Master Minds Recap: December 17, 2020

Here’s a recap of the clues on Master Minds for Thursday, December 17, 2020 with host Brooke Burns.

Today’s episode title: “Trivia, Smarts & No Small Feat”
Today’s Master Minds: Ken Jennings, Muffy Marracco, Jonathan Corbblah
Today’s challengers: Eric, Robin, Graeme

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) GEOGRAPHY: Mont Blanc is the tallest mountain in which range?
(a) Rockies (b) Alps (c) Himalayas
(2) CALENDAR: Which day do federal employees in Washington, D.C. get as a holiday?
(a) Election Day (b) Inauguration Day (c) Tax Day
(3) TECHNOLOGY: Enclosed in a C-shaped case, the fastest computer in the world from 1976 until 1982 was built by what company?
(a) IBM (b) Control Data Corporation (c) Cray Research
(4) FOOD: Which national pizza chain has the most locations in the U.S.
(a) Dominos (b) Little Caesars (c) Pizza Hut
(5) NICKNAMES: Chicago bank robber Lester Gillis was known by what “juvenile-sounding” nickname?
(a) “Baby Face” Nelson (b) “Pretty Boy” Floyd (c) The Sundance Kid
(6) LANDMARKS: Displayed on the Statue of Liberty’s tablet, the date of American independence takes up how many lines?
(a) 1 (b) 2 (c) 3
(7) COATS: Which of these jackets typically has a length that goes below the knees?
(a) duster (b) trucker (c) bomber

CORRECT ANSWERS show

Scores at end of Round 1:
Eric 400 Robin 500 Graeme 300 / Ken 600 Muffy 400 Jonathan 400

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) COINS: The reverse side of the Susan B. Anthony dollar commemorates what 1969 event?
(2) ANATOMY: What term do doctors use when referring to the collarbone?
(3) TOYS: Created by Carol Aebersold, what holiday character with a rhyming name monitors children’s behavior for Santa Claus?
(4) MOVIES: Appearing as Esther Blodgett in the 1954 version of “A Star is Born”, Frances Ethel Gumm is better known by what name?
(5) NATURE: Both the ancient Romans and the U.S. Army were “down” with using what waterfowl as guard animals?

CORRECT ANSWERS show

Scores at end of Round 2:
Eric 600 Robin 900 Graeme 900 / Ken 1000 Muffy 1000 Jonathan 600

Eric 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.

Robin and Graeme go first:

(500) A 2009 study of the Helmholtz illusion looked at the slimming effect of what horizontal pattern in fashion?
(600) A mimosa is a mixture of champagne and what other beverage?
(700) The president of Nintendo of America shares what name with an iconic villain from the Super Mario franchise?
(800) Created in 1970, which president formed the EPA to set and enforce pollution control standards?
(900) What stiff underskirt worn beneath dresses was originally designed for men to wear under armor?
(1000) Tomas de Torquemada was a prominent figure in what medieval campaign of religious persecution?

CORRECT ANSWERS show

Scores at end of Round 3:
Robin 1700 Graeme 2700

Graeme 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 Graeme.

(500) In etiquette, it’s polite to RSVP, which stands for “Répondez” what?
(600) The Egg McMuffin was based on what egg dish, substituting cheese and butter for Hollandaise sauce?
(700) When reciting the letters in alphabetical order, the letter “I” is nearest to what other vowel?
(800) The only woman to win a UFC and WWE championship, what blonde also has an Olympic bronze medal in judo?
(900) Many traditional Eastern Orthodox sects of Christianity celebrate Christmas during what month?
(1000) The World War I monarchs of Germany, Russia and which country were all cousins?
(1100) Also called “evening gloves,” a lady’s formal glove that reaches beyond the elbow is named for what performing art?
(1200) Known as the “High Priestess of Soul”, what singer and pianist scored her first hit in 1959 with “I Loves You, Porgy”?

CORRECT ANSWERS show

Ken finished with 4000 to Muffy’s 3600 so Ken will join Graeme in the Ultimate Trivia Challenge. If Graeme beats Ken, 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) Who went to prison in 1993 for defrauding thousands of customers during the savings-and-loan scandal of the 80s?
(2) In Europe, December 5th is a night dedicated to what half-goat, half-demon who punishes naughty children?
(3) Ernest Hemingway wrote “All modern American literature comes from one book by Mark Twain called” what?
(4) After fowl, what sea creatures are the second reference to animals made in the Bible?
(5) An iconic image of the Great Depression, “Migrant Mother” was taken by which pioneering female photographer?

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

Graeme and Ken were tied at 2 right apiece so Graeme got to play the Ultimate Trivia Question. He does not have to beat Ken on this one. He just has to get it right.

For $10,000: ULTIMATE TRIVIA QUESTION: Which was the first country to give all women the unrestricted right to vote?
ANSWER: show

Graeme did not answer the tiebreaker question correctly. He 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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