Kathy's Thursday Jeopardy Episode Part V: Final Jeopardy

(Again, you can see the Thursday, 10/21/10 episode here.)

Although I haven’t really been thrilled by the categories all day, the Final Jeopardy! one is right in my wheelhouse: Art and Artists. I may have taken the wrong language in high school, but thank goodness for AP Art History! (I got a five on the exam and it’s the only subject I ever got an award in at the end-of-the-year assembly in high school, so yay!) Plus this is a category that’s hard to study when preparing for Jeopardy! so that’s to my advantage.

During the commercial break, I do my Final Jeopardy! math and make my wager. I check my math three times while everyone waits on me. I definitely don’t want to lose at Jeopardy! because of a calculation error.

17:09 It’s a Video Final Jeopardy!

I need glasses for driving and seeing distance, and got contacts just for Jeopardy! (And may I just say, they were a nightmare to take in and out. The first time, I finally got ONE in after an hour and a half!) Anyway, despite my contacts I still can’t see the picture clearly. (In fact I also thought the category clues to be a little small.) When I squint it looks like there's a woman on the left side of the painting instead of the sunflowers (so did Mark, watching from the audience, and he has 20-20 vision so maybe Jeopardy! should look into not making clues so small). I think the question is asking for the two people pictured and I’m starting to panic. This is my category! I’m in the lead! Don’t blow it!

I know the guy pictured is Van Gogh. Who’s a famous lady painter from that time period? Cassatt? I know it’s wrong. And then suddenly I realize what’s being asked and in the last second I furiously scribble “Gauguin.” (Actually when I first saw the painting I immediately thought it was in the style of Gauguin but I didn’t think that was what was being asked.) My light pen actually stopped working as I wrote the last letter of “Gauguin” since it times out at 30 seconds. (I didn't actually realize I had misspelled Gauguin - where did that "h" come from? - until I was writing this post.)

Here's me squinting while everyone else writes down their answers.

And here's me furiously misspelling "Gauguin."

18:25 I decide I better tell Alex my answer before he can say it so there’s no doubt of my intent to the judges. (In fact, my friends said they saw Alex look toward the judges, as though for confirmation, when my answer was revealed.) My answer is shown on the screen and I keep saying “Gauguin” like I’m Rain Man, and in the process step all over Alex’s joke, “What is Van Gogh and Laugh In?"

Waiting to find out the answer...
The moment I find out I won.
I think the Jeopardy! wranglers would approve of my happy win face.

And that's the way it's done: barely squeaking by with a win playing awesomely.

I will never wash this hand again.

18:07 Yay! I’m a Jeopardy! champion!

During the commercial break I see Mark, Lila, and Brendan in the audience looking super excited for me. When the game ends I realize two things. 1) Jeopardy! goes by really fast, and 2) It’s a LOT harder than it looks!

This chart shows the game dynamics. I was very lucky.


Next time: Kathy's Thursday Jeopardy Episode Part VI: Winner's Circle