What is Cool for $500! December 7, 2011 7:13 AM   Subscribe

Metafilter's own chicobangs on Jeopardy tonight!

Chico, host of the Drunken Smartass Olympics trivia pub quiz in NYC, joins the ranks of vidiot, Dreama, and I'm-not-sure-who-else to give us all another brush with fame. Go, Tony!
posted by tizzie to MetaFilter-Related at 7:13 AM (104 comments total) 8 users marked this as a favorite

That is awesome! It's too bad Bob Barker isn't hosting the show anymore, though.

Remember, chicobangs: always bid one dollar over the person who bid the highest, if you're the last player! Good luck!
posted by griphus at 7:16 AM on December 7, 2011 [5 favorites]


Also: Big money; no whammies.
posted by MrMoonPie at 7:17 AM on December 7, 2011 [8 favorites]


Wowie! I have met chicobangs twice I think. Once was an old skool NYC Meetup and the other was a more recent meetup in Brooklyn where my trivia team played the MeFite trivia team. They cleaned our clocks! Go chicobangs. Also I think MeFi's own dayan was on Jeopardy earlier this year and wrote up a few blog posts about it.
posted by jessamyn (staff) at 7:18 AM on December 7, 2011 [1 favorite]


Yay! Go, chicobangs!
posted by Curious Artificer at 7:19 AM on December 7, 2011


AWESOME!
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 7:25 AM on December 7, 2011


Here's to perfect timing on the buzzer! ('Cause we know the smarts aren't an issue...)
posted by Lexica at 7:28 AM on December 7, 2011 [3 favorites]


Good luck!!
posted by zarq at 7:44 AM on December 7, 2011


I'm sorry, but you needed to word your MeTa in the form of an AskMe. Flagged.
posted by Alvy Ampersand at 7:46 AM on December 7, 2011 [27 favorites]


Hopefully you are not competing against a giant computer!

I fully expect a "What is MetaFilter?" shoutout if you are stumped on Final Jeopardy -- it's almost the perfect shade of blue!
posted by Rock Steady at 7:47 AM on December 7, 2011 [4 favorites]


I haven't watched Jeopardy in quite awhile, but I'll tune in for a chance to cheer on a fellow Mefite!

Is anyone taking up a collection to persuade chicobangs to make a MetaFilter reference during the host-contestant chitchat?
posted by amyms at 7:49 AM on December 7, 2011


Oooohh Rock Steady's idea for a Final Jeopardy shoutout is good too!
posted by amyms at 7:50 AM on December 7, 2011


amyms: " Is anyone taking up a collection to persuade chicobangs to make a MetaFilter reference during the host-contestant chitchat?"

I'm guessing the show was taped a while ago, no?
posted by zarq at 7:50 AM on December 7, 2011


I'm guessing the show was taped a while ago, no?

Oh yeah [insert embarrassed face here]. That'll teach me to comment before I've had my coffee. Thanks for the wake-up, zarq!
posted by amyms at 7:54 AM on December 7, 2011


yay, chicobangs!
posted by mathowie (staff) at 7:55 AM on December 7, 2011


The wiki has a full list of MeFites who have been on Jeopardy. I just added dayan and chicobangs, and included a link at the bottom to dayan's tumblr posts about his experiences on the show.
posted by zarq at 8:02 AM on December 7, 2011 [5 favorites]


amyms, it would have been REALLY cool, though!! :)
posted by zarq at 8:03 AM on December 7, 2011


The wiki has a full list of MeFites who have been on Jeopardy.

Wow.
posted by DU at 8:05 AM on December 7, 2011


Thanks, zarq! That's a big list of awesomeness right there.
posted by tizzie at 8:07 AM on December 7, 2011


I'll have to set the TiVo -- welcome to the club!

I'll never live down my own Jeopardy total being eclipsed by my friend's friend who went on Wheel of Fortune. Dammit, I had to WORK for mine!
posted by Madamina at 8:10 AM on December 7, 2011 [1 favorite]


Gripus, wrong show, unless thats a joke then sorry.
posted by wheelieman at 8:16 AM on December 7, 2011


The wiki has a full list of MeFites who have been on Jeopardy.

