Thursday, February 27, 2014 Game Recap & Discussion [SPOILERS]

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Bamaman
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Re: Thursday, February 27, 2014 Game Recap & Discussion [SPOILERS]

Post by Bamaman »

TenPoundHammer wrote:Pell grant was obvious for education? Huh?!?
Do you know what Pell Grants are used for?
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Re: Thursday, February 27, 2014 Game Recap & Discussion [SPOILERS]

Post by Leaper »

Sportswriter Mike Klis expressed how impressed he was by Arthur on Twitter today. Now I know why.

Arthur also made Mother Jones's political blog, which links to an article where a lot of people apparently express dislike for... his buzzer force? I'm as confused as Kevin Drum on that one.
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Re: Thursday, February 27, 2014 Game Recap & Discussion [SPOILERS]

Post by dhkendall »

Austin Powers wrote:
jwatcher16 wrote:Hi all -
I watched today's game and did not enjoy it at all. Most of you seem to be in Arthur's camp. Admittedly he's brilliant and plays the game brilliantly. I was rooting for him to be a 5-time champion, actually. But since then, I haven't really enjoyed watching the other players get slaughtered. That's what it's felt like the last few games, today's especially. There hasn't been much competition and - to me, anyway, it has taken away some of the enjoyment of watching.

I feel like I'd like to see someone else get a chance now.
If the show wants to do that, they can seek out competent competition. Lot of these folks aren't very good. Arthur is clearly a dominant player, but there's also plenty of Lach trash still on the board, and these yo-yos aren't picking up any of it.

I don't feel sorry for people who get slaughtered. It's an act of ego to appear on Jeopardy. Either you want to make money, or be seen on TV, or you think you're smart and you want that validation. Or maybe you want to have some side career you want to promote.

So these folks aren't getting what they expected, but it's also not unfair what has happened to them.
Einstein I believe it was famously said "the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results".

That's the crux of Arthur's complete dominance right there. People coming up against him should be doing something different. They think that what defeated Tim Russell or Dan Felsenheld or Ulhas Rajurkar (three completely random champions chosen from the Archive) will work in defeating Arthur. It is funny to notice that most of the time when a ACL (an echo of KJL) gets control of the board, they go right back to "same category, top row" and are oblivious to the fact that "different category, bottom row" is what is killing *them*. To defeat an Arthur Chu, you must play like an Arthur Chu, and they aren't doing that. The old method worked for people who used the old method. Doing that again in a different situation is the definition of insanity.
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Re: Thursday, February 27, 2014 Game Recap & Discussion [SPOILERS]

Post by MarkBarrett »

So that's what Monsanto does? As a kid visiting Disneyland, Adventure Thru Inner Space presented by Monsanto was an "E" ticket ride to me even though it only cost a "C" one. In later visits when the ticket system was eliminated and the attraction could be visited in repetition I was in my glory since it was always a fast-moving line.

Harry Dean Stanton had me laughing immediately as I had no doubt it would be a stand and stare.

Nitch, nish or neesh?

Arthur is poor at sports? I think that may be a tad generous. Not that the Baltimore Oriole clue was sports, but it fit the pattern. The bigger sin was a still buzzer by Arthur on the Christine clue. Does not know sports and Stephen King? Chopper! Sic balls!

The FJ! category had me ready to consider things across the oceans if necessary. The clue was kind in narrowing the focus. Hoover Dam? Makes the most sense to me. The timing and location seemed good.

If Arthur were to be defeated tomorrow then the 2014 TOC would have at least three 8x champs. In the short history of 8x champs so far there is Tom Kavanaugh out in quarterfinals and Tom Nissley second place.
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Re: Thursday, February 27, 2014 Game Recap & Discussion [SPOILERS]

Post by opusthepenguin »

Austin Powers wrote:If the show wants to do that, they can seek out competent competition. Lot of these folks aren't very good. Arthur is clearly a dominant player, but there's also plenty of Lach trash still on the board, and these yo-yos aren't picking up any of it.

I don't feel sorry for people who get slaughtered. It's an act of ego to appear on Jeopardy. Either you want to make money, or be seen on TV, or you think you're smart and you want that validation. Or maybe you want to have some side career you want to promote.

