Jeopardy! #33: Tournament of Champions Time

Link to previous Jeopardy! thread.

Ryan and Megan are familiar to me, but I don't recall Maureen at all. I think Ryan might be able to hold his own as a semi-finalist.

I can admit when I was wrong, Ryan really disappointed me. On the other hand, I knew Althing and Knesset immediately, and was shocked by that they blew both. I missed final guessing Little Bighorn instead.

They didn’t do very well.

In round 1 there were so many clues that none of them got, all three of them just standing there. Ryan was disappointing.

Was Hasan high last night?

Well that was a tough game for all three contestants. I remember each of them from their original runs. Maureen was especially daffy and fun during her run. I'm surprised Megan didn't get Wounded Knee for Final. Bury My Heart At Wounded Knee seems like a book she would have read since she's a social justice attorney if I recall correctly. I would have bet money that Megan would be the one to advance and then Ryan. I thought Maureen would be the weakest of the bunch, but she pulled through. Go Maureen! That's what's so great about the TOC. There are always surprises and upsets. I'm super excited for the rest of the tournament. I think this year's is going to be pretty spectacular with all of the super champs that came out of last season.

Weird Tournament game. So many unanswered questions. Several really tough categories.

I thought Meghan was going to advance to the semifinal game. But no, it was Maureen. I guess this a reminder anything can happen in the Tournament.

I guessed Cripple Creek for Final.

How does it work. He said they'll be 7 semi-finalists. Don't they need 9 (or 6.)

(not a regular watcher)

Sorry to see Ryan go down; he had 17 wins and was a pretty smart guy. That "Parliaments" category was RIDICULOUS.

Very tough categories and yes the contestants did struggle.

I was rooting for Ryan.

There’s no room for the highest scoring runners up?

I'm not sure R11. If they're doing wild cards this year, he could secure a spot, but I believe they've changed a lot of the format for this year's tournament.

Is it the losers with the highest scores who become the wild cards?

Matt, Mattea and Amy all have first-round byes.

No wild cards in this tournament.

The six contestants that win in the six first-round games then face off against either Matt, Mattea or Amy in the semi-finals. See the brackets included in Tournament of Finals link that OP posted and posted again below.

The three who win the semi-finals then go on to the finals, which will last at least three games, but could go as many as seven games. The champion will be the first to win three out of seven games.

There’s a chart here that shows who will be playing in each round. Also, thanks, OP, for starting this thread. The other one’s been paywalled for quite awhile.

I love the new format. It allows more players to participate, plus a best of seven final could be pretty epic. I hope it'll be better than that GOAT tournament Ken nearly swept a couple of years ago. It would be shocking if someone upsets Matt, Mattea or Amy, but it'll most likely be those three in the finals.

What a tough game yesterday - but the contestants made it seem worse.

I wasn't a fan of Ryan during his initial run, but it was sweet that his son was in the audience to see his father compete.

I do remember the other two contestants, and I was glad to see Maureen win because I really liked her the first time around.

I knew FJ instantly because a few months ago I saw the movie Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee on HBO.

I first thought Thoreau, but realized Longfellow was from Maine in time. Other ones they missed: Michigan Avenue and Swiss cantons.

Andrew was like The Little Engine That Could, by the end I was pleased he won.

Jonathan should have bet NOTHING, and gambled on the chance that Andrew didn't know the right answer - which he didn't!!

Yo, Andrew is a beast. That was a really smart wager by him. I was rooting for him all game and thought it was over when he missed that $10,000.00 wager. I'm glad he's advancing.

I was rooting for Andrew too, but thought his second DD wager was reckless. Jonathan had some categories that were right up his alley, and I was sure he would get the FJ poet and win. I guessed Longfellow because of Portland in the clue.

I guessed Longfellow, too.

Andrew's super strategic wager worked out for him and that made for a gratifying game from a viewer's standpoint. Now I think it'll be Andrew, Maureen, and Amy in the first of the semifinals next week. Is that right? Amy was in second place behind Andrew on her first game. Had Andrew answered Final Jeopardy correctly, Amy never would've had that amazing streak.

I think Amy would have got Brutus and Longfellow today.

An explanation for the last poster of the now-closed previous thread:

Next week's games feature one of the Big Three winners (yet unseen) playing against two winners from this "lesser" pool. The three winners of those three games advance to the Finals.

Why do the Jeopardy! threads keep getting paywalled?

I foolishly thought the Portland clue in FJ referred to Oregon. And yet I still guessed Whitman.

A thread gets paywalled when free-loaders post too often.

Wouldn't that apply to every thread on DL R28?

No. It depends on the percentage of posts that are by free-loaders.

Margaret should have bet more, a run off would have been fun to observe.

Margaret had my heart by personality, but Tyler by nads (nerd fetish). Didn't get final, but should've, all I could think of was pipe dream though I knew it was wrong.

Margaret Thatcher was a Polack - who knew! Ones I knew they didn't: I've never been to venice, but knew immediately they were aiming at St Mark's there. I was aware of the fact that Judith slew Holofernes, and they showed a photo of a blindingly white building for Whitehall!

Yeah I wish Margaret had bet more.

Wasn't Tyler one of the guys we presumed was gay until several games in when he mentioned a girlfriend?

I think our collective response at the time was, "GIRLFRIEND?!"

Brace yourselves boys & girls because tomorrow is The Return of Rowan.

I have no recollection of the other two contestants, which probably means Rowan will demolish them.

For FJ I guessed "Indian giver" which was horribly wrong, but kind of clever.

R32 I also wanted to make Tyler moan...

Every memorable champion (to me) has flopped. I don't remember any of the other contestants. Margaret returned without the crazy retro fashion. I wonder if she received bad feedback on her wardrobe when her episodes aired.

I couldn't think of anything for FJ.

Margaret, I am grieving.

So very much hoping Margaret would win. Alas.

So great to see Margaret again. Just as personable as ever! She came so close to winning. If only she'd bet it all. But as I recall from her earlier appearances, she tended to bet conservatively.

I have no recollection of Tyler playing before. I do recall liking Brian when he was on before. But tonight Brian lost his mojo the moment he thought St. Marks Square was in Rome rather than Venice and never really got it back (although he did well with the anagrams).

I knew Venice and I knew Whitehall, but I had no idea on Final. Never knew exactly where the 40 acres and a mule phrase. came from, so I definitely learned something new tonight.

That wasn’t a conservative bet. It was suicidal.

Well, we know Tyler is planning a wedding with a themed reception. Does that make him likely to be gay or straight?

I thought “a dream deferred” was the FJ answer.

He's marrying his previously mentioned girlfriend, R40.

Can't wait for tonight's return of the indomitable EXUBERANT Rowan! You know they drive all the DLers wild.

It was a rowanaway tonight! When a player's that good, they just can't be caught.

They got kicked to the curb by a binary homo ... so sad!

I got Final right away, but there seemed a bit of ambiguity whether Ken was expecting the book title or location? Shocking none of them knew it, but given the lackluster (shall we say) first round, guess it fits.

Oh, what a shame. 😂 Rowan “Look at meeeeeee” Ward won’t get a chance to go up against Matt Amodio next week.

Rowan wasn’t so tough tonight.

I was also confused by that, R45. At first, I stupidly guessed The Good Earth because of it. Then I quickly remembered Shangri-La. For some reason, Liv Ullman in the musical got me there. Mary!

Our long national nightmare is over!

Now I can breathe normally.

Didn’t know FJ at all.

The former El Pasoan won!!!

🥳 🥳🥳🥳

No one knew Al Sleet, the Hippy Dippy Weatherman?

I immediately jumped to Lost Horizon as opposed to Shangri-La. :(

LOL, I know I'm in the minority but Rowan was really starting to grow on me. I was looking forward to that Matt Amodio rematch but alas, it was not meant to be. Luckily for the nation, her personality was toned down tonight.

Rowan had grown on me too and I was hoping for an Amodio rematch.

Yeah, for some reason I though book title was asked for... but then I guessed Under the Volcano anyway.

Rowan underperformed... though I thought the whole game tonight was harder than usual. I'd thought she'd be a serious contender, alas...

John is a wonderful player. And why not guess Xanadu when you don't know the answer?

I also guessed Under the Volcano, but the realized it wasn’t really a place name. It’s also too late (1947).

You could see on Rowan's face that it was over once the guy got that big daily double.

I was surprised that no one knew Wedgwood’s jasperware.

Rowan was a very gracious sport.

I have no recollection of either Courtney or John playing before. But John was clearly a good player. Quick with his buzzer and gutsy with his Daily Double bet.

As much as Rowan came to irritate me last week, they didn't bother me tonight. I was kinda hoping for that Rowan-Matt Amodio rematch too. Disappointed we won't get it.

I guessed Shangri-La based on the date. Was surprised it was correct.

Sorry, I misgendered them. I meant to say *their* personality was toned down last night.

I remembered John, but not Courtney.

How do you pronounce "Focht"?

Focked

Yes, he's better than the alternative, but Ken needs to lighten up a bit, especially after a string of misses.

It's just a game, Ken. There's no death penalty available for contestants, as much as it sometimes looks as if you'd like to impose one.

The Jasperware clue was misleading because it seemed to allude to the name coming from a kind of stone, or jewel or gem or something, Didn't it?

Umm—Jasper is a stone, though not the color of Jasperware. Ancients apparently used the word to refer to a green stone.

No, I don’t recall the jasperware clue as being misleading. Plus, they showed a piece of Wedgwood jasperware. Its name derives from the fact that it resembles the natural stone jasper in its hardness. Jasper is white in its natural state and is stained with metallic oxide coloring agents.

R69 No, in its natural state jasper comes in a wide variety of colours, red jasper being most common.

Odder was putting Romania in the Balkans. Technically it's defensible but only technically.

Amy's been looking so happy in photos for the last month, held an AMA on Reddit, and has been talking about going to interviews. I think she wins the ToC.

