Transcript 01/05/2010 - Tim Powers

[BBTranscriptTeam]

Tim Powers
Setauket, NY
Capitol Hill intern
just graduated from college

Tim says he was 11 or 12 when the show first came on and he remembered the $1M distance-to-the-sun question and blurted the answer out to the screen before the choices came up. He says he does not remember the figure now but his parents told him it was his destiny to be on the show. Mere reminded him that it was 93 million miles. Mere tells him that he certainly knows the rules, the lifelines, everything about the game if he has been watching since then.


Topic Tree
Composers
Magazines
Illustrations
Coffee
Rules of the Game
Animals
At the Bookstore
Logos
John McCain
Volcanoes
Government
Women's Wear
Cheese
Word Origins
Bodies of Water


$500 (Bodies of Water):
San Antonio Bay is a body of water that borders what U.S. state?
A. Vermont B. Texas
C. Minnesota D. Yee Hawaii!

Spoiler

B. Texas :08

$1000 (Word Origins):
Derived from a Portuguese word meaning "fool," what bird's name is often used to refer to a not-very-bright person?
A. Pelican B. Toucan
C. Ostrich D. Dodo

Spoiler

D. Dodo (:09)

$2000 (Cheese):
Which of these cheeses comes in small-curd, medium-curd, and large-curd varieties?
A. Cream cheese B. Cottage cheese
C. String cheese D. Blue cheese

Spoiler

B. Cottage cheese (:06)

$3000 (Women's Wear):
A style of wedding dress that is close-fitting around the hips before it flares out below the knees is known as a what?
A. Leprechaun dress B. Vampire dress
C. Mermaid dress D. Ogre dress

ATA

A-1% B-5% C-90% D-4%

Spoiler

C. Mermaid dress (:05)

$5000 (Government):
The Computer Emergency Readiness Team fights cyber attacks against the U.S. as part of what federal department
A. Homeland Security B. Labor
C. Energy D. Interior

Mere points out this is a good one for him given his Washington internship.

Spoiler

A. Homeland Security [:08]

$7500 (Volcanoes):
Rising over 13,000 feet, Mount Cameroon is an active volcano on what continent?
A. Europe B. Asia
C. Africa D. South America

Spoiler

C. Africa (:14)

Commercial break with spoiler for tomorrow

Spoiler

What actress and model was "discovered" at a Canadian Football League game when her picture appeared on the JumboTron?
A. Carmen Electra B. Anna Nicole Smith
C. Jenny McCarthy D. Pamela Anderson

$10K (John McCain):
Hoa Lo, the infamous Vietnamese prison where John McCain spent his time as a P.O.W., is better known by what nickname?
A. Mekong Marriott B. Ho Chi Minh Hyatt
C. Saigon Sheraton D. Hanoi Hilton

Spoiler

D. Hanoi Hilton [:18]

$12.5K (Logos):
What Web site's logo depicts a spherical jigsaw puzzle featuring symbols from different languages?
A. Wikipedia B. eBay
C. Twitter D. Amazon

Spoiler

A. Wikipedia (:12)

$15K (At the Bookstore):
Screenwriter and director Nora Ephron wrote about the humorous side of aging in her 2006 book "I Feel Bad About My" what?
A. Bosom B. Ankles
C. Thighs D. Neck

ATE at :24

Spoiler

Erica sighs and says she feels about thighs, and Tim says ankles does not make sense. Erica says tell that to a woman with cankles and they may make him change his mind.
Erica says she does not think it is ankles, says probably not neck. It could be bosom or thighs. She says a lot of women have issues with their thighs and it does not go away with age. She would say 60% thighs.

Tim says he does not think it is ankles or neck, and calls for Double Dip.
DD

Spoiler

Tim offers his first answer of C-Thighs
In an especially sad manner Mere says Thighs is wrong.
The clock begins to run with :12 left
and runs down to 04 as...
Tim "I'm going to go with D, neck, final answer"
Loud cheering and applause in the audience.

D. Neck (:04)

Mere asked Tim why he went with neck after both he and Erica appeared to rule it out.
Tim said he did not know, and finally said he did not want to say bosom on the air (laughter in the audience0

Tim will return tomorrow.

[Snaxx]

<bump>

[NellyLunatic1980]

Tim Powers
Setauket, NY

Is this WE® territory?

$10K (John McCain):
Hoa Lo, the infamous Vietnamese prison where John McCain spent his time as a P.O.W., is better known by what nickname?
A. Mekong Marriott B. Ho Chi Minh Hyatt
C. Saigon Sheraton D. Hanoi Hilton

A semi-retread of a question from November 1999.

$12.5K (Logos):
What Web site's logo depicts a spherical jigsaw puzzle featuring symbols from different languages?
A. Wikipedia B. eBay
C. Twitter D. Amazon

Jimmy Wales!

$15K (At the Bookstore):
Screenwriter and director Nora Ephron wrote about the humorous side of aging in her 2006 book "I Feel Bad About My" what?
A. Bosom B. Ankles
C. Thighs D. Neck

I've never heard of this book. ATA. Judging by the audience's reaction after Tim locked in neck, I'd say I chose the right lifeline.

