WWTBAM Bored

Promo at the start of the show promises that one of tonight's two contests will have the surprise of his life! Wow--will one of them win the million? But wait a minute, any time a contestant gets that far in the stack, they drag things out to fill an entire hour...

First contestant is Tim, a 30-year-old biology teacher. Tim's principal and his biology class is in the audience to root him on. His wife's not there, because she's just had a baby. However, it's Tim's birthday and his mom shows up with cupcakes for him, Jeff and all the 5th Graders. Who says it's not rewarding to be a professional lifeline?

Spoiler

Tim does well, getting $100K without using any of his cheats. However, he makes an (uninformed) strategic blunder by calling on Nathan in the middle of the stack. Thus, when he gets the $175K 4th Grade World Geography question, he has Mackenzie at the lectern to help him.

Canberra is the capital of what country?

Tim doesn't know and he notices that Mackenzie seemed to take her time with her answer, so Tim doesn't want to risk using any of his cheats, so he leaves them all on the table and walks with $100K.

Jeff asks for Tim's guess and he throws out a WAG: Uzbekistan.

Jeff reveals Mackenzie's answer: Australia--the country.

Jeff asks Tim's principal what she thinks of that answer. "It's not Australia!"

Are you sure about that, principal?

The second contestant is a 52-year-old professional safecracker! Yes, a safecracker! I kept waiting for the explanation of how hes was really something else, like a locksmith or an technician at a safe manufacturing company, or--failing that--an explanation for why he wasn't in prison, but none was ever forthcoming. Our safecracker has his wife, 16-year-old son and just-completed-5th-grade triplets in the audience.

Spoiler

He runs into trouble on the second question, when he decides to Peek at the answer to 1st Grade Grammar:

What is the fewest amount of letters required to make a word in the English language?

After going with that answer, Jeff asks him how many letters are in the word that I've underlined.

He needs to be saved at the $50K level, 3rd Grade US Geography:

Which of the fifty US state capitals lies at the northernmost line of latitude?

He had thought the answer must be somewhere on the east coast, going with Maine. (IIRC, he did say "Maine" and did not even hazard a guess at its capital.)

He walks with $50K, after refusing to use his Copy for $100K on 5th Grade World History:

In May of 1953, what mountain climber from New Zealand became the first person to reach the top of Mount Everest?

Mackenzie was at the podium again, and again she had the right answer.

Oh, and the big surprise we had been promised? They had a videotape of this second contestant's best friend from 5th Grade to wish him luck!!!

"Allen?"

Well, surely you told the producers who you best friend was back then, instead of making them hire private detectives to discover that? Safecrackers wouldn't want private detectives looking into their business, would they?

A full transcript of the episode's questions is available on the 5th Grader board.

MarleysGh0st wrote:Oh, and the big surprise we had been promised? They had a videotape of this second contestant's best friend from 5th Grade to wish him luck!!!

"Allen?"

Well, surely you told the producers who you best friend was back then, instead of making them hire private detectives to discover that? Safecrackers wouldn't want private detectives looking into their business, would they?

I was about to comment on how many of us could remember their 5th grade best friend, when I realized that I could. Maybe there's SOME semi-useful trivia stored in my brain ..

The second contestant is a 52-year-old professional safecracker! Yes, a safecracker! I kept waiting for the explanation of how hes was really something else, like a locksmith or an technician at a safe manufacturing company, or--failing that--an explanation for why he wasn't in prison, but none was ever forthcoming. Our safecracker has his wife, 16-year-old son and just-completed-5th-grade triplets in the audience.

He didn't leave any Time-Life tools at sunflower's place did he?

I acidentally flipped to this channel while the show was on.

The 1st grade grammar question was ridiculous. "A" and "I" are not words?

I don't know how the 5th graders keep from laughing out loud. You have to be an actor to keep a straight face!

MarleysGh0st wrote:Promo at the start of the show promises that one of tonight's two contests will have the surprise of his life! Wow--will one of them win the million? But wait a minute, any time a contestant gets that far in the stack, they drag things out to fill an entire hour...