I hope Mattea gets whacked in the semifinals by John.

I'm hoping Jackie wins today. At first, I thought she was sour, but after a bit, I changed my opinion. I now think she has social anxiety.

I’d forgotten how “nerdy/sexy” Eric the meteorologist is.

Team Eric here

Not Team Eric here. He still has serial killer eyes and vibes. Someone should dig up his backyard.

R77, I’d rather have him dig up my “backyard”.

Way to go Eric. Better him than the extremely dour Jackie.

I though his second true daily double was reckless, but maybe not.

He seemed to have balls the size of grapefruit.

His second Daily Double was under $800. It’s a relatively easy level question. Bet it all.

And to those who’ve said on here that dollar level of DDs doesn’t matter, yes it does.

Three terrific players, all stood a good chance of winning. I had no idea for FJ, but did get Regency, Hadestown, and Iris Apfel. I wonder if Beanie appreciated the shout-out for her abbreviated run in "Funny Girl."

Both Eric and Jaskaran are hot as f%ck . I'd have been happy with either of them advancing.

This was the best game of the Tournament so far. All three great players.

Dour Jackie didn't bother me as much this time as she did during her original run. And nerdy Eric impressed me much more than he did on his original run.

Wow! Back to back True Daily Doubles! Gutsy and impressive. But Jackie didn't let that stop her from making a good comeback to keep it from being a runaway!

I had not idea on Final.

Boy was that a suspenseful game.

I was glad the winner was Eric (who looks a little like Dustin Lance Black).

I have no memory of Jaskaran being on before, but being he was (I think) the college champ, and it's possible I skipped those games when they aired.

Jackie was less frightening than I remembered.

I think my nickname for her back then was The Grim Reaper.

r86 The college championship aired in February in prime time on ABC. It wasn't part of the daily syndicated show.

A lot of us who watch the syndicated show religiously didn't have the time to also watch an hour of the college champtionship each night for two weeks.

I was all in for Eric until Jaskaran spoke. Wow, what a sexy voice! Deep and masculine. He was handsome, too, in a hairy way (which is OK with me). I am a bit surprised that he was the college tournament champ. Is he a graduate student? A late bloomer? Because he looks a lot older than 22 or 23. If he is that young, then I'll bet he's been the designated alcohol-buyer among his friends for years.

Yeah, Jaskaran's voice is definitely sexy. He looked college-aged during the tournament earlier this year. I would guess he's in his early to mid-twenties.

Amy burns Musk on Twitter:

“We’d been planning on using the $1.3 million from Jeopardy to buy a house, but now I’m thinking maybe I’ll just hold on to it for a year or two and then use it to buy Twitter.”

Slick burn Amy!

Is Amy the trans person who won a bunch of times?

Yes, Amy won 40 games, so she's second to Ken Jennings in number of wins.

Team Sam checking in!

Missed final, but knew about Mount Carmel and Death Comes for the Archbishop.

Gooooooo Sam!!! He was fantastic tonight and is also an adorable professor dude. I don't see him getting past the next round, but I'm glad he had a great first game.

No fun watching a contest that's no contest at all.

Tomorrow's episode will be a special exhibition match between Amy, Matt and Mattea.

That poor woman must be super embarrassed.

Tomorrows show is gonna be great!! OMG 😳

I wonder if one of the big three doesn’t make it to the end, hence this special show.

Had no clue about FJ.

I thought Sword of Damocles was tough, as were all those science questions. Sam's fast on that buzzer and pretty sharp in a range of subjects--he might surprise the big three with some real competition...

Zach's treehouses sound cool.

Jeopardy knows that fans want to see a showdown between Amy, Matt and Mattea but this "exhibition" kind of dilutes the competitive edge.

I'd rather watch the three of them compete without a warmup.

I agree R101. It's like the producers wanted to get these three in a match to hedge against a possible upset or as R99 theorizes, there WAS an upset and this exhibition was taped AFTER the fact.

R101, If ever there were three former Jeopardy! contestants who did not need a “warmup” . . .

This allows the finals to begin next week rather than starting Friday and then being interrupted by the weekend

It's also a special tribute to Alex who died two years ago on November 8, the day it's being aired.

Go Sam! Great performance. So impressive.

I'm terribly embarrassed for Jessica. But Zack was cute as ever.

I had no idea on Final.

Yes, this exhibition game being played on the anniversary of Alex's death, so its a nice tribute to him, but none of the three ever met Alex.

I suspect the reason for this exhibition game is that its election night and the game will be preempted or delayed in many markets due to election coverage. For example, here in LA, the episode won't air until 2:30 a.m. on Wednesday morning. Having the first game of the semi-finals preempted by election coverage would bring many viewer complaints. So, they're delaying the start of the semi-finals by a day by having this exhibition game. Plus, as r104 mentioned, it allows the finals to start next Monday.

R106, It’s become a moot point, since each day’s Jeopardy! can be watched on YouTube as early as 1:00 PM ET.

r107 Not everyone knows the games are uploaded to YouTube, as evidenced by the fact we have to continually remind people of that fact right here on this DL thread.

Even if older viewers do know about the Youtube upload, they may not have internet access to watch it.

Additionally, the YouTube upload is not officially sanctioned by Jeopardy! Show just sort of looks the other way and doesn't insist on YouTube taking it down instantly.

Who would you all bet will win tonight?

My money's on Amy.

Yeah, I'm thinking Any too.

If they gave Ken a buzzer and made it a 4-way I'd bet on him. Otherwise, it's Amodio for the win.

Amy will win.

FJ was one of those questions that was confusing. I guessed "sword of Damocles" because what else would hang above one's head, but I assumed it was wrong - how is that "a phrase".... it's a story.

My money is on Amy tonight.

TIL I can watch full episodes on YouTube. Thanks!

Sword of Damocles is definitely a phrase. Not one used very often, but still ...

Dar Williams used the phrase in a song. I already knew about the sword of Damocles, but I would have never remembered it in the moment without that song.

Never mind. I looked it up and Dar never actually says sword of Damocles.

I realize Matt was goofing off a lot tonight but I think it's clear Mattea is gonna win TOC. Amy was surprisingly slow.

Might be the only time Ken Jennings got beeped.

Matt and Amy are a bit rusty. Wonder if they even make it to the Finals.

Matt got fat. He’s looking like an old cane faced lesbian. Mattea is now a “they”. When did that happen?

My first thought when I saw Matt was, "I don't remember his face being that round."

I couldn’t even finish the exhibition game. It felt like a Celebrity Jeopardy game with players just screwing around.

Oh, and Matt is fat and fugly.

Poor Matt is so homely.

Not to be Marlo Thomas, but the second I saw Matt I thought, “Damn, he got fat! That is a big guy!” Also, with his new plump figure and curlier hair, he definitely looked like SNL’s Pat. I can’t unsee it.

It was fun, you could they were goofing off. There were a few very funny moments. It was also obvious they were sandbagging it a bit. I guess no one wanted to show their hand. But damn Mattea remains as annoying as ever. I'm rooting for Amy by a mile.

Is Matt short or are Mattea and Amy standing on boxes?

Was Matt really off his game or was it some strategy to throw Amy and Mattea off by suggesting he has gotten rusty?

He seemed to truly not give a fuck, as if he feels he won enough money the first time around and is heartily sick of being associated with the game. When he originally lost, I remember thinking it looked like he deliberately threw the game because he wanted to get back to his classes.

Between Mattea and Amy it might come down to reflexes — who’s fastest on the draw? On evidence of this exhibition it’s Mattea.

I find Amy to be the most likable. Mattea was annoying ("My favourite song when I was FOUR") and Amy's clapback ("my favourite song when I was TWENTY-SEVEN").

Mattea was like that chick from the TV show Scandal and Hasan Minhaj when they were both on Celebrity Jeopardy = non-stop verbal diarrhea and completely obnoxious. Although she was less annoying than they were.

That Amy clapback was the funniest moment.

I agree that it may come down to reflexes. All three are probably on par in terms of trivia knowledge.

Ken Jennings exclaiming “SHIT!” when he screwed up the significance of the numbers in the numbers category was pretty funny too.

Not what I expected. I guess they ARE celebrities now, so it quickly morphed it into a Celebrity Jeopardy free-for-all. I gave up on FJ as soon as I saw the category.

R127–have you never noticed the contestants always appear to be the same height?

FJ was so hard I laughed out loud.

That’s right. I LAUGHED OUT LOUD.

I'm cheering for John next week because Margaret is gone.

I didn't think it was hard, R135.

Yeah, tonight was basically Celebrity Jeopardy with smarter contestants.

Shut up Mattea

I started smiling the moment they introduced the three players. Great to see these three again.

Also fun to see them goofing around and giving out quips. I enjoyed the relaxed nature of it all. But it did make it come across like Celebrity Jeopardy.

While Matt seems to have put on some weight, he also bought some new clothes. He also apparently finished his PhD at Yale and now is at Harvard doing post doctoral work.

Mattea seemed quite good on the buzzer, while Matt truly came across as not giving a shit. And Amy, I'm not sure about; she was certainly lackadaisical. Will be interesting to see what happens when they start competing for real tomorrow.

Ken getting beeped was hilarious! Great to see him so relaxed that he would do that.

This certainly made for a fun diversion for one game. Wouldn't want this to become the standard for Jeopardy but it was really nice for a change of pace. And to give them a chance to warm up.

I had no idea on Final.

It was also nice to have a fun 30 minute distraction from the anxiety that is watching the election results.

Mattea is so fucking annoying. And now she’s a ‘they’. Ugh!!!!

Who won the exhibition game? (they didn't air it here due to election coverage.)

Spoiler

Mattea in a runaway. I watched it on YouTube as I missed the show when I went to drop off my ballot. Just search jeopardy full episode.

Matt probably didn't give a shit because there was no money involved.

