Master Minds Recap: December 14, 2020

Here’s a recap of the clues on Master Minds for Monday, December 14, 2020 with host Brooke Burns.

Today’s episode title: “Trivia, Smarts & Lucky Numbers”
Today’s Master Minds: Ken Jennings, Muffy Marracco, Jonathan Corbblah
Today’s challengers: Gina, Zachary, Anya

The show’s format pits 3 contestants against each other and 3 Master Minds against each other. There are 3 rounds and the contestant with the highest score wins $1,000 and faces off in the Ultimate Trivia Challenge against the winning Master Mind. If the contestant beats the Master Mind, the prize money goes up to $10,000.

Round 1: Here are the 7 categories and questions. 100 points for each correct answer.

(1) FAMOUS QUOTES: What three-word phrase has been heard hundreds of millions of times since Elwood Edwards recorded it in 1989?
(a) “I’m lovin’ it” (b) “You’ve got mail” (c) “This…is…Jeopardy!”
(2) MUSIC: Though he later wrote variations on it Mozart was falsely credited with composing the tune of what children’s song?
(a) Rock-a-Bye Baby (b) Mary Had a Little Lamb (c) Twinkle Twinkle Little Star
(3) MONUMENTS: How many total spikes are on the Statue of Liberty’s crown?
(a) 5 (b) 7 (c) 9
(4) GEOGRAPHY: Which of these mountains is found in the Caucasus chain?
(a) Denali (b) Elbrus (c) Kilimanjaro
(5) HISTORICAL HARDSHIPS: Beginning in 1845 the Irish potato famine was caused by which of these organisms?
(a) an insect (b) a bacterium (c) a mold
(6) THINGS WITH WHEELS: A skateboard’s wooden platform that the rider stands on shares its names with what part of a ship?
(a) bridge (b) galley (c) deck
(7) SCIENCE: On the periodic table, which of these elements is symbolized by only one letter?
(a) carbon (b) helium (c) gold

CORRECT ANSWERS show

Scores at end of Round 1:
Gina 700 Zachary 300 Anya 300 / Ken 700 Muffy 700 Jonathan 600

Round 2: There are 5 subjects and questions. No multiple choice. Only the first player on each team to buzz in gets to answer. Correct answers are worth 200 points for the first 4. The last question is worth 400 points. Wrong answers are penalized by the value of the question. At the end of the round, the person with the lowest score on each team is eliminated.

(1) FORGET ME NOTS: The mnemonic “divorced, beheaded, died, divorced, beheaded, survived” helps you remember whose historic fates?
(2) MYTHOLOGY: Also the name of a planet, what deity is the Roman equivalent of the Greek god Hermes?
(3) ETIQUETTE: According to Emily Post, when you greet someone with a European-style two-cheek kiss, which cheek do you offer first?
(4) GEOGRAPHY: What is the only nation that borders both Pakistan and Bangladesh?
(5) ONLINE SHOPPING: With billions of dollars in sales, what company’s website requires items to be handmade, vintage or craft supplies?

CORRECT ANSWERS show

Scores at end of Round 2:
Gina 1100 Zachary 500 Anya 900 / Ken 1100 Muffy 900 Jonathan 1200

Zachary and Muffy are eliminated.

Round 3: Each team faces off in a rapid-fire 1-minute trivia battle. The first question is worth 500 points and each additional question goes up an additional 100 points. The winners go on to the last round.

Gina and Anya go first:

(500) The Charles River empties into the Atlantic Ocean in what city?
(600) “Satchmo” was the nickname of what influential jazz musician?
(700) Looking like a single giant eye socket, the nasal cavity of dwarf elephant skulls may have inspired what monster?
(800) Attributed to Lao Tzu, “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a” what?
(900) Which numbered bowling pin is the kingpin?
(1000) Inducted into the Toy Hall of Fame in 2019, what card game has players use “mana” to cast spells and summon creatures?
(1100) The oldest known temple site is 12,000-year-old Göbekli Tepe in which modern country?

CORRECT ANSWERS show

Scores at end of Round 3:
Gina 3000 Anya 1900

Gina wins $1,000 and advances to the Ultimate Trivia Challenge. But first, Ken and Jonathan will battle it out for a minute to see who joins Gina.

(500) Kimchi is a traditional dish from what country?
(600) Since 2010, which U.S. coin has featured the “Union Shield” on its reverse side?
(700) Vincent Van Gogh lost his ear while rooming with Paul Gauguin in what French city?
(800) What brand of children’s wagon got its name from the creator’s fascination with Marconi’s invention?
(900) William Shakespeare’s play “The Taming of the Shrew” is the basis for what Broadway musical?
(1000) In real estate lingo, how many key fixtures does a bathroom need to be listed as a “full bath”?
(1100) from 2010 to 2017, every public post on Twitter was archived by what government body?
(1200) In Physics, What name is given to the different types of subatomic particles known as quarks?

CORRECT ANSWERS show

If that round had ended after the 1000 clue, there would have been a tiebreaker. However, Ken picked up those last 2 clues and finished with 4500 to Jonathan’s 3400. Ken will join Gina in the Ultimate Trivia Challenge. If Gina beats Ken, she will return on the next show. Any player who makes it through 3 shows and wins $30,000, gets to join the Master Minds expert team.

Ultimate Trivia Challenge: The questions are presented to the players at the same time and they write their answers down.

(1) Canceled due to military tensions, the 1940 Olympics were originally scheduled to be held in what non-western city?
(2) The only two months of the year with two bank holidays are November and what?
(3) In 2002 what Presbyterian minister was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom for his work with children?
(4) What organization was created when five newspapers funded a Pony Express route to deliver Mexican-American War updates?

ANSWERS: (unless otherwise indicated, both were correct)
show

There were only 4 clues because Gina only had one right vs. Jonathan with 3 right by then. Gina had no chance to win. She is going home with $1,000 and there will be 3 new players tomorrow.

Master Minds airs daily on Game Show Network. Check your local listings for times. (Here in the Central Time Zone it comes on at 3:00 p.m.)

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