WWTBAM Bored

Jeffrey Price (BB: RanBadSoSadByeBye)
Fox River Grove, IL
Middle-school Teacher and coaches a quiz team
His wife Michelle is in the audience


Topic Tree (pre-randomized was shown!):
10 Scary Mascots
9 Original Titles
8 Dollar Bills, Ya'll
7 High Tech Hunts
6 Passing Remarks
5 Rockin' Jobs
4 European Vacation
3 Horsing Around
2 Facebook Foresight
1 Food Analogies

Topic Tree: (Randomized)

10 Scary Mascots
2 Facebook Foresight
3 Horsing Around
4 European Vacation
6 Passing Remarks
8 Dollar Bills, Ya'll
7 High Tech Hunts
5 Rockin' Jobs
9 Original Titles
1 Food Analogies




Question 1 - Level 1 Food Analogies
What breakfast food did comedian Mitch Hedberg liken to "pancakes with syrup traps"?
A. Scrambled eggs B. Waffles
C. French toast D. Hash browns

Spoiler

Jeffrey said waffles make sense even though he does not know Mitch Hedberg.

Answer and value

B. Waffles
Value: $10K
Bank: $10K

Question 2 - Level 9 Original Titles
The best-seller "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" was originally published in Sweden under a title that translates as what?
A. The Reluctant Hacker B. Men Who Hate Women
C. Pressed Flowers D. Father Figures

JTQ 1

Jeffrey is "totally not familiar with this book, much less its original title"

Answer and value

B. Men Who Hate Women
Value: $3000 jumped
Bank: $10K

Question 3 - Level 5 Rockin' Jobs
Though he still tours playing The Who classics, what former frontman owns a trout fishery in East Sussex, England?
A. Robert Plant B. Jimmy Page
C. Roger Daltrey D. Peter Gabriel

ATA

"I believe I know this but I don't want to take a chance just yet"

A-5% B-6% C-74% D-15%

"That's the way I was leaning but wasn't 100% sure"

Answer and value

C. Roger Daltrey
Value: $5000
Bank: $15K

Question 4 - Level 7 High Tech Hunts
Recently making large finds in the city of Tanis, scientists are using satellite images from space to discover hidden what?
A. Dinosaur fossils B. Cave paintings
C. Roman amphitheatres D. Pyramids

JTQ 2

Jeffrey "I see a couple of credible answers up there. I'm not sure, I believe Tanis is in north Africa.
Discover hidden pyramids? It doesn't seem like pyramids would be hidden.
I didn't want to do this (so) early" but will have to use his last lifeline and JTQ
He said he was leaning C.

Answer and value

D. Pyramids
Value: $100
Bank: $15K

Question 5 - Level 8 Dollar Bills, Ya'll
Who is the only person currently featured on the front of U.S. paper currency whose portrait faces to the left?
A. Benjamin Franklin B. Abraham Lincoln
C. Alexander Hamilton D. Andrew Jackson

Spoiler

Jeffrey "I'm trying to remember my currency ,so I know it's not George Washington. Oh Wow."
Mere reminds him of the "good news" he can walk with $7500
Jeffrey says it's "good news/bad news"
Mere says he doesn't have to walk.
Jeffrey "I'm going to say C, then, final answer"
Jeffrey oh no?
Mere oh, yes!

Mere expressed hope it is a big amount as it was a hard question

Answer and value

C. Alexander Hamilton
Value: $500 (Jeffrey "That's OK", Mere "You deserve $25K on that one," and Jeff thanks Mere)
Bank: $15500

Question 6 - Level 6 Passing Remarks
In a 2011 Washington Post obit, what game's co-creator was described as "standing (a number) feet tall with a gray (body part)"?
A. Jenga B. Boggle
C. Mad Libs D. Taboo

Spoiler

Jeffrey: "I know taboo is the one you're not supposed to say anything, words you're not supposed to describe...I see you've got blanks in there, it makes sense that it's D. This is definitely taking a chance...I did not read this obit.
Mere said Jeff can walk with $7750
Jeff: "The more I thinking about it the more D-Taboo seems like a good reasonable answer since you've got missing blanks in there,
so I'm going to say D, Taboo, final answer and if I'm wrong I'll live with it"
Mere "I'm sorry it is not Taboo..."

Answer and value

C. Mad Libs
Value: $not revealed
Bank: $1000 consolation

Commercial break

All right, so as promised, I'm here to face the music. I've come to accept my game as a sort of karmic payback for all the times I ripped someone on TV for not knowing something I instantly know.