So these folks aren't getting what they expected, but it's also not unfair what has happened to them.
It's interesting that Arthur, who isn't arrogant and abrasive, is seen that way by some. I wonder how you would come off. I suspect we'll never find out, and not for the reasons you think.
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Re: Thursday, February 27, 2014 Game Recap & Discussion [SPOILERS]

Post by morbeedo »

Is 'Queen Mary' a sufficient answer for the clue "queen of Scots"? I thought Alex would have asked for a more specific response, i.e. Mary Stuart, as opposed to Mary Tudor, or Mary I (aka Bloody Mary).
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Re: Thursday, February 27, 2014 Game Recap & Discussion [SPOILERS]

Post by morbeedo »

MarkBarrett wrote:Nitch, nish or neesh?
Neesh, like quiche, or caniche (en français).
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Re: Thursday, February 27, 2014 Game Recap & Discussion [SPOILERS]

Post by opusthepenguin »

morbeedo wrote:Is 'Queen Mary' a sufficient answer for the clue "queen of Scots"? I thought Alex would have asked for a more specific response, i.e. Mary Stuart, as opposed to Mary Tudor, or Mary I (aka Bloody Mary).
Yeah, that was a weird one. In a circular way, I guess one could argue that "Mary, Queen of Scots" is a perfectly acceptable designation for Mary Stuart. So if they spot you "Queen of Scots," all you need to do is supply the "Mary". But that's kind of like ringing in on a clue in FAMOUS BUCHANANS and expecting credit for "Who is Buchanan?"
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Re: Thursday, February 27, 2014 Game Recap & Discussion [SPOILERS]

Post by TenPoundHammer »

Bamaman wrote:
TenPoundHammer wrote:Pell grant was obvious for education? Huh?!?
Do you know what Pell Grants are used for?
I knew that there is a thing called a Pell grant, but before today, if you had asked me what one was, I would've been able to tell you literally no more than "it's probably some kind of grant".
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Re: Thursday, February 27, 2014 Game Recap & Discussion [SPOILERS]

Post by bomtr »

morbeedo wrote:
MarkBarrett wrote:Nitch, nish or neesh?
Neesh, like quiche, or caniche (en français).
First pronunciation is nitch.
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Re: Thursday, February 27, 2014 Game Recap & Discussion [SPOILERS]

Post by VAdame »

Nitch, nish or neesh?
Now that I'm aware of Arthur's tendency to mispronounce words, I was catching them all over tonight!

Nish for nitch, GROW-man's for GRAW-man's...OK, they're consistent with the spelling even though I think it makes him sound kind of, well, ignorant!

But how the heck did they not ding him on "Hoo-DEEN" for Houdini? No possible way does that fit. He could have called him Houdini, Harry Houdini, Harry Weiss, Erik Weisz, Ehrich Weiss, or even Ehrich the Prince of the Air, since Houdini went by all those names at one time or another. But not Hou-DEEN!

If he was referring to Jean-Eugene Robert-Houdin -- Houdini's inspiration -- well, that guy did not invent the Milk Can Escape. Plus, his surname was Robert-Houdin (pronounced like "ro-BEAR-'oo-DAN"), not just Houdin.

I fully expected TJPTB to call Arthur on that when he came to the next Daily Double, and am still very surprised that they didn't.
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Re: Thursday, February 27, 2014 Game Recap & Discussion [SPOILERS]

Post by Golf »

zakharov wrote:I'm not saying you have to throw a pity party for the losers, but a lot of these people traveled a long way to fulfill what must be something of an ambition and ran into a buzzsaw. Spare a thought.
There was nothing wrong with what was said. Arthur's challengers aren't stupid, they aren't shooting themselves in the foot, they are simply getting beat, plain and simple.

They have been selected through an arduous process to fly to Hollywood, appear in front of millions of people, and get paid a minimum of $1k. Why should anybody feel sorry for them in the least? Do you feel sorry for an NFL player on a team that loses a game yet gets paid $500k for that Sunday? In both cases if the competitor wants to win they should simply play better.
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Re: Thursday, February 27, 2014 Game Recap & Discussion [SPOILERS]

Post by OrangeSAM »

MarkBarrett wrote:...Harry Dean Stanton had me laughing immediately as I had no doubt it would be a stand and stare.

