Transcript 5/6/2011 - Diane Pietrzak

[BBTranscriptTeam]

Dinae Pietrzak
La Grange, IL
Unemployed

Diane is a competitive Scrabble player. It pays money but not as much as Millionaire. She's been doing this for 15 years and has been to three national championships. Diane's mom Janie is in the relationship. Diane has been out of work for some time, doing some independent consulting. Her parents were able to help her out with travel and hotel costs.

Topic Tree: (unrandomized)
10 - High Honor
9 - Fictional Families
8 - Peace Lovers
7 - Author at Home
6 - Company Mottos
5 - Song Origin
4 - The Belt
3 - Traffic Citations
2 - Prison Rehab
1 - Feeling Saucy

Topic Tree: (randomized)
3 - Traffic Citations
2 - Prison Rehab
6 - Company Mottos
9 - Fictional Families
10 - High Honor
5 - Song Origin
4 - The Belt
7 - Author at Home
1 - Feeling Saucy
8 - Peace Lovers

Question #1 (Peace Lovers - Level 8)
Thanks to a constitution ratified in 1949, what country has no national military force?
A - New Zealand
B - Costa Rica
C - Belgium
D - Thailand

Diane is leaning toward one of the answers but she's not positive at this point. Diane loves history but she's not feeling strong enough. She doesn't want to go out on the first question. She finally says she's leading toward

Spoiler

Costa Rica

but decides to jump the question.

Spoiler

Answer: B (Costa Rica)
Value: $25,000
Bank: $0

Question #2 (Feeling Saucy - Level 1)
Which of these Italian pasta sauces typically does not contain any tomatoes?
A - marinara
B - puttenesca
C - bolognese
D - alfredo

Diane asks, "Why couldn't this have been the $25,000 question?"

Spoiler

Answer: D (alfredo)
Value: $7,000
Bank: $7,000

Question #3 (Author at Home - Level 7)
What author is buried near the ruins of Wolf House, his California dream home that burned down just weeks before he could move in?
A - Jack London
B - John Steinbeck
C - F. Scott Fitzgerald
D - William Faulkner

Diane immediately asks the audience.

ATA results

A - 58%
B - 21%
C - 12%
D - 9%

That sounds like a good percentage to Diane so that's her final answer.

Spoiler

Answer: A (Jack London)
Value: $15,000
Bank: $22,000

Question #4 (The Belt - Level 4)
By definition, what is the name of the narrow pin on a belt that is inserted into one of the belt's holes to fasten it?
A - tooth
B - finger
C - nose
D - tongue

Diane says that

Spoiler

neither nose nor tongue makes sense

. She's going to have to jump the question.

Spoiler

Answer: D (tongue)
Value: $2,000
Bank: $22,000 (no change)

Question #5 (Song Origin - Level 5)
What popular song was reportedly inspired by a tin-roofed cabin in Athens, GA?
A - Our House
B - Love Shack
C - Heartbreak Hotel
D - Burning Down the House

Diane just doesn't know this one so she's going to walk away.

Spoiler

Answer: B (Love Shack)
Value: unrevealed
Bank: $11,000 (final winnings)

[ulysses5019]

Dinae Pietrzak
La Grange, IL
Unemployed

Diane is a competitive Scrabble player. It pays money but not as much as Millionaire. She's been doing this for 15 years and has been to three national championships. Diane's mom Janie is in the relationship. Diane has been out of work for some time, doing some independent consulting. Her parents were able to help her out with travel and hotel costs.

Topic Tree: (unrandomized)
10 - High Honor
9 - Fictional Families
8 - Peace Lovers
7 - Author at Home
6 - Company Mottos
5 - Song Origin
4 - The Belt
3 - Traffic Citations
2 - Prison Rehab
1 - Feeling Saucy

Topic Tree: (randomized)
3 - Traffic Citations
2 - Prison Rehab
6 - Company Mottos
9 - Fictional Families
10 - High Honor
5 - Song Origin
4 - The Belt
7 - Author at Home
1 - Feeling Saucy
8 - Peace Lovers

Question #1 (Peace Lovers - Level
Thanks to a constitution ratified in 1949, what country has no national military force?
A - New Zealand
B - Costa Rica
C - Belgium
D - Thailand

Diane is leaning toward one of the answers but she's not positive at this point. Diane loves history but she's not feeling strong enough. She doesn't want to go out on the first question. She finally says she's leading toward

Spoiler

Costa Rica

but decides to jump the question.

Spoiler

Answer: B (Costa Rica)
Value: $25,000
Bank: $0

Question #2 (Feeling Saucy - Level 1)
Which of these Italian pasta sauces typically does not contain any tomatoes?
A - marinara
B - puttenesca
C - bolognese
D - alfredo

Diane asks, "Why couldn't this have been the $25,000 question?"

Spoiler

Answer: D (alfredo)
Value: $7,000
Bank: $7,000

Question #3 (Author at Home - Level 7)
What author is buried near the ruins of Wolf House, his California dream home that burned down just weeks before he could move in?
A - Jack London
B - John Steinbeck
C - F. Scott Fitzgerald
D - William Faulkner

Diane immediately asks the audience.

ATA results

A - 58%
B - 21%
C - 12%
D - 9%

That sounds like a good percentage to Diane so that's her final answer.