PRELUDE:
For starters, I auditioned in Arlington Heights, IL in mid-July. When I took the test, I'm certain I didn't have a perfect score, as I could recall at least two questions I wasn't sure on and a check showed I was wrong on them. So, I'm going to guess my score was 27 give or take a point. I passed the test in 2006 when they held auditions in Schaumburg, IL, too, but obviously didn't impress the AP assigned to me after 90 seconds. A postcard 3 weeks later said, "too bad." And from that point, I really kind of drifted away from watching the show on any sort of regular basis until starting to play the Facebook game online.
Anyway, on my 2nd go around, I tried my level best to make good eye contact, smile, and tell interesting stories about myself (I coach quizbowl and once got a tattoo I promised a team if they reached the state finals) to my AP. It worked as, after about 2 minutes, she scribbled a few notes and asked if I'd be willing to do an on-camera interview. The on-camera interview went well, and 10 days later, I got the congratulatory postcard in the mail. It was about three weeks after that, I received a call from WWTBAM to see if I could make my way to NYC on August 31st and September 1st, which was less than two weeks away.
Luckily, we have friends who live in Fort Washington, so that eliminated our hotel bill (yay), and I woke bright and early on the morning of 8/31 so that I'd be in front of the studio doors well before the appointed time of 7 AM. Everyone on that first day was really nice and there was much nervous conversation and chatter among the 10 or so of us in the green room. Just before the first audience loaded and after the briefing with the Disney lawyer, we were led down a flight of stairs, under the studio seating, and onto the set, where we were allowed to play a practice round, with each contestant fielding one question, and Rick Sirop coaching us on the kinds of questions the audience would be helpful on. He also urged us to try to win big, don't walk with a small amount, go for the life-changing money, etc. But then it was back to the green room.
The Assistants who monitor the contestants are sweet girls, but they had to play the role of heavies, namely making sure no one was sneaking in trivia practice. We had no books, no TV, no iPods, no cell phones, no nothing but the conversation about each others' personal lives to while away the time. So the hours ground away. If you sit in the far corner of it, you can hear the pulsating bass of the music, as well as the audience cheers, which does nothing to settle the nerves. Slowly, slowly, slowly, they whittled down 8 contestants. Why not 10? Well, they apparently got Susie Essman to come in for her celebrity taping so that bumped us back. At 4 PM, I got a paper handed to me, telling me to go home and come back tomorrow.
The next day, I didn't HAVE to be there until 9 AM, since I could skip all of the legal work. One of the new guys in the green room was Noam, the guy who won $250,000 last fall. Nice guy, but I couldn't figure out why he wanted his cowboy hat... Anyway, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't nervous when they finally called me down to wire me up for sound. Since I wore a suit coat, they put the transmitter in my coat pocket, so yeah to not having to wire to my belt and causing an issue if a bathroom break was called for!
Some time after Benoy went back downstairs for his "Carryover," I hear the, "Jeff? You're up!" And to a chorus of "good luck!" I ambled down the hall and down the stairs for my date with whatever destiny WWTBAM had in store for me...

BBTranscriptTeam wrote:Jeffrey Price (BB: RanBadSoSadByeBye)
Fox River Grove, IL
Middle-school Teacher and coaches a quiz team
His wife Michelle is in the audience

Funny how edited things get! They didn't show my smooch on the cheek of Meredith, which was going to be the one thing I could really brag to my father about!
The AP briefed me on how Meredith would ask a leading question like, "So I understand you're a quizbowl coach, right?" which was to be my opening to start talking about what a tremendous year my middle school team had last year, taking 2nd in the Middle School National Championships. However, it didn't work like that at all, did it?

Topic Tree (pre-randomized was shown!):
10 Scary Mascots
9 Original Titles
8 Dollar Bills, Ya'll
7 High Tech Hunts
6 Passing Remarks
5 Rockin' Jobs
4 European Vacation
3 Horsing Around
2 Facebook Foresight
1 Food Analogies

OMG OMG OMG I'm struggling so hard to commit at least the top 3 to memory since, on the advice of Mr. Sirop, those are the three you may be most likely to need your lifelines on... Jeez, that light over the board is BRIGHT! OK, so there was Scary Monsters, Famous Faces, and aw, they're scrambling....

Topic Tree: (Randomized)

10 Scary Mascots
2 Facebook Foresight
3 Horsing Around
4 European Vacation
6 Passing Remarks
8 Dollar Bills, Ya'll
7 High Tech Hunts
5 Rockin' Jobs
9 Original Titles
1 Food Analogies

and hey, the one on bottom didn't move. So I get an easy one to start, right?

Question 1 - Level 1 Food Analogies
What breakfast food did comedian Mitch Hedberg liken to "pancakes with syrup traps"?
A. Scrambled eggs B. Waffles
C. French toast D. Hash browns

Spoiler

Jeffrey said waffles make sense even though he does not know Mitch Hedberg.

Answer and value

B. Waffles
Value: $10K
Bank: $10K

Before the answers came up, I tried to imagine what the right answer could be and instantly thought of waffles, thus the "well, whatdya know?" expression on my face as it's one of the answer choices. I try to be enthusiastic about spiking $10K on my first question but I'm still terribly far from relaxed...

