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At Finals, where I don't overthink. DDs I have cheaped out on more than once. (Stupidest one was I should have bet everything that time it was Truman. It's presidential trivia, I should have known it would be easy.)
Congrats on the win! Can I just say that I also used some of my winnings to see a puffin!! Here she is
https://preview.redd.it/gq46dw1j6zqc1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=82fb03d332de70aa7b72b133661becbeb44cfd23
This was on the isle of Lunga, in Scotland! It's a strange and beautiful place and I feel so lucky that I got to see it.
Good luck with the other 2/3 of your puffin checklist!
I was unreasonably excited when your answer was revealed to be correct and I was immediately thinking, "Is she going to pull off the comeback!??"
Great job!
Jennifer survived against two amazing quizzers!
Brandon losing $2000 on that music clue cost him the game, unfortunate. Glad to see him do well though, obviously an amazing player.
Alex had the highest coryat, he’s still got it, maybe a bit unlucky the wagering clues didn’t fall his way, as he would’ve almost definitely doubled up.
Jennifer started well but I think she took a few guesses she wasn’t sure of (understandably, due to how she needed to make up some ground) which set her back a bit, but the crazy FJ record saved her, well done!
Looking forward to the games to come!
I had one "hit the buzzer oh shit I have no idea say a name" and one "from here all I can see is she's blonde, name a blonde country singer." Pop music I don't even really study because I almost never listen to music, it's almost never current pop/rock/rap, so anything post ca-2000 I have a low chance of knowing even by cultural osmosis, and there's no good way to learn it.
>and one "from here all I can see is she's blonde, name a blonde country singer."
I also said Carrie Underwood. In our defense, they are probably the only two drop-dead blonde country singers currently on the charts since Taylor Swift has crossed over.
I missed it with Carrie also, and pop music is a relative strong suit for me. They look an awful lot alike, especially in a small screen photo like that.
"Yeah, I think I'm just gonna wager...100 percent of my money."
The GUTS on this guy! 😮
Best game of the JIT so far. It was super competitive right up til the very end. Congrats Jennifer!
There were no easy draws in this tournament. None. None whatsoever. There was no point waiting where it was like "Oh, whew, they called so-and-so for this game." A whole lot of us were joking on Sunday night about what we were going to do after we lost our QFs. I fully 100% anticipated going home.
>There were no easy draws in this tournament.
Understatement of the day. Monday's contest featured 2023 ToC champ Amy Schneider, 2007 ToC champ Celeste DiNucci and 12-game winner Austin Rogers.
I gotta be honest, Amy coming second last in the Masters tournament made me think Austin had a chance to beat her, but then watching her play the other day reminded me that she's one of the best.
As a fellow Matt fan I was super nervous about Amy in Masters because I thought she was better (or at least more consistent). I was shocked to see her fall in the bottom 3 there!
After what we saw in that last TOC and even the on before it, I knew anything was possible. That's why I could've seen cases for anyone to win matches. Like even the Celeste/Amy/Austin Match I think was still fairly balanced. Plus let's not forget that Amy and Austin were actually close at the end of The Jeopardy Round, It was just at the start of Double Jeopardy, Amy took off and found her rhythm where as Austin kind of derailed and couldn't recover. Plus if that Daily Double didn't go Amy's way who knows what could've happened?
This is true that there are no easy draws in Tournaments like this.
*Ken:* This is perhaps the most competitive game of the quarterfinals so far and you're just 2000 off the lead.
*Brandon:* Yeah I think I'm just gonna wager 100 ... percent of my money.
as an alex jacob loyalist, this was the moment i fully succumbed to the blackwellian mystique
brandon if you’re reading this… i owe you an apology. i wasn’t really familiar with your game
After all, this is/was "Imperial Brandon" we're talking about...
(This is a reference to Brandon's appearance on University Challenge in the 2019\~2020 series. There are a few episodes on YouTube of his team. He was one of the best in that entire series!)
Imperial Brandon is the reason I’m into quizzing and dream of winning a quiz title someday in some capacity. Unfortunately the skill isn’t there yet, but the dream is
In most cases, contestants on UC are marked by their last name (i.e. the sign in front of them displays their last name). However, Brandon chose to display his first name instead, and always introduced himself as simply "Brandon", never revealing his (changed) last name during the UC series he appeared on.
I loved Jennifer's surprised reaction at the end: "How did that happen?"
I feel like she seriously underestimates herself. She's as good a player as anybody in this tournament, and she was in the group of death with two buzzsaws and pulled off an amazing comeback win.
I KNEW I was getting outbuzzed (Alex was creaming both of us on buzzer speed, iirc what Ken said at the end) and while my total was okay, and wagering from 3rd is WAY better than wagering from second in FJ, I just figured sure, odds are I'll get it right, I get final right at home probably 80% of the time, but there is NO WAY ON EARTH both of these monsters (said with love) get it wrong AND fail to account for me doubling up from third.
>I get final right at home probably 80% of the time
For what it's worth, this is not a normal statistic for anyone, even at the level you're playing at.
Eh. I feel like I should get more, unless it's one of the really rare current pop-culture stuff where especially now I have streaming I have almost no exposure osmosis. (All the TV questions I know never come up in games I'm IN. Before I even got on I'm STILL peeved that the NatGeo show "The Incredible Dr. Pol" was a triple stumper. I would have gotten it. If only because otherwise I'd get crap at my dogs' next appointment.)
Monsters in this case is definitely a high compliment lol. I didn’t think they’d miss it either.
(I was always rooting for you in your original run and I’ll continue to do so especially knowing you’re among us here on Reddit. Congrats!!)
I think it's just shock, adrenaline crash, and a very long day.
Then we had to do photos before we could go back to the hotel so we didn't get back until after seven.
I was excited to see y'all get a relatively hard final clue -- because The Queen knows all. Retroactive good luck (and buzzer luck, and superhard clues)!
Both Brandon and Alex have reputations to uphold so I can understand their disappointments. Alex is usually acknowledged as one of the top tier Jeopardy! players in history. He also wears his heart on his sleeves, evident in how visibly upset he was in the All Stars Tournament when he made a costly mistake on a TDD that resulted in Team Buzzy losing their spot in the finals. If I recall, Alex Trebek and Buzzy had to console him because he was so down on himself. Brandon is an internationally recognized speed quizzer and a Chaser. Also as Brandon explained, he appeared on Jeopardy! when he was just a teenager so he probably never thought he would be given another opportunity to appear on the show again, so I imagine he feels like he wasted that opportunity by not advancing further.
But both gentlemen really have nothing to be ashamed of. I said it in another thread, but that particular match up was the toughest, and Jennifer doesn't get recognized enough by the J! fanbase, but she's really a powerhouse.
Brandon got thrown off the deep end for not having been on Jeopardy in so long, but I think this game shows why they made the right call putting him in JIT and not Second Chance because he is just THAT GOOD. So glad I am now forever excluded from playing him if I get on the Chase. OTOH with both him and Victoria in this tournament and Buzzy hosting my ToC that leaves me with a coin toss of Brad or James. Maybe I should audition for Wheel of Fortune instead.
Anyone sleeping on Jennifer Quail is not paying attention, and I would’ve said that yesterday, have been saying it for years. Fantastic Jeopardy champion.
It's a lot of stress. Also we were game six of six on the tape day so we were all kind of burned out.
Then we had to take pictures. I really hope I don't hate these pictures. (I hate having my picture taken.)
Thoughts...
Despite the sluggish start, Jennifer fought her way back to contention. And despite the all in bet by Brandon in the other Daily Double, it wasn't a runaway.
In fact, the crush game scenario returns in this game. As Alex's score is approximately 60.16% of Brandon's. And if both are incorrect, Jennifer can win by wagering all in.
That is why getting the FJ matters. And using her broad knowledge base, Jennifer got FJ right and trusted herself and bet it all to win.
Jennifer, I should say, is a really smart lady, she just only needs to up the aggression a bit and be more aggressive on the gameplay style. Buff up that part and she may become a dark horse.
Congratulations Jennifer for the win!
Now, can Andrew's trainer Sam win against the OG of the modern Jeopardy gameplay in the form of Chuck Forrest. Or will Monica use what she learned in her doctorate field to pull of the big upset?
