras

[twelvefootboy]

Buzzy's voice doesn't sit right with me. He always sounds like he's shouting.

He is nebbishy. I don't think he is a candidate to be the permanent host because of his infernal need to explain everything, like Eeyore being Winnie the Pooh's friend. That will not play with viewers and they would switch off Jeopardy instead of listening to that every night.

Go, Jennifer. You rock. I just might be cheering for you in the semi-finals.

I just assumed they added the explanations to bring the program to an appropriate length because of the fast pace of these games.

Or just because it's a natural thing to do in that category. I don't know why anybody would think it was his decision, though, any more than it was his decision to explain there are 2 ways to say aperitif. (Jennifer's way was news to me...)
XXXXXX

I don't see anything wrong with naming Eeyore and the other connected animals. As a matter of fact, it felt empty when he didn't say where the lions were from. Since it was a TS, it would have been weird to throw it back up at the contestants, as if they SHOULD have known it. But I want every factoid and tidbit the host will offer succinctly and in context. We see postings every week appealing to the "judges" about alternate answers, and Buzzy explained at least one (today I think, I don't recall it, sorry).

I went with Saudi Arabia. I don't know where that Red Sea is, but if Moses went from Egypt into Israel (?), then I have an idea.

Buzzy is the schizzle.

[Bamaman]

I knew this was going to be 0/3 when I saw the category. Apparently, I have no idea where the Red Sea is. Now I do, though.

I wasn’t really sure where it was other than a general idea but got it on a lucky guess.

Jennifer was in a good spot where she could go for the kill without killing her chances if she doesn’t win the game. Turns out she wins no matter what. Ryan didn’t help himself much.

Adding an extra $149 is really a curious choice here, this is one time where it makes absolutely zero sense to ever wager more than a cent above the MSB.

Similary curious is Ryan's bet to only get up to $11600 on a get. It has seemed in recent TOCs that with the wide array of information availabke, (J-Archive, Jeopardy! Fan, The Final Wager, the cutoffs thread here), most of the players had the right general idea in knowing they needed to target the $14,000 range to feel safe for a wildcard, but Ryan undershot it considerably and it seems quite likely to cost him.

I meant to add her bet was a case of slight risk vs. zero reward. I never think you should bet over the MSB because it just makes it easier for trailers to catch you. Here you lose the argument that you make more money. (Even in a regular game adding $149 isn’t worth it). While it would have been a small window of opportunity if she had gotten it wrong and Ryan won, you never know.

In Ryan’s spot I would have gone with $5200. It tops her MSBIW, puts him in a good spot if he doesn’t win the game, and still has a chance on a miss. Betting it all would have been fine with me as well.

[squarekara]

I don't think he is a candidate to be the permanent host because of his infernal need to explain everything, like Eeyore being Winnie the Pooh's friend.

I don't see anything wrong with naming Eeyore and the other connected animals. As a matter of fact, it felt empty when he didn't say where the lions were from.

[Picked Off]

Surprised that Ryan bet small on the second DD.

I think crosswords (ADEN) helped me to get to the FJ solve here, although I worried it may have been too obvious. I went to the end of the alphabet and worked backward rather than going the Red Sea route Buzzy outlined during the reveal.

The FJ wagering was also conservative given where the WC cutline appears to be so far.

[astrohip]

Bad CC again: "What is geranium?" instead of uranium for Jennifer's response in the water category.

Thank you for posting this. I saw that answer "geranium", and thought that was a weird answer for someone at this level of competition. I watch with captions, and had no idea "uranium" was actually said.

From the article:

Richards believes Cohen is "the only one that actually physically trained his body to prepare for the three days of intensity of standing and being on and being engaged because it is very difficult. Five episodes a day, that's a lot of time in the studio. You never take a breath. I think people will be surprised at how he takes it pretty seriously. He really delivers as a host."

They did have a professional athlete...

That does seem like an odd response. Not only is he displaying some favoritism at this early stage, this completely ignores the (as you note) professional athlete who trains far beyond what any other host could even dream of. I wonder if Mike has some bias against AR?

[Robert K S]

That does seem like an odd response. Not only is he displaying some favoritism at this early stage, this completely ignores the (as you note) professional athlete who trains far beyond what any other host could even dream of. I wonder if Mike has some bias against AR?

Based on all his public remarks prior to this I would have said he has bias in favor of Rodgers. He definitely seemed to have preferred Rodgers over Burton.

[This Is Kirk!]

I know Oman and Yemen are the two countries at the southern end of the Arabian Peninsula, but I always forget which is which. Luckily I figured Yemen was the best guess.

[CyrusChan]

Loved the FJ. Essentially, asking what's in the corner of the Peninsula and comparing it with Saudi Arabia.

[CyrusChan]

I know Oman and Yemen are the two countries at the southern end of the Arabian Peninsula, but I always forget which is which. Luckily I figured Yemen was the best guess.

A trick I use is, SAY the Vowels (UAE,O, facing I).
With SAY(Saudi Arabia and Yemen on the left) and UAE and Oman to the right, them facing Iran.

[Robert K S]

Loved the FJ. Essentially, asking what's in the corner of the Peninsula and comparing it with Saudi Arabia.

I interpreted the clue as "work backward through the alphabetized list of countries until you come to something in the right part of the world". With the shortcut that you can skip the Z's because they're not in the right part of Africa to be relevant. If you do it that way, even if you're not sure that the sole "Y" nation fits the bill, at least it's a very good educated guess.

[heppm01]

Switched from Saudi Arabia to Yemen about halfway through the think music.

Judges: Between Hell and High... for $600: "Like pell-mell, it's a hyphenated rhyming term for confusion." I responded with higgly-piggly. Any good reason why I shouldn't credit myself?