Question 2 - Level 9 Original Titles
The best-seller "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" was originally published in Sweden under a title that translates as what?
A. The Reluctant Hacker B. Men Who Hate Women
C. Pressed Flowers D. Father Figures

UGH. And here we go. Notice my squinting as I try to look studious and study the answers, but two things are at work. I'm utterly out of luck with this book AND the squinting is as much my problem with the BRIGHT light. The added stimulus, plus my skyhigh adrenaline levels, really did make it difficult for me to read and focus. Yeah, jump it without a 2nd thought.

JTQ 1

Jeffrey is "totally not familiar with this book, much less its original title"

Answer and value

B. Men Who Hate Women
Value: $3000 jumped
Bank: $10K

Question 3 - Level 5 Rockin' Jobs
Though he still tours playing The Who classics, what former frontman owns a trout fishery in East Sussex, England?
A. Robert Plant B. Jimmy Page
C. Roger Daltrey D. Peter Gabriel

ATA

"I believe I know this but I don't want to take a chance just yet"

A-5% B-6% C-74% D-15%

"That's the way I was leaning but wasn't 100% sure"

And this, ladies and gentlemen, is where I lost the game. I wasted a lifeline here because I was a scared bunny. Maybe I didn't trust the audience would be able to bail me out later when I really needed it. I don't know. But I snap-called for the lifeline almost too fast. And my processing of the question was terrible! The wording of the question is not what I remembered it to be at all. I thought it said "he tours with Whonation," and totally don't recall the reference to the trout fishery. But I did catch the Who reference and, in the presence of other rockers, I was suddenly wondering irrationally if something newsworthy had happened with the Who where one of these other guys who wasn't a member of that band was now playing with them. And I think I also was confusing Peter Gabriel with Pete Townsend, in that moment, too. So even as the audience is picking up their controllers, I started to realize what a mistake I was making as Meredith told the audience to grab their keypads. I said to myself, "This is so stupid. They're going to pick the same thing I'M thinking. If it's a trick, we're all going to be wrong anyway!" I wanted to shout, "WAIT! I've changed my mind!" but thought better of it and tried to compose myself.

Answer and value

C. Roger Daltrey
Value: $5000
Bank: $15K

Question 4 - Level 7 High Tech Hunts
Recently making large finds in the city of Tanis, scientists are using satellite images from space to discover hidden what?
A. Dinosaur fossils B. Cave paintings
C. Roman amphitheatres D. Pyramids

And here we go again. I know of Tanis via Raiders of the Lost Ark, and NOT from recent news. The Indiana Jones trilogy isn't exactly the best place to pick up historic facts, so I don't pay it too much mind. Plus, I couldn't recall Indy and the Nazis digging around pyramids. Tombs? Sure... Then I recall my trip to Rome just two months earlier where I saw the Roman Colosseum. There I read that the Romans built LOTS of colosseums and entertainment venues throughout their empire, but the one in Rome was the grandest of all, blah blah blah. Give me a different distractor answer than C and I may ship off pyramids here, but I talked myself out of taking any chances here, yet again.

JTQ 2

Jeffrey "I see a couple of credible answers up there. I'm not sure, I believe Tanis is in north Africa.
Discover hidden pyramids? It doesn't seem like pyramids would be hidden.
I didn't want to do this (so) early" but will have to use his last lifeline and JTQ
He said he was leaning C.

Answer and value

D. Pyramids
Value: $100
Bank: $15K

Question 5 - Level 8 Dollar Bills, Ya'll
Who is the only person currently featured on the front of U.S. paper currency whose portrait faces to the left?
A. Benjamin Franklin B. Abraham Lincoln
C. Alexander Hamilton D. Andrew Jackson

OK, confession time. I love to play poker. I especially love going to the cage and cashing out with Ben Franklin staring back several times. So, I nearly snapped off A, since I clearly remember him looking to his left. but I caught myself as I suddenly pictured Abe Lincoln on the OLD $5 bill looking the same direction. "But wait," I thought, "This is on the new money of course. And his shoulders are to his right, but isn't his head turned to his left?" And this is when I said, "oh wow," as I suddenly realized I had conflicting answers. I thought more, as Meredith reminded me of my dollar amount to walk. And then I couldn't clearly reconcile which way Andrew Jackson was facing, which ALSO seemed to be his left. I suddenly mutter to Meredith, "Can I ask whose left we're talking about?" She replied, "Just a second, we're checking." At least a whole minute goes by which gives me invaluable time to relax my brain for a second and let the visuals come to me of.... Alexander Hamilton definitely looking off to his right, UNLIKE the others.
Rick comes out and says to me, "It's your left."
"MY left?"
"Yes."
I lay my hands flat on the podium, spreading out an imaginary, oversized piece of currency and say, so if I spread it out, he's facing THIS hand??" And I pat the podium 3 times with my left hand for emphasis. Rick nods and walks away.
Only then do I say, "I'm going to say C then, final answer." I hear a shock of gasps and "awwwws" from the audience behind me, wherein you can see and hear my reaction to their reaction, as I suddenly believe I've screwed up royally...

