Transcript 06/21/10 Rob Castellano

[BBTranscriptTeam]

Rob Castellano
Brewster, NY
Grad student (going for his M.B.A.)

Today’s ATE is author of the best-selling book “The Guinea Pig Diaries,” A.J. Jacobs.

Topic Tree:

Internet Origins
Giant Words
Michael Jackson
Search Engines
Education
Civic Center
Swine Flu
Advertising
Who Am I?
Vacation Spots
Rock of Ages
Beloved Entertainers
Getting Paid
Footwear
Don’t Panic!

$500 By definition, an emergency room is located in a what?
A. Museum
B. Hospital
C. Library
D. T.G.I. Ouchie’s

Spoiler

B. Hospital ( 8 )

$1K Platform shoes are characterized by having what?
A. Steel toes
B. Skinny laces
C. Thick soles
D. Cleats

Spoiler

C. Thick soles (5)

$2K A person who works full time and gets paid biweekly, or every other week, would receive how many paychecks in one year?
A. 16
B. 26
C. 36
D. 46

Spoiler

B. 26 ( 8 )

$3K Who once said that the name for his beloved children’s characters was a mix of the words “marionette” and “puppet”?
A. Walt Disney
B. Edgar Bergen
C. Jim Henson
D. Dr. Seuss

Spoiler

C. Jim Henson ( 8 )

$5K The presence of iron and titanium impurities give the sapphire known as the “Star of India” what signature color?
A. Blue
B. Orange
C. Red
D. Yellow

Spoiler

A. Blue ( 8 )

$7.5K Located on the Baja California peninsula, the popular vacation spot known simply as “Cabo” is actually named what?
A. Cabo San Pedro
B. Cabo San Mateo
C. Cabo San Lucas
D. Cabo San Remo

Spoiler

C. Cabo San Lucas (19)

$10K Who is Bela Karolyi?
A. Gymnastics coach
B. The “Soup Nazi”
C. President of Georgia
D. Ballet dancer

Spoiler

A. Gymnastics coach (21)

$12.5K In 2009, Levi’s debuted a series of television ads that quote at length from the works “America” and “Pioneers! O Pioneers!” by what poet?
A. Ralph Waldo Emerson
B. Allen Ginsberg
C. T.S. Eliot
D. Walt Whitman

ATE (12)

A.J. says he thinks he might know this. He believes it is Walt Whitman.

A.J.: It’s definitely not Allen Ginsberg. They wouldn’t want to quote Allen Ginsberg in a commercial. They would have to bleep that out. Eliot is too depressing. It is either Emerson or Whitman. I’m pretty sure it’s Whitman. I’m slightly over 50% on that.

DD ( 8 )

Rob’s first choice is correct.

Spoiler

D. Walt Whitman ( 8 )

commercial break

$15K Over thirty years ago, which of these Presidents signed legislation to immunize Americans from swine flu?
A. Lyndon Johnson
B. Richard Nixon
C. Gerald Ford
D. Jimmy Carter

ATA ( 18 )

13% A. Lyndon Johnson
14% B. Richard Nixon
32% C. Gerald Ford
41% D. Jimmy Carter

Rob decides to leave with $12.5K

Spoiler

C. Gerald Ford (0)

Answers:
$500 B. Hospital
$1K C. Thick soles
$2K B. 26
$3K C. Jim Henson
$5K A. Blue
$7.5K C. Cabo San Lucas
$10K A. Gymnastics coach
$12.5K D. Walt Whitman
$15K C. Gerald Ford

[Pastor Fireball]

Rob Castellano
Brewster, NY
Grad student (going for his M.B.A.)

WE®

$15K Over thirty years ago, which of these Presidents signed legislation to immunize Americans from swine flu?
A. Lyndon Johnson
B. Richard Nixon
C. Gerald Ford
D. Jimmy Carter

I had it down to Ford and Carter. I leaned more toward Ford, but I would've asked A.J. for possible confirmation.

[earendel]

Rob Castellano
Brewster, NY
Grad student (going for his M.B.A.)

$12.5K In 2009, Levi’s debuted a series of television ads that quote at length from the works “America” and “Pioneers! O Pioneers!” by what poet?
A. Ralph Waldo Emerson
B. Allen Ginsberg
C. T.S. Eliot
D. Walt Whitman

ATE (12)

A.J. says he thinks he might know this. He believes it is Walt Whitman.