Though Mattea and Amy might have been a little more "jokey" than they usually were, they both seemed to be playing to win, unlike Matt (who often seemed to buzz first without having an answer ready).

I didn't feel that all 3 were goofing off, just fat Matt.

I don't know, but I think Mattea will easily take this in the end. Also, am I crazy or do there always seem to be lots of Canada-related categories when she's on?

Matt used to always buzz and then fumble to come up with his answer. It used to work for him.

I don't get the hate for Mattea. Of the 3, I like her the best.

I don't hate Mattea, but think she'd grow pretty tiresome as a friend.

^they’d

No hate, she's just annoying.

Even more annoying as a "they".

[quote]Matt who often seemed to buzz first without having an answer ready

That means nothing's changed with Matt's strategy -- buzz in first, ponder on a response after being called on.

What is . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Alex Trebek?

Team Mattea here!

I wonder how many times Ken says “shit” and they edit it out.

Definitely the best line of the evening:

"It was my favorite song when I was 27"

Followed closely by:

"Shit!"

Loved last night's exhibition game for the juxtaposition of levity and tough questions (which none of the contestants answered correctly). And Ken getting bleeped was hilarious!

Though I'm old enough to remember watching Jeopardy in my teens in the 60s with Art Fleming, I've only just returned to watching it again with the advent of Amy and the pandemic.

So, my question, is, what was Ken Jennings like as a contestant? Was everyone rooting for him or was he more controversial in some way? Did he come to host the show after many years away from his champ time? Had he had other hosting jobs on TV before coming back to Jeopardy?

I guess I could google some of this info but I'm also interested in DL fans' opinions on Ken before he became the host.

II guessed at tonight’s FJ and was correct.

I knew they’d penalize Tyler for mispronunciation after the commercial break.

Amy seemed a bit rusty, more incorrect responses than usual.

What I want to know is: Has STEVE MARTIN contacted his lookalike, SAM??!!! The resemblance is stunning!!

Amy was a bit rusty early on. I thought some of her attempts were strategic. Sam would miss a question, so Amy gave it a shot because even if she was wrong, there was no net difference in cash. And after she got the final double jeopardy and was uncatchable, she didn't bother to go after the remaining questions.

Amy seemed a bit more masc than she probably wanted to give an impression. Poor totes adorbs Tyler, a str8 boi with gay voice ...

Things they missed that I knew: Harlem River, St. Joseph River and en brochette. No idea of Final.

I missed Tyler's mispronunciation of Titus Andronicus, Where did he go wrong?

Amy said that before the game, Matt said he was going to use the exhibition game to practice ringing in, whether he knew the answer or not.

Whew that was a rough game.

They missed a lot of Supreme Court questions and Ketanji Brown Jackson, the first Black woman appointed to the Supreme Court THIS VERY YEAR , was somehow a triple stumper. I won't be too hard on them though. I'm sure a lot of it was nerves. I would forget my own name in a regular game and even more so a semifinal in the TOC.

Tyler played well today. I felt bad he couldn't get his hands on that second DD. When Amy got it, you could see on his face that he knew it was over.

As a New Yorker, I was screaming "Harlem River" at Maureen during her DD. It's too bad she couldn't hear me :-) Apparently Tyler is a New Yorker too. I bet he was cursing the gods that he didn't get that DD. It would have helped his chances.

I'll miss Maureen. She was fun.

Agree with all you say, r165!

Also, Amy really really needs sleeves.

I am rooting for Amy but she seems unsure of herself or she really is just nervous.

Curious to see how Matt will play tomorrow.

I like Maureen and was sad to see her have such a bad game. She seemed a little dazed; she was much sharper in her previous appearances. Matt will face a couple of very strong competitors tomorrow in John and Sam.

Good to see Amy back performing so well, like we're accustomed to seeing, despite the slow start.

Yes, I agree, I'd prefer Amy wearing sleeves.

Tyler gave it a good shot, but Maureen seemed intimidated by it all.

I had no idea on Final.

Matt's going to have some competition tomorrow with both Sam and John. II especially think Sam might give Matt a run for the money after seeing how well Sam did last week.

R163, He responded Titus Androndicus.

I'm a life long New Yorker but the Harlem River somehow just eluded me as I forgot that body of water above Manhattan island is a river.

Amy - please never ever ever ever ever go sleeveless again! Thank you.

I don’t know R172. Didn’t you think she was really pulling off the Edith Bunker look??

I love sleeveless Amy, Her Ozma tattoo is like a power amulet confidence booster to her, which makes me love sleeveless Amy even more. I'm hoping for an Amy/Matt/Mattea final with Amy taking it all and Matt coming in last, way last.

Today’s game is one of the best played and enjoyable I’ve ever seen. Enjoy!

Oooh. I can’t wait.

Just watched yesterday's show.

Maureen (who I like a lot) was a good sport about being left in the dust.

Early on I thought gayish straight guy Tyler was going to pull off a win, but then Amy's DD came along and put a stop to that.

I didn't mind sleeveless Amy; I'm just not a fan of that severe looks she sometimes has when she's contemplating a response.

I have a feeling Sam will win tonight, based on how superbly he played earlier in the tournament.

So Matt is frugal. Who'da guessed?

What happened to He Who Cannot be Stopped? It's like he wasn't even really trying to me. Guessed Sardinia and Corsica for Final.

I was surprised no one got Under the Banner of Heaven.

Finals will be Amy, Sam, and Mattea.

That was a great game.

I hope so, R181. Mattea’s competition is pretty stiff. I hope they make it through to the final round.

Matt the Great wasn't so great. Sam is stealth... he's good in a lot of unexpected areas (pop music, etc.). Given the right set of questions he could beat Amy.

Incredible game today.

Adorable professor dude won!

I got Under the Banner of Heaven, Omega 3 and Mila Kunis.

Amy, Sam and Mattea would be a great final if it works out that way.

Sam has really emerged as a possible winner. Both Matt and Amy have been a bit sluggish so Amy will have to really step it up. Mattea is good no doubt. It could be a great match if it's Sam, Mattea and Amy.

I don't feel bad for Matt. He is a bona fide jeopardy! legend and has more than made his mark on the game. I wonder if his PhD work load made it harder to prepare for the tournament.

Those questions were too hard for me, but those smart guys did pretty well and were good sports. It was fun to watch, even though I was hoping John would come back and win with his correct FJ response. I'm one of those who finds Mattea annoying as hell, and don't know if I'll tune in tomorrow.

I’m sorry that fat Matt lost, but happy for college professor Sam aka Steve Martin

Great game! One of the best I have ever watched. This was Jeopardy! at its finest.

I had a feeling as soon as I saw Matt was playing opposite Sam that Sam would be the victor. Matt's can't give a shit attitude at the exhibition game just said he wasn't in this to win anymore. And given his $0 bet in Final, that was definitely case. The man just seems like he is completely over Jeopardy! now and didn't really want to be there at all. Maybe it was all too much fame for an introvert.

I figured Final was some pair of Greek islands, but had no idea which ones. Was surprised when they turned out to be Spanish islands on the opposite end of the Mediterranean.

Recall that although Amy advanced to the Finals, she didn't exactly steamroll/buzzsaw her way through the game. We'll have to see how "they" do tonight ...

Love Sam and so pleased to see him win!

I wonder how many games Sam would have won if he had been on regular Jeopardy!

Sam was on regular Jeopardy, r193. What do you mean??

He was the winner of the Professors Tournament.

R194 He was on the "professor tournament" which had a baked in limit - when the tournament was over he was over.

I had no idea! Thanks, r195.

I wonder if Sam looked more...or less....like Steve Martin when he was younger? The white hair probably helps.

The white hair is the only thing that makes Sam look like Steve Martin.

I got the feeling that frugal Matt didn’t want to win any more money for fear that it would place him in a higher tax bracket.

R198, Frankly, I’m not getting the Steve Martin resemblance.

But now that Matt is out of the finals, it makes me wonder if the exhibition game was actually taped before the finals. I'm wondering if it might have been done after the fact when they realized the audience was clamoring to see the Big Three play one another.

That was my first instinct when they announced they were doing the exhibition game. And Ken has not made reference to that exhibition game in either of the two semi-final games. Not that he had to but, it's not unusual for him to refer back to the previous day's show and he hasn't done it in this case.

But maybe he'll make reference to Mattea winning the exhibition game when Mattea plays tonight and prove me wrong.

So, after tonight's show they'll just be one round with Amy, Sam and (presumably) Mattea on Monday and that's the end of the ToC? If so, it all seems so rushed and anticlimactic. I was wondering if there'd be more than just the one round with the 3 finalists.

And then do we get back to darling Cris Pannullo on Tuesday?

Next week the three remaining contestants start the finals: the first to win three games is the tournament champion.

Finals will be at least three games long. Possibly as many as seven. It's a best three out of seven.

Seven nights of Mattea ... just imagine!

Mattea definitely leaned into the little tiny hand waving thing at the exhibition game. I think she knows that people have talked about it.

Thanks for the info on ToC, everyone! Glad to hear it isn't all over in a single game.

Sam was in the professor’s tournament, R194.

Wah, wah, wah. A bit bummed about today’s outcome.

I’m not R209. Loved it!

WOW!

SPOILER!

Fucking hell, Andrew has balls of steel.

With only 1 seed actually winning their match, they need to rethink the seeding system.

Saved from a Mattea final. I find her annoying but no denying she was a great champion.

It's all about those DJs and how you use them. That is, if you can find them.

FJ stumped me as well.

Shocked no Mattea for the finals.

FJ was hard but I was shocked that not one of them even ventured a guess. Just shows how over it Mattea is.

I don't think Mattea was over it. Andrew just played well. Good for him. That's what makes an exciting game.

You meant "they" didn't you, R212? Mattea is now non-binary, rather than the female she was before.