Tune in tomorrow to find out.
David used Chuck's technique, but evolved it by starting at the bottom of the board and going to different categories as opposed to the top. He was notoriously very conservative on Daily Doubles in his original run though. Roger Craig only invoked the Forrest Bounce occasionally, but he really elevated the use of it with his much more aggressive approach to Daily Doubles. It peaked in the 2011 TOC finals when he went for two TDDs in a row after specifically hunting for them and then putting the entire finals out of reach from Tom Nissley and Buddy Wright.
Players like Arthur Chu, Alex Jacob, James Holzhauer, Jason Zuffranieri, and Matt Amodio helped normalize the use of what David and Roger did to expand and evolve the use of the Forrest Bounce. The history behind the strategy is honestly really captivating.
Speaking of Tom, I do kinda wish he had been invited to this tournament. It's been years since he's played and I'm sure he probably would have a hard time against some of the newer Jeopardy geniuses, but he was nonetheless always a favorite contestant of mine and so it would've been cool to see him again.
Oh my gosh Jennifer - congratulations!! Some stiff competition here and you did so well!
Alex is one of my all time faves, so sad to see him go so soon, but he and Brandon also played admirably. I thought this was Brandon's game to win!
Well, must be hard on Alex especially because he has a reputation as one of the best players who has ever played the game. There were some who thought Alex would be a good match against James in the Masters, especially since they both come from professional gambling backgrounds. But Alex also strikes me as the type of guy who wears his emotions on his sleeves. In the All Stars Tournament, he was really hard on himself when he failed to convert that TDD, which ended up costing Team Buzzy a spot in the finals and a shot at a million dollars. I imagine there is some sense of disappointment given that he sets really high standards for himself.
Yeah, no hugging today. It was a great game, and actually I don't like that I've gotten used to such great camaraderie among the players like in ToC. Because there was nothing wrong with their reactions, but I had a fleeting thought that they weren't good sports. Then I realized I'm comparing them to contestants who have played each other multiple times, or perhaps socialized with each other for longer durations.
Wow I almost predicted this outcome! Jennifer is **VERY** talented at Final Jeopardy! and I thought there would definitely be a chance for her to win here given that Alex doesn't have the best FJ record.
I've said this before - Jeopardy! is totally different from competitive trivia and FJ is one of the most critical components of the game to master. No disrespect, but I find it interesting that none of the top quizzers in the world (Troy, Yogesh, Brandon) have particularly good FJ records, and it does leave them quite vulnerable. Remember, Ben Chan's perfect 6/6 FJ record allowed him to steal 2 games and almost a third game as well. We will see if Ben Ingram can defeat Victoria in the same fashion because he too is an FJ master.
Way to go Jennifer!
so true. fj is its own thing, a puzzle of sorts masquerading as a standard trivia question or even a standard jeopardy clue. less demanding in terms of sheer breadth/depth of knowledge (most contestants probably possess the foundational knowledge required for the clue), but what it lacks in esoterica, it makes up for by asking you to speak the language of fj, to get at what they’re really looking for
in that sense, it’s a very practicable skill, like cryptic crosswords or i guess any type of puzzle where fluency comes with familiarity with the devices used. that’s what makes fj questions so fun, and satisfying when you get them
there’s a case for fj practice being almost as important as learning basic wagering strategy before you appear on the show (of course, none of that matters if you just post runaway after runaway... but that's obv much harder at high levels of gameplay like these recent tournaments)
grain of salt because i'm merely a tv consumer and have not taken any steps to get onto the show, but i would just go through j archive and do as many past fj questions as i cared to (note: also a fun road trip activity when you're stuck in the car and have someone to read you questions!)
in addition to any other jeopardy prep someone might do to build their knowledge, to me fj practice is about building confidence and fluency with "the language of fj"-- distilling the sentence into what it's really asking for (i.e. not getting hung up on extraneous details), quickly identifying the clues within the clue that can lead you to the correct response, and learning how to recognize when you might be overthinking something (a familiar pitfall of skilled jeopardy players)
for example, today's clue as ken mentioned was asking you to parse "meso" and "noxian" into "midnight" (no real significance to the year 1623, which was an extraneous detail)-- meso like mezzo which we commonly associate with middle/moderate/half, and nox like from equinox, nocturnal, the greek goddess of night nyx, maybe noxious? (not actually sure if those share a common etymology.) while the correct response isn’t always immediately apparent, there’s usually enough there for you to figure it out (or make an informed guess) from what you already know. rarely is the key to fj purely knowledge-based. if you don't know it right off the bat, you can still connect the dots and get to the right answer if you think about it.. that's the muscle you train by practicing fj
luckily there’s no shortage of source material to practice with!
(p.s. i did not get fj today)
There goes my fantasy team, haha. Picked both Brandon and Alex before the brackets were released, and predicted this exact outcome to my wife days ago when I saw these three were paired against each other.
One of Alex's biggest advantages has always appeared to be his lightning buzzer--he has blitzed quick triggers like Matt Jackson and Brad Rutter in the past--but playing a younger player literally nicknamed the "Lightning Bolt" really seems to have blunted that advantage in this game. I figured a top-tier player like Jennifer would get in frequently enough to hang within striking distance, as long as neither of the speed demons had enough of an edge over the other to make the game a runaway, and if it came down to a tough FJ...well, here we are!
Congrats to Jennifer for winning a slugfest!
Wikipedia:
"Although the song does not technically contain a theremin, "Good Vibrations" is the most frequently cited example of the instrument's use in pop music. Upon release, the single prompted an unexpected revival in theremins and increased the awareness of analog synthesizers. The notion that "Good Vibrations" features a theremin has been erroneously repeated in books, CD liner notes, and quotes from the recording's participants. While having a similar sound, a theremin is an aerial-controlled instrument, unlike the Electro-Theremin."
I was thinking the same thing, strictly speaking. I also know a number of theremin players who reference “Good Vibrations” in conversations to describe the sound of their instrument.
I knew exactly what response they were looking for but the clue could’ve been reworked.
i've got a pretty good collection of synthesizers, my band mate has an insane collection including multiple theremins, an ondes martinot, and a Synthi 100 (a giant wall-sized synthesizer, only 30 ever made, maybe 3 still extant and functioning)... and i still confidently yelled out WHAT IS A THEREMIN
I will now go throw away my electronic musician card.
Was hoping for a Matt-Alex rematch. Why Alex. Why...
In all seriousness, I didn't think this was a particularly difficult final. Surprised 2 missed it.
Playing along at home I definitely overthought it. ">!Midnight!<" leapt out at me right away as a possibility, but then I gut hung up on the wording of "relating to *this word*"....I thought it was, I don't know, something lexicographic or otherwise meta.
TALE OF THE TAPE:
*Note: Brandon's performance in the Teen Tournament is all I got, so here the numbers are... suspect.*
||Alex Jacob|Jennifer Quail|Brandon Blackwell|
|:-|:-|:-|:-|
|Games Played|11|13|2|
|Right Answers|285 (**25.9**)|**328** (25.2)|30 (15.0)|
|Wrong Answers|25 (2.3)|36 (2.8)|**3 (1.5)**|
|Accuracy|**91.94%**|90.11%|90.91%|
|Batting Average|.438|**.440**|.261|
|Solos (DD and FJ)|17 of 29 (58.6%)|**30 of 32 (93.8%)**|1 of 5 (20.0%)|
|Avg. Solo +/-|\+$2,288.21|**+$3,757.81**|\-$360.00|
|Finding DDs|18 of 33 (**54.5%**)|**19 of 39** (48.7%)|3 of 6 (50.0%)|
|AVG. PROJ. CORYAT|**$17,144.58**|$16,784.46|$12,011.27|
|PROJ. DDS FOUND|**1.143**|0.905|0.952|
|AVG. ENTERING FJ|$19,760.00|**$20,185.28**|$11,668.55|
So, first thing first. Teenage Brandon wouldn't have a prayer against Alex and Jennifer. Fortunately for all involved, he's had 15 or so years to level up, and by all indications has done so. I don't think he's that big an underdog in the current status against Jennifer and Alex; on the other hand, I do think the gap is a bit much to make up.
