WWTBAM Bored

Telia Bennett
Piscataway, NJ

Telia is excited to finally be on the show. When she was in the contestant pool she asked all her friends to send her positive vibes and they did.

Topic Tree: (unrandomized)
10 - Love's Labor Lost
9 - Pop Music
8 - Happy 1st Birthday
7 - Art of Translation
6 - Word Play
5 - Landing Rituals
4 - Blackjack Nerds
3 - Lend a Hand
2 - To Dye For
1 - Government Jobs

Topic Tree: (randomized)
4 - Blackjack Nerds
7 - Art of Translation
10 - Love's Labor Lost
1 - Government Jobs
2 - To Dye For
3 - Lend a Hand
8 - Happy 1st Birthday
6 - Word Play
5 - Landing Rituals
9 - Pop Music

Question #1 (Pop Music - Level 9)
Though she didn't make the cut to go to Hollywood on "American Idol," Hillary Scott went on to fame as a singer in what band?
A - Arcade Fire
B - Rascal Flatts
C - Lady Antebellum
D - Vampire Weekend

The only band Talia knows on the list is

Spoiler

Lady Antebellum

. She decides to poll the audience because she's sure they can help her out.

ATA results

A - 14%
B - 10%
C - 71%
D - 5%

Meredith jokes that that may be the only group they know also.

Spoiler

Answer: C (Lady Antebellum)
Value: $3,000
Bank: $3,000

Question #2 (Landing Rituals - Level 5)
Hot air balloon rides traditionally end with what ceremony?
A - lighting of cigars
B - champagne toast
C - trumpet fanfare
D - confetti toss

Talia says that this is "weird" because her mom always goes to the balloon festival so she would know the answer but "you've taken away my phone-a-friend". Meredith says, "Don't start turning on me. I wouldn't do that to you." Talia decides to jump the question.

Spoiler

Answer: B (champagne toast)
Value: $10,000
Bank: $3,000

commercial break

Millionaire question of the day:
Whose left arm is buried more than a hundred miles away from the rest of his body?
A - Robert E. Lee
B - Meriwether Lewis
C - Stonewall Jackson
D - Nat Turner
Answer:

Spoiler

C (Stonewall Jackson)

Question #3 (Word Play - Level 6)
Linguists use what aptly-named term to describe something that becomes a new word or phrase when spelled in reverse?
A - semordnilap
B - onomatopoeia
C - backronym
D - neologism

Talia knows it's not

Spoiler

onomatopoeia. She doesn't know what it means but she's sure it doesn't mean this

. The one that makes the most sense to her is

Spoiler

backronym because it's spelled in reverse

. She doesn't want to jump the question so she decides to risk it and make

Spoiler

C

her final answer.

Spoiler

Answer: A (semordnilap)
Value: unrevealed
Bank: $1,000 (consolation prize)

THE END OF GAME "NOISE"

BBTranscriptTeam wrote:Telia Bennett
Piscataway, NJ

Telia is excited to finally be on the show.

"Finally" after how long trying out for the show and how long in the pool?

BBTranscriptTeam wrote:Question #2 (Landing Rituals - Level 5)
Hot air balloon rides traditionally end with what ceremony?
A - lighting of cigars
B - champagne toast
C - trumpet fanfare
D - confetti toss

Talia says that this is "weird" because her mom always goes to the balloon festival so she would know the answer but "you've taken away my phone-a-friend". Meredith says, "Don't start turning on me. I wouldn't do that to you." Talia decides to jump the question.

Spoiler

Answer: B (champagne toast)
Value: $10,000
Bank: $3,000

Don't start turning on you, Meredith? Referring to you as the personification of the show and TPTB--as you often do on-air, yourself--you did take away her PAF!

BBTranscriptTeam wrote:Question #3 (Word Play - Level 6)
Linguists use what aptly-named term to describe something that becomes a new word or phrase when spelled in reverse?
A - semordnilap
B - onomatopoeia
C - backronym
D - neologism

Talia knows it's not

Spoiler

onomatopoeia. She doesn't know what it means but she's sure it doesn't mean this

. The one that makes the most sense to her is

Spoiler

backronym because it's spelled in reverse

. She doesn't want to jump the question so she decides to risk it and make

Spoiler

C

her final answer.

Spoiler

Answer: A (semordnilap)
Value: unrevealed
Bank: $1,000 (consolation prize)

Ouch! Another WWOQ and this was only considered a Level 6??? I see that semordnilap is backwards for palindromes, but it's obviously not a palindrome if it's different backwards. So why is that a more "apt" name than backronym, which at least has an explicit reference to something backwards?

MarleysGh0st wrote:

BBTranscriptTeam wrote:Question #3 (Word Play - Level 6)
Linguists use what aptly-named term to describe something that becomes a new word or phrase when spelled in reverse?
A - semordnilap
B - onomatopoeia
C - backronym
D - neologism

Talia knows it's not

Spoiler

onomatopoeia. She doesn't know what it means but she's sure it doesn't mean this

. The one that makes the most sense to her is

Spoiler

backronym because it's spelled in reverse

. She doesn't want to jump the question so she decides to risk it and make

Spoiler

C

her final answer.