I knew about pupusas, emeralds, and tefillin. In addition, I got Final with time on the clock to spare. Makes up for not knowing about film, celebrities, etc. I suppose.

Mattea and Matt's losses (recall that Grandpa sent him to Hamilton and yet he still didn't get that question) have been startling. Amy didn't steamroll the others, missing a few along the way. If she wants it, she's going to have to fight Andrew and Sam for it. Eric triggered my nerd fetish, but as long as they lost, I'm okay with Andrew.

Of the 3 finalists, Amy had the least impressive game. Hard to believe she may not be the favorite. Maybe the best 3 out of 7 format will help her. One bad day won't be fatal.

Well, two of the mighty ones of last year failed.

I’m really surprised.

Which means they did do that show on Tuesday in order to have the best three compete head to head. I recorded the show and haven’t seen it yet.

Andrew might play spoiler for Amy.

No question the win was well deserved given those FJ wagers. Brings to mind Roger Craig, who admittedly did it with more elan.

I think Amy may be a bit thrown facing up to the idea that she can't just steamroll her way through these episodes?

So, the first player who wins three games next week is the TOC victor.

If a player wins the first three games, what happens on Thursday and Friday?

Silly Putty, Rose!

R223 - it means the return of hottie Cris Pannullo.

Andrew has had some good games, but none of them suggested he could play as brilliantly as he did tonight. I thought Mattea would win easily, but Eric might give her a bit of competition. Exciting to see an upset like this. Go Andrew!

I visited Kew Gardens, and it was all I could think of for FJ.

Who did Andrew lose to in his first run?

R227 Amy!

Mattea talked up a storm during the interview portion (and maybe some was edited out for time purposes so Ken didn't have to be rude to her?), but she clammed up and didn't go off on tangents like she sometimes is wont to do because she had really good competitors today -- and she couldn't be so casual. Andrew really made two nervy bets, the second one especially. The cute fellow in the middle do very well, but couldn't quite get to half of Andrew's total to avert his runaway.

So it will be somewhere between 3 and 7 games to crown a winner. Very cool. Wasn't sure if it was a 2 or maybe 3 day affair.

Amy beat Tyler in a runaway, answered 26 questions correctly compared to Tyler's 17 and Maureen's 3. Isn't exactly unimpressive, R219.

They said "Least impressive" not "unimpressive".

And it really wasn't impressive for Amy.

I'm stunned Mattea didn't win. I honestly thought she would sweep the floor with them. But maybe Mattea was too complacent that she would win, while the other two were determined to beat her.

Andrew irritated my during his original run by being so very aggressive. Yet tonight, his aggressiveness wasn't so irritating. I guess I expect players to be more aggressive in the Tournament. Gotta give him major kudos for being so gutsy in his Daily Double wagers.

Eric gave it a good shot. I was impressed by his surge late in the game. So Eric got married recently and his using his tournament winnings for a honeymoon, but didn't mention the sex of his spouse.

I also had no idea on Final.

It did feel like Eric deliberately avoided using pronouns in reference to his spouse. Maybe he's closeted because he works in the public eye. There are plenty of openly gay meteorologists these days, though.

From Eric’s Twitter page . . .

Eric Ahasic @EricAhasic

I was so glad I got to mention our wedding just a few weeks ago in October. My wife Kaylee was my biggest supporter & put up with my time spent studying & yelling answers at the TV over the last year. Can't wait to relax in Hawaii!

Ha ha ha. ‘They’ lost. Good fucking riddance to them!!

All this failure by his fellow super champions must be unsettling to Ken.

After seeing last night's episode, I think the poster upthread who posited that the Amy/Matt/Mattea exhibition match was shot *after* the tournament -- as a way to give viewers the Big Three going head to head -- was correct in his/her theory.

Maybe they should have had the super champs compete in the first round with everyone else instead of doing the first round bye. This might have given them a chance to establish more of a rhythm. Nevertheless, this year's tournament is chock full of extremely formidable players so an upset of any of the big three is not some crazy fluke.

Are any of you bitches seriously shocked that Eric's wife's name is Kaylee and not....Bruce?? Sounds perfectly predictable to me.

I believe in his original run Eric specified it was a girlfriend; although, both he and Tyler come off as ping-y.

Okay, R198. It’s just the white hair. 🙄

I believe Eric mentioned a girlfriend when he was on the first time.

Did they give the exhibition winnings money to charity? Maybe to cancer research in honor of Alex?

It was an exhibition game only. There was no actually money.

It was the 2-year anniversary of his death it might have been a nice way to commemorate it by actually donating whatever was earned even if it was just an exhibition game.

....

R246 That is not a flattering thumbnail of Amy.

My God, I like Amy, but get a makeover, please.

Further evidence that the exhibition game was conceived and shot AFTER the Tournament was played -- the episode guide on my DVR lists Monday's game (the first game of the finals) as game #2. It lists Tuesday's game as game #3, Wednesday's game as #4, etc.

Nice tweet.

We can’t be sure when the Super Champ game was conceived. It might have been planned as a contingency all along. But it’s looking like rthe match occurred AFTER it was determined that the SCs would not otherwise meet in combat. The “chance to warm up” story is weak tea.

"They" business aside, Mattea doesn't seem full of herself. She showed she's a serious Trivia-ist, so can afford to be gracious.

If Andrew He goes the now well-trodden Jeopardy non-binary route, would its surname change to "They"?

If he's old-fashioned and conservative enough to go the now-outdated trans route, would he->she become "Andrea She"? Or perhaps just change her middle name to "Samantha", enabling her to be "Andrea S. He" ...?

Lame, R253. Give it up.

Mattea is a them?

Yes, they are a them now.

We’ll never see them Mattea again. Thank god!!!! They were so fucking irritating.

Anyone else find Andrew rather spectrum-y?

R258 Truth? All winners on Jeopardy probably are. As are most of us on the Jeopardy threads. Just sayin'...

I can’t believe how poorly Mattea did.

Also, did she always do that thing where she makes a disappointed sound when she gets an answer wrong?

Yes, they acts like Sheldon Cooper might act as a contestant.

Ryan will have his own float in a Thanksgiving parade, though it looks like it would take a lot to float him.

“We’re gonna need a bigger float.”

Matt got fat and his hair could use a trim

Yes, Mattea would often utter that distressed whimper when she got a wrong answer.

I don’t know if this is true for all of the west coast, but locally we are a day behind because all regular programming was canceled due to election coverage. So instead of skipping last Tuesday’s episode, or putting it in the slot before or after the Wednesday show, they moved everything back a day.

When my station gets a day behind because they had to pre-empt for election coverage or something else, they run the new game on Saturday when a Jeopardy repeat usually air (so the Friday episode airs on Saturday). Then, they're back on track airing the Monday episode on Monday.

Same here, R267

From the way you guys kept screaming how fat he became, I thought Matt would be almost as large as Ryan! It was the poofy hair that got to me instead.

r266 Don't forget. You can always watch the day's game on YouTube. No reason to be a day behind just because your station is airing it a day behind.

R258, no more so than many other contestants. He's intense and probably nervous.

On the other hand, Andrew's haircut is bizarre. It's like he's trying to add inches to his height by making his hair stand straight up. I'm not even sure how he gets what looks like at least 3" of hair to stand up so neatly without looking spikey. There must be some really great product in that hair.

He uses bumpits, R270.

No one could identify John Dean?

Didn’t feel like a TOC game today. Not terribly impressed by the showing of any of them.

Amy's tattoo is so UGLY!!!

Amy looks like a man who is purposely putting on a fake female voice. The low rent tattoos are predictable.

What is tattoo of?

don't know r276, but is big and fucking ugly

It’s a tattoo of her doppelgänger, Gary Busey.

Isn't it her famous Ozma tattoo, the girl was was forced to be a boy until she was liberated to be the girl she really was?

Not a huge Andrew fan, but please Amy didn't win. Sri Lanka was my first choice, but I just didn't feel comfortable with it.

I’m good if either the Prof or Andrew wins. Not a fan of Amy, and I’m glad that Mattea isn’t in the finals.

Glad Amy lost..

I'm team Sam all the way, but tonight was not a good night for him. Anyone can have a lapsus memoriae, but I was screaming "in flagrante" at the screen. Seriously, that was a bad one to miss. And then to bet $0 on FJ? Be courageous, Professor Sam!

I have no strong feelings about Amy one way or the other. She's just sort of inoffensive and very good at the game. It would seem just and appropriate for her to win after such an outstanding performance during the regular season.

Not a fan of Andrew - not at all - but he does have a great voice.

At least we can see that all three are excellent on the buzzer, so you know it's more about their knowledge than their manual dexterity.

Andrew's not afraid to bet. I like that.

A friend was at the taping of the exhibition game, and he said they held it at the end of the day they taped the quarterfinals. Also, Andrew He looks like a troll doll.

Amy seemed really sleepy today. I hope she can bring the energy back.

Standard Amy, missing final jeopardy. Remember, towards the end of her run, she missed quite a few fjs. She got away with it because she had insurmountable leads. I posted that one game where it's not a runaway, fj would be her undoing. And the next game, she lost--missing the fj.

Sam and Andrew are too good for Amy to have runaway games.

Correct me if I'm wrong but wouldn't Sam have lost even if he'd bey all his money?

Love him, hoping he'll win, though I think I think it'll be Andrew.

[quote]Also, Andrew He looks like a troll doll.

Damn it, now I'll never get that image out of my head! (And up until now, I was just thinking he looked quirky.)

At least Amy wasn't sleeveless tonight like the last time she was on.

While my initial choice was for Sam to win the championship, I'm now rooting for Andrew to win the next two just so Cris Pannullo can come back on Thursday.

So, I guess Cris has left the Jersey shore and is already back in LA and filming?

My spine tingles!

I hadn't realized that straight Cris has gay voice (see also: Eric and Tyler).

I have a crush on the professor.

