I was on Jeopardy in 1996; I came in second place and am still sleeping on the bed I won (back when second and third place got gifts rather than cash). Watching Jeopardy is a fixture in our house, but it seems to me that the clues are punnier and easier now and the categories seem to be more about pop culture than "hard" subjects. And I hate, hate, hate contestants who start with the $800 or $1,000 answer. Come on, people! There's a theme! Follow it from easiest to hardest answer.
Judy never missed Jeopardy! and I often watched it with her. We got in the habit long, long ago when Art Fleming was the host. Judy was pretty good at it, and we wondered how we'd do with the buzzer button. Probably not well at all. I agree that the pop culture topics seem to have increased in number. I'm not good at a lot of those.
I really enjoyed that piece, thanks for posting a link to it. I used to watch it a lot, but after I got married it took me years before I could convince Barbara to watch it, she said it made her feel dumb (??). Now we watch it most evenings and I enjoy it, though I sure agree with Deb about the topics and pop culture.
The head writer said nothing bothers him about the contestants during taping, but some of them sure bother me. The ones who jerk and wave the button gizmo, for one, and the ones who rock or fidget all the time for another.
Wow, Deb, very cool. Jeopardy has always been my favorite game show - heck, the only one I watch - and as the King of Useless Trivia I always do well, except in categories that require a knowledge of hip hop artists (so to speak) and the like. Or Books of the Bible. Or a few others.
I also go back to Art Fleming days ("Thank you, Don Pardo. Thank you, friends.")
I've been a big fan since the Art Fleming days and even had a Jeopardy! board game. Things about contestants that bug me, other than what has been said already, are people who pad out their parts. Like repeating the entire name of a long category amid a lot of other needless verbiage. Like, "May I please have Interesting Facts About Left-Handed Presidents of the United States for 800, please, Alex?" Just say "Presidents for 800" and be done with it. I don't agree with deb about going from lowest to highest.
Lastly, didn't sweet Leslie Slaastad say she wrote for that show?
And once a writer for the show, Sean Wright, author of the Sherlockian "Enter the Lion" and head of the L.A. Sherlockian scion Calabashes in the 70's and 80's. An old friend, whom I can't find now, that I once did the California Mystery Train with a few times--he did an amazing Nigel Bruce imitation, and looked strikingly like a shorter Burt Reynolds.
7 comments:
I was on Jeopardy in 1996; I came in second place and am still sleeping on the bed I won (back when second and third place got gifts rather than cash). Watching Jeopardy is a fixture in our house, but it seems to me that the clues are punnier and easier now and the categories seem to be more about pop culture than "hard" subjects. And I hate, hate, hate contestants who start with the $800 or $1,000 answer. Come on, people! There's a theme! Follow it from easiest to hardest answer.
/Stay off my lawn!
Judy never missed Jeopardy! and I often watched it with her. We got in the habit long, long ago when Art Fleming was the host. Judy was pretty good at it, and we wondered how we'd do with the buzzer button. Probably not well at all. I agree that the pop culture topics seem to have increased in number. I'm not good at a lot of those.
I really enjoyed that piece, thanks for posting a link to it. I used to watch it a lot, but after I got married it took me years before I could convince Barbara to watch it, she said it made her feel dumb (??). Now we watch it most evenings and I enjoy it, though I sure agree with Deb about the topics and pop culture.
The head writer said nothing bothers him about the contestants during taping, but some of them sure bother me. The ones who jerk and wave the button gizmo, for one, and the ones who rock or fidget all the time for another.
Wow, Deb, very cool. Jeopardy has always been my favorite game show - heck, the only one I watch - and as the King of Useless Trivia I always do well, except in categories that require a knowledge of hip hop artists (so to speak) and the like. Or Books of the Bible. Or a few others.
I also go back to Art Fleming days ("Thank you, Don Pardo. Thank you, friends.")
I miss Art Fleming and Don Pardo.
And keep off my lawn.
Jeff
I've been a big fan since the Art Fleming days and even had a Jeopardy! board game. Things about contestants that bug me, other than what has been said already, are people who pad out their parts. Like repeating the entire name of a long category amid a lot of other needless verbiage. Like, "May I please have Interesting Facts About Left-Handed Presidents of the United States for 800, please, Alex?" Just say "Presidents for 800" and be done with it. I don't agree with deb about going from lowest to highest.
Lastly, didn't sweet Leslie Slaastad say she wrote for that show?
I believe you're right about Leslie, Cap'n.
And once a writer for the show, Sean Wright, author of the Sherlockian "Enter the Lion" and head of the L.A. Sherlockian scion Calabashes in the 70's and 80's. An old friend, whom I can't find now, that I once did the California Mystery Train with a few times--he did an amazing Nigel Bruce imitation, and looked strikingly like a shorter Burt Reynolds.
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