Final Jeopardy: 19th Century Poems (5-12-14)
The Final Jeopardy question (5/12/2014), in the category “19th Century Poems” was:
Written about the U.S. occupation of the Philippines, a Kipling poem said, “take up” this now-controversial phrase.
It’s the first match of the Battle of the Decades Semi-Finals and we’re starting right off with possibly THE most anticipated semi-final game — the game with Ken Jennings (00s)! His opponents are: Chuck Forrest (80s): and Russ Schumacher (00s). Ready! Set! Let’s Go….
Round 1: Ken found the Jeopardy! round Daily Double in “Broadway & Politics” under the $1,000 clue. He was in the lead with $4,400, $3,000 more than Chuck in second place. He made it a true Daily Double and he was RIGHT.
It’s Peter Morgan’s play about a revealing series of 1977 interviews. show
Ken finished in the lead with $15,000. Chuck was second with $2,800 and Russ was last with $800.
Round 2: Chuck found the first Daily Double in “4-Syllable Words” under the $1,600 clue. He was in second place with $4,800, $13,000 less than Ken’s lead. He made it a true Daily Double — apparently his first ever — and he was RIGHT.
Adjective for the perfect embodiment of something or something a Dionne kid must have. show
Ken found the last Daily Double in “We Get Letters” under the $1,200 clue. In the lead with $20,200, he had $8,600 more than Chuck in second place. He bet $6,000 and thought it was Amundsen. That was WRONG.
This explorer wrote to his friend J.M. Barrie in 1912, “We have accomplished our object in reaching the pole.” show
The round ended with 4 clues left uncovered and Ken in the lead with $18,600. Thanks to Ken’s DD miss, Chuck was nice and close with $15,200 and Russ was in third place with $1,600.
TWO of the contestants got Final Jeopardy! right.
“In February 1899, British novelist and poet Rudyard Kipling wrote a poem entitled “The White Man’s Burden: The United States and The Philippine Islands.” … the poem coincided with the beginning of the Philippine-American War and U.S. Senate ratification of the treaty that placed Puerto Rico, Guam, Cuba, and the Philippines under American control. Theodore Roosevelt, soon to become vice-president and then president, copied the poem and sent it to his friend, Senator Henry Cabot Lodge, commenting that it was ‘rather poor poetry, but good sense from the expansion point of view.’ Not everyone was as favorably impressed as Roosevelt. The racialized notion of the “White Man’s burden” became a euphemism for imperialism, and many anti-imperialists couched their opposition in reaction to the phrase.” (Kipling’s Hymn to U.S. Imperialism)
Russ came up with “your arms.” He bet and lost it all.
Chuck got it right, adding $11,000. He finished with $26,200.
Ken also got it and bet $11,801 so he won the match with $30,401 and he advances to the finals to play for a million bucks. Chuck and Russ go home with $25,000 each.
It was a little scary after that last DD, but no upset in the expected winner of this game. Two more to go — Brad Rutter’s game is tomorrow.
2 years ago:: NONE of the players got this FJ in “Awards”
This performer is the only person to win an Emmy, the Mark Twain Prize & the Spingarn Medal. show
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To whom it may concern on this thread…
Hey, the topic of big payouts basically was initiated by the griping of Tom Clark (thread, below).
I am demonstrably NOT whining about this state of affairs, I am merely pointing out a larger connection to a society that has presented winner-take-all scenarios (or something approximating winner-take-all, such as this million dollar Battle of the Decades tourney) as completely kosher. Rubbing a few brain cells together might result in a useful connection to the air-that-we-breath propaganda which basically paints capitalism (broadly speaking) as more or less de riguer, as well as almost beyond criticism, if not reproach.
It shouldn’t require some brand of super-genius to parse the over-arching fact of a global society facing a sort of consumerist driven exhaustion.
The gameshow, Jeopardy! (requiring a certain level of intelligence from its contestants/viewership) ought not to be left entirely beyond the scope of this same potential criticism!
Just a thought, fellow commentators.
😉
Perhaps this attempted opening for reasonable discussion is best closed with the satisfaction of those on the thread who are relieved with the general civility of the Jeopardy! gameshow, and its typical contestants.
I too love the civility of the game!
🙂
I think you may have misplaced your ire, Jacob (thread, below).