Likewise, R291.

A Baby-Boomer, a Gen-Xer and a Millennial walk onto the Jeopardy! stage ..............

Amy wasn't sleeveless, but the issue is that her tattoo is still showing. It's not a nice tattoo either.

The Tropic of Cancer slip surprised me and Sam himself. I like Andrew's hair. I think this will be an evenly matched tournament.

Is Andrew family?

As someone said above, this first game of the Tournament didn't feel particularly special or particularly like its a Tournament. Somehow I'm just not feeling the Tournament excitement. Just feels like regular play.

While I admit Andrew is a very good player and does daring wagers, I am rooting for either Sam or Amy to win.

However, today, Sam was having an off day, especially after he lost the $6,000 on the DD. But he did bounce back nicely in the end.

If they'd had a 1970s era photo of John Dean, I think either Amy or Sam would have gotten it. But since they used a recent photo of Dean, he was harder to recognize.

I blanked out on Final, but I did know Tropic of Capricorn and in flagrante.

R297, They showed both a vintage and a current photo of John Dean, which can be confirmed at 10:48 on the recording below.

Thanks r298. I must have been looking away as they flashed the younger photo of Dean on screen.

The only reason I recognized the older photo of Dean was because there was a CNN special about the 50th anniversary of Watergate in June and Dean was interviewed extensively for that. Wouldn't have recognized the older Dean photo otherwise.

Guess Amy, Andrew and Sam didn't see that CNN special.

But, c'mon, Sam was there during the 1970s and should have recognized Dean. That was disappointing. Even I, who was a totally apolitical college student back then, recognized Dean.

The internet says Sam was born in 1961, so he was still pretty young in the Watergate era.

Sam is only 61? Wow, I thought more towards 70 and above.

He may have been young during the height of Watergate, but as a professor he surely is a student of political history in that era. Maybe he just had a brain freeze.

There was more to the clue than the photo.

It wasn't an especially good photo of the younger John Dean, nor was it a close up of him like the older photo was. And frankly, the younger photo flashed on the screen so fast, I never got a good look at it.

I'm Sam's age and missed the John Dean question.

R305 R306, That says more about your inadequacies, not the question.

I won't spoil it for anyone, but there was so much suspense in today's game. A nailbiter with an outcome I was hoping for.

at least Amy covered her tats today with a jacket

Yes, R309, but now Sam was wearing a summer shift dress exposing his fraternity brand.

Spoiler.. . . . . . . Deserved win as over the 2 days, Amy has answered the most questions correctly. Just that Andrew is gold with his big bets. But Amy, again, missed the fj.

Do lesbian viewers root for Amy as "one of our own"?

Yikes, Sam is 61?? I thought that he was in his 70s.

I like him, but he’s been fumbling a lot.

Yes, Amy!!!

Great job. Andrew didn’t get both double jeopardy’s which helped Amy a lot.

Andrew doesn't need the money anyway. He's works in software, probably loaded already.

I root for Amy because I really like her. Being part of the LGBTQ community is a plus.

Amy deserved that one. Going forward the Andrew betting big makes things pretty chaotic. It's luck of the draw - w/Amy and the Prof it's more knowledge.

I told you the Prof's knowledge about pop music was a stealth strength. Doja Cat? But it's time for Ken to stop the "oh, you're so old but you still know about kid stuff" jokes. The Prof is an amateur musician, why wouldn't he know about music? Ken sometimes needs to rein it in, he's no Alex.

Interesting match today.

It looks like this tourno will be a showdown between Amy and Andrew.

I hope Sam is able to take at least one game though.

Really tough FJ tonight, at least for me.

Hope Sam wins tomorrow and that this runs all week. I thought the Double Jeopardy questions were very tough.

I figured it was Hardy as it seemed unlikely the name would be Dickens, Trollope, Collins or Elliot.

Good game tonight. This felt more like a tournament game than Monday's game did. But I do wonder if its appropriate for them to be trying out brand new categories in the Tournament.

YEAH Amy! Great Job. She seemed much more in her element tonight. At least she now knows what to expect from Andrew. I'm rooting for Amy over Andrew. While I admire Andrew's big bets, I really want him to lose.

Sam did seem a little befuddled tonight. Perhaps he's never gone up against contestants as good as Amy and Andrew. I also hope he's able to pull off at least one win in this Tournament,

No idea on Final.

A "famous phrase"? Call me ignorant and unlearned but I have never heard "Kiss me, Hardy" in my life.

Me neither R323.

Me neither. And I’ve been to Trafalgar Square.

R323, What about?

Ken's quip about Andrew's "Sprockets" look made me laugh.

Same, it was funny but I wouldn't be surprised if he hears from the show to not go there again. Quipping on contestants appearances could get quite slippery.

R327, it made me think of Kevin Sessums!

Googling "Kiss Me, Hardy" tells us that they were Nelson's last words after asking Hardy to take care of Lady Hamilton. Hardy then kissed him on the cheek and Nelson expired. Totally agree that calling it a "famous phrase" is a stretch. Unless, perhaps in the UK.

Ray Walston received higher billing than Kim Novak, r326??

The Sprockets line initially made me smile, but then it made me cringe.

Would Ken have known Andrew wouldn't be thinking"Hey, WTF?"

The same with the age-related jokes directed at Sam.

I used to be friends with someone who didn't know how to draw the line between what's appropriate to say as a joke to someone's face vs. what to keep to himself - but that I attributed to underdeveloped social skills.

As mentioned before, the quality of clues -- both phrasing and subject matter -- has really declined since Alex died and that long-time producer retired. Those two no doubt had the confidence and standing to send bad clues back to the writers while their replacements don't.

Mayim would have been cancelled for those remarks of Ken's. Can you just imagine?

Just sayin'.

Fuck Mayim.

I prefer Ken a million times more!

R331, Ray did Billy Wilder a favor by assuming Peter Sellers’ role after he suffered a heart attack weeks into the filming.

The billing over Kim was probably a quid pro quo.

At least Sam should have known “The Treasure of the Sierra Madre”.

R332, meh - Andrew really did look remarkably like Dieter from Sprockets. Remarking on that once is fine. If Ken had repeated it, that would be too much, but remarking briefly on a personal choice (as opposed to something the person can't help) is fine. People are too sensitive nowadays.

It's the same with Sam. As someone who's Sam's age, I don't mind if people remark once on something that I know that they wouldn't expect from an old guy. Going on and on about it is annoying, but once is OK. Ken should lay off at this point, having made his point.

Amy encountering Drew Barrymore in a public ladies room . . . too funny.

The tournament is not really “best of 7” since the winner can lose more games than they win.

If Sam is 61 then he was born in 1961, hardly someone who could necessarily be expected to know quotes from Bogart's movies. I'm 12 years older than Sam and didn't know it either.

Not an Andrew fan, but I'll take none of the three implied "inevitables" as ToC winner.

R341, That particular film has become iconic, as has Bogart’s role of Fred C. Dobbs and even some of the dialogue . . . “We don’t need no stinking badges!”.

Many far younger than Sam would have responded correctly to that clue immediately.

I thought that that Drew Barrymore anecdote would have been stronger DL catnip.

R344, I know. I audibly gasped when she said, "women's restroom."

I agree with you but what I'm saying is Sam's age (61) is NO reason for him to know a Bogart quote.

I took a nap and woke up in time to see Amy at only 2 thousand dollars, wtf??

She obviously didn’t have a good game.

Damn that Andrew. 🙁

You go to the Correspondents Dinner with hundreds of major politicians, reporters, TV and movie celebrities—and the only one you noticed was Drew Barrymore??

Sam was quite impressive tonight. I really thought it was his night to win. But then Andrew, Mr. I Always Bet It All, decides to bet small and ends up the winner. Arggg!

And Andrew's betting it all strategy caused Amy to bet $5,000 on her Daily Double. That was not a typical bet for her, but she did it to try to get ahead of Andrew.

Not a fan of Andrew. And not liking how he's is affecting the play of the other two.

I had no idea on Final.

Andrew is shaking it all up. Isn't that how you win, Johnny?

I was very impressed that Amy figured out FJ - I had no idea on that, and found most of the questions super tough tonight. I did get ... Jaws.

I didn't expect Sam to wager so much at the end, and had been hoping for a three-way tie.

I predict Drew will invite Amy onto her show in 3, 2, 1...

Sam was robbed. Not only is Hebrews unlikely to have been by Paul (the text doesn't mention the name of the author either btw), but furthermore, depending on the source and how you count quotations, Romans could have more even if you go with that lie. Horrible, horrible outcome that will obviously not be fixed. Not interested in the rest of the tournament now.

Yes, the guy who writes the daily Jeopardy column with all the stats (won't let me link) says Sam's answer was correct and he should have won.

That said, I'm rooting for Andrew. I like his crazy betting, and nerdy guys.

Even if it won't let you link the Jeopardy column, can you give us the name of the column so we can google it?

the jeopardyfan.com

Andrew is a dynamic player. I predict he wins. Amy doesn't usually bet big enough. No interest in gramps.

I want Andrew inside me - quite deeply!

Same, except I want to be in him quite deeply. Smart people are a turn on.

I have a geek/dork/nerd thing, R353, but not Andrew. Something about him is "off". Sam, on the other hand, is cute.

This ToC has proved a dud, R352. I'm fine with Andrew winning again to get it over with.

Something off, as in Asian? Racist!

Don't get the Andrew hate. He seems likable and modest.

R362, I don’t get it either. Shame on Johnny Gilbert.

I found Mattea a bit tedious during her run, but didn't hate her. If I "hated" any winners, those were Matt Jackson and Arthur Chu. With Jennifer Quails, it was a sort of Dr. Fell thing, finding myself grateful I didn't have to work with her.

Arthur Chu was (and presumably still is) loathsome.

I’m good with Andrew winning tonight and getting this thing over with. Please. The sooner the better. Let’s gets back to cute Chris, ASAP.