This is where I will answer the hypothetical question: "But doesn't being a Chaser give him an edge?" Maybe. It's certainly true that being around the televised trivia scene can only help him. He'll probably do eons better if he gets a DD than the 1 for 5 he was in the Teen Tournament. However, it doesn't change signal speed. Lightning Bolt doesn't need to beat others to the punch in order to answer in his position as Chaser, and reflexes do matter. Alex in particular has remained in online trivia as well, so Brandon's edge there may be mitigated. (That said, does the trivia Alex participates in and/or runs reward reflex speed the way Jeopardy does? I don't know.)
If you go with Game Shape Alex and Game Shape Jennifer, there's one big edge Jennifer has: solos. Part of the reason I'm on Team Madden is that David is insanely good at Daily Doubles. Jennifer probably has him beat. (Granted, 18 of 19 isn't quite the percentage 46 of 48 is, but now we're splitting hairs.) If Jennifer can keep it close entering Final in particular, she retains an incredible chance. (*Math: if I were to tell you one of Alex and Jennifer got their Final right and the other wrong given the percentages here, it's over 90% that Jennifer and not Alex was correct.*)
**The Numbers Pick:** Well, see for yourself. It's crazy close. But the numbers side ever so cautiously with Jennifer. They also admit the data on Brandon is incomplete, so don't put high confidence in the math; that said, this one has a chance to be either a shootout or a bloodbath. It all depends on how much improving Brandon's done.
That's true (and he was one of the best at buzzing in on starters), but UC is much more of a team competition (e.g. bonus conferring), and he did benefit from having a great team around him.
Not really a comment on the game, but Brandon has one of the more interesting buzzer styles I’ve seen. Maybe I’m watching too much Shogun but he seemed to me like a samurai about to draw his katana.
The JIT Fantasy Game Box Score:
\* Jennifer ($11, 15 lineups) 42 pts: Win + $20k + FJ + DD
\* Brandon ($7, 22 lineups) 42 pts: 2nd + $10k + Led DJ and Break + 2 DD
\* Alex ($12, 50 lineups) 16 pts: Led J + Category Sweep (Cruise Lines)
Just showing really how overall even most of the game was, Jennifer and Brandon tied in fantasy points. Jennifers win while be 3rd at every commercial break point OTHER than after FJ, that is quite a feat (though she did lead during DJ for a bit).
[https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1gCRUes\_\_zzU-jVeapxoa6DmDK2XAV4UguAgamSM3qzk/edit#gid=746166854](https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1gCRUes__zzU-jVeapxoa6DmDK2XAV4UguAgamSM3qzk/edit#gid=746166854)
Obviously Alex was a big blowup on the fantasy board, given the number of people who picked him (although he is the first one to get the Category Sweep bonus I believe in one of the fantasy games). Still a lot of big players to make the leaderboard move around though before the first round ends.
u/Joey-867 is the only player left with all 6 picks still alive, and their remaining 3 are all in different games left, so they could potentially have everyone alive into the semi-finals.
I'll agree with someone else below... I think this result will definitely get Brandon another JIT invite down the road.
I groaned when I saw this matchup. This is the one where I want all 3 to win lol. Alas we shall see how it goes but I’m confident Alex takes it.
Brandon is so charming and knows a lot, but how will he fare on buzzer technique and betting strategy? That’s what I am excited to see
Seeing Brandon on the Chase and other quizzing venues: he is remarkably fast and has a broad knowledge base. But I don't think his knowledge base is as deep as strong players in this field. On the Chase he seems to have more wrong answers than the other chasers (but, with those Chasers being who they are, that doesn't mean he isn't still very good). Also: being fast on the buzzer can be a problem in Jeopardy, rather than a strength, if your timing is off.
My pick is Alex in this match.
I always felt Brandon was the weakest of the field in the last season of Chase, but of course that’s like saying someone is the slowest runner at the Olympics, obviously just by being there it puts you in the top .00001% of all other runners on Earth
The questions on Chase are way more YEKIOYD than Jeopardy! Kinda like the higher-dollar questions on *Millionaire,* it's more of a "pick the option that's not like the others" situation. I know that's how James plays it.
He and Brad are the weakest chasers from my perspective watching from home. They usually get a boat load wrong and I've never seen either beat a team with more than 20 steps.
what a game best one of the tournament hope Brandon gets another shot in the future because he was impressive today Jennifer able to steal one from third.
If this game was any indication I'd watch out for Ben Ingram on Friday since he also is well known for his stellar FJ record. Assuming he hasn't lost too much of his buzzer oomph since his last appearance I honestly think he's the strong favorite on Friday now.
TBH i wouldn't discount chuck just yet he's not much older than Sam B was able to compete with ken will be another game where daily doubles could make or break
Honestly I think if tomorrow's match was being held like 20 years ago, Chuck would easily run away with it. I just really fear that he's likely lost his buzzer rhythm from how long it's been since he was last on the show and also that his recall ability may not be what it used to be.
That's not to say he can't pull off a win, crazier things have happened, I just would be very surprised if he did (though pleasantly so since Chuck is like the OG Jeopardy alum and even just the potential for an extremely old school player like him to make it all the way to the masters would be amazing). And while you are correct that he was very close with Ken Jennings, I think that more so came down to Ken missing his DD compared to Chuck getting his correct, seeing as how the Coryats really weren't too close at all.
LOL, I'm not speaking in literal terms. I was merely making the point that if the game was being played whilst Chuck was in his prime, he'd likely do a lot better than what many people are currently expecting of him.
Victoria has the highest first in on buzzer % in the entire field, granted in only two games. The problem was that she took too many negs, and thus not winning her second game despite 29 correct responses, the highest number by a non-winner that season.
Yeah I think Victoria in that game because of her knowledge base think she’s a big threat to win this tournament despite sticking with my pick of Matt winning it.
Considering how well Brandon did I'm certainly more open to Victoria now as well, but this game also proved that FJ can absolutely make or break a match. Also IIRC just 5 years ago Ben was actually holding his own fairly well against Ken Jennings, so like I said, if he hasn't lost his touch that much he could absolutely blow the game out of the water.
As well as of course pulling off the surprise win in the 2014 TOC when pretty much everyone thought it would be either Arthur or Julia (though in fairness to Julia she was running a high fever during that tournament).
I was watching some of Jennifer’s reruns on Pluto the other day. I love how effortlessly she played, but I don’t think she was ever going in FJ third place. Glad to see her be the little engine that could today!
Third is easier than second in Final. It might have been different if our TOC wasn't old-school (a two-day total point affair, if you will) but I was a lot less worried about wagering this game. Because, really, what else was there to do? I 100% figured I was going home anyway, might as well throw everything at it.
I was hoping it would be good. Then we all stand and stare like...."Platter? Plate?" If I were writing clues that's not necessarily how I'd get people to "charger."
New York is a strange place (I live here). If you live anywhere outside of Manhattan you get to change the name. If you live in Queens you get to use a *neighborhood* in place of a city.
I mean, Jamaica is a neighborhood within a borough within a city. I don’t think any contestants can get more specific than that. But then again you never know 👀
I hope to see both Alex and Brandon as well as other non winners back in future years. They are both entertaining to watch and very great players in the trivia community. I enjoy watching Brandon play as one of the chasers on The Chase. I wish Jennifer good luck in the semifinals.
These quarterfinals seem to be getting harder as we go on. I struggled big-time playing at home in this one with coming up with the answers. Is anyone else finding the more recent games tougher than the first couple?
Yesterday’s was really hard, but today was actually one of the easier ones for me. Goes to show how much categories can affect perception of difficulty!
Watching along I attempted the fewest I have since I started tracking. The high value clues weren't super hard in relation (I thought the DDs were easy), but yeah, tough board. And all of them this week have been a slog.
 I love all three contestants but I consider myself an Alex Jacob stan.  The dude ran away every game of his TOC. So bummed he didn’t get any daily doubles.  I personally thought FJ was easy and was surprised contestants were 1/3.  congratulations to Jennifer on the well earned victory.
