# Jeopardy discussion **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** reality-or-game-show\ **Created:** [January 4, 2022, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeopardy-discussion/957207 "2022-01-04T18:16:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 32
**Author:** ![Wheelz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wheelz/32/5718_2.png) [@Wheelz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wheelz)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2022, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeopardy-discussion/957207/621 "2022-05-10T14:52:07Z")
> [@Borborygmi](#): > > BTW, I got a real kick out of Karim’s second DD clue. I believe I had previously only ever heard the terms “Boswash” and “megalopolis” one time back in junior high social studies, but somehow they had stuck with me all these years. I think this was the first time I ever heard them out in the wild. I’ve _never_ heard or read the term “Boswash” in my life. I felt bad for him on that one, as he had to parse an overly-long, poorly-written clue containing an obscure term, _and_ come up with three city names in a matter of seconds. Yeah, if you stop and think about the path from Boston to Washington, it’s not that difficult to come up with the three largest cities along the route. But by the time Karim (and I) even figured out what the clue even meant, time was up. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2022, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeopardy-discussion/957207/622 "2022-05-10T17:48:52Z")
> [@peedin](#): > > Be more specific. Blasted Muddy Stool? ---
**Author:** ![Arcite](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/67e7ee/32.png) [@Arcite](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arcite)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2022, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeopardy-discussion/957207/623 "2022-05-10T19:25:46Z")
> [@commasense](#): > > I think the specificity of “1929” made me focus on the stock market crash, which was obviously the wrong direction. If they’d said “the 1920s,” I might have had a better chance. > > But “The Great Gatsby”?!? “The Grapes of Wrath”?!? WTF??? I could see being thrown off by the 1929. Sometimes that just happens with Jeopardy clues: your mind ascribes too much significance to something the writers didn’t intend to be that significant, and you get hung up on that one thing and can’t think of other possibilities. Actually the very first thing that popped into my mind when I saw the phrase “1929 novel by an American” was The Great Gatsby, but the only thought I had concerning that was “wouldn’t it be ridiculous if someone guesses that, given that it couldn’t possibly be the title of an Elizabethan-era poem?” > [@Stephe96](#): > > I guessed For Whom The Bell Tolls. > I stand by it because it was close. Not a bad guess, though if you’re a literature buff you know that that title is taken from a devotion by John Donne. > [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](#): > > God, Mayim is **so bad** at hosting! So many pauses after the contestants give the correct responses, she didn’t tell Karim he could wager up to $1000 when he had $800 and then awkwardly paused after he said “I’ll wager $1000” and she didn’t say the reason _why_ “Roy Kroc” was wrong but “Kroc” was accepted. (Because his name was Ray.) She’s terrible. What made anyone think she was the best choice as host? Agree completely. I personally don’t care that she hawked some “supplements” or whatever, she’s just terrible at doing all those little things that add up to making a good host. > [@Borborygmi](#): > > BTW, I got a real kick out of Karim’s second DD clue. I believe I had previously only ever heard the terms “Boswash” and “megalopolis” one time back in junior high social studies, but somehow they had stuck with me all these years. I think this was the first time I ever heard them out in the wild. I’d heard the term “megalopolis” from browsing Wikipedia, but I’ve always heard it referred to as the “northeast corridor” or “Acela corridor” or “Boston-Washington corridor,” never the portmanteau “Boswash.” I got that one right, but it seemed a weird way of phrasing it. > [@peedin](#): > > Yes. I’ve read (from former contestants) that is part of their briefing. Perhaps one the formers on this board will chime in. I believe @commasense is a former, and as he reported upthread, they’re told that responding with only the last name is acceptable, which isn’t the same thing as being told to give only the last name. ---
**Author:** ![Stephe96](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Stephe96](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stephe96)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2022, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeopardy-discussion/957207/624 "2022-05-10T19:31:58Z")
Yeah, I knew it was by John Donne but I couldn’t think of anything else. ---
**Author:** ![Wheelz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wheelz/32/5718_2.png) [@Wheelz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wheelz)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2022, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeopardy-discussion/957207/625 "2022-05-10T19:41:01Z")
My guess was Faulkner’s “As I Lay Dying.” I thought I was way off but it turns out it’s from 1930, so I consider that a decent stab. I did consider Hemingway and Fitzgerald, but my brain didn’t come up with any titles quickly enough. ---
**Author:** ![commasense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/commasense/32/3017_2.png) [@commasense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/commasense)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2022, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeopardy-discussion/957207/626 "2022-05-10T20:19:15Z")
> [@Arcite](#): > > I believe @commasense is a former, and as he reported upthread, they’re told that responding with only the last name is acceptable, which isn’t the same thing as being told to give only the last name. Correct. But I was on in 1991, so I can’t say I remember whether they advised us not to give a first name if it wasn’t necessary. But even if they did then, things might have changed in the intervening 31 years. ---
**Author:** ![jsc1953](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5daacb/32.png) [@jsc1953](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jsc1953)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2022, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeopardy-discussion/957207/627 "2022-05-10T22:01:39Z")
> [@K364](#): > > Hilarious bad guess “Out of Africa” for the mambo in the Catskills question. Absolutely the most hilariously bad worst possible guess I’ve ever heard. And I got FJ right immediately, without ever having read the poem or the book. One never knows, do one. ---
**Author:** ![notfrommensa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/f14d63/32.png) [@notfrommensa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/notfrommensa)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2022, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeopardy-discussion/957207/628 "2022-05-11T18:15:10Z")
Did Alex Trebek get the abuse for pimping Colonial Life Insurance that Mayim is getting for shilling “brain pills” ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2022, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeopardy-discussion/957207/629 "2022-05-11T19:27:17Z")