Nitch, nish or neesh?....
It took me sec, but I did pull out HDS to impress Mrs OS.

And, however you say it, Arthur has surely found his niche.
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Re: Thursday, February 27, 2014 Game Recap & Discussion [SPOILERS]

Post by jwatcher16 »

dhkendall wrote:
Austin Powers wrote:
jwatcher16 wrote:Hi all -
I watched today's game and did not enjoy it at all. Most of you seem to be in Arthur's camp. Admittedly he's brilliant and plays the game brilliantly. I was rooting for him to be a 5-time champion, actually. But since then, I haven't really enjoyed watching the other players get slaughtered. That's what it's felt like the last few games, today's especially. There hasn't been much competition and - to me, anyway, it has taken away some of the enjoyment of watching.

I feel like I'd like to see someone else get a chance now.
If the show wants to do that, they can seek out competent competition. Lot of these folks aren't very good. Arthur is clearly a dominant player, but there's also plenty of Lach trash still on the board, and these yo-yos aren't picking up any of it.

I don't feel sorry for people who get slaughtered. It's an act of ego to appear on Jeopardy. Either you want to make money, or be seen on TV, or you think you're smart and you want that validation. Or maybe you want to have some side career you want to promote.

So these folks aren't getting what they expected, but it's also not unfair what has happened to them.
Einstein I believe it was famously said "the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results".

That's the crux of Arthur's complete dominance right there. People coming up against him should be doing something different. They think that what defeated Tim Russell or Dan Felsenheld or Ulhas Rajurkar (three completely random champions chosen from the Archive) will work in defeating Arthur. It is funny to notice that most of the time when a ACL (an echo of KJL) gets control of the board, they go right back to "same category, top row" and are oblivious to the fact that "different category, bottom row" is what is killing *them*. To defeat an Arthur Chu, you must play like an Arthur Chu, and they aren't doing that. The old method worked for people who used the old method. Doing that again in a different situation is the definition of insanity.
I do have to agree at least somewhat with your observation on the contestants needing to do something different. I think that was particularly evident two games ago. Some contestants have adjusted a bit and went for more of the higher valued clues... however it hasn't worked out as well for them. Part of it is luck, too - he has success finding those daily doubles. Of course that's help by his knowledge and shrewd play.

Hopefully, some contestant or contestants will start really posing a challenge.
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Re: Thursday, February 27, 2014 Game Recap & Discussion [SPOILERS]

Post by lieph82 »

Golf wrote:
zakharov wrote:I'm not saying you have to throw a pity party for the losers, but a lot of these people traveled a long way to fulfill what must be something of an ambition and ran into a buzzsaw. Spare a thought.
There was nothing wrong with what was said. Arthur's challengers aren't stupid, they aren't shooting themselves in the foot, they are simply getting beat, plain and simple.

They have been selected through an arduous process to fly to Hollywood, appear in front of millions of people, and get paid a minimum of $1k. Why should anybody feel sorry for them in the least? Do you feel sorry for an NFL player on a team that loses a game yet gets paid $500k for that Sunday? In both cases if the competitor wants to win they should simply play better.
Agree 100%. Arthur put in a lot of work and made sacrifices to give himself the best chance of winning. Every other contestant could have googled strategy and obsessed over index cards too; Arthur has done more and is flat-out outplaying his opponents. That being said, I also agree that many of his competitors have been on the weaker end, as much as you can tell by watching someone play one game, anyway.
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Re: Thursday, February 27, 2014 Game Recap & Discussion [SPOILERS]

Post by jwatcher16 »

Austin Powers wrote:
jwatcher16 wrote:Hi all -
I watched today's game and did not enjoy it at all. Most of you seem to be in Arthur's camp. Admittedly he's brilliant and plays the game brilliantly. I was rooting for him to be a 5-time champion, actually. But since then, I haven't really enjoyed watching the other players get slaughtered. That's what it's felt like the last few games, today's especially. There hasn't been much competition and - to me, anyway, it has taken away some of the enjoyment of watching.