Spoiler

Jeffrey "I'm trying to remember my currency ,so I know it's not George Washington. Oh Wow."
Mere reminds him of the "good news" he can walk with $7500
Jeffrey says it's "good news/bad news"
Mere says he doesn't have to walk.
Jeffrey "I'm going to say C, then, final answer"
Jeffrey oh no?
Mere oh, yes!

Mere expressed hope it is a big amount as it was a hard question

Answer and value

C. Alexander Hamilton
Value: $500 (Jeffrey "That's OK", Mere "You deserve $25K on that one," and Jeff thanks Mere)
Bank: $15500

Commercial break, please! No? We're moving on I guess....

Question 6 - Level 6 Passing Remarks
In a 2011 Washington Post obit, what game's co-creator was described as "standing (a number) feet tall with a gray (body part)"?
A. Jenga B. Boggle
C. Mad Libs D. Taboo

pffft. Can I have any worse luck? Where's my easy question? Something in my quizbowl wheelhouse that I can rock. And now here's a question where the answers include three games I've never played. I think about Jenga, the only one I've played, and can't imagine how that would have squat to do with it. OK, let's rule that out for now. Before my little speech you see on the show, I ask, "How much to walk away?" And Meredith gives me that amount. What you saw was her 2nd time telling me. And then I run the numbers, looking over to my left, I see the average prize amount is $10,000. I'm staking $6750 for the chance to secure an average of $5000 in walk-away money. But then the poker player in me reminds me of the implied odds of getting paid off on the next question or two because there MUST be easier questions on the other side of this, right? (and a glance at my randomized stack in this thread confirms my suspicions). With the more likely payouts being $10-$15K in total walk-away money, I realize this is way +EV to take stab, even though I don't know it. I then remember that Boggle is a dice game and suddenly recall from somewhere that Taboo involves omitted words in some way, so I decide to ship off $6750... Then my speech, followed by a replay of the groans and gasps I had just heard on the previous question, except this time they were right.

Spoiler

Jeffrey: "I know taboo is the one you're not supposed to say anything, words you're not supposed to describe...I see you've got blanks in there, it makes sense that it's D. This is definitely taking a chance...I did not read this obit.
Mere said Jeff can walk with $7750
Jeff: "The more I thinking about it the more D-Taboo seems like a good reasonable answer since you've got missing blanks in there,
so I'm going to say D, Taboo, final answer and if I'm wrong I'll live with it"
Mere "I'm sorry it is not Taboo..."

Answer and value

C. Mad Libs
Value: $not revealed
Bank: $1000 consolation

Commercial break

Thanks for sharing and congrats for making it to the show! I always look forward to transcribing when a BB is on.
I agree with those in the other thread they were difficult questions. Taboo was indeed a nasty distractor on that last one.

Welcome to the Bored, Jeff, and I'm sorry you got such a wicked stack. I remembered the Indiana Jones trivia, but I would have needed lifelines everywhere else you did, and probably on the currency question, too (hanging my head in "Where's George" embarrassment; "EMS" doesn't say anything about memorizing the portrait details ). I've never played Mad Libs or Taboo, but your reasoning sounded good to me.

RanBadSoSadByeBye wrote:

Topic Tree (pre-randomized was shown!):
10 Scary Mascots
9 Original Titles
8 Dollar Bills, Ya'll
7 High Tech Hunts
6 Passing Remarks
5 Rockin' Jobs
4 European Vacation
3 Horsing Around
2 Facebook Foresight
1 Food Analogies

OMG OMG OMG I'm struggling so hard to commit at least the top 3 to memory since, on the advice of Mr. Sirop, those are the three you may be most likely to need your lifelines on... Jeez, that light over the board is BRIGHT! OK, so there was Scary Monsters, Famous Faces, and aw, they're scrambling....

This is interesting. We've discussed Topic Tree strategy ever since they started this randomization and "try to memorize the top 3" is what I've come to agree with. I don't recall any other behind-the-scenes report mentioning that Rich gives this same advice, though. Did he come up with it himself, I wonder, or did he read it here?

After giving that tip, did Rich say anything about the inherent unfairness of showing the unrandomized tree to some contestants and not to others? Or weren't they playing that trick when you taped?

MarleysGh0st wrote: This is interesting. We've discussed Topic Tree strategy ever since they started this randomization and "try to memorize the top 3" is what I've come to agree with. I don't recall any other behind-the-scenes report mentioning that Rich gives this same advice, though. Did he come up with it himself, I wonder, or did he read it here?

After giving that tip, did Rich say anything about the inherent unfairness of showing the unrandomized tree to some contestants and not to others? Or weren't they playing that trick when you taped?