Spoiler

Answer: A (semordnilap)
Value: unrevealed
Bank: $1,000 (consolation prize)

Ouch! Another WWOQ and this was only considered a Level 6??? I see that semordnilap is backwards for palindromes, but it's obviously not a palindrome if it's different backwards. So why is that a more "apt" name than backronym, which at least has an explicit reference to something backwards?

But a backronym isn't actually backwards, it's the process of creating it that's backwards: Coming up with an appropriate meaning for an acronym that sounds good.

Bob Juch wrote:But a backronym isn't actually backwards, it's the process of creating it that's backwards: Coming up with an appropriate meaning for an acronym that sounds good.

Yes, Bob, I realize that is the definition of that obscure word, which I had linked to in my post. My point was that, assuming one was not familiar with either obscure word (as I wasn't), neither word seemed particularly more "apt" than another to warrant ranking this as a mere level 6 (a.k.a. a $2K question, in the good old days).

I was familiar with the other two words.

Question #1 (Pop Music - Level 9)
Though she didn't make the cut to go to Hollywood on "American Idol," Hillary Scott went on to fame as a singer in what band?
A - Arcade Fire
B - Rascal Flatts
C - Lady Antebellum
D - Vampire Weekend

The only band Talia knows on the list is

Spoiler

Lady Antebellum

. She decides to poll the audience because she's sure they can help her out.

ATA results

A - 14%
B - 10%
C - 71%
D - 5%

Meredith jokes that that may be the only group they know also.

Spoiler

Answer: C (Lady Antebellum)
Value: $3,000
Bank: $3,000

ATA -- Thanks, Audience.

Question #2 (Landing Rituals - Level 5)
Hot air balloon rides traditionally end with what ceremony?
A - lighting of cigars
B - champagne toast
C - trumpet fanfare
D - confetti toss

Talia says that this is "weird" because her mom always goes to the balloon festival so she would know the answer but "you've taken away my phone-a-friend." Meredith says, "Don't start turning on me. I wouldn't do that to you." Talia decides to jump the question.

Spoiler

Answer: B (champagne toast)
Value: $10,000
Bank: $3,000

One of my Toastmasters friends gave a speech about a hot air balloon ride and made much of the champagne toast; apparently they got a little carried away with the toasting and were very late getting back to the festival.

BBTranscriptTeam wrote:Telia Bennett
Piscataway, NJ

Telia is excited to finally be on the show. When she was in the contestant pool she asked all her friends to send her positive vibes and they did.

BBTranscriptTeam wrote:Question #1 (Pop Music - Level 9)
Though she didn't make the cut to go to Hollywood on "American Idol," Hillary Scott went on to fame as a singer in what band?
A - Arcade Fire
B - Rascal Flatts
C - Lady Antebellum
D - Vampire Weekend

The only band Talia knows on the list is

Spoiler

Lady Antebellum

. She decides to poll the audience because she's sure they can help her out.

ATA results

A - 14%
B - 10%
C - 71%
D - 5%

Meredith jokes that that may be the only group they know also.

Spoiler

Answer: C (Lady Antebellum)
Value: $3,000
Bank: $3,000

No idea. I'll ATA also.

BBTranscriptTeam wrote:Question #2 (Landing Rituals - Level 5)
Hot air balloon rides traditionally end with what ceremony?
A - lighting of cigars
B - champagne toast
C - trumpet fanfare
D - confetti toss

Talia says that this is "weird" because her mom always goes to the balloon festival so she would know the answer but "you've taken away my phone-a-friend". Meredith says, "Don't start turning on me. I wouldn't do that to you." Talia decides to jump the question.

Spoiler

Answer: B (champagne toast)
Value: $10,000
Bank: $3,000

Not long after elwing and I moved to Kentucky we were involved in a balloon landing. We were out for a drive, saw a balloon coming down and went to watch it land. We helped bring it down with ropes and were offered a glass of champagne.

BBTranscriptTeam wrote:Question #3 (Word Play - Level 6)
Linguists use what aptly-named term to describe something that becomes a new word or phrase when spelled in reverse?
A - semordnilap
B - onomatopoeia
C - backronym
D - neologism

Talia knows it's not

Spoiler

onomatopoeia. She doesn't know what it means but she's sure it doesn't mean this

. The one that makes the most sense to her is

Spoiler

backronym because it's spelled in reverse

. She doesn't want to jump the question so she decides to risk it and make

Spoiler

C

her final answer.

Spoiler

Answer: A (semordnilap)
Value: unrevealed
Bank: $1,000 (consolation prize)

I don't think she recognized that A was the reverse of "palindromes".

earendel wrote:I don't think she recognized that A was the reverse of "palindromes".

See above for why I recognized that and still considered this an "apt" 50/50.

MarleysGh0st wrote:

earendel wrote:I don't think she recognized that A was the reverse of "palindromes".

See above for why I recognized that and still considered this an "apt" 50/50.

I agree. I think that if Talia had seen it, she might have walked away or used a JTQ rather than answer incorrectly.

FWIW it turns out that "backronym" refers to taking a word and making an acronym out of it. Wikipedia lists "Amber Alert" as an example, with the name Amber being "redefined" as "America's Missing: Broadcast Emergency Response".