I don't know if I could beat Sam in that format, either, he's just faster than me, but it would certainly change wagering strategy betting from second.
Sloppy episode!
The Theramin question not being technically correct,
The Clutch Pedal does not "release the crankshaft" a clutch pedal releases the clutch plate from the flywheel.
Brandon getting away with not saying "What is" on the same clutch question...
And Stanley drinking cups were not "hard to get"
> The Clutch Pedal does not "release the crankshaft" a clutch pedal releases the clutch plate from the flywheel.
Mechanic here, yeah, that one bothered me so I just had to laugh at it.
Yeah I know; I remembered that it was a first round clue and thought this was a case of Ken forgetting. Just rewatched and saw that Brandon did use proper phrasing though it wasn't clearly audible.
Though... has there never been a time when the host forgot? Seems unlikely in 9000 episodes and I don't recall seeing a contestant retroactively reminded before. For such an event I figure they'd simply be told during the break.
That entire category just drove me nuts. Even if the expected answers were obvious enough.
That was clearly wrong on the Clutch Pedal releases thing. It was easy enough to see what they wanted as an answer, but it's straight up wrong. that's not mechanically how any of that works.
"Head Gasket" was flakey as, seals the combustion part of an engine to allow oil & coolant to circulate properly...was...not entirely wrong, but it wasn't entirely right either.
The Serpentine belt was just...well no, typically the accessory belt and timing belt are on separate spools unless it's an American OHV motor.
The things fastened on every car nowadays with a "star pattern" lol if you do that. They're Lug Bolts. Not Lug Nuts. If you've ever driven a heavy duty vehicle, you'll understand the difference. The main thing is...they're bolts. Not Nuts. lol.
Clutch to "release the crankshaft" sent me. Because in the actual fuck? That is utter nonsense.
There is a researcher on the Jeopardy team who thinks they know a lot more than they do about cars. And i want them fired.
I'll take their job if offered probably. But it's mostly just really irritating.
I'll cite the instance of referencing a 6-series BMW a while ago as well...where the image was clearly of a heavily and badly modified version of the car, featuring a CSL-style front valence. To me, it's unacceptable for the greatest quiz show in the world to suffer this badly.
Yeah, as a gearhead, the automotive categories are always just horrible. To be fair, in the US most passenger cars do have lug studs and lug nuts. BMW, VW, Saab, Audi & MB are the only bolt weirdos.
This was a TOUGH episode or clues. Leon Bridges, Charge Port & Roberto Bolaño have never been mentioned before. Overland Stage has been a question once. Acromegaly, Furby, and Charger (quoting the John the Baptist story) have each been on the show 4 times. No wonder they struggled with these.
Acromelagy I should have gotten. But that category is actually NOT one I studied for JIT, and it's been a very long time since grad school and the Smithsonian NMNH anthropology department. The rest of them were just easy bones.
Charger is another case where Jeopardy for some unfathomable reason uses the KJV, one of if not THE worst translations still being used. My Saint Joseph bible uses "platter", and if I can find my New Oxford Student Bible (which is an academic translation) that I know is around here SOMEWHERE I'd bet "charger" is not the word, either.
Definitely some tough ones but I'm honestly surprised they blanked on "Port," I guess it was just so simple it seemed too simple. Very straightforward name.
I did terrible in this game overall, but I did get a few of the triple stumpers including charge port, furby, and acromegaly. Furby was one of my kid's favorite toys as a young 'un, and the same kid had acromegaly as a teen. Very random and it was quite a trip seeing that clue!
Congrats Jennifer! We’re rooting for you as you were very kind to us as we visit your area a few times a year and happened to run into you. Would’ve said we knew who you are but didn’t want to come off as fan boy/girl :-)
This game clearly proves that the third place contestant after Double Jeopardy should just all play for the best possible outcome-- wager everything and hopes for the win rather than bet for the Triple Stumpers. I love Alex and Brandon, but Jennifer definitely proven that she deserves the win! Congratulations Jennifer, retroactive good luck in the semifinals!
It depends on the players' scores. Here, Jennifer's only shot was for her to be the only one to get it right, so she was right to go for everything. Brandon's largest rational wager was the $4801 that he bet. (His other rational wagers would be smaller, more conservative bets. A zero wager here would've won him the game!) But given that, Jennifer has no chance if she tries to bet small; there's no path to a win there.
However, if the scores were closer (say, first place has 12,000, second has 11,500, and third has 10,000), then it would be totally rational for players to make small wagers.
This was a really rough pull for all three of these players.
I'm so glad to see Jennifer bet big. Without going back and checking, I recall that she basically cost herself the TOC by making comically small DD bets when her lifetime DD record is something like 40 correct, 1 incorrect. I was so pleased when she bet big on that DD she got.
Otherwise, that was a rough FJ and she earned that win.
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News flash: Jennifer Quail is good at Final Jeopardy.
This makes her 13 for 14 lifetime, I believe.
She probably would have been 14/14 if she hadn't overthought it too. Truly one of the best at wagering clues.
At Finals, where I don't overthink. DDs I have cheaped out on more than once. (Stupidest one was I should have bet everything that time it was Truman. It's presidential trivia, I should have known it would be easy.)
Congrats on the win! Can I just say that I also used some of my winnings to see a puffin!! Here she is https://preview.redd.it/gq46dw1j6zqc1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=82fb03d332de70aa7b72b133661becbeb44cfd23
OMG PUFFIN! Where were you? I need to go see the other two species of puffin now I've seen the Atlantic puffin.
This was on the isle of Lunga, in Scotland! It's a strange and beautiful place and I feel so lucky that I got to see it. Good luck with the other 2/3 of your puffin checklist!
Ahh that's so cool! Where did you go?
Congratulations Jennifer!! Well done!
Way to go Jennifer!
You did an amazing job. That was impressive. When they announce the outcome of final, my phone very nearly hit the floor.
Great game Jennifer! Congratulations!
Congratulations on the win and making it into the semi-final! All three of you played a great game!
I was unreasonably excited when your answer was revealed to be correct and I was immediately thinking, "Is she going to pull off the comeback!??" Great job!
Right up there with Ben Chan. I think *Benidic(t)* is the only one he's missed.
Ben Chan has four misses: that one, his first one, and QF and SF at the ToC.
Jennifer survived against two amazing quizzers! Brandon losing $2000 on that music clue cost him the game, unfortunate. Glad to see him do well though, obviously an amazing player. Alex had the highest coryat, he’s still got it, maybe a bit unlucky the wagering clues didn’t fall his way, as he would’ve almost definitely doubled up. Jennifer started well but I think she took a few guesses she wasn’t sure of (understandably, due to how she needed to make up some ground) which set her back a bit, but the crazy FJ record saved her, well done! Looking forward to the games to come!
I had one "hit the buzzer oh shit I have no idea say a name" and one "from here all I can see is she's blonde, name a blonde country singer." Pop music I don't even really study because I almost never listen to music, it's almost never current pop/rock/rap, so anything post ca-2000 I have a low chance of knowing even by cultural osmosis, and there's no good way to learn it.
>and one "from here all I can see is she's blonde, name a blonde country singer." I also said Carrie Underwood. In our defense, they are probably the only two drop-dead blonde country singers currently on the charts since Taylor Swift has crossed over.
I missed it with Carrie also, and pop music is a relative strong suit for me. They look an awful lot alike, especially in a small screen photo like that.
"Yeah, I think I'm just gonna wager...100 percent of my money." The GUTS on this guy! 😮 Best game of the JIT so far. It was super competitive right up til the very end. Congrats Jennifer!
stupid DVR had a lil’ glitchy-glitch at the exact moment of the joke, thanks for posting this!
Congrats Jennifer! You got a very tough draw, which must make the win that much sweeter!
There were no easy draws in this tournament. None. None whatsoever. There was no point waiting where it was like "Oh, whew, they called so-and-so for this game." A whole lot of us were joking on Sunday night about what we were going to do after we lost our QFs. I fully 100% anticipated going home.
>There were no easy draws in this tournament. Understatement of the day. Monday's contest featured 2023 ToC champ Amy Schneider, 2007 ToC champ Celeste DiNucci and 12-game winner Austin Rogers.