Not quite. ;)

Also, if you've been on the show, but your episode isn't in the J-Archive but you'd like it to be (and you happen to have it on tape), I can make that happen for you. Drop me a line.
posted by themanwho at 8:16 AM on December 7, 2011 [1 favorite]


themanwho: " Not quite. ;)"

Ah! If you're interested in being included, could you please memail me your info and I'll add it in? (Unless you'd prefer to add yourself!)
posted by zarq at 8:19 AM on December 7, 2011


Very cool.
posted by OmieWise at 8:25 AM on December 7, 2011


The J! Archive has lots of neat stuff for people interested in the game - it was covered on Slate.
posted by exogenous at 8:33 AM on December 7, 2011 [2 favorites]


Hope you did well!
and um, zarq, add another to your list (1999) :)
posted by Mchelly at 8:34 AM on December 7, 2011 [1 favorite]


Mchelly: " and um, zarq, add another to your list (1999) :)"

Added!
posted by zarq at 8:45 AM on December 7, 2011


best of luck!
posted by fake at 8:53 AM on December 7, 2011


Good luck, chicobangs. If there's anyone who's sure to win on Jeopardy!, it has to be you.
posted by briank at 8:54 AM on December 7, 2011


That's wonderful! Yay chicobangs!
posted by penduluum at 9:10 AM on December 7, 2011


TRUE DAILY DOUBLE
TRUE DAILY DOUBLE

anything less is cowardice
posted by nathancaswell at 9:20 AM on December 7, 2011 [5 favorites]


Good luck, chicobangs.

As another Jeopardy alum--two episodes in 1997--it truly is all about the buzzer. (Hi Zarq!)
posted by marmot at 9:28 AM on December 7, 2011 [1 favorite]


dayan's write-up is great.
posted by OmieWise at 9:30 AM on December 7, 2011


What is the crust of Io? What is a Regis Philbin?
posted by Wolfdog at 9:44 AM on December 7, 2011 [1 favorite]


I wish it was on later in Chicago, so we could watch it at the meetup tonight if I end up going.

Looks like I'll just have to embarrass myself by paying too much attention to the Wheel instead.
posted by MCMikeNamara at 9:47 AM on December 7, 2011


chicobangs is a hell of a guy and I'm not just saying that because I've slept in his bed.
posted by ColdChef at 9:52 AM on December 7, 2011 [3 favorites]


anything less is cowardice

Burhanistan: High-water mark

Damn, that's 1) ballsy and 2) impressive.
posted by filthy light thief at 10:01 AM on December 7, 2011


Shuck it Trebek. Shuck it long, shuck it hard...
posted by kaibutsu at 10:27 AM on December 7, 2011 [1 favorite]


The wiki has a full list of MeFites who have been on Jeopardy.

The category is "People who are cooler than you"
posted by desjardins at 10:28 AM on December 7, 2011 [1 favorite]


Good luck; I'll be pulling for you! (even though the outcome was decided long ago)
posted by TedW at 10:42 AM on December 7, 2011


chicobangs, congrats! I hope the buzzer was good to you.

dayan, loved your writeup. I guess I had an advantage, being a local, but I never realized how hard it actually is to get on the show. Nice shout-outs to the contestant wranglers, as well.
posted by mogget at 10:43 AM on December 7, 2011


What is a plate of beans?
posted by zachlipton at 10:43 AM on December 7, 2011 [1 favorite]


I went to middle and high school with Roger Craig.. Smart kid..
posted by k5.user at 11:02 AM on December 7, 2011


As another Jeopardy alum--two episodes in 1997--it truly is all about the buzzer. (Hi Zarq!)
posted by marmot at 11:28 AM


Nice, marmot.
posted by spikeleemajortomdickandharryconnickjrmints at 11:03 AM on December 7, 2011 [2 favorites]


chicobangs is a hell of a guy and I'm not just saying that because I've slept in his bed.

A Merv Griffin production?
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 11:18 AM on December 7, 2011 [1 favorite]


High-water mark yt
That led me this video of his study method which has completely blown my mind.
posted by Lame_username at 11:59 AM on December 7, 2011 [8 favorites]


That led me this video of his study method vimeo which has completely blown my mind.

That's an awesome bit of data mining.
posted by bluefly at 12:12 PM on December 7, 2011


High-water mark .