Ugh. Sam blows it in the end. He could have scored his first win if he had bet the way he did the other night.

I thought Amy looked very nice tonight. Those glasses were flattering, and she should always wear bright lipstick. It really lit up her face.

I have been rooting for Sam, but I'm OK with Amy winning. Fingers crossed for tomorrow.

Happy for Amy again.

FJ has been very difficult all week.

I got Conrad, but not much else. Sam deserves at least one win.

I got Conrad, too. Feels nice to get one all the finalists missed. Makes up for having no idea yesterday.

Very good game tonight. Amy was at her peak performance and Sam was excellent too.

I'd like to see Sam win at least one game before this is all over.

I had no idea on Final.

Lots of talk online about Wednesday night's controversial Bible-related Final clue.

Some are saying that Jeopardy got it wrong and that Sam should have been the winner on Wednesday night.

CNN even covered it.

Ken Jennings really needs to address this on the program, r374, and explain the producers' reasoning to us viewers. We're not idiots, this is not Wheel of Fortune.

R375, Given that the shows are taped in advance, Ken could still record a brief explanatory announcement to be aired before the show begins.

Don’t get the criticisms of Ken Jennings. He’s warm, smart, funny and relaxed, very good at thinking on his feet. A charming guy, and a zillion times better than Mayim Bialek who is just adequate. And preferable to stodgy, formal Alex Trebek who always behaved as if he had a stick up his ass. Alex’s sheer longevity got everyone used to his ways, but Jennings is a breath of fresh air and an improvement.

See, I never got the stick-up-his-ass feeling from Trebek. He took his job seriously and the viewers and contestants benefited from that.

But I do get "I never shut the fuck up!" from Jennings. That's my issue. It's not bad that he adds stuff or is funny, but he does it all the damn time. Alex had more respect for the fact that the show was mostly about the game and the contestants. Ken says he gets that, but doesn't act like it.

Mayim is perfect for Celebrity Jeopardy, but I much prefer Ken for regular Jeopardy.

Alex could have that stodgy, serious demeanor about him that could come off as stuck up.

Ken works well because he's been a contestant and now he's host. He's been on both side and has an understanding of the game that no one else does. Consequently, he comes across as relaxed but serious about it. It's an unusual combination -- relaxed but serious -- but it works for Ken.

I like Ken's lisp. I'm frankly surprised it doesn't get more traction here.

Yay, Sam!!!! Way to go. I was hoping this would be over this week, but Sam winning tonight makes the delay exceptionally worthwhile. Kudos to the Prof.

Damn Amy and her timid wagers!!

It could have ended today!

Still, good for Sam.

Great game! Had no idea of FJ.

Not quite sure I've ever heard an ovation from the audience like tonight when Sam won. Is it because he really is the favorite with the general public, or did he bring a team. He is cute as a button.

Newcastle was one of those FJ answers that seem so obvious and simple... after.

^or before

Watching this week reminded me of one of the reasons that I dislike Amy: that fake degree of hesitancy that she twists into many of her responses, as if she is just sooooo very uncertain of the right answer. 🙄 It comes across as very insincere.

Yeah, clearly Sam is the audience favorite.

Sam definitely crams and memorizes the answers. He thought that chair was eames!

Go Sam! YEAH! So happy that he pulled off a win, especially after being so far in the red at the beginning.

He may be an audience favorite, but I think the audience was also cheering him on for getting a win in for the Tournament. As I said before, I was really hoping he'd win at least one game before it was over. I suspect the audience is too.

Only thing I could think of for Final was York. But Newcastle is so very obvious after the fact.

I think they cheered in part because they want the tournament to go on. (And I agree that Amy's hesitating before answering is so affected. Always followed by a body dip that suggests she's so relieved.)

I thought Eames as the chair name, too.

Matt was far worse with hesitating before answering than Amy!

I thought that was a Morris Chair. What kind of chair is a Morris Chair?

Amy answers like a lady—diffidently.

Amy won $1.3 million and she’s still living in a one bedroom apartment?

What is 1.3 mil after taxes?

Probably about $650,000.

For one thing, huge Jeopardy winners are completely screwed by Trump's tax law which caps state and local federal deduction at $10,000 maximum. Depending on their residence, I assume they clear about 60%?

The Stickley chair lacks the signature Eames compound curve, which should have been a giveaway that that wasn't an Eames design.

That and the fact that it's ugly.

Eames is modern design. that chair was not modern

The chair dated from around 1905.

[quote] Matt was far worse with hesitating before answering than Amy!

You’re missing the point: it’s not the hesitation. Yes, Matt did it many times because he was legitimately trying to think of the answer. That’s fine. (Or not, but that’s not my argument .) It’s the way that Amy plays it as this cutesy, “oh, I’m just so not sure of this (totally right) answer, which I completely know.” It comes off as not genuine and insincere.

Yes, Amy also does that shaking her head up and down thing after her answer is deemed correct that drives me nuts.

It appears that all photos of the former Thomas E. Schneider have been scrubbed from the Internet.

I was wondering about that. r401. But I didn't even know what Amy's former name was.

Brace yourselves, Amy is sleeveless tonight.

Thanks for the warning.

She earned it; Let's move on.

Great game tonight with everyone up and down but I think the outcome was just. Lovely to see how much all the players were awarded in addition to their prvious winnings.

Now....back to Cris Pannullo!

I was fantasizing about how I'd prepare for an appearance on Jeopardy, what I'd study, etc. But how does one really go about that in an effective way?

Then, as I did my morning NY Times crossword, it dawned on me that doing crosswords would be a perfect way to learn about....well, everything, even trivia.

Congratulations to Amy. She was the true champion for the year.

Good stuff.

I wonder if Genevieve is lovely? Am I overestimating Amy’s mojo and the prospect that she may be awarded Time magazine’s Person of the Year?

R407, I like to pretend that Jeopardy contestants are just really well-rounded, well-read and well-informed people and don't cram for the show like dreary high school grinds in a Kaplan SAT course, desperate for admission to Harvard, Yale, Princeton or Stanford.

I'm probably wrong, but it's a pleasant, gentlemanly and ladylike fantasy.

Forgot to say I totally knew FJ!!

It seems that this play was the only show in town back in the day. 😛

R409, Amy and Genevieve . . .

FJ could not have been any easier.

How could Sam get it wrong?

Glad Amy won and bet higher this time.

That final was a great capstone to one of the best seasons of Jeopardy in recent memory. I think Mayim and Ken proved that Alex was never irreplaceable. If you’re whip-smart and telegenic and the public likes you, you’ve got a good shot at making a great host of the program. Obviously if you’re a try-hard, entitled former Star Trek b-player, that’s a tougher road to hoe.

I don’t know if the producers somehow gamed the system this year to force so many “super champs”, but it ended up being a great experience for me as a viewer regardless. And I’m so happy with the outcome of the tournament — I think we’d gone almost fifteen years without a woman winning ToC? And hopefully software engineer Amy’s triumph encourages more young gurls to pursue careers in STEM.

I thought FJ was too easy, but Sam proved me wrong. But why did Andrew bid such a low amount?

I would absolutely have to cram for such topics as capital cities, geography, and the periodic table.

They should have gone for the playwright not the play.

Congratulations Amy! It was a good tournament.

Anyone else at all surprised at Andrew's girlfriend shout-out?

YEAH AMY! Good going! Congratulations! A well deserved win.

Great game. I was on the edge of my seat with all the ups and downs. Exactly as a championship game should be.

Glad Amy bet enough to lock in the win. Even if Andrew had bet it all, he still would have lost by $200.

Yes, Final was very easy. Seemed especially easy for a championship game. Only reason we know of the play today is because of Lincoln's assassination.

And now we get back to Cris tomorrow.

The three contestants discuss the final game after Amy's win.

I think the FJ clue was meant to be made more difficult by the date of the review in the Washington Evening Star, January 12, 1864. That's long enough before the assassination that you might think "no, it can't be Our American Cousin." I wondered about that but couldn't think of anything else it could be, so I went with OAC.

Proof the exhibition game between Amy, Mattea and Matt was NOT taped after the fact, but was taped before the semi-finals started.

In the Overheard below, Mattea makes reference to having won the exhibition game.

R423, Thank you, Jessica Fletcher.

I thought it had to be Our American Cousin because what other play of the 1860s had any historical significance?

I knew it was the Lincoln play, but was blanking on the name.

you need to cram for this 100% esp the current music and all the names of mountains, lakes, rivers, presidents of all the world, cars, dictators, oscar grammy emmy winners etc etc etc

And now I want a special version of TOC with Ken, Amy and James. I still think James would/should beat Ken.....

Amy totally earned this. And I agree this last year has been a golden time for Jeopardy, even as they had a host and exec producer who got cancelled.

You still have to wonder what happened to Matt and Mattea? Each was just as good a player, if not perhaps better, then Amy.

R429, In today’s trans friendly world, I’m sure the Jeopardy! producers are thrilled that Amy won the TOC.

The pandemic threw everything out of whack and people had lots of time to study before their Jeopardy! appearances.

Several interviews with some of the super champs have indicated they spent lots of time during lockdown studying.

I am back bitches...

So glad to see the Cris energy back but did he look a little thinner and paler to you all? Maybe it was the shorter haircut.

He really is unstoppable.

I like Cris, I hope he wins many more.

I’m by no I means a musical theatre savant but good gravy, how could you not know West Side Story?

I’ve never even seen it! 😳

R433 = Yeah. He did seem thinner. He is clearly going to continue rocking that God Awful sweater. He is doing it to spite DataLounge. Picture is from last month..

R435, The Fiddler on the Roof guess was hilarious.

Ken’s sarcastic remark about David once being a model before David elaborated seemed a bit rude.

Etienne appeared sedated . . . and isn’t Etienne the name Stephen in French?