[Bob Juch]

Tim Powers
Setauket, NY

Is this WE® territory?

Yes, but you know how to look it up.

[Snaxx]

Tim Powers
Setauket, NY

Is this WE® territory?

Yes, Long Island, just a few miles from where I lived when I was there.

$12.5K (Logos):
What Web site's logo depicts a spherical jigsaw puzzle featuring symbols from different languages?
A. Wikipedia B. eBay
C. Twitter D. Amazon

Jimmy Wales!

Thanks to Jimmy Wales, here is Wikipedia on the contestant's hometown.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Setauket-E ... ,_New_York

[doitneatly]

I've never heard of this book. ATA. Judging by the audience's reaction after Tim locked in neck, I'd say I chose the right lifeline.

Does anyone else who saw this think that Tim might've been so savvy (and attentive) as to get an extra "ask the audience" lifeline for that last question? That's how it looked to me. I say this because:

...the expert decisively ruled out the correct answer, and then
...Tim rules it out again just before choosing to double dip.
...Tim's first answer is wrong, and in spite of his ruling out the option a few seconds ago, he changes course and goes with it.
...there is IMMEDIATE and loud audience reaction from more than one audience member, even before Tim says "final"

What if those same people who promptly cheered the moment Tim uttered the correct answer had also made some audible gasps a little earlier, when he ruled out that answer? (listening carefully, I admit that I heard no audience reaction to Tim's comments at that point.)

Don't get me wrong, I'm not making some sort of accusation of complicity or foul play. But anyone who's watched the show very much knows that the audience can and will occasionally react audible to an answer, such that a contestant who's got their wits about them might actually manage to notice and react accordingly. And Tim is clearly someone who's watched the show plenty.

I really think that's what happened here. And if so I say "good for him"

Thoughts?

[Kazoo65]

I missed most of yesterday's show because of Obama's speech about terrorism and how he's trying to get his people to work on preventing it.

I'd ATA on $10K. They might know this one.

[Snaxx]

I've never heard of this book. ATA. Judging by the audience's reaction after Tim locked in neck, I'd say I chose the right lifeline.

Does anyone else who saw this think that Tim might've been so savvy (and attentive) as to get an extra "ask the audience" lifeline for that last question? That's how it looked to me. I say this because:

...the expert decisively ruled out the correct answer, and then
...Tim rules it out again just before choosing to double dip.
...Tim's first answer is wrong, and in spite of his ruling out the option a few seconds ago, he changes course and goes with it.
...there is IMMEDIATE and loud audience reaction from more than one audience member, even before Tim says "final"

What if those same people who promptly cheered the moment Tim uttered the correct answer had also made some audible gasps a little earlier, when he ruled out that answer? (listening carefully, I admit that I heard no audience reaction to Tim's comments at that point.)

Don't get me wrong, I'm not making some sort of accusation of complicity or foul play. But anyone who's watched the show very much knows that the audience can and will occasionally react audible to an answer, such that a contestant who's got their wits about them might actually manage to notice and react accordingly. And Tim is clearly someone who's watched the show plenty.

I really think that's what happened here. And if so I say "good for him"

Thoughts?

Maybe he picked up something else that hinted he was on the wrong path; Mere looked a bit like she was biting her lip wanting to tell him he was off course. I think in her line of work and interests that Mere knew the answer. Maybe there were audience reactions to the expert that were not picked up on camera; without a clock that segment can be edited and the sound may be primarily the expert for a few moments.

Then again, if he is so savvy, why did he not...

this spoils his carryover segment

have a google PAF waiting? It made a difference in his carryover segment costing him at least $10K. Maybe he called a googler whose Internet access was down at a very inopportune time.

[earendel]

Tim Powers
Setauket, NY
Capitol Hill intern
just graduated from college

Tim says he was 11 or 12 when the show first came on and he remembered the $1M distance-to-the-sun question and blurted the answer out to the screen before the choices came up. He says he does not remember the figure now but his parents told him it was his destiny to be on the show. Mere reminded him that it was 93 million miles. Mere tells him that he certainly knows the rules, the lifelines, everything about the game if he has been watching since then.

$15K (At the Bookstore):
Screenwriter and director Nora Ephron wrote about the humorous side of aging in her 2006 book "I Feel Bad About My" what?
A. Bosom B. Ankles
C. Thighs D. Neck

ATE at :24

Spoiler

Erica sighs and says she feels about thighs, and Tim says ankles does not make sense. Erica says tell that to a woman with cankles and they may make him change his mind.
Erica says she does not think it is ankles, says probably not neck. It could be bosom or thighs. She says a lot of women have issues with their thighs and it does not go away with age. She would say 60% thighs.

Tim says he does not think it is ankles or neck, and calls for Double Dip.
DD

Spoiler

Tim offers his first answer of C-Thighs
In an especially sad manner Mere says Thighs is wrong.
The clock begins to run with :12 left
and runs down to 04 as...
Tim "I'm going to go with D, neck, final answer"
Loud cheering and applause in the audience.

D. Neck (:04)

Mere asked Tim why he went with neck after both he and Erica appeared to rule it out.
Tim said he did not know, and finally said he did not want to say bosom on the air (laughter in the audience0

No idea, so time for lifelines. ATA first.