Trebek doesn’t get one third the shit Mayim gets, considering he was often annoying. Now insurance, even shady insurance, is still insurance. You are getting something for your money. But brain pills are totally bogus, so she does deserve some fair ration of shit. But sometimes I do wonder how much dislike of her is consciously or subconsciously because she’s a woman. I still prefer her to Ken, though neither is perfect. Trebek had game show hosting experience before he took over Jeopardy!, and he still had annoying traits. ---
**Author:** ![Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/son_of_a_rich/32/5439_2.png) [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Son_of_a_Rich)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2022, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeopardy-discussion/957207/630 "2022-05-11T19:53:43Z")
I gave him hell about it, but he didn’t seem to care. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2022, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeopardy-discussion/957207/631 "2022-05-11T20:06:53Z")
> [@notfrommensa](#): > > Did Alex Trebek get the abuse for pimping Colonial Life Insurance that Mayim is getting for shilling "brain pills"⁢ No, because there’s nothing wrong with advertising for insurance. It’s a product that exists and does what it says. It may or may not be the best insurance, but it isn’t fake. The issue with Bialik is that she is peddling **snake oil**. It’s a product that has been scientific proven not to work. And she uses the fact that she was neuroscientist to push it. That makes her a con artist. And it’s one of three big issues. She also did that whole article at the start of the MeToo movement where she argued that dressing modestly and not being sexual is a way to prevent being sexually harassed, sexually assaulted, or raped. But the biggest one is the fact that she is widely known in the rationalist community as someone who pushes anti-vax conspiracy nonsense. Alex Trebek did not do any of this. He did not push pseudoscience in health related fields. And he didn’t make misogynist article. It’s annoying to me how many people want to paint her as some sort of victim, especially among intellectuals. She’s done shit that is genuinely evil, and it’s not abuse to not want her as the host when you have someone without those problems. And it also sucks that she’s able to try and trick people into thinking it’s because of her gender, despite the fact that the same people who don’t want her also didn’t want Dr. Oz. It’s the same issue. If you’re going to be the face for a show beloved by intellectuals, we don’t want you to also be pushing woo. ---
**Author:** ![TreacherousCretin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treacherouscretin/32/476_2.png) [@TreacherousCretin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TreacherousCretin)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2022, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeopardy-discussion/957207/632 "2022-05-11T20:19:40Z")
> [@jsc1953](#): > > One never knows, do one. My Man! I’ve used that quote since forever and you’re the _only_ other person I’ve ever heard do the same. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2022, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeopardy-discussion/957207/633 "2022-05-11T20:20:05Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > It’s annoying to me how many people want to paint her as some sort of victim, I’m not claiming she is a “victim” getting shit because she’s a woman, I am saying she gets an unfair extra helping because she’s a woman. Some people wouldn’t accept a woman in the job if she were the Virgin Mary. I admit I am sympathetic. Ken gets a pass on belonging to the most misogynistic religion outside of Islam. He’s considered a great host. I don’t forgive Mayim her misogynistic rants either, nor her brain pills. But she isn’t the only one. ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2022, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeopardy-discussion/957207/634 "2022-05-11T22:00:53Z")
Interesting chart indicating amount of money left on the board per game (per host) since the start of season 36. [https://imgur.com/XZB1OQX](https://imgur.com/XZB1OQX) mmm ---
**Author:** ![Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/son_of_a_rich/32/5439_2.png) [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Son_of_a_Rich)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2022, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeopardy-discussion/957207/635 "2022-05-11T22:06:16Z")
What was the category and clue for which “stoning” was the answer? I thought it was under “This and That” and guessed “drawn & quartered” 🙄 ---
**Author:** ![jsc1953](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5daacb/32.png) [@jsc1953](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jsc1953)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2022, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeopardy-discussion/957207/636 "2022-05-11T22:30:47Z")
Is there any way the host can influence the $LOB? It seems that would be a function of the speed of the contestants and number of wrong answers. ---
**Author:** ![notfrommensa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/f14d63/32.png) [@notfrommensa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/notfrommensa)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2022, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeopardy-discussion/957207/637 "2022-05-11T22:56:06Z")
How fast the host reads the clues and how much time the host “wastes” on the intro and the “meet and greet”. ---
**Author:** ![Railer13](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/railer13/32/9742_2.png) [@Railer13](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Railer13)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2022, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeopardy-discussion/957207/638 "2022-05-11T23:32:24Z")
> [@notfrommensa](#): > > How fast the host reads the clues Correct > [@notfrommensa](#): > > how much time the host “wastes” on the intro and the “meet and greet”. Wrong. Each round lasts 6 1/2 minutes. ---
**Author:** ![jsc1953](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5daacb/32.png) [@jsc1953](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jsc1953)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2022, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeopardy-discussion/957207/639 "2022-05-12T03:11:27Z")
Tonight’s FJ seemed to be mislabeled….no matter what familiarity you have with the Italian language, you had no hope unless you were familiar with The Godfather. Seemed like more of a movie trivia question. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2022, 3:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeopardy-discussion/957207/640 "2022-05-12T03:50:53Z")
> [@](#): > > It’s an Italian word for “mercy”, but also the name of a movie character who kills Stracci & Carlo I figured it was someone from _The Godfather_, but I didn’t remember who killed who. The name Clemenza popped into my head, and I figured it was probably from the same root as “clemency”. So in my case, it was a combination of movie trivia and language. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeopardy-discussion/957207.md?page=31) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeopardy-discussion/957207.md?page=33)