Glad that Chris won. I liked Etienne, but I didn’t care for David. West Side Story seemed like the obvious choice.

I thought there was something creepy looking about David.

My first thought was he looks like someone you'd see in a police lineup for sex offenders on a detective show.

Even worse was his Fiddler on the Roof response.

He deserved to come in last just for that response.

Anyway, who cares about him now that Cris is back.

And he sure was all smiles during his intro.

Étienne’s parents better have a damn good reason for naming her Étienne.

Theatre and Musicals have always been Chris weak spot but West Side Story was a 200 dollar question. How someone could not know that is beyond. And I'm still crushing on Chris but he can shut up about Heather. If she was that great you would have put a ring on it 6 years ago. Guys who won't marry you are looking for something better.

Like another man! ^

Don't get your hopes up, R443.

I just knew one of them would guess Fiddler on the Roof.

But....Tony & Tina's Wedding? Cris, it never even played Broadway!!!

It WAS originally "East Side Story," but not Eastern Europe...

Great to see Cris back and great to see him racking up the dollars again. He makes if feel so effortless. He seemed more relaxed than on previous shows. But he's had 3-4 weeks to rest. Too bad he didn't spend some of that time shopping for a few new shirts and sweaters.

David did seem creepy and Etienne seemed sedated. Was surprised she had such a good comeback after the first half.

Yes, Final was easy.

Cris's answer was proof positive that he is straight.

Does anyone else think Cris is on the short side? Maybe 5'8" at most? He looks short.

R441, I'd like to believe it was that upper-class Southern thing of giving girls boys' names, but I fear that in fact they thought anything ending in "enne" must be a feminine names.

R427, I know you're right, but I would rather that Jeopardy were a contest between renaissance people. If no one crammed and all players simply went on their basic knowledge, then that's what it would be. It would reward not only knowledge of trivia, but also a naturally wide range of knowledge. I have a lot more respect for someone like that than someone who memorized the starting lineup of every World Series winning team for the last 20 years without knowing a damn thing about baseball, the game (which I know nothing about and thus do not deserve to win a baseball-related category on Jeopardy).

I understand that he's rather good looking, but I'm just having too much of a disconnect of a straight guy with such a gay voice?

I knew Muddy Waters and the Flower Duet. Did you?

Glad that Chris won and not that Muppet, John Dorsey.

Jamestown?? Jamestown? Not sure what Katy and John were thinking. Plymouth seemed like such an easy and obvious answer.

Why would Jamestown have been a stupid response, r453? Is it because it didn't last long enough for a second wave of settlers?

I think it could have been eliminated immediately because Jamestown is a port on a river, there's no harbor involved?

Ken Jennings doting on Cris is getting more and more obvious. I get it at the front of the show but do we need it thru-out? Let's give everyone a fair turn instead of Kens blatant favoritism. Especially since people have noticed it.

[quote] Why would Jamestown have been a stupid response, R453?

Because the clue said second ship, which is what I think should have been the focus of the response.

[quote] The Fortune, the 2nd ship to land at this harbor, disappointed those already there, carrying 35 new residents & “not so much as bisket-cake”

The Jamestown settlers arrived on three ships, the Susan Constant, then Godspeed, and the Discovery — which most people would never recall without help. But the Plymouth settlers arrived on one ship, the Mayflower, which pretty much everyone knows. That’s why I thought that the answer seemed obvious.

I can't believe I guessed Jamestown the day before Thanksgiving...

I went with Plymouth, but it might have been Provincetown where the pilgrims landed before Plymouth. I knew they didn’t stay long in Provincetown, so Plymouth was a better bet.

R459, They left Provincetown because there were no vacancies.

I'm now wondering if "gay voice" is a thing, since Cris seems to have it, as did Tyler and a couple of other "my girlfriend ..." contestants.

Is Cris' "221" actually code for something else?

^It’s his girlfriend’s birthday. The boy is obviously besotted.

I knew that but was attempting a lame joke, r463.

Will there be a Jeopardy episode on Thanksgiving?

Yes, there's a Thanksgiving episode.

R461 - Eric was the other ToC contestant who I was surprised was straight.

And it's more than just "gay voice" because it's their manner - or maybe persona is a better word - that's misleading as well.

Not that there's anything wrong with it.

Anyway, here's some more Cris . . .

Cris actually seems honestly modest and sincere.

FJ was impossible for me. Nice competitors hitting a brick wall named Cris and $70,000+ payday...

Wow! It's like Cris didn't even have any competition tonight. He just steamrolled over the other two within the first few seconds and continued on steamrolling for the rest of the game.

I had no idea on Final. I am unfamiliar with the fight songs of any universities except the one I went to, so really had nothing to draw on. The fact two of them got Georgia Tech is amazing to me.

I was left thinking that had they put him in on one of the early contests of either Matt, Amy, or Mattea last year, that super-champ may not have made it very far.

I'm not sure Northwestern even has a fight song. But I certainly never knew that "ramblin' wreck" referred to some kind of charity-driven buggy!

R471, The category was Southern Colleges.

Yes I know. My fuzzy point was that I know so little about fight songs that I couldn't quote my alma mater's. Sorry for the confusion.

Ironically, my school song is paired with that one in this video!

As college fight songs go, The Ramblin' Wreck from Georgia Tech is pretty famous, but not famous enough to make SI's list of 10 greatest. For future Jeopardy contestants, here's their list, with a bonus pic of shirtless Univ of Tennessee guys showing off their pits.

R475, Forget the song, just give me the second guy from the left with his arm in the air.

Ahem!

Ugh. No Jeopardy tonight because of football. The episode airs at 3:00 a.m.

R478, Tonight’s Jeopardy! is posted on YouTube

No one knew “God Bless the Child”?

As our British friends would say, R477, Tom Lehrer was dead brilliant!

Amy looks like Barney rubble.

I am weak on flags and math, and guessed Bozeman for FJ. Cris is amazing and would likely be a great clue writer for "Jeopardy" when he finally loses.

Another steamroll game by Cris, who I also suspect would make a good clue writer for Jeopardy!

I have no reason to know the county names in Montana, so I guessed Bozeman for Final as well.

I guessed Missoula.

I forgot to bring this up earlier, but did anyone else find Cris' response to Ken's request for clarification of his job title to be nothing but (evasive) word salad?

Yes, it was a jumbled mess that didn't really say anything. Then Ken said something like, "so you're an account manager" and Cris said yes.

No one knew Henry Fonda played Tom Joad in “The Grapes of Wrath”?

Is Xanni short for Xanax?

I still have no idea what Cris does for a living. I find it hard to believe that someone that intelligent and attractive wouldn't be doing something more interesting and brain-challenging with his life. I imagine that his Jeopardy gig will lead him to much better opportunities.

R490, He tells Ken on tonight’s show that he wants to buy a house with his winnings.

Whew! He made it through. Xanni made it a closer game than Chris has had in a while.

Anne of Green Gables had absolutely nothing to do with the Midwest; I didn't know Sarah's name in the stories but guessed Sarah Plain and Tall. I also knew Henry Fonda from Grapes of Wrath.

On to more important things ... does he get pegged by the girlfriend?

I so much more enjoy these games where Cris has some serious competition.

Since Day One DL has been calling out Cris on his inexplicable job title nonsense. Maybe Cris is secretly an OnlyFans worker?

I think if you guessed Sarah Plain and Tall they might have accepted it as the correct answer, as that includes the character's name.

Really good game. Nice to see Cris have some competition. Xanxi looks like a good contender for the Second Chances Tournament.

No idea on Final.

Cris likely works as a customer success manager because he has to pay the bills. Jeopardy! money will allow him to do something else if he has a dream career. Amy Schneider quite her job as software engineer after she finished her Jropardy! run.

“Amy Schneider quite her job as software engineer after she finished her Jropardy! run.”

Johnny Gilbert posting drunk, again.

New Jersey house prices are now averaging $408,000, so Cris is all set.

GF Heather is probably nagging Cris non stop for an engagement ring. Honey, you have been together for years. If he wanted to marry you he would have done it by now.

Cris is slipping. The end is near. He also didn't do his ridiculous 221 "tribute" to the girlfriend. Trouble in paradise?

A younger straight acquaintance told me of the phenomenon, which happened to him, among his circle after the couple has been together a while: the woman delivers an ultimatum "Ring, followed by baby, or we're through."

Final was fairy obvious.

I like the calm demeanor of Cris.

Cris looks like the guy who doesn't talk dirty during sex.

I'm not so sure, still waters run deep and all that.

My take is that he might like someone to talk dirty to him...dominate him. Ya know?

Well that sure was a tense game.

R499 - Cris lives in Ocean City (Cape May County), and the median home prices are selling for a little more than that (about $480K), although it's still well within his price range.

So now we're imagining Cris in the bedroom, are we? (My take: he's a cuddler.)

I liked his opponents, and Matt had a really strong first half. I guessed Parthenon instead of Acropolis, and missed FJ too. Good game.

I am not sure Cris is going to make it thru the week. The Jeopardy fatigue is setting in. Glad Ken Jennings stopped telling "Champ" to pick a category when it was Cris turn. Blatant favoritism and viewers were (rightfully) complaining.

But how do we know how these latest episodes were filmed? Cris could get a weekend off and regain his composure and energy.

r510 Typically, a weeks worth of episodes are taped on Tuesday and then another week's worth is taped on Wednesday each week.

Cris may have eaten the same meal each time in the Sony commissary, but he hasn't eaten it 17 times. He would have only eaten it five times due to the taping schedule.

He won his first game on a Friday episode (aired Sept. 30). Won two weeks worth of games, then was off for a five weeks due to the Second Chances Tournament and Tournament of Champions. Then the show resumed regular play last Tuesday (Nov. 22) and he's won every game since then.

Cris's strategy for the Daily Doubles.

R511, I’d rather be eating Cris in the commissary.