Jeff definitely taped before the "randomize the money and questions" began. 15QA confirmed (based on his being at one of the tapings) that Lizzie was edited in to replace the contestant who died after taping. Maybe the inconsistency is mostly due to airdate shuffling and the "randomize the money and the questions" indicates a taping later in the season. One of them earlier this season had a brief showing on-air of an unrandomized stack. I would not be surprised if the "randomize the money and the questions" people got a look at the unrandomized stack that was edited out for time.

Yeah, there was never any suggestion that anyone's game might get a stack that was pre-randomized. I've been assuming it was a post-production "speed things up" measure.

Snaxx wrote:I would not be surprised if the "randomize the money and the questions" people got a look at the unrandomized stack that was edited out for time.

I thought we got a later-in-the-season report to the effect that only the first contestant of each taping day got a look at the unrandomized stack. --Bob

I would have known #1 and #6.

I would not have gotten to #6, though.

Ugly stack.

MarleysGh0st wrote:After giving that tip, did Rich say anything about the inherent unfairness of showing the unrandomized tree to some contestants and not to others? Or weren't they playing that trick when you taped?

I don't think fair/unfair has any place in this discussion. The contestants aren't competing against each other, so there's no particular imperative to treat all contestants equally on matters not covered by the rules.

After all, it's not fair that some people get easier stacks (by most measures) than do others, yet we accept that as a matter of course. And it's certainly not fair that some people get weeks of notice before their taping date, while others are called so close to the tape date as to leave them short of sleep by the time they walk into the studio. --Bob

Bob78164 wrote:

MarleysGh0st wrote:After giving that tip, did Rich say anything about the inherent unfairness of showing the unrandomized tree to some contestants and not to others? Or weren't they playing that trick when you taped?

I don't think fair/unfair has any place in this discussion. The contestants aren't competing against each other, so there's no particular imperative to treat all contestants equally on matters not covered by the rules.

After all, it's not fair that some people get easier stacks (by most measures) than do others, yet we accept that as a matter of course. And it's certainly not fair that some people get weeks of notice before their taping date, while others are called so close to the tape date as to leave them short of sleep by the time they walk into the studio. --Bob

This is like saying "Poor people go to lousy schools, but they also have lousy health care, so why get worked up about it?" If something very simple can be done to level the playing field, I don't see any reason why you shouldn't do it. Because no one is directly competing with anyone else doesn't mean the show shouldn't attempt to give everyone roughly the same opportunity - this includes questions of roughly equal difficulty, and the same amount of time to prepare.

Weyoun wrote:

Bob78164 wrote:

MarleysGh0st wrote:After giving that tip, did Rich say anything about the inherent unfairness of showing the unrandomized tree to some contestants and not to others? Or weren't they playing that trick when you taped?

I don't think fair/unfair has any place in this discussion. The contestants aren't competing against each other, so there's no particular imperative to treat all contestants equally on matters not covered by the rules.

After all, it's not fair that some people get easier stacks (by most measures) than do others, yet we accept that as a matter of course. And it's certainly not fair that some people get weeks of notice before their taping date, while others are called so close to the tape date as to leave them short of sleep by the time they walk into the studio. --Bob

This is like saying "Poor people go to lousy schools, but they also have lousy health care, so why get worked up about it?"

It's not the same -- with one exception, there is nothing systematic about the differential treatment, unlike the differences among schools and health care which (as you note) are both systematic and self-perpetuating. Do you think that within a school, everyone has a right to teachers of roughly equal quality? (I'm okay with accepting systematic differences, as long as the rationale is sensible. In the cases of health care and school quality, it's not, so I believe we should be working to increase the quality of health care and education available to the poor.)

The exception I noted above is that only locals are at all likely to be called in on short notice. But I'm okay with that differential because locals also have more opportunity to audition, so it roughly balances out. --Bob

It was my mistake to make a political analogy, though the underlying logic - because two problems exist doesn't mean can't at least try to fix one of the problems - still holds.

I'm a little surprised that you are defending one show practice based on the fact that, well, the show does a lot of things wrong.

Bob78164 wrote:

Weyoun wrote:

Bob78164 wrote:I don't think fair/unfair has any place in this discussion. The contestants aren't competing against each other, so there's no particular imperative to treat all contestants equally on matters not covered by the rules.

After all, it's not fair that some people get easier stacks (by most measures) than do others, yet we accept that as a matter of course. And it's certainly not fair that some people get weeks of notice before their taping date, while others are called so close to the tape date as to leave them short of sleep by the time they walk into the studio. --Bob

This is like saying "Poor people go to lousy schools, but they also have lousy health care, so why get worked up about it?"

It's not the same -- with one exception, there is nothing systematic about the differential treatment, unlike the differences among schools and health care which (as you note) are both systematic and self-perpetuating. Do you think that within a school, everyone has a right to teachers of roughly equal quality? (I'm okay with accepting systematic differences, as long as the rationale is sensible. In the cases of health care and school quality, it's not, so I believe we should be working to increase the quality of health care and education available to the poor.)