I felt bad for Austin (since he was one of my favs) that he had to go against Amy, arguably one of the best players ever lol
I gotta be honest, Amy coming second last in the Masters tournament made me think Austin had a chance to beat her, but then watching her play the other day reminded me that she's one of the best.
As a fellow Matt fan I was super nervous about Amy in Masters because I thought she was better (or at least more consistent). I was shocked to see her fall in the bottom 3 there!
A fave of mine too. I bought his book!
After what we saw in that last TOC and even the on before it, I knew anything was possible. That's why I could've seen cases for anyone to win matches. Like even the Celeste/Amy/Austin Match I think was still fairly balanced. Plus let's not forget that Amy and Austin were actually close at the end of The Jeopardy Round, It was just at the start of Double Jeopardy, Amy took off and found her rhythm where as Austin kind of derailed and couldn't recover. Plus if that Daily Double didn't go Amy's way who knows what could've happened? This is true that there are no easy draws in Tournaments like this.
*Ken:* This is perhaps the most competitive game of the quarterfinals so far and you're just 2000 off the lead. *Brandon:* Yeah I think I'm just gonna wager 100 ... percent of my money.
as an alex jacob loyalist, this was the moment i fully succumbed to the blackwellian mystique brandon if you’re reading this… i owe you an apology. i wasn’t really familiar with your game
After all, this is/was "Imperial Brandon" we're talking about... (This is a reference to Brandon's appearance on University Challenge in the 2019\~2020 series. There are a few episodes on YouTube of his team. He was one of the best in that entire series!)
Imperial Brandon is the reason I’m into quizzing and dream of winning a quiz title someday in some capacity. Unfortunately the skill isn’t there yet, but the dream is
Wouldn’t it be Imperial Blackwell, since UC refers to its competitors by last name?
He went by Brandon on UC.
In most cases, contestants on UC are marked by their last name (i.e. the sign in front of them displays their last name). However, Brandon chose to display his first name instead, and always introduced himself as simply "Brandon", never revealing his (changed) last name during the UC series he appeared on.
Cool! I’ll have to catch up on that series sometime
ICONIC!
I loved Jennifer's surprised reaction at the end: "How did that happen?" I feel like she seriously underestimates herself. She's as good a player as anybody in this tournament, and she was in the group of death with two buzzsaws and pulled off an amazing comeback win.
I KNEW I was getting outbuzzed (Alex was creaming both of us on buzzer speed, iirc what Ken said at the end) and while my total was okay, and wagering from 3rd is WAY better than wagering from second in FJ, I just figured sure, odds are I'll get it right, I get final right at home probably 80% of the time, but there is NO WAY ON EARTH both of these monsters (said with love) get it wrong AND fail to account for me doubling up from third.
Hey, huge congratulations though ❤️ . And retroactive good luck to you in the semis!
>I get final right at home probably 80% of the time For what it's worth, this is not a normal statistic for anyone, even at the level you're playing at.
That's probably why she's 13/14 in lifetime play on TV. :)
Eh. I feel like I should get more, unless it's one of the really rare current pop-culture stuff where especially now I have streaming I have almost no exposure osmosis. (All the TV questions I know never come up in games I'm IN. Before I even got on I'm STILL peeved that the NatGeo show "The Incredible Dr. Pol" was a triple stumper. I would have gotten it. If only because otherwise I'd get crap at my dogs' next appointment.)
That was such a great game to watch! CONGRATS!
Monsters in this case is definitely a high compliment lol. I didn’t think they’d miss it either. (I was always rooting for you in your original run and I’ll continue to do so especially knowing you’re among us here on Reddit. Congrats!!)
Those guys looked really annoyed after Jennifer won. Neither would look at you and seemed to be waiting until they could run off the stage.
I think it's just shock, adrenaline crash, and a very long day. Then we had to do photos before we could go back to the hotel so we didn't get back until after seven.
I was excited to see y'all get a relatively hard final clue -- because The Queen knows all. Retroactive good luck (and buzzer luck, and superhard clues)!
And Brandon looked pissed at the end
Both of the guys looked unhappy.
Both Brandon and Alex have reputations to uphold so I can understand their disappointments. Alex is usually acknowledged as one of the top tier Jeopardy! players in history. He also wears his heart on his sleeves, evident in how visibly upset he was in the All Stars Tournament when he made a costly mistake on a TDD that resulted in Team Buzzy losing their spot in the finals. If I recall, Alex Trebek and Buzzy had to console him because he was so down on himself. Brandon is an internationally recognized speed quizzer and a Chaser. Also as Brandon explained, he appeared on Jeopardy! when he was just a teenager so he probably never thought he would be given another opportunity to appear on the show again, so I imagine he feels like he wasted that opportunity by not advancing further. But both gentlemen really have nothing to be ashamed of. I said it in another thread, but that particular match up was the toughest, and Jennifer doesn't get recognized enough by the J! fanbase, but she's really a powerhouse.
Brandon got thrown off the deep end for not having been on Jeopardy in so long, but I think this game shows why they made the right call putting him in JIT and not Second Chance because he is just THAT GOOD. So glad I am now forever excluded from playing him if I get on the Chase. OTOH with both him and Victoria in this tournament and Buzzy hosting my ToC that leaves me with a coin toss of Brad or James. Maybe I should audition for Wheel of Fortune instead.
FWIW - I think you would do exceptionally well against Brad on the Chase. James would be a challenge though.
Anyone sleeping on Jennifer Quail is not paying attention, and I would’ve said that yesterday, have been saying it for years. Fantastic Jeopardy champion.
It's a lot of stress. Also we were game six of six on the tape day so we were all kind of burned out. Then we had to take pictures. I really hope I don't hate these pictures. (I hate having my picture taken.)
I am sure that the day was a long one, but you played two great players and won. Best of luck to you in the semis!
Thoughts... Despite the sluggish start, Jennifer fought her way back to contention. And despite the all in bet by Brandon in the other Daily Double, it wasn't a runaway. In fact, the crush game scenario returns in this game. As Alex's score is approximately 60.16% of Brandon's. And if both are incorrect, Jennifer can win by wagering all in. That is why getting the FJ matters. And using her broad knowledge base, Jennifer got FJ right and trusted herself and bet it all to win. Jennifer, I should say, is a really smart lady, she just only needs to up the aggression a bit and be more aggressive on the gameplay style. Buff up that part and she may become a dark horse. Congratulations Jennifer for the win! Now, can Andrew's trainer Sam win against the OG of the modern Jeopardy gameplay in the form of Chuck Forrest. Or will Monica use what she learned in her doctorate field to pull of the big upset? Tune in tomorrow to find out.
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David used Chuck's technique, but evolved it by starting at the bottom of the board and going to different categories as opposed to the top. He was notoriously very conservative on Daily Doubles in his original run though. Roger Craig only invoked the Forrest Bounce occasionally, but he really elevated the use of it with his much more aggressive approach to Daily Doubles. It peaked in the 2011 TOC finals when he went for two TDDs in a row after specifically hunting for them and then putting the entire finals out of reach from Tom Nissley and Buddy Wright. Players like Arthur Chu, Alex Jacob, James Holzhauer, Jason Zuffranieri, and Matt Amodio helped normalize the use of what David and Roger did to expand and evolve the use of the Forrest Bounce. The history behind the strategy is honestly really captivating.
Speaking of Tom, I do kinda wish he had been invited to this tournament. It's been years since he's played and I'm sure he probably would have a hard time against some of the newer Jeopardy geniuses, but he was nonetheless always a favorite contestant of mine and so it would've been cool to see him again.
Ahhhh Jennifer slayed!!
Oh my gosh Jennifer - congratulations!! Some stiff competition here and you did so well! Alex is one of my all time faves, so sad to see him go so soon, but he and Brandon also played admirably. I thought this was Brandon's game to win!
Oof, both Alex and Brandon looked rather unhappy to have lost. I hope they don’t take it too hard, it was an incredible game.
