Master Minds Recap: December 21, 2020

Here’s a recap of the clues on Master Minds for Monday, December 21, 2020 with host Brooke Burns.

Today’s episode title: “Trivia, Smarts & Glowering Monkeys”
Today’s Master Minds: Ken Jennings, Muffy Marracco, Jonathan Corbblah
Today’s challengers: Erica, Scott, Liz

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) MAGAZINES: What monthly periodical started in 1922 as a compilation of condensed articles from other magazines?
(a) Vanity Fair (b) Reader’s Digest (c) The Atlantic Monthly
(2) BROADWAY: The storyline of which of these musicals takes place over a single night?
(a) Cats (b) Wicked (c) Guys and Dolls
(3) WILD WEST: After his career as a gunslinger, Bat Masterson moved to New York City and spent time in what job?
(a) chef (b) funeral director (c) sportswriter
(4) WHICH CAME FIRST?
(a) Tinker Bell (b) Toys’R’Us (c) Tinkertoys
(5) ARMED FORCES: Women recruited as World War II pilots by the U.S. military were a part of what program?
(a) Flying Tigers (b) Hell’s Belles (c) WASP
(6) FOOD: Which of these is an unusual property of Halloumi cheese?
(a) grillable over open flame (b) made from yak milk (c) rainbow colored
(7) PRIMATES: What’s the largest species of monkey?
(a) guinea baboon (b) howler monkey (c) mandrill

CORRECT ANSWERS show

Scores at end of Round 1:
Erica 300 Scott 300 Liz 400 / Ken 700 Muffy 600 Jonathan 500

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) PHYSICS: Which of the main particles of an atom carries a negative charge?
(2) INTERNET: Marshall Brain was best known for creating what aptly-named, popular website that explains the way things operate?
(3) MUSIC: What two-word lyric is uttered 26 times in a row in Bill Withers’ hit song “Ain’t No Sunshine”?
(4) DESSERTS: Apart from substituting white sugar for brown, what ingredient does a “brownie” contain that a “blondie” does not?
(5) COMMUNICATIONS: When making a phone call to area code 202, what East Coast city are you calling?

CORRECT ANSWERS show

Scores at end of Round 2:
Erica 100 Scott 500 Liz 400 / Ken 1100 Muffy 1400 Jonathan 500

Erica and Jonathan 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.

Scott and Liz go first:

(500) In part because they appear later in life, third molars in humans are commonly referred to as what?
(600) The unwanted lawn weed digitaria is more commonly known by what
“crustacean-like” name?
(700) The climax of Alfred Hitchcock’s 1959 “North by Northwest” takes place at what U.S. landmark?
(800) In 1966, about six feet of rain fell in 24 hours on Reunion Island, located in what ocean?
(900) Red wine is combined with fruit and fruit juices to make what Spanish punch?
(1000) What planet is closest to the sun?
(1100) On a bicycle tire, the small metal rods extending from the hub in order to support the rim are called what?
Didn’t count:
(1200) In the George R.R. Martin novel “A Game of Thrones”, What is the capital city of Westeros?

CORRECT ANSWERS show

Scores at end of Round 3:
Scott 4300 Liz 1500

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

(500) Whose 39-year-old all time home run record was broken by Hank Aaron in 1974?
(600) What Beverly Hills steakhouse developed its own seasoned salt, which is available on grocery store shelves nationally?
(700) Your maternal grandfather’s son is what relation to you
(800) The first recorded use of the word “bachelor” to refer to a single man is found in what 14th century literary work?
(900) Known by a 4-letter abbreviation, what Federal Act was passed in 1970 to fight racketeering?
(1000) Russian-born designer Erté was associated with what art movement, also called “style moderne”?
(1100) The most expensive movie poster ever sold at auction depicts which Hungarian actor in his 1931 role?

CORRECT ANSWERS show

Muffy finished with 5300 to Ken’s 2800 so Muffy will join Scott in the Ultimate Trivia Challenge. If Scott beats Muffy, he 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) The tradition of tossing one’s cap at graduation began in 1912 at which military academy?
(2) Introduced in 1946 what Procter & Gamble detergent was developed using the name “Project X”?
(3) In the New Testament, 21 books are known by what collective term for elegant or poetic letters?
(4) What four-week commemoration grew out of a seven-day event conceived by Carter G. Woodson?

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

By the 4th question, Scott only got 1 right to Muffy’s 3. Scott 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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