For my part, I’ve simply attempted to raise a discussion about the larger societal emphasis on, more or less, “winner-take-all” philosophies across the board. Jeopardy! has engaged in the practice to a much more limited extent than other segments of society, but the very fact that we can all see Ken Jennings and Brad Rutter now strutting their stuff as Jeopardy! multi-millionaire/celebrities, even as so many other highly qualified players have winnings that generally pale in comparison does raise some (entirely legitimate, in my opinion) questions.
By the same token, if you wish to raise the issue of the proper societal emphasis on intelligence, learning and (in my estimation, perhaps even more significant) “wisdom”, then by all means do so!
Isn’t it also worth noting that this isn’t a winner-take-all tournament. I don’t know the prize payout, but I am sure that there is significant money for all three finalists and some compensation for all players this week.
Also, perhaps celebrity status for a few players is a good thing. Every player seems to provide a good role model.
Eric, you are so correct. Every participant receives some monetary prize. That is why I’m trying to figure out what is the problem. Ken and Brad are excellent role models. They deserve every amount of money they have earned and will earn on Jeopardy.
amen to that.
jacobska – if it is european- seems to indicate a SHE. so the real name might be jacoba and not jacob. especially in slavic countries the “-ova” or “a” is added to a female name when married, e.g. so when mr.malenk marries, his wife’s name would be malenka or malenkova. if the malae name ends in -ov, like mr. malenkov, it’s just the “a” added, then she would still be mrs. malenkova. the ending “a” in a female last name in any slavic language indicates 99.9% a female. there are variations. let’s say the guys name is “jacob” or “jacobs”, then the wife could be named”jacobova, jacobskaja, jacobva…..” depends on the region, language and custom. but “a” at the end of a last and first name related to slavic (and that could be generations back) normally indicates a female. like first names, yulia, alexandra, victoria, ivana, lara,
and a famous example. martina navratilova’s father’s name was subertov,then martina’s parents got divorced and her mother married miroslav navratil, making martina “navratilOVA”…..so it goes not only to the spouse but also possibly (that’s optional) to the daughter.
the point – and sorry for the long post is: we don’t know whether jacobska is male or female. could be both. but if of recent slavic origin, my guess would be female. unless it is just a “username”.
It is a username. I’m male. Hope it doesn’t count against me. 🙂
not at all, i hope i did not blow your cover…. i thought i share a short history of naming females in the slavic part of europe. 🙂
Okay people, I have tried to stay out of this discussion but can no longer. Why is there such a ruckus over a $1 million prize for knowledge? My pet peeve is that we undervalue education in this country. I have lived in Europe in the past for years and a premium is placed on knowledge. In America we place a premium on celebrities. Why is that actors who play medical doctors earn more than real life medical doctors? Why did we need someone like Oprah to tell the country what to read? I’ve never read any of those books. I had a good sound educational background and already knew what to read. Why did she and others in the entertainment field become billionaires from sponsors? Yet we can’t enjoy Jeopardy and let the winner earn $1 million? Come on people!
i AM european and lived there for over 30 years before moving to the states. i could not agree more with your post, word for word. THANK YOU!! (i wish we could split the kickbacks O. got from “recommending” certain books, we would be better off than ken…..)
and i am NOT kidding. knowledge=power=money.
that’s the way it should be, but unfortunately we are not quite there yet.
I think it’s noteworthy that the issue of “winner takes all” is getting some play here.
I’ve always thought it was at least a bit gauche that, for instance, Power Ball style lotteries award ridiculous sums to a winner, or small handful of winners. And, of course, it almost goes without saying that the transfer of wealth upward in this country over the last several decades rivals anything seen historically.
To some degree, I suppose, I don’t get to worked up about it, particularly in light of the larger frame of, say, the global and geological perspective of something like Elizabeth Kolbert’s rather bombshell new book, “The Sixth Extinction, An Unnatural History”.
Computers and human-derived technology are certainly marvels in their own right, but the stupendous wonders of the natural world are supreme in my view. Sadly, this late, human lottery “victory” seems to have the “losers” locked in a downward trajectory.
I wish the best of luck to us all.
🙂
I still have a post on here called Oprah the Pirate from a few years ago, where I was ranting a bit about mega lotteries and million dollar giveaways and grandstanding. LOL!