I hadn't kept up with Jeopardy for a while but I watched the Tournament of Champions this year because Buddy Wright (who made it to the finals) was one of my best friends in high school. Pretty devastating to be rooting for him when one of the other contestants sets a record for back-to-back true daily doubles. On the other hand, he not only made it to the finals, but was on one of the few episodes that every fan will remember.
posted by Pater Aletheias at 12:21 PM on December 7, 2011


A good friend of mine from high school, who I am not really in touch except over Facebook but still care deeply for in the way that one does for people who were important once upon a time and only lost touch with due to circumstances and growing up, was recently on Jeopardy for a three or four day run or so, and I was so excited/nervous for her that I had to fast forward on the DVR to the end of each episode to see if she won because otherwise I just couldn't enjoy it.

Obviously, this is why...also not scoring high enough on the test... I could never be on the show itself. I could only go on the show under some sort of sedation. And that would probably effect my buzzer ability.
posted by MCMikeNamara at 12:25 PM on December 7, 2011 [3 favorites]


Wow. Roger Craig's systematic work in building a database, analysis tools, performance metrics, and then utilizing this to intelligently improve his ability to answer Jeopardy! questions is very, very impressive to me. That's how to do things right.
posted by Ivan Fyodorovich at 12:31 PM on December 7, 2011


marmot: " (Hi Zarq!)"

Hi! I added you and Adventurer.
posted by zarq at 1:11 PM on December 7, 2011


FINAL JEOPARDY: BILLABONGS
posted by yerfatma at 2:04 PM on December 7, 2011


Note to whichever mod edits the sidebar... we're up to 26 mefites. :)
posted by zarq at 2:04 PM on December 7, 2011


If lazy idle lurkers count as bona fide Mefites, I was on earlier this year (airdate Nov. 30th; tape date Oct. 10th). Non-spoiler non-alert: I lost.
posted by MimeticHaHa at 2:12 PM on December 7, 2011 [2 favorites]


Roger Craig makes me grumpy because a) I wish I'd thought of that (and can't go back) and b) EVERYBODY sends his thing to me :(
posted by Madamina at 2:24 PM on December 7, 2011


Damn, won't be home in time to watch Jeopardy! tonight. Good luck!!
posted by maryr at 2:48 PM on December 7, 2011


...which is silly for me to say, since you taped ages ago. But still.
posted by maryr at 2:49 PM on December 7, 2011


That Craig video, or at least the first part of it, is really cool.
posted by OmieWise at 3:08 PM on December 7, 2011


I fully expect a "What is MetaFilter?" shoutout if you are stumped on Final Jeopardy -- it's almost the perfect shade of blue!

Whatever the cash prize is, I'm pretty sure we can collectively match it.
posted by Shepherd at 3:27 PM on December 7, 2011


Note to whichever mod edits the sidebar... we're up to 26 mefites. :)

Sorry, I'm not keeping a running total.

fetamilter: I axed your spoiler. Not cool.
posted by jessamyn (staff) at 4:09 PM on December 7, 2011


w00t! Not going to be home in time, so I hope one of you youtubes it.
posted by theora55 at 4:11 PM on December 7, 2011


me and chicobangs and vidiot (the 'Sam' he mentioned) won a bar trivia contest together about a zillion years ago in the Village. Good for him on making it pay.
posted by jonmc at 4:59 PM on December 7, 2011 [1 favorite]


Just saw Final Jeopardy; in light of jessamyn's comment and the fact that Jeopardy airs at different times in different places I will keep my mouth shut. But I will say that chicobangs looks amazingly like his caricature and win or lose is a trivia monster!
posted by TedW at 5:27 PM on December 7, 2011


Yeah, he was waaaay ahead and when I saw the Final Jeopardy question, I just knew he had it in the bag. However, answers with, "people who have never been in my kitchen." Seriously dude, wtf was that shit? AND he bet it all. Jesus!
posted by NoMich at 6:13 PM on December 7, 2011


I feel towards Alex Trebek something of the way I felt towards Mr. Rogers as a child. I cling to a belief in their fundamental decency.

I hope someone will edit together a 5-minute assemblage of nothing but the various ways he indicates a correct answer.

Yes! ... That's the one. ...