Spoiler

Answer: A (Jack London)
Value: $15,000
Bank: $22,000

Question #4 (The Belt - Level 4)
By definition, what is the name of the narrow pin on a belt that is inserted into one of the belt's holes to fasten it?
A - tooth
B - finger
C - nose
D - tongue

Diane says that

Spoiler

neither nose nor tongue makes sense

. She's going to have to jump the question.

Spoiler

Answer: D (tongue)
Value: $2,000
Bank: $22,000 (no change)

Question #5 (Song Origin - Level 5)
What popular song was reportedly inspired by a tin-roofed cabin in Athens, GA?
A - Our House
B - Love Shack
C - Heartbreak Hotel
D - Burning Down the House

Diane just doesn't know this one so she's going to walk away.

Spoiler

Answer: B (Love Shack)
Value: unrevealed
Bank: $11,000 (final winnings)

Spoiler

Tin roof.....rusted!

[SportsFan68]

Question #1 (Peace Lovers - Level
Thanks to a constitution ratified in 1949, what country has no national military force?
A - New Zealand
B - Costa Rica
C - Belgium
D - Thailand

The only reason I know this one is because I've been there.

[SportsFan68]

Question #5 (Song Origin - Level 5)
What popular song was reportedly inspired by a tin-roofed cabin in Athens, GA?
A - Our House
B - Love Shack
C - Heartbreak Hotel
D - Burning Down the House

Miracle of miracles, I know this one because I've seen the video -- one of about six I've actually seen, probably. Maybe seven.

[earendel]

Diane Pietrzak
La Grange, IL
Unemployed

Diane is a competitive Scrabble player. It pays money but not as much as Millionaire. She's been doing this for 15 years and has been to three national championships. Diane's mom Janie is in the relationship. Diane has been out of work for some time, doing some independent consulting. Her parents were able to help her out with travel and hotel costs.

So have any of our Scrabble players run into Diane?

Question #2 (Feeling Saucy - Level 1)
Which of these Italian pasta sauces typically does not contain any tomatoes?
A - marinara
B - puttenesca
C - bolognese
D - alfredo

Diane asks, "Why couldn't this have been the $25,000 question?"

Spoiler

Answer: D (alfredo)
Value: $7,000
Bank: $7,000

BB shout-out!

Question #4 (The Belt - Level 4)
By definition, what is the name of the narrow pin on a belt that is inserted into one of the belt's holes to fasten it?
A - tooth
B - finger
C - nose
D - tongue

Diane says that

Spoiler

neither nose nor tongue makes sense

. She's going to have to jump the question.

Spoiler

Answer: D (tongue)
Value: $2,000
Bank: $22,000 (no change)

elwing was surprised at this answer - she thought "tongue" was the end of the belt with the holes in it and "tooth" was what went into the holes. Had I been on the show I'd have used JTQ.

Question #5 (Song Origin - Level 5)
What popular song was reportedly inspired by a tin-roofed cabin in Athens, GA?
A - Our House
B - Love Shack
C - Heartbreak Hotel
D - Burning Down the House

Diane just doesn't know this one so she's going to walk away.

Spoiler

Answer: B (Love Shack)
Value: unrevealed
Bank: $11,000 (final winnings)

I'd JTQ again.

[vettech]

[

Question #4 (The Belt - Level 4)
By definition, what is the name of the narrow pin on a belt that is inserted into one of the belt's holes to fasten it?
A - tooth
B - finger
C - nose
D - tongue

Diane says that

Spoiler

neither nose nor tongue makes sense

. She's going to have to jump the question.

Spoiler

Answer: D (tongue)
Value: $2,000
Bank: $22,000 (no change)

elwing was surprised at this answer - she thought "tongue" was the end of the belt with the holes in it and "tooth" was what went into the holes. Had I been on the show I'd have used JTQ.

That's what I thought, too.

[ulysses5019]

[

Question #4 (The Belt - Level 4)
By definition, what is the name of the narrow pin on a belt that is inserted into one of the belt's holes to fasten it?
A - tooth
B - finger
C - nose
D - tongue

Diane says that

Spoiler

neither nose nor tongue makes sense

. She's going to have to jump the question.

Spoiler

Answer: D (tongue)
Value: $2,000
Bank: $22,000 (no change)

elwing was surprised at this answer - she thought "tongue" was the end of the belt with the holes in it and "tooth" was what went into the holes. Had I been on the show I'd have used JTQ.

That's what I thought, too.

I ditto that. And I want to add that I thought it was called the prong and not the tongue.

[Appa23]

I learned about "Wolf House" from Rick Riordan, as it is featured prominently in one of his books not about Percy Jackson.

[minimetoo26]

So, she answered two questions and won $11,000???

And she doesn't know about the Love Shack???

Anyone who didn't know the belt question is hereby sentenced to read A Kiss Before Dying, paying particular attention to the parts referencing Annabelle Koch. And if you haven't read it, go read it, fercryinoutloud! It's awesome! What a first effort for a novelist who went on to much success....

[MarleysGh0st]

A little late, but for archival purposes, here's an article that was a promo for Diane's show.

http://www.mysuburbanlife.com/hodgkins/ ... illionaire

Pietrzak, a 1989 graduate of Wheeling High School, also was a contestant on Jeopardy 12 years ago. She finished in third place.