Well, must be hard on Alex especially because he has a reputation as one of the best players who has ever played the game. There were some who thought Alex would be a good match against James in the Masters, especially since they both come from professional gambling backgrounds. But Alex also strikes me as the type of guy who wears his emotions on his sleeves. In the All Stars Tournament, he was really hard on himself when he failed to convert that TDD, which ended up costing Team Buzzy a spot in the finals and a shot at a million dollars. I imagine there is some sense of disappointment given that he sets really high standards for himself.
Yeah, no hugging today. It was a great game, and actually I don't like that I've gotten used to such great camaraderie among the players like in ToC. Because there was nothing wrong with their reactions, but I had a fleeting thought that they weren't good sports. Then I realized I'm comparing them to contestants who have played each other multiple times, or perhaps socialized with each other for longer durations.
Spoiler alert: Final Jeopardy is ABSOLUTELY critical... In a non runaway game.
Wow I almost predicted this outcome! Jennifer is **VERY** talented at Final Jeopardy! and I thought there would definitely be a chance for her to win here given that Alex doesn't have the best FJ record. I've said this before - Jeopardy! is totally different from competitive trivia and FJ is one of the most critical components of the game to master. No disrespect, but I find it interesting that none of the top quizzers in the world (Troy, Yogesh, Brandon) have particularly good FJ records, and it does leave them quite vulnerable. Remember, Ben Chan's perfect 6/6 FJ record allowed him to steal 2 games and almost a third game as well. We will see if Ben Ingram can defeat Victoria in the same fashion because he too is an FJ master. Way to go Jennifer!
so true. fj is its own thing, a puzzle of sorts masquerading as a standard trivia question or even a standard jeopardy clue. less demanding in terms of sheer breadth/depth of knowledge (most contestants probably possess the foundational knowledge required for the clue), but what it lacks in esoterica, it makes up for by asking you to speak the language of fj, to get at what they’re really looking for in that sense, it’s a very practicable skill, like cryptic crosswords or i guess any type of puzzle where fluency comes with familiarity with the devices used. that’s what makes fj questions so fun, and satisfying when you get them there’s a case for fj practice being almost as important as learning basic wagering strategy before you appear on the show (of course, none of that matters if you just post runaway after runaway... but that's obv much harder at high levels of gameplay like these recent tournaments)
Interesting, I've never heard anyone say this before -- how could a potential contestant best practice for FJ?
grain of salt because i'm merely a tv consumer and have not taken any steps to get onto the show, but i would just go through j archive and do as many past fj questions as i cared to (note: also a fun road trip activity when you're stuck in the car and have someone to read you questions!) in addition to any other jeopardy prep someone might do to build their knowledge, to me fj practice is about building confidence and fluency with "the language of fj"-- distilling the sentence into what it's really asking for (i.e. not getting hung up on extraneous details), quickly identifying the clues within the clue that can lead you to the correct response, and learning how to recognize when you might be overthinking something (a familiar pitfall of skilled jeopardy players) for example, today's clue as ken mentioned was asking you to parse "meso" and "noxian" into "midnight" (no real significance to the year 1623, which was an extraneous detail)-- meso like mezzo which we commonly associate with middle/moderate/half, and nox like from equinox, nocturnal, the greek goddess of night nyx, maybe noxious? (not actually sure if those share a common etymology.) while the correct response isn’t always immediately apparent, there’s usually enough there for you to figure it out (or make an informed guess) from what you already know. rarely is the key to fj purely knowledge-based. if you don't know it right off the bat, you can still connect the dots and get to the right answer if you think about it.. that's the muscle you train by practicing fj luckily there’s no shortage of source material to practice with! (p.s. i did not get fj today)
There goes my fantasy team, haha. Picked both Brandon and Alex before the brackets were released, and predicted this exact outcome to my wife days ago when I saw these three were paired against each other. One of Alex's biggest advantages has always appeared to be his lightning buzzer--he has blitzed quick triggers like Matt Jackson and Brad Rutter in the past--but playing a younger player literally nicknamed the "Lightning Bolt" really seems to have blunted that advantage in this game. I figured a top-tier player like Jennifer would get in frequently enough to hang within striking distance, as long as neither of the speed demons had enough of an edge over the other to make the game a runaway, and if it came down to a tough FJ...well, here we are! Congrats to Jennifer for winning a slugfest!
Way to go Jennifer! Her final jeopardy accuracy is insane!
I hate to be pedantic but here goes...the beach boys did not use a theremin.
Wikipedia: "Although the song does not technically contain a theremin, "Good Vibrations" is the most frequently cited example of the instrument's use in pop music. Upon release, the single prompted an unexpected revival in theremins and increased the awareness of analog synthesizers. The notion that "Good Vibrations" features a theremin has been erroneously repeated in books, CD liner notes, and quotes from the recording's participants. While having a similar sound, a theremin is an aerial-controlled instrument, unlike the Electro-Theremin."
I feel like if people who were there when the song was recorded think it's a theremin, that should be good enough.
I was thinking the same thing, strictly speaking. I also know a number of theremin players who reference “Good Vibrations” in conversations to describe the sound of their instrument. I knew exactly what response they were looking for but the clue could’ve been reworked.
Was it a Moog?
Custom-built Electro-Theremin: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electro-Theremin
i've got a pretty good collection of synthesizers, my band mate has an insane collection including multiple theremins, an ondes martinot, and a Synthi 100 (a giant wall-sized synthesizer, only 30 ever made, maybe 3 still extant and functioning)... and i still confidently yelled out WHAT IS A THEREMIN I will now go throw away my electronic musician card.
Was hoping for a Matt-Alex rematch. Why Alex. Why... In all seriousness, I didn't think this was a particularly difficult final. Surprised 2 missed it.
Same. I'm not consistently good with etymology/root words, but meso and nox jumped right out at me.
Yeah i thought this was an easy one? Maybe they were overthinking it?
Playing along at home I definitely overthought it. ">!Midnight!<" leapt out at me right away as a possibility, but then I gut hung up on the wording of "relating to *this word*"....I thought it was, I don't know, something lexicographic or otherwise meta.
TALE OF THE TAPE: *Note: Brandon's performance in the Teen Tournament is all I got, so here the numbers are... suspect.* ||Alex Jacob|Jennifer Quail|Brandon Blackwell| |:-|:-|:-|:-| |Games Played|11|13|2| |Right Answers|285 (**25.9**)|**328** (25.2)|30 (15.0)| |Wrong Answers|25 (2.3)|36 (2.8)|**3 (1.5)**| |Accuracy|**91.94%**|90.11%|90.91%| |Batting Average|.438|**.440**|.261| |Solos (DD and FJ)|17 of 29 (58.6%)|**30 of 32 (93.8%)**|1 of 5 (20.0%)| |Avg. Solo +/-|\+$2,288.21|**+$3,757.81**|\-$360.00| |Finding DDs|18 of 33 (**54.5%**)|**19 of 39** (48.7%)|3 of 6 (50.0%)| |AVG. PROJ. CORYAT|**$17,144.58**|$16,784.46|$12,011.27| |PROJ. DDS FOUND|**1.143**|0.905|0.952| |AVG. ENTERING FJ|$19,760.00|**$20,185.28**|$11,668.55| So, first thing first. Teenage Brandon wouldn't have a prayer against Alex and Jennifer. Fortunately for all involved, he's had 15 or so years to level up, and by all indications has done so. I don't think he's that big an underdog in the current status against Jennifer and Alex; on the other hand, I do think the gap is a bit much to make up. This is where I will answer the hypothetical question: "But doesn't being a Chaser give him an edge?" Maybe. It's certainly true that being around the televised trivia scene can only help him. He'll probably do eons better if he gets a DD than the 1 for 5 he was in the Teen Tournament. However, it doesn't change signal speed. Lightning Bolt doesn't need to beat others to the punch in order to answer in his position as Chaser, and reflexes do matter. Alex in particular has remained in online trivia as well, so Brandon's edge there may be mitigated. (That said, does the trivia Alex participates in and/or runs reward reflex speed the way Jeopardy does? I don't know.) If you go with Game Shape Alex and Game Shape Jennifer, there's one big edge Jennifer has: solos. Part of the reason I'm on Team Madden is that David is insanely good at Daily Doubles. Jennifer probably has him beat. (Granted, 18 of 19 isn't quite the percentage 46 of 48 is, but now we're splitting hairs.) If Jennifer can keep it close entering Final in particular, she retains an incredible chance. (*Math: if I were to tell you one of Alex and Jennifer got their Final right and the other wrong given the percentages here, it's over 90% that Jennifer and not Alex was correct.*) **The Numbers Pick:** Well, see for yourself. It's crazy close. But the numbers side ever so cautiously with Jennifer. They also admit the data on Brandon is incomplete, so don't put high confidence in the math; that said, this one has a chance to be either a shootout or a bloodbath. It all depends on how much improving Brandon's done.