I could listen to it when I needed bucking up.
posted by Trurl at 7:07 PM on December 7, 2011 [5 favorites]


So how'd it go?
posted by jpdoane at 7:09 PM on December 7, 2011


I suppose the contestants you see clicking their buzzers as rapidly as possible must practice that in the time leading up to their taping.

That would be amusing to watch.
posted by Trurl at 7:16 PM on December 7, 2011


anything less is cowardice

I don't respect a board leader whose Daily Double wagers I deem timid.

"No guts, no glory," I say to the screen.
posted by Trurl at 7:24 PM on December 7, 2011


Can someone post an update after it's aired for those of us not in the US?
posted by arcticseal at 7:39 PM on December 7, 2011 [2 favorites]


That Trebek Auto-Tune video is glorious.
posted by mintcake! at 7:55 PM on December 7, 2011


If that had been me I'd have walked off when the viperfish came out. Not cool, Trebek!
posted by villanelles at dawn at 8:54 PM on December 7, 2011


I have a coworker whose husband was on the Jep a few months ago. Lemme tell ya, you've never seen Jeopardy until you've seen it in a bar with a guy on the show and all his friends. It was like the Super Bowl in there, what with the hollering and the trash talking.
posted by mostlymartha at 10:53 PM on December 7, 2011 [2 favorites]



Can someone post an update after it's aired for those of us not in the US?


I think it's safe to say now - HE WON! He'll be back on again tonight!
posted by tizzie at 3:47 AM on December 8, 2011


chicobangs has also been on Cash Cab too, BTW.
posted by Hey, Zeus! at 3:56 AM on December 8, 2011 [2 favorites]


Can someone post an update after it's aired for those of us not in the US?

***DETAILED SPOILERS BELOW***


It was a pretty fascinating episode. All three contestants were good, and the scores were competitive the whole way through, including several lead changes late in Double Jeopardy. Going into Final Jeopardy, the scores were something like (I'm approximating): chicobangs $12,000, Challenger 1 $11,000, and Challenger 2 $7,000.

The Final Jeopardy clue (in the category Sporting Events) was something to the effect of "The cup given since 1888 to the winner of this competition is inscribed 'The Single Handed Men's Champion of the World'."

Challenger 2 gets it badly wrong and loses all but $1. Challenger 2 has crossed out "Wimbledon" and written "the US Open" which is wrong. She loses all but $600. chicobangs gives the correct answer -- "Wimbledon" -- and wins with something like $22,000. He would have won even had the second place person answered correctly, I believe, but it was very dramatic. Well played, chicobangs. I'll buy you a glass of Madeira if we are ever at the same meetup!


***END SPOILERS***
posted by Rock Steady at 6:11 AM on December 8, 2011 [2 favorites]


I suppose the contestants you see clicking their buzzers as rapidly as possible must practice that in the time leading up to their taping.

There was a guy on recently who coupled the rapid clicking with a sort of up-and-down motion in front of his lower torso. It was kind of funny in view of the shape of the buzzer. Single-handed champion, indeed.
posted by exogenous at 6:13 AM on December 8, 2011 [2 favorites]


It was like the Super Bowl in there, what with the hollering and the trash talking.

I was the phone-a-friend on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire once. My friends weren't allowed to tell us whether (or how much) they'd won until months later, so when the episode aired we had only a vague notion of how it'd gone. We all gathered in somebody's workplace which had a bunch of big TVs and comfortable seats, and yeah, it was a lot like watching the Super Bowl or something. Great fun.
posted by penduluum at 6:21 AM on December 8, 2011


Huh. I kept telling my husband I knew the guy in the middle from somewhere. I was thinking MF but couldn't place the face.
posted by iconomy at 6:23 AM on December 8, 2011


For those who couldn't watch it but want a play-by-play, check out the J-archive. The first half of the episode is up now (second half soon to follow, I'm sure).
posted by phunniemee at 8:31 AM on December 8, 2011


Hey, that's great! Maybe we should update the sidebar to "mefites that have won on Jeopardy!"
posted by Curious Artificer at 9:17 AM on December 8, 2011


Maybe the sidebar is just fine.
posted by jessamyn (staff) at 9:20 AM on December 8, 2011 [2 favorites]


Heh. He missed an opportunity to throw away a question for a joke.