First contestant is Tim, a 30-year-old biology teacher. Tim's principal and his biology class is in the audience to root him on. His wife's not there, because she's just had a baby. However, it's Tim's birthday and his mom shows up with cupcakes for him, Jeff and all the 5th Graders. Who says it's not rewarding to be a professional lifeline?

Spoiler

Tim does well, getting $100K without using any of his cheats. However, he makes an (uninformed) strategic blunder by calling on Nathan in the middle of the stack. Thus, when he gets the $175K 4th Grade World Geography question, he has Mackenzie at the lectern to help him.

Canberra is the capital of what country?

Tim doesn't know and he notices that Mackenzie seemed to take her time with her answer, so Tim doesn't want to risk using any of his cheats, so he leaves them all on the table and walks with $100K.

Jeff asks for Tim's guess and he throws out a WAG: Uzbekistan.

Jeff reveals Mackenzie's answer: Australia--the country.

Jeff asks Tim's principal what she thinks of that answer. "It's not Australia!"

Are you sure about that, principal?

My thoughts about Tim:

Spoiler

This guy was a HS teacher and he doesn't know the answer to a geography question? And isn't even willing to use any of his cheats to help him? What a waste!

MarleysGh0st wrote:The second contestant is a 52-year-old professional safecracker! Yes, a safecracker! I kept waiting for the explanation of how hes was really something else, like a locksmith or an technician at a safe manufacturing company, or--failing that--an explanation for why he wasn't in prison, but none was ever forthcoming. Our safecracker has his wife, 16-year-old son and just-completed-5th-grade triplets in the audience.

Spoiler

He runs into trouble on the second question, when he decides to Peek at the answer to 1st Grade Grammar:

What is the fewest amount of letters required to make a word in the English language?

After going with that answer, Jeff asks him how many letters are in the word that I've underlined.

He needs to be saved at the $50K level, 3rd Grade US Geography:

Which of the fifty US state capitals lies at the northernmost line of latitude?

He had thought the answer must be somewhere on the east coast, going with Maine. (IIRC, he did say "Maine" and did not even hazard a guess at its capital.)

He walks with $50K, after refusing to use his Copy for $100K on 5th Grade World History:

In May of 1953, what mountain climber from New Zealand became the first person to reach the top of Mount Everest?

Mackenzie was at the podium again, and again she had the right answer.

Oh, and the big surprise we had been promised? They had a videotape of this second contestant's best friend from 5th Grade to wish him luck!!!

"Allen?"

Well, surely you told the producers who you best friend was back then, instead of making them hire private detectives to discover that? Safecrackers wouldn't want private detectives looking into their business, would they?

My thoughts about this contestant:

Spoiler

I also wondered what his "real" profession was; I can't believe there is much (legitimate) call for a professional safecracker. When he couldn't get the answer to the basic grammar question with the answer staring him in the face I figured he wouldn/t be long for the world, and I suspect TPTB knew it also, since they dragged out the video fairly early on.

A full transcript of the episode's questions is available on the 5th Grader board.[/quote]

kayrharris wrote:The 1st grade grammar question was ridiculous. "A" and "I" are not words?

"I think that I know the answer..."

Cody didn't get called upon at all again, last night, which is causing some small debate on the 5th Grader board.

Jeff took pity on him and asked him if one of the second contestant's answers was correct, towards the end, just so Cody didn't feel totally left out.

MarleysGh0st wrote:Cody didn't get called upon at all again, last night, which is causing some small debate on the 5th Grader board.

Jeff took pity on him and asked him if one of the second contestant's answers was correct, towards the end, just so Cody didn't feel totally left out.

I noticed that also.

I can't believe that you are still watching this show!

PlacentiaSoccerMom wrote:I can't believe that you are still watching this show!

Thank you, PSM!

MarleysGh0st wrote:

PlacentiaSoccerMom wrote:I can't believe that you are still watching this show!

Thank you, PSM!