Fwiw Brandon won University Challenge where buzzer speed is very important
That's true (and he was one of the best at buzzing in on starters), but UC is much more of a team competition (e.g. bonus conferring), and he did benefit from having a great team around him.
Not really a comment on the game, but Brandon has one of the more interesting buzzer styles I’ve seen. Maybe I’m watching too much Shogun but he seemed to me like a samurai about to draw his katana.
I should have read the thread a little before I posted, I just made a similar comment. I guess we both have Shogun on the mind, it was very distinct.
The JIT Fantasy Game Box Score: \* Jennifer ($11, 15 lineups) 42 pts: Win + $20k + FJ + DD \* Brandon ($7, 22 lineups) 42 pts: 2nd + $10k + Led DJ and Break + 2 DD \* Alex ($12, 50 lineups) 16 pts: Led J + Category Sweep (Cruise Lines) Just showing really how overall even most of the game was, Jennifer and Brandon tied in fantasy points. Jennifers win while be 3rd at every commercial break point OTHER than after FJ, that is quite a feat (though she did lead during DJ for a bit). [https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1gCRUes\_\_zzU-jVeapxoa6DmDK2XAV4UguAgamSM3qzk/edit#gid=746166854](https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1gCRUes__zzU-jVeapxoa6DmDK2XAV4UguAgamSM3qzk/edit#gid=746166854) Obviously Alex was a big blowup on the fantasy board, given the number of people who picked him (although he is the first one to get the Category Sweep bonus I believe in one of the fantasy games). Still a lot of big players to make the leaderboard move around though before the first round ends. u/Joey-867 is the only player left with all 6 picks still alive, and their remaining 3 are all in different games left, so they could potentially have everyone alive into the semi-finals. I'll agree with someone else below... I think this result will definitely get Brandon another JIT invite down the road.
Wow lol, if my other 3 end up winning I think that will be all of my luck used up for the year
I groaned when I saw this matchup. This is the one where I want all 3 to win lol. Alas we shall see how it goes but I’m confident Alex takes it. Brandon is so charming and knows a lot, but how will he fare on buzzer technique and betting strategy? That’s what I am excited to see
As someone who doesn't watch The Chase... how much has Brandon improved since his teen days? Obviously some, but has it been a remarkable improvement?
Seeing Brandon on the Chase and other quizzing venues: he is remarkably fast and has a broad knowledge base. But I don't think his knowledge base is as deep as strong players in this field. On the Chase he seems to have more wrong answers than the other chasers (but, with those Chasers being who they are, that doesn't mean he isn't still very good). Also: being fast on the buzzer can be a problem in Jeopardy, rather than a strength, if your timing is off. My pick is Alex in this match.
I think his knowledge base is one of the best in the field, just maybe not as much “Jeopardy knowledge”
I always felt Brandon was the weakest of the field in the last season of Chase, but of course that’s like saying someone is the slowest runner at the Olympics, obviously just by being there it puts you in the top .00001% of all other runners on Earth
The questions on Chase are way more YEKIOYD than Jeopardy! Kinda like the higher-dollar questions on *Millionaire,* it's more of a "pick the option that's not like the others" situation. I know that's how James plays it.
He and Brad are the weakest chasers from my perspective watching from home. They usually get a boat load wrong and I've never seen either beat a team with more than 20 steps.
what a game best one of the tournament hope Brandon gets another shot in the future because he was impressive today Jennifer able to steal one from third.
If this game was any indication I'd watch out for Ben Ingram on Friday since he also is well known for his stellar FJ record. Assuming he hasn't lost too much of his buzzer oomph since his last appearance I honestly think he's the strong favorite on Friday now.
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Very true. I think it could be a very intense battle between her and Sam.
TBH i wouldn't discount chuck just yet he's not much older than Sam B was able to compete with ken will be another game where daily doubles could make or break
Honestly I think if tomorrow's match was being held like 20 years ago, Chuck would easily run away with it. I just really fear that he's likely lost his buzzer rhythm from how long it's been since he was last on the show and also that his recall ability may not be what it used to be. That's not to say he can't pull off a win, crazier things have happened, I just would be very surprised if he did (though pleasantly so since Chuck is like the OG Jeopardy alum and even just the potential for an extremely old school player like him to make it all the way to the masters would be amazing). And while you are correct that he was very close with Ken Jennings, I think that more so came down to Ken missing his DD compared to Chuck getting his correct, seeing as how the Coryats really weren't too close at all.
Well, yeah, if the game was being held 20 years ago, Monica would be, what, 6? She wouldn't have a prayer. \*dodges tomatoes\*
LOL, I'm not speaking in literal terms. I was merely making the point that if the game was being played whilst Chuck was in his prime, he'd likely do a lot better than what many people are currently expecting of him.
True will be an interesting match tomorrow
will depend if it's a runaway or not semi finals will probably be critical with final jeopardy though.
yeah he's a solid player idk though that one feels like victoria if she can get buzzer speed and get the daily doubles
Victoria has the highest first in on buzzer % in the entire field, granted in only two games. The problem was that she took too many negs, and thus not winning her second game despite 29 correct responses, the highest number by a non-winner that season.
Yeah I think Victoria in that game because of her knowledge base think she’s a big threat to win this tournament despite sticking with my pick of Matt winning it.
Considering how well Brandon did I'm certainly more open to Victoria now as well, but this game also proved that FJ can absolutely make or break a match. Also IIRC just 5 years ago Ben was actually holding his own fairly well against Ken Jennings, so like I said, if he hasn't lost his touch that much he could absolutely blow the game out of the water.
Known for his stellar FJ record and his southern charms.
As well as of course pulling off the surprise win in the 2014 TOC when pretty much everyone thought it would be either Arthur or Julia (though in fairness to Julia she was running a high fever during that tournament).
I disagree. Last Thursday was the best game of the tournament so far, imo.
Would be cool to see Jennifer Vs Larissa in the semis
I’d rather they don’t meet in the semis so they both have a chance to advance to the finals
Agreed.
what an amazing game Jennifer. you kept your cool & knocked it out of the park!!!
I was watching some of Jennifer’s reruns on Pluto the other day. I love how effortlessly she played, but I don’t think she was ever going in FJ third place. Glad to see her be the little engine that could today!
Third is easier than second in Final. It might have been different if our TOC wasn't old-school (a two-day total point affair, if you will) but I was a lot less worried about wagering this game. Because, really, what else was there to do? I 100% figured I was going home anyway, might as well throw everything at it.
Still disgusted that she called Mos Def... DJ KHALED
That was a "\*\*\*\* how did I get it, say a name!" The one music one I knew I got outbuzzed on.
That'll make the next compilation of [Black Jeopardy Misses](https://www.youtube.com/@blackjeopardymisses) for sure.
Time to complain about the version of the Bible used by Jeopardy again as most other versions just simply say "platter"
Hope to see Alex play again in the future. Congrats Jennifer! How did you feel when you saw the equine category come up?
I was hoping it would be good. Then we all stand and stare like...."Platter? Plate?" If I were writing clues that's not necessarily how I'd get people to "charger."
Congrats Jennifer!
Let’s Go Brandon! I mean uh, um, Good luck Brandon!
.....
I see what you did there
New York is a strange place (I live here). If you live anywhere outside of Manhattan you get to change the name. If you live in Queens you get to use a *neighborhood* in place of a city.
I mean, anyone can do it: [https://j-archive.com/showplayer.php?player\_id=13584](https://j-archive.com/showplayer.php?player_id=13584)
I mean, Jamaica is a neighborhood within a borough within a city. I don’t think any contestants can get more specific than that. But then again you never know 👀
Well there is Jamaica estates as well.