I hate how Cris plays the game and I hope he loses really soon.

How does Cris play the game that annoys you, r514?

Did anyone find the KKK clue in the movie fun category seem like maybe it wasn't the most well thought out idea. Also I feel like the black dude that ring in and answered it seemed visibly uncomfortable too.

The retired school teacher with the low score can at least console herself knowing she was the only one to answer FJ correctly. And it was a tough one.

I like the way you can see Cris pause and think sometimes before he answers. I find him impressive.

Meh R517. FJ wasn’t hard…..at all. It concerns me that Cris didn’t get it right. Mexico??? There are no stars on their flag.

I guessed Brazil, I thought it was the only other flag in the hemisphere with stars, but I couldn't remember it had that many - in my mind's eye was just a few like Aus or NZ.

Cris definitely needs to be dominated. Just sayin'....

Cris seems to impress Ken Jennings. Will he good naturally bequeath the crown to him?

I guessed Mexico because it seemed like it was an obvious country that might be divided up into states.

I got FJ, though I couldn’t visualize the stars on the Brazilian flag. I knew Mexico did not have stars. Weird that the stars are different sizes.

I have a lousy visual memory, but guessed Brazil because of "federal district." JOHN HANCOCK was a gimme.

I found Randall quite sexy . . . tall, distinguished and that deep voice.

R516, Not really. The film’s poster had a unique graphic.

Well, Mexico also had a “federal district”. I say it used to because apparently it is not correct to call the capital City that any longer.

I got the John Hancock clue as well.

Mexico was a reasonable guess if you don't know flags well because Mexico, like Brazil and the US, has states and a capital district that's not part of a state. I was pretty sure there are no stars on the Mexican flag, so I guessed Brazil.

Impress him, R521? Ken has all but outright asked him for a date! As with the first woman, I started with Mexico, and then eliminated it in favor of Brazil based on their flag design.

No one could identify Gene Kelly?

No one could come up with Tom, Dick and Harry?

No one knew Crosby, Stills and Nash?

Cris is tired. He is losing his magic.

Uh, Cris may be tired but he couldn't be trouncing his competition any harder. Still. And each of the past few days had at least one formidable opponent.

Did everyone catch that moment when Jeri hit that Daily Double and Rob turned to her and quietly said “Thank you” because she kept it from Cris?

I didn't but that's funny, r534.

[quote]Did everyone catch that moment when Jeri hit that Daily Double and Rob turned to her and quietly said “Thank you” because she kept it from Cris?

Yes, I noticed that. It wasn't that quiet. I could hear it easily. Figured someone here would also notice it.

It was a good game. I enjoyed it. I liked all three players.

Final seemed so obvious. But I'm a night owl, so I naturally knew it.

Ken’s fawning over Cris is now getting a bit much.

I’m waiting for Ken to ask Cris “Boxers or briefs?”

I'm getting a little bored with Cris. Maybe a tighter shirt would help?

Or no shirt at all?

Cris' opening anecdotes are approaching peak mundaneness.

How would you like to come up with 20+ family-friendly anecdotes about your life?

I wouldn't want to come up with (or listen to) one, let alone 20+. They should just skip them and start the game.

After a slow start, Ben made an impressive comeback. If Cris hadn't found all those daily doubles, Ben might have been a serious challenger.

Final was incredibly easy. But Ben wrote the Bastille? He was 200 year too late on that one. The Bastille was 1789, not 1989.

I knew that Berlin Wall was what they were driving at, but I found the final question incredibly awkwardly worded.

Is Chris double-jointed? Unnoticed last night during his thumbs-up and the thumb doesn’t go straight up but bends back. He also does a little double hand clasp almost like he’s praying (or maybe giving thanks for such a huge pot of money).

Don’t these contestants know that Chris doesn’t know musicals? That was the first category I would have hit.

But he did get at least two of the musical questions, R545.

Of course I, like all of you, got all five right.

R545, Cris correctly responded, Dreamgirls, Chicago and Cabaret.

I've heard quite enough about chicken and chickpeas.

I know many of you find him incredibly attractive, but honestly I'm quite bored with him and ready for someone else.

I wouldn't mind Cris winning all the time but I'd like to see him up against more competitive and brighter contestants for at least a few closer games. This is becoming so predictable. I wonder if the producers worry about that.

The whole girlfriend Heather think with his “221” wagers is annoying to constantly hear about. We get it: Chris is STRAIGHT.

It’s desperate.

[quote]I’m waiting for Ken to ask Cris “Boxers or briefs?”

Or commando.

Do you think Amy, Matt or Mattea could defeat Cris? Who's the best player of the four?

Mattea and Matt are old news. Amy vs. Cris ... even odds.

Bah! Cris is but a tempest in a teapot.

Cris’ father missed some of his games because he sometimes works nights.

Don’t they offer DVR service in New Jersey?

R551, I agree it's tiresome, although I don't think it has anything to do with proving he's straight, since Cris doesn't have to prove anything to anyone.

Instead, it's probably something he started early in his run when he had no idea he'd be on for so long. Now, he's stuck with it. If he stops, what would his GF say? Unless she tells him without being asked "enough, Cris, enough", he's got to go on with it.

The Little Mermaid, lol. At least Cris has a sense of humor.

Cris was more than gracious to Andy when he won.

The Tempest often shows up as a favorite response, like Robert Frost and Jack Kerouac.

FJ was so easy. Cris, brush up your Shakespeare.

R560 Something weird about not knowing The Tempest from that clue. Too easy. I'm thinking Cris was ready to get off the merry-go-round.

Well, he wasn't having the best game throughout so perhaps that's right, r561.

Cris was ready to go. Many Jeopardy Champs have said they get tired of the small talk and the game play and just want to get back to their lives. Cris hit that mark last week. I called it last week. I said he was going to be out by last Friday but Cris just hung on a couple of extra days to show me whose boss. Wonder if he will join The Chase?

If Cris does any goodbye interviews, please link them here!

Hated to see Cris go. Had no idea about FJ.

Those goons on The Chase have to comic villains. Cris could never play the part. Now Amy . . . .

Good game, but I agree that "Little Mermaid" was Cris' "Polish Alps"; I think he had had sufficient.

Well, at least we can look forward to watching Cris compete against some real heavy hitters in next year's ToC. Let's hope he gets some better fitting shirts by then.

I knew Cris was a goner as soon as he missed the Daily Double. He was so stunned by missing it, he lost his mojo and let Andy rack up some points. He did try for a comeback but didn't have enough of a lead.

But he got 21 games under his belt, putting him in 6th place behind Mattea at 23 games.

R569 = Ken ranting at the beginning of the episode about HOW MANY daily doubles Cris had gotten (so far) sure jinxed Cris. When is Mayim coming back because I am seriously getting tired of Ken.

At least the new champ seems like an amiable nerd. Who likes Puffins!

I'm curious about Brad Rutter at the chart at r569 (thanks for posting it!).

How the fuck did he make almost 5 million dollars when his name doesn't appear in any of the other winning categories listed? I realize it says all-time winnings but was most of that money mostly from a ToC? Does anyone remember him?

Of course we remember Brad.

Brad did really well at tournaments. He won: his Tournament of Champions (2001), Million Dollar Masters Tournament (2002), the Ultimate Tournament of Champions (2005), the Battle of the Decades (2014), and his team won the All-stars tournament (2019). He defeated Ken Jennings in those tournaments which both competed.

That's what made his not very strong Greatest of all Time performance against Ken and James a little surprising.

One important thing I forgot in r573, r572. When Brad first competed, there was a five game limit. You won five, then off you went to your Tournament of Champions. No doubt he would've won a lot more regular games if he had competed under the no limit times like Ken and after.

Ah, thank you, r573. I'm relatively new to Jeopardy so don't know any of the history. I didn't realize there were all those other tournaments besides the yearly ToC. Do they still have them?

Not so far since Alex passed away, r575, but other than ToC, those were not regularly planned tournaments. They were special ones kinda like the Greatest of all Time one right before Alex died.

Didn't Brad Rutter also play a Jeopardy! tournament against an IBM computer? Or something like that?

Is Brad Rutter gay?

Am I the only one who knew right away that Coolidge was sworn in by his father?

New champ is very attractive.

R579, The rest of us are not as old as you are, Mister C.

I've already forgotten his name but I had such a crush on the adorkable guy who defeated Cris. He looked even cuter tonight.

Too bad he lost. But will he be remembered as the contestant who defeated Cris and be brought back for ToC?

R570, does Ken write the opening? I assume Jeopardy has writers who do that. I agree the fawning over long-term champions (Cris is not the first time this happened) is tiresome, but I don’t think it’s the host’s fault.

And I sure as hell don’t want Mayim back, although I think her return is supposed to happen in January.

I'm not sure about Cris wanting to be done. That's a lot money to give up because you're tired of being on Jeopardy. I think overall he outplayed the others on Tuesday's episode but had bad luck (or knowledge gaps) with DJ and FJ. (I knew sodium was a metal had no clue on the final, although I agree knowledge of Shakespeare is important for Jeop contestants.)

Anyway, tonight's champ - I also think Ron is very cute, R579.

Thank god that cold nerdy woman didn't win tonight. She was very smart and quick but once was quite enough.

No idea with Coolidge--an interesting tidbit of presidential history. Fun to see a gutsy Daily Double from Ron pay off. Surprised no one guessed bay window...

Alex fawned over James Holzhauer just as much as Ken fawned over Cris. Probably more.

People here were complaining about all of Alex's fawning just as much as they are about Ken's. Probably more.

I think the writers write the intro that the host reads at the top of each show, although they do occasionally ad lib a line or two.

I guessed LBJ for Final.

R587, You really thought LBJ’s father was still alive in the 1960s?

This thread is almost full, so here's a new thread.

Yeah, but how many of you knew Gloucester got his eyes gouged out by Regan and her husband Cornwall?