A.J.: It’s definitely not Allen Ginsberg. They wouldn’t want to quote Allen Ginsberg in a commercial. They would have to bleep that out. Eliot is too depressing. It is either Emerson or Whitman. I’m pretty sure it’s Whitman. I’m slightly over 50% on that.

DD ( 8 )

Rob’s first choice is correct.

Spoiler

D. Walt Whitman ( 8 )

I think that Jacobs cost Rob a lifeline by not being sure about Whitman.

$15K Over thirty years ago, which of these Presidents signed legislation to immunize Americans from swine flu?
A. Lyndon Johnson
B. Richard Nixon
C. Gerald Ford
D. Jimmy Carter

ATA ( 18 )

13% A. Lyndon Johnson
14% B. Richard Nixon
32% C. Gerald Ford
41% D. Jimmy Carter

Rob decides to leave with $12.5K

Spoiler

C. Gerald Ford (0)

This seems to be one of these "either you know it or you don't" questions because there's no good way to figure it out. "Over thirty years ago" includes all four of the presidents, so there's no way to rule one of them out. I'm guessing the audience wouldn't know this (and sure enough, they didn't), so might as well ask the expert.

[silverscreenselect]

$15K Over thirty years ago, which of these Presidents signed legislation to immunize Americans from swine flu?
A. Lyndon Johnson
B. Richard Nixon
C. Gerald Ford
D. Jimmy Carter

ATA ( 18 )

13% A. Lyndon Johnson
14% B. Richard Nixon
32% C. Gerald Ford
41% D. Jimmy Carter

Rob decides to leave with $12.5K

Spoiler

C. Gerald Ford (0)

This seems to be one of these "either you know it or you don't" questions because there's no good way to figure it out. "Over thirty years ago" includes all four of the presidents, so there's no way to rule one of them out. I'm guessing the audience wouldn't know this (and sure enough, they didn't), so might as well ask the expert.

Actually, the question itself strongly implies that Johnson isn't the answer (because they probably would have said "over forty years ago.") If they asked about the Gettysburg address, they wouldn't say "Over 30 years ago, he gave a speech at Gettysburg" even though it's a true statement.

The question also mildly implies it's not Nixon because they might have said "over 35 years ago" or "nearly forty years ago." Best bet is use the double dip on Ford and Carter.

[themanintheseersuckersuit]

$15K Over thirty years ago, which of these Presidents signed legislation to immunize Americans from swine flu?
A. Lyndon Johnson
B. Richard Nixon
C. Gerald Ford
D. Jimmy Carter

ATA ( 18 )

13% A. Lyndon Johnson
14% B. Richard Nixon
32% C. Gerald Ford
41% D. Jimmy Carter

Rob decides to leave with $12.5K

Spoiler

C. Gerald Ford (0)

This seems to be one of these "either you know it or you don't" questions because there's no good way to figure it out. "Over thirty years ago" includes all four of the presidents, so there's no way to rule one of them out. I'm guessing the audience wouldn't know this (and sure enough, they didn't), so might as well ask the expert.

You either got the shot or you didn't, I'm old enough to have gotten one.

[earendel]

$15K Over thirty years ago, which of these Presidents signed legislation to immunize Americans from swine flu?
A. Lyndon Johnson
B. Richard Nixon
C. Gerald Ford
D. Jimmy Carter

ATA ( 18 )

13% A. Lyndon Johnson
14% B. Richard Nixon
32% C. Gerald Ford
41% D. Jimmy Carter

Rob decides to leave with $12.5K

Spoiler

C. Gerald Ford (0)

This seems to be one of these "either you know it or you don't" questions because there's no good way to figure it out. "Over thirty years ago" includes all four of the presidents, so there's no way to rule one of them out. I'm guessing the audience wouldn't know this (and sure enough, they didn't), so might as well ask the expert.

Actually, the question itself strongly implies that Johnson isn't the answer (because they probably would have said "over forty years ago.") If they asked about the Gettysburg address, they wouldn't say "Over 30 years ago, he gave a speech at Gettysburg" even though it's a true statement.

The question also mildly implies it's not Nixon because they might have said "over 35 years ago" or "nearly forty years ago." Best bet is use the double dip on Ford and Carter.

I thought about that reasoning but then I said to myself, "If they said 'over 35' or 'over 40' they'd have to included different presidents." I might have been able to narrow it down a bit, but asking the expert seems like the thing to do (although this is probably one that he wouldn't be certain about, either).