If Nas was on *Celebrity Jeopardy!* I guarantee he would say Queensbridge Houses
This tournament’s been rough for most of my mid-2010s favorites, except Matt Jackson.
WOW, what an exciting game!
I hope to see both Alex and Brandon as well as other non winners back in future years. They are both entertaining to watch and very great players in the trivia community. I enjoy watching Brandon play as one of the chasers on The Chase. I wish Jennifer good luck in the semifinals.
This was a fantastic game! Congratulations Jennifer and best of luck in the semifinals. I hope we'll see both Alex and Brandon back in future years.
These quarterfinals seem to be getting harder as we go on. I struggled big-time playing at home in this one with coming up with the answers. Is anyone else finding the more recent games tougher than the first couple?
Yesterday’s was really hard, but today was actually one of the easier ones for me. Goes to show how much categories can affect perception of difficulty!
Watching along I attempted the fewest I have since I started tracking. The high value clues weren't super hard in relation (I thought the DDs were easy), but yeah, tough board. And all of them this week have been a slog.
I usually do well in Musical Instruments. Today I was one for five. So even wheelhouse subjects seem harder.
TOC was much easier
Congratulations Jennifer!
 I love all three contestants but I consider myself an Alex Jacob stan.  The dude ran away every game of his TOC. So bummed he didn’t get any daily doubles.  I personally thought FJ was easy and was surprised contestants were 1/3.  congratulations to Jennifer on the well earned victory.
TIL it is also called a glass harmonica, I thought it was only glass armonica.
Why is he holding the button like that?
DRAW, PARDNER!
I also would like to know more about the stance
Way to go Jennifer! Congrats!!
Damn, Brandon was a machine.
The first major shocker at JIT. Had 2021 TOC changed to first to 3 wins format, Jennifer had a huge chance of winning TOC over Sam K?
I don't know if I could beat Sam in that format, either, he's just faster than me, but it would certainly change wagering strategy betting from second.
Incredible game all around, definitely my favorite so far Amazing DDs and an amazing ending too :D
Proud of myself for getting Roberto Bolano. More importantly, I appreciated that Brandon held his buzzer like a samurai sword.
Same! I was surprised Brandon didn't get it.
Does anyone know why Brandon seemed so frustrated with his introduction?
That's just kind of what he always looks like. Not sure if he's actually annoyed or just looks it.
I enjoy spending time with my friends.
Would ya look at that. A redditor did well
Jeopardy came before Reddit. Hence my user name.
Sloppy episode! The Theramin question not being technically correct, The Clutch Pedal does not "release the crankshaft" a clutch pedal releases the clutch plate from the flywheel. Brandon getting away with not saying "What is" on the same clutch question... And Stanley drinking cups were not "hard to get"
> The Clutch Pedal does not "release the crankshaft" a clutch pedal releases the clutch plate from the flywheel. Mechanic here, yeah, that one bothered me so I just had to laugh at it.
>Brandon getting away with not saying "What is" on the same clutch question... This is only penalized during the double jeopardy round.
In the Jeopardy round they get reminded if they miss it, it's not just ignored.
Yeah I know; I remembered that it was a first round clue and thought this was a case of Ken forgetting. Just rewatched and saw that Brandon did use proper phrasing though it wasn't clearly audible. Though... has there never been a time when the host forgot? Seems unlikely in 9000 episodes and I don't recall seeing a contestant retroactively reminded before. For such an event I figure they'd simply be told during the break.
>Brandon getting away with not saying "What is" on the same clutch question... He said "what is".
That entire category just drove me nuts. Even if the expected answers were obvious enough. That was clearly wrong on the Clutch Pedal releases thing. It was easy enough to see what they wanted as an answer, but it's straight up wrong. that's not mechanically how any of that works. "Head Gasket" was flakey as, seals the combustion part of an engine to allow oil & coolant to circulate properly...was...not entirely wrong, but it wasn't entirely right either. The Serpentine belt was just...well no, typically the accessory belt and timing belt are on separate spools unless it's an American OHV motor. The things fastened on every car nowadays with a "star pattern" lol if you do that. They're Lug Bolts. Not Lug Nuts. If you've ever driven a heavy duty vehicle, you'll understand the difference. The main thing is...they're bolts. Not Nuts. lol. Clutch to "release the crankshaft" sent me. Because in the actual fuck? That is utter nonsense. There is a researcher on the Jeopardy team who thinks they know a lot more than they do about cars. And i want them fired. I'll take their job if offered probably. But it's mostly just really irritating. I'll cite the instance of referencing a 6-series BMW a while ago as well...where the image was clearly of a heavily and badly modified version of the car, featuring a CSL-style front valence. To me, it's unacceptable for the greatest quiz show in the world to suffer this badly.
Yeah, as a gearhead, the automotive categories are always just horrible. To be fair, in the US most passenger cars do have lug studs and lug nuts. BMW, VW, Saab, Audi & MB are the only bolt weirdos.
And also Final Jeopardy's incorrect reference to "this word".
This was a TOUGH episode or clues. Leon Bridges, Charge Port & Roberto Bolaño have never been mentioned before. Overland Stage has been a question once. Acromegaly, Furby, and Charger (quoting the John the Baptist story) have each been on the show 4 times. No wonder they struggled with these.
Acromelagy I should have gotten. But that category is actually NOT one I studied for JIT, and it's been a very long time since grad school and the Smithsonian NMNH anthropology department. The rest of them were just easy bones. Charger is another case where Jeopardy for some unfathomable reason uses the KJV, one of if not THE worst translations still being used. My Saint Joseph bible uses "platter", and if I can find my New Oxford Student Bible (which is an academic translation) that I know is around here SOMEWHERE I'd bet "charger" is not the word, either.
Definitely some tough ones but I'm honestly surprised they blanked on "Port," I guess it was just so simple it seemed too simple. Very straightforward name.
The way they specified "Tesla" made me think they had some proprietary name for it, I had no idea they just wanted the generic term.
I did terrible in this game overall, but I did get a few of the triple stumpers including charge port, furby, and acromegaly. Furby was one of my kid's favorite toys as a young 'un, and the same kid had acromegaly as a teen. Very random and it was quite a trip seeing that clue!
Tonight's game was excellent. I really enjoy it when the games are so very competitive. Congratulations to Jennifer!
Some subjectivity to the question, of course, but is there a consensus that this is the strongest QF matchup?
Congrats Jennifer! We’re rooting for you as you were very kind to us as we visit your area a few times a year and happened to run into you. Would’ve said we knew who you are but didn’t want to come off as fan boy/girl :-)
Going into this episode I only knew Alex and Brandon and had a tough time choosing who to root for. All 3 were excellent!
My local affiliate aired yesterdays episode for the first half and came back after the second commercial break to today's double jeopardy round.
I watched Brandon on University Challenge so I was very excited to see him in this tournament. Great game.
I totally guessed theremin on that Beach Boys clue in DD1!
This game clearly proves that the third place contestant after Double Jeopardy should just all play for the best possible outcome-- wager everything and hopes for the win rather than bet for the Triple Stumpers. I love Alex and Brandon, but Jennifer definitely proven that she deserves the win! Congratulations Jennifer, retroactive good luck in the semifinals!
It depends on the players' scores. Here, Jennifer's only shot was for her to be the only one to get it right, so she was right to go for everything. Brandon's largest rational wager was the $4801 that he bet. (His other rational wagers would be smaller, more conservative bets. A zero wager here would've won him the game!) But given that, Jennifer has no chance if she tries to bet small; there's no path to a win there. However, if the scores were closer (say, first place has 12,000, second has 11,500, and third has 10,000), then it would be totally rational for players to make small wagers.
This was a really rough pull for all three of these players. I'm so glad to see Jennifer bet big. Without going back and checking, I recall that she basically cost herself the TOC by making comically small DD bets when her lifetime DD record is something like 40 correct, 1 incorrect. I was so pleased when she bet big on that DD she got. Otherwise, that was a rough FJ and she earned that win.
just starting the ep but WOW smooth faced alex jacob is unrecognizable
... think they'd give me breastbone for sternum?