Tony: "May I Have Your Attention" for 200.

Alex: This 4-letter adjective can mean "showing courage" or "typeset in thick, dark lines".

Tony: What is CAPS!!!!
posted by Curious Artificer at 9:25 AM on December 8, 2011


I taped it! But posting it to Youtube, or discussing sharing it here, is frowned upon, I think. Suggestions?
posted by Pronoiac at 10:03 AM on December 8, 2011


Does that mean that pointing out where on the internet the video has been uploaded to (not by me) would be frowned upon? What about a vague reference to Tony's twitter feed, which is linked in his profile? Any problem with that?
posted by themanwho at 12:14 PM on December 8, 2011


Hmmm, I would have sworn that the aforementioned Twitter feed was relevant to the discussion. I was, it seems, mistaken.
posted by themanwho at 12:18 PM on December 8, 2011


No its fine. The issue was with someone who basically posted what happened on the show before it was even available to be watched by East Coast viewers. At this point people who don't want to be spoiled can stop reading this thread. If other people want to talk about it, go nuts.
posted by jessamyn (staff) at 12:19 PM on December 8, 2011


I was more concerned about linking to a video. I got slapped down in another forum for that, once.
posted by themanwho at 12:22 PM on December 8, 2011


I don't know what to tell you about that. This is not other forums. I don't know why that would have even been a problem.
posted by jessamyn (staff) at 12:22 PM on December 8, 2011


In that case:

Click here.
posted by themanwho at 12:24 PM on December 8, 2011 [2 favorites]


So I got the kids in bed and tuned in last night just in time for Double Jeopardy, and I'm all excited. My wife comes in and looks at me like I'm crazy, and I said "I'm emotionally invested in this right now because the bald guy is a MeFite. I feel I have a connection to the game because that guy and I are both members of the same website, even if we've never talked or met or interacted in any meaningful way."

I really liked his casual shrug and glance at the camera while it panned him during final Jeopardy. Looking forward to tonight's game.
posted by never used baby shoes at 1:45 PM on December 8, 2011 [8 favorites]


Ha! He sent ME a cd once! I'm WAY more emotionally invested in his performance than you are!
posted by Curious Artificer at 2:08 PM on December 8, 2011


Metafilter: This is not other forums.



also, GO CHICOBANGS!
posted by exlotuseater at 3:42 PM on December 8, 2011 [2 favorites]


This has been bugging for two days now and it finally clicked why: there is no $500 denomination anymore.
posted by cortex (staff) at 4:33 PM on December 8, 2011 [3 favorites]


Jesus, at least John Isner had the courtesy to check in here between games.
posted by gman at 4:36 PM on December 8, 2011


Nice job, chicobangs. I read this post this morning, and just now finished watching the show (not putting 2+2 together until "Wheel" came on and back-to-the-laptop).

PS - I guessed DE, too.....
posted by sundrop at 4:45 PM on December 8, 2011


Who is Button Gwinett?
posted by MrMoonPie at 4:52 PM on December 8, 2011


Damn.
posted by MrMoonPie at 4:54 PM on December 8, 2011


Nice job... chicobangs.... you did well.
posted by tomswift at 5:15 PM on December 8, 2011


Anyone watching tonight's game, I suggest you make a drinking game of it: take a drink every time someone says "all right."
posted by exogenous at 5:45 PM on December 8, 2011


I thought his voice sounded like Andrew Zimmern's.
posted by otters walk among us at 5:50 PM on December 8, 2011


Good job, chicobangs. I was only able to watch last night's episode. Congrats on even making it on the show!
posted by schleppo at 11:37 AM on December 9, 2011


Well in Chico - dont be replacing the old guy as presenter though :)

how many pairs of knee length socks can you buy for 20k ?

I demand an infographic.
posted by sgt.serenity at 4:11 PM on December 9, 2011


Awesome!
posted by safetyfork at 6:31 PM on December 9, 2011



With all the self-outings in this meta thread, it's up to about 30 or so now, right?

Oh, I'm sorry .......

"What is 30?"
posted by yesster at 8:32 PM on December 9, 2011


Thanks for all the wiki-updating, zarq!
posted by Zed at 11:32 PM on December 9, 2011 [1 favorite]


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