The exception I noted above is that only locals are at all likely to be called in on short notice. But I'm okay with that differential because locals also have more opportunity to audition, so it roughly balances out. --Bob

BBTranscriptTeam wrote:Jeffrey Price (BB: RanBadSoSadByeBye)
Fox River Grove, IL
Middle-school Teacher and coaches a quiz team
His wife Michelle is in the audience

Topic Tree (pre-randomized was shown!):[/quote]
An obvious indication that this was filmed fairly early in the season.

BBTranscriptTeam wrote:Question 2 - Level 9 Original Titles
The best-seller "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" was originally published in Sweden under a title that translates as what?
A. The Reluctant Hacker B. Men Who Hate Women
C. Pressed Flowers D. Father Figures

JTQ 1

Jeffrey is "totally not familiar with this book, much less its original title"

Answer and value

B. Men Who Hate Women
Value: $3000 jumped
Bank: $10K

I'd JTQ also.

BBTranscriptTeam wrote:Question 3 - Level 5 Rockin' Jobs
Though he still tours playing The Who classics, what former frontman owns a trout fishery in East Sussex, England?
A. Robert Plant B. Jimmy Page
C. Roger Daltrey D. Peter Gabriel

ATA

"I believe I know this but I don't want to take a chance just yet"

A-5% B-6% C-74% D-15%

"That's the way I was leaning but wasn't 100% sure"

Answer and value

C. Roger Daltrey
Value: $5000
Bank: $15K

It's a shame you didn't go with your gut, Jeffrey.

BBTranscriptTeam wrote:Question 4 - Level 7 High Tech Hunts
Recently making large finds in the city of Tanis, scientists are using satellite images from space to discover hidden what?
A. Dinosaur fossils B. Cave paintings
C. Roman amphitheatres D. Pyramids

JTQ 2

Jeffrey "I see a couple of credible answers up there. I'm not sure, I believe Tanis is in north Africa.
Discover hidden pyramids? It doesn't seem like pyramids would be hidden.
I didn't want to do this (so) early" but will have to use his last lifeline and JTQ
He said he was leaning C.

Answer and value

D. Pyramids
Value: $100
Bank: $15K

Wasn't Tanis the location of the map room in "Raiders of the Lost Ark"?

BBTranscriptTeam wrote:Question 6 - Level 6 Passing Remarks
In a 2011 Washington Post obit, what game's co-creator was described as "standing (a number) feet tall with a gray (body part)"?
A. Jenga B. Boggle
C. Mad Libs D. Taboo

Spoiler

Jeffrey: "I know taboo is the one you're not supposed to say anything, words you're not supposed to describe...I see you've got blanks in there, it makes sense that it's D. This is definitely taking a chance...I did not read this obit.
Mere said Jeff can walk with $7750
Jeff: "The more I thinking about it the more D-Taboo seems like a good reasonable answer since you've got missing blanks in there, so I'm going to say D, Taboo, final answer and if I'm wrong I'll live with it"
Mere "I'm sorry it is not Taboo..."

Answer and value

C. Mad Libs
Value: $not revealed
Bank: $1000 consolation

My first thought was the same as Jeffrey's - the words in [] were ones not to say, which led me to "Taboo". But then I realized that this was the format of the "Mad Lib" books. It's a shame Jeffrey didn't have a lifeline remaining.

Vague Mini wrote:I would have known #1 and #6.

I would not have gotten to #6, though.

Ugly stack.

Okay, I would have known #3, but since I overlooked the words "The Who" when I first read the question I probably wouldn't have gotten it onstage under pressure either....

Weyoun wrote:It was my mistake to make a political analogy, though the underlying logic - because two problems exist doesn't mean can't at least try to fix one of the problems - still holds

But I don't see it (the differential treatment) as a problem. One way to correct the "unfairness" would be to decreee that none of the contestants get to see the unrandomized tree.

I prefer the current system where at least some of the contestants get to see it to a system where no one does. It is also true that I would prefer still more a system where all contestants get to see the unrandomized tree, but the issue for me isn't fairness between contestants. It's wanting a game that rewards another aspect of skill. --Bob

I don’t generally do the “here’s what I would have done” thing, but this seemed like a pretty nasty stack, and I feel compelled to pitch in…

Jeffrey Price (BB: RanBadSoSadByeBye)
Fox River Grove, IL
Middle-school Teacher and coaches a quiz team
His wife Michelle is in the audience

Question 1 - Level 1 Food Analogies
What breakfast food did comedian Mitch Hedberg liken to "pancakes with syrup traps"?
A. Scrambled eggs B. Waffles
C. French toast D. Hash browns

The one and only easy one, but only because it is easy to figure out. I’ve never heard of ‘Mitch Hedberg,’ but waffles are the only things that make any sense.