Not a problem!

I was actually thinking about this show yesterday while walking.

Poor Emma, learned an interesting lesson in life because of this show. The person who is honest and has integrity doesn't always get ahead in life.

She feels comfortable with the decision she made to tell the APs that the the other kid was cheating. If the other kid was hired because he was a cheat (and an actor) then she was wise to stand up for her beliefs because she would have never done well on the show.

PlacentiaSoccerMom wrote:Poor Emma, learned an interesting lesson in life because of this show. The person who is honest and has integrity doesn't always get ahead in life.

She feels comfortable with the decision she made to tell the APs that the the other kid was cheating. If the other kid was hired because he was a cheat (and an actor) then she was wise to stand up for her beliefs because she would have never done well on the show.

Well, it was a rare opportunity for that lesson, anyway.

TPTB probably reacted more negatively at Emma for being a "tattletale" (and not being an actress) than positively at whats-his-name for being a cheat.




And good for you, Emma!

I can't believe you are still watching this show.

PlacentiaSoccerMom wrote:I was actually thinking about this show yesterday while walking.

Poor Emma, learned an interesting lesson in life because of this show. The person who is honest and has integrity doesn't always get ahead in life.

She feels comfortable with the decision she made to tell the APs that the the other kid was cheating. If the other kid was hired because he was a cheat (and an actor) then she was wise to stand up for her beliefs because she would have never done well on the show.

depends on how you measure what "getting ahead" is.

oh!

You crack me up, Marley.

peacock2121 wrote:I can't believe you are still watching this show.

Too late, Pea. PSM has already said that in this thread.

MarleysGh0st wrote:

peacock2121 wrote:I can't believe you are still watching this show.

Too late, Pea. PSM has already said that in this thread.

I didn't read the thread before posting that.

I just wanted you to be happy.

peacock2121 wrote:I can't believe you are still watching this show.

I can't believe I'm still watching this show!

earendel wrote: I can't believe I'm still watching this show!

So do you agree that the producers must not be giving the contestants any briefing about the strengths and weaknesses of the 5th Graders, which is why they consistently select Nathan too early? Or did they decide it would look bad if they continued to favor him with his reputation as "The Closer"?

earendel wrote:I also wondered what his "real" profession was; I can't believe there is much (legitimate) call for a professional safecracker.

They have safecrackers on If Walls Could Talk a lot when people buy old houses and there are locked safes left behind. They don't want to drill them out and destroy the antique value but they want to know if somebody stashed the treasure of the Sierra Madre in there.

I suppose for modern safes that are really expensive (like the vaults we had at the Courthouse) it would be more cost effective to have it cracked than repaired.

MarleysGh0st wrote:

kayrharris wrote:The 1st grade grammar question was ridiculous. "A" and "I" are not words?

"I think that I know the answer..."

Finally caught this show for the first time. If jumping up and down and clapping like an excited toddler is the requirement for getting on a game show these days, as opposed to having the ability to answer a question same toddler could, I might as well hang it up. Still trying to control the vertigo...
And why have i never even heard the word "Canberra" in my life? Bizarre, for such a major country. Did think of Australia though - sounded similar to "kukaberra"(from the old gum tree...)

I won't actually say that modern standards for teachers suck, but even I knew the Canberra question and I am a proven geography dumbass.

And yet AJ still persists in having a geography question EVERY SINGLE DAY on the QOD. I think I might have gotten more than one right this month, but it was obviously a fluke. Ha!

Here's Fanny! wrote:

earendel wrote:I also wondered what his "real" profession was; I can't believe there is much (legitimate) call for a professional safecracker.

They have safecrackers on If Walls Could Talk a lot when people buy old houses and there are locked safes left behind. They don't want to drill them out and destroy the antique value but they want to know if somebody stashed the treasure of the Sierra Madre in there.

I suppose for modern safes that are really expensive (like the vaults we had at the Courthouse) it would be more cost effective to have it cracked than repaired.

I wonder if he was with Geraldo and Al's safe?