I feel like I'd like to see someone else get a chance now.
If the show wants to do that, they can seek out competent competition. Lot of these folks aren't very good. Arthur is clearly a dominant player, but there's also plenty of Lach trash still on the board, and these yo-yos aren't picking up any of it.

I don't feel sorry for people who get slaughtered. It's an act of ego to appear on Jeopardy. Either you want to make money, or be seen on TV, or you think you're smart and you want that validation. Or maybe you want to have some side career you want to promote.

So these folks aren't getting what they expected, but it's also not unfair what has happened to them.
First, I said nothing about unfairness. There doesn't seem to be anything happening against rules or anything. But as a viewer, I find the lack of competition unappealing. No, I don't enjoy seeing people get slaughtered. Even if it is an act of ego to appear on Jeopardy! asyou say, it still must be pretty devastating to basically not even be in the game.

I do note your point on contestants. I'm not sure exactly how the selection for each show works, but, yes, it would be nice to see some more competitive contestants if they can indeed be found.
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Re: Thursday, February 27, 2014 Game Recap & Discussion [SPOILERS]

Post by jwatcher16 »

zakharov wrote:Come on man, there are many, many smart people who

-have never been on TV before and perform oddly under the lights

-have buzzer problems and can't ring in

-get a board from hell

I'm not saying you have to throw a pity party for the losers, but a lot of these people traveled a long way to fulfill what must be something of an ambition and ran into a buzzsaw. Spare a thought.
Very thoughtful reply. I'm with you. :-)
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Re: Thursday, February 27, 2014 Game Recap & Discussion [SPOILERS]

Post by lieph82 »

jwatcher16 wrote:Hi all -
I watched today's game and did not enjoy it at all. Most of you seem to be in Arthur's camp. Admittedly he's brilliant and plays the game brilliantly. I was rooting for him to be a 5-time champion, actually. But since then, I haven't really enjoyed watching the other players get slaughtered. That's what it's felt like the last few games, today's especially. There hasn't been much competition and - to me, anyway, it has taken away some of the enjoyment of watching.

I feel like I'd like to see someone else get a chance now.
Did you hate watching Jennings, Madden, Pawson, etc., too, or is there something specific about Arthur?
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Re: Thursday, February 27, 2014 Game Recap & Discussion [SPOILERS]

Post by seaborgium »

dhkendall wrote:Something she said made me wonder, and I know there are several boardies who can answer this: we've seen Arthur compared in lists to other champions, for example, on the list of games won, on the list of total monies won (10th before today's show), on the list of biggest one-day totals (3rd, 4th, or 5th depending on what is counted), but where is he on the list on average money per game? (i.e. Ken Jenning's number would be $33,609.33 per game, which is $2,520,700 (his regular-game total) divided by 75). I'd also be interested in knowing where Arthur stood before today and after today's game, as she made this observation before we knew what kind of total he'd end today with.
I can't tell you much but I know Myron Meyer is #1. :D (Mark Runsvold and Roger Craig briefly had him beat, but they squandered it by winning their third games!)
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Re: Thursday, February 27, 2014 Game Recap & Discussion [SPOILERS]

Post by opusthepenguin »

Golf wrote:
zakharov wrote:I'm not saying you have to throw a pity party for the losers, but a lot of these people traveled a long way to fulfill what must be something of an ambition and ran into a buzzsaw. Spare a thought.
There was nothing wrong with what was said. Arthur's challengers aren't stupid, they aren't shooting themselves in the foot, they are simply getting beat, plain and simple.

They have been selected through an arduous process to fly to Hollywood, appear in front of millions of people, and get paid a minimum of $1k. Why should anybody feel sorry for them in the least?
There's a difference between the way you react and the way human beings do. I don't fault you for not understanding human emotion. But you should be aware that the phenomenon exists. That way you won't ask questions that can't really be answered within your frame of reference. And we won't irrationally decide to mail you a bag of dog poop. It's a win/win, really.
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