Question 2 - Level 9 Original Titles
The best-seller "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" was originally published in Sweden under a title that translates as what?
A. The Reluctant Hacker B. Men Who Hate Women
C. Pressed Flowers D. Father Figures

Never read the book (in English OR Swedish), never saw the movie, know nothing about it other than that someone who reviewed it on the Bored mentioned that it has something to do with a girl who has been mistreated by men in her past (no details— all I recall is something about mistreatment). So I probably would have guessed ‘B,’ but that’s all it would have been, a guess, and I would have been sweating over it.

Question 3 - Level 5 Rockin' Jobs
Though he still tours playing The Who classics, what former frontman owns a trout fishery in East Sussex, England?
A. Robert Plant B. Jimmy Page
C. Roger Daltrey D. Peter Gabriel

The only other easy one, largely because The Who is one of my favorite bands of all time (the others being Led Zeppelin, Steeleye Span and, um, Jethro Tull…) I would assume that they were looking for The Who’s former frontman, and so would have resonded with C. But I might have hesitated, wondering if maybe it was some other guy from another band who just happened to play Who classics? And whazzup with having two of the choices be Led Zeppelin guys, one of them their front man? Oh, man, maybe it’s not that easy after all…

Question 4 - Level 7 High Tech Hunts
Recently making large finds in the city of Tanis, scientists are using satellite images from space to discover hidden what?
A. Dinosaur fossils B. Cave paintings
C. Roman amphitheatres D. Pyramids

I would probably have gotten this, because I know that Tanis is in Egypt, and I know that pyramids have been found using satellite imaging, and I would have connected the two that way. Satellite imaging would not turn up either A or B. I might have puzzled over C, but I am not aware of any Roman amphitheaters in the Tanis area, so I would have gone with D, but not because I really knew the answer, just because I would be pretty sure about figuring it out. But more sweating.

Question 5 - Level 8 Dollar Bills, Ya'll
Who is the only person currently featured on the front of U.S. paper currency whose portrait faces to the left?
A. Benjamin Franklin B. Abraham Lincoln
C. Alexander Hamilton D. Andrew Jackson

I think I might have missed the question if it were on Jeopardy! (“He’s the only person currently featured on the front of U.S. paper currency whose portrait faces to the left”), but for some reason, with the choices in front of me this way, it brought to mind a strong visual image of a ten dollar bill, and I would have gotten it.

Question 6 - Level 6 Passing Remarks
In a 2011 Washington Post obit, what game's co-creator was described as "standing (a number) feet tall with a gray (body part)"?
A. Jenga B. Boggle
C. Mad Libs D. Taboo

No. Idea. At. All. I assume that the description of the game’s co-creator is tied in to the logo on the game’s box, so I could eliminate Boggle, which I’ve played and I know it’s logo does not have this. I’ve played Taboo, and I am pretty sure it’s cover logo doesn’t fit, but not 100% sure. But otherwise I have no idea at all: I’ve never seen or played either of the other games, so it is one of their logos, or if the description is typical of the format of either game, I got No. Idea. At. All.

I think this was very brutal.

Bob78164 wrote:

Weyoun wrote:It was my mistake to make a political analogy, though the underlying logic - because two problems exist doesn't mean can't at least try to fix one of the problems - still holds

But I don't see it (the differential treatment) as a problem. One way to correct the "unfairness" would be to decreee that none of the contestants get to see the unrandomized tree.

I prefer the current system where at least some of the contestants get to see it to a system where no one does. It is also true that I would prefer still more a system where all contestants get to see the unrandomized tree, but the issue for me isn't fairness between contestants. It's wanting a game that rewards another aspect of skill. --Bob

Why bother pretending it's a game of skill at all, then? Just let Meredith chat with the contestants for a while and them dump an arbitrary amount of money in their laps.

Classic Millionaire was consistent in its rules and didn't arbitrarily reward one contestant more than another*, just because they happened to be invited at a time when special rules were in effect. Yes, some stacks were harder than others,** but we complained about that fact, as well (cf. WWOQ). Aren't we doing some of that right here, talking about Jeff's stack?

I'd prefer everyone seeing the unrandomized stack, maybe even eliminating the speed memorization aspect of that by displaying the unrandomized stack order when the questions come up. I'd more prefer that the rules be consistent for all players, whether they display them or not.

I'd most prefer them going back to the classic Millionaire rules and discarding all of the randomization crap. But we know how much TPTB value my opinions.



*With very rare exceptions, like the accumulating jackpot bonus that ultimately benefitted a certain Confessor.

**Acknowledging that difficulty can be a subjective matter, but surveys of multiple opinions can objectify that subjectivity.

wintergreen48 wrote:

Question 5 - Level 8 Dollar Bills, Ya'll
Who is the only person currently featured on the front of U.S. paper currency whose portrait faces to the left?
A. Benjamin Franklin B. Abraham Lincoln
C. Alexander Hamilton D. Andrew Jackson

I think I might have missed the question if it were on Jeopardy! (“He’s the only person currently featured on the front of U.S. paper currency whose portrait faces to the left”), but for some reason, with the choices in front of me this way, it brought to mind a strong visual image of a ten dollar bill, and I would have gotten it.