I hadn’t really thought about it in connection with Jeopardy — at least it seems like they earn it more on J! to me and I second john blahuta’s post – I’d rather watch 100 J’s than a minute of Oprah. But now that it has been mentioned, in a way it reminds me of the spelling bees when I was in school The only spelling bee I ever lost in my life was in 2nd grade when I got tired and deliberately spelled a word wrong so I could sit down. By the time I was in high school, the general attitude was why even have a spelling bee — just give her the prize. I don’t think the BotD competitors feel quite that badly though — one foolhardy DD and Brad Rutter and Roger Craig could lose, (leaving Ken out of that example since he already won)
No question, Jeopardy! is hardly the most egregious actor in the all-too-common winner take all/”celebrity”-fest that makes up so much of our popular culture.
As a topic for broader discussion, though, this rather frantic emphasis on “winning” and “celebrity” that has held us for so long seems to be unraveling just a bit as it slowly dawns on us that perhaps our collective priorities are in dire need of re-ordering. Particularly in light of virtually un-ignorable, sort of, systems break downs that are increasingly taking center stage –there is a reason for the popularity of tv programs like “Doomsday Preppers”, and, “The Walking Dead”.
Okay! Now that I’ve unloaded, I’m rooting for the likes of Leszek, Pam, Colby, and Cubbage to throw a wrench into the best laid plans for Jeopardy’s star-filled Finale.
😉
unfortunately she is a part time “resident” on my island. FORTUNATELY it is far away, as far away as it gets here from lahaina (close to where george harrison’s estate was -or still is, i don’t know what happened to it- it’s near HANA on the east end of maui)
Sounds like poor Tom needs to find the power button on the remote
The way the rich get richer (and the poor poorer) is becoming a concern for many Americans these days. I happen to be one of them.
I’m not thrilled with the idea that Friday I might have to watch K. Jennings win another million dollars.
Frankly, I’m getting tired of these same old faces showing up all the time. I wish they’d stop these stupid tournaments, especially since that way I’ll never have to look at Arthur Chu again.
nobody is holding a gun to your head to warch j AT ALL. i am sure there are other channels in your area. if not, there is always a book. as a last resort….the local watering hole. but then they might have j on the bar tv…….
To be fair, I think that Tom has a point. It was tedious to watch the whole Watson scenario, even with Ken and Brad returning. When, however, you take into account the amount of money other preformers on tv are paid, it seems as if these players are under-compensated. Also, the tournament coverage is not over: perhaps Brad, Roger, or someone else (the lovely Pam) wins. Furthermore, this is a life-changing amount of money for these players. Also, it has been great to revive memories of these past players and give a chance to the players whose reign was cut off at five wins. Lastly, I will gladly suffer viewing A-Chu to see Julia later.
exactly. nothing is perfect. not even the format and/or candidates on j. but as you pointed out, THIS tournament is not just a teen tournament, but with players who have already accomplished quite a bit. and as i said above, nobody is forcing anyone to watch. overall, you learn something new every day, even if the contestants or the shows are sometimes a little, well it could be better. but i watch rather 100 j shows than 1 min. of oprah…..but that’s just me.
and as a ps: yes, when you think what miley cyrus or oprah get paid – and for WHAT?? the players on j are at least having a certain level of intelligence and accumulated knowledge, otherwise they would not BE on the show. so to pay somebody who is intelligent AND educated/knowledgeable is money well spent. maybe they will be an inspiration to some youngsters who otherwise have their noses just in violent and mind-numbing video games. they might pick up a book from time to time or listen to world news and watch something else on the net than games and who knows what. today everything you want to know is at your fingertips in seconds. no trip to the library necessary , searching for hours for ONE answer. the young generation does not even know HOW easy they have it today.
No John. It’s not just you.
Did not know that a 10 year old Ken Jennings was inspired by Chuck Forest’s historic run so long ago. Very interesting. Was proper that he an Chuck had such an epic confrontation. Now if my thoughts are correct, Brad Rutter should win Tuesday, setting up yet another classic battle between him and Ken Jennings. Worthy TV viewing for this old Jeopardy fan.
I am positive that Ken would have gotten the DD correct that he missed if he had not gotten into a verbal exchange with Alex. That type of side conversation, in my opinion, can interfere with a contestant’s focus. This includes someone as intelligent as Ken. Chuck also got into a verbal exchange with Alex during the match. The end result? Four clues left on the board. These guys are veterans of Jeopardy and I think they got too comfortable during the match. When Ken was focused in the first half he earned 15,000. In the second half he earned 3,600 for a total of 18,600 going into FJ. Too close for me. However, thankfully he came through and won.
Wow, yeah, too close! Sure would’ve been awful if that cost him the game today!
DID HE SAYS Nup TU al?
Did I say sayS?