My many years of Georging actually wouldn't have helped me here, oddly enough. I did immediately think of Alex and the $10 bill, because it's kind of an oddball... but definitely would not have been sure enough had it really counted...

wintergreen48 wrote:

Question 6 - Level 6 Passing Remarks
In a 2011 Washington Post obit, what game's co-creator was described as "standing (a number) feet tall with a gray (body part)"?
A. Jenga B. Boggle
C. Mad Libs D. Taboo

No. Idea. At. All. I assume that the description of the game’s co-creator is tied in to the logo on the game’s box, so I could eliminate Boggle, which I’ve played and I know it’s logo does not have this. I’ve played Taboo, and I am pretty sure it’s cover logo doesn’t fit, but not 100% sure. But otherwise I have no idea at all: I’ve never seen or played either of the other games, so it is one of their logos, or if the description is typical of the format of either game, I got No. Idea. At. All.

I don't know how long they've been around, but Mad Libs were hugely popular when I was growing up in the 80's. I recognized the Mad Lib format right away (I've never played Taboo, so that wouldn't have distracted me)....

lb13

littlebeast13 wrote:

wintergreen48 wrote:

Question 6 - Level 6 Passing Remarks
In a 2011 Washington Post obit, what game's co-creator was described as "standing (a number) feet tall with a gray (body part)"?
A. Jenga B. Boggle
C. Mad Libs D. Taboo

No. Idea. At. All. I assume that the description of the game’s co-creator is tied in to the logo on the game’s box, so I could eliminate Boggle, which I’ve played and I know it’s logo does not have this. I’ve played Taboo, and I am pretty sure it’s cover logo doesn’t fit, but not 100% sure. But otherwise I have no idea at all: I’ve never seen or played either of the other games, so it is one of their logos, or if the description is typical of the format of either game, I got No. Idea. At. All.

I don't know how long they've been around, but Mad Libs were hugely popular when I was growing up in the 80's. I recognized the Mad Lib format right away (I've never played Taboo, so that wouldn't have distracted me)....

lb13

Very popular with us young'uns in the 70's, too.

Bob78164 wrote:I prefer the current system where at least some of the contestants get to see it to a system where no one does.

Why?

The differing diffculty of stacks is something that's almost impossible to control, so I can understand and accept that happening.

But this is a controllable element- TPTB can either let everyone see the unrandomized topics or not.

And pesonally, I'm not understanding why they don't let every contestant see the unrandomized tree. Does it really add that much time to the taping?

Jeemie wrote:

Bob78164 wrote:I prefer the current system where at least some of the contestants get to see it to a system where no one does.

Why?

The differing diffculty of stacks is something that's almost impossible to control, so I can understand and accept that happening.

But this is a controllable element- TPTB can either let everyone see the unrandomized topics or not.

And pesonally, I'm not understanding why they don't let every contestant see the unrandomized tree. Does it really add that much time to the taping?

As I explained above, I'd prefer that everyone does, but I'd rather have some see it, some don't, than have no one see it because I prefer the game when people see it (and have the opportunity to add another element of skill to the game).

As for stack difficulty, I don't recall anyone complaining that TPTB were acting unfairly when they deliberately gave the players on Regis's last show (which turned out to be Fresca) stacks in which the upper-tier questions were intended to be overvalued by approximately one level.

I think the real issue for most people isn't inequity, it's making the game harder. If so, that's fine. Let's just identify the issue accurately. --Bob

Bob78164 wrote:As for stack difficulty, I don't recall anyone complaining that TPTB were acting unfairly when they deliberately gave the players on Regis's last show (which turned out to be Fresca) stacks in which the upper-tier questions were intended to be overvalued by approximately one level.

I don't recall those particular stacks, so I can't testify as to whether there was a systematic overvaluation of the questions. But, in general, we in the transcripts threads tend to notice when questions seem too difficult for their level and when they seem like cream puffs. And even if we haven't, on occasion, it's a cheap trick to dig back a few years in history to make the claim that "you can't complain about X because you didn't complain about Y."

Bob78164 wrote:I think the real issue for most people isn't inequity, it's making the game harder. If so, that's fine. Let's just identify the issue accurately. --Bob

I did, in my response last evening. The issue is inequity. I stipulate that TPTB may need to adjust the overall difficulty of the game to meet their budgetary constraints, but that adjustment should be consistent!

MarleysGh0st wrote:I don't recall those particular stacks, so I can't testify as to whether there was a systematic overvaluation of the questions. But, in general, we in the transcripts threads tend to notice when questions seem too difficult for their level and when they seem like cream puffs. And even if we haven't, on occasion, it's a cheap trick to dig back a few years in history to make the claim that "you can't complain about X because you didn't complain about Y."

This wasn't an inference drawn from the questions. This was Fresca reporting that Michael Davies told the players that the questions had been "dumbed down" (my paraphrase) approximately one level. --Bob