BAVRecapTeam
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They spin, buy and solve; we recap.
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Post by BAVRecapTeam on Mar 22, 2012 21:12:03 GMT -5
This will be my last recap of the month before I go on my sister's spring break vacation. My next one will be on April 2nd.
EPISODE #5594 - WEEKEND GETAWAYS
$1,000 Tossup - WHAT ARE YOU DOING?
_ E _ T _ N _ / A N
E _ R _ Y / _ _ A R T
Jake's GETTING AN EARLY START, and we're going down the line in the interviewing again...
Jake Watts[/color]: online health store owner w/ his brother who graduated from Texas State University in political science from Spring, TX
Julie Adams[/color]: part-time real-estate worker & furniture refurbisher from Eugene, OR
Monica Taylor[/color]: Army Chaplain working on her doctorate in pastoral community counseling from Stockbridge, GA
$2,000 Tossup - RHYME TIME
M I L E S / O F
S _ _ _ _ _
Julie's got MILES OF SMILES, so she's spinning first.
FEATURED WG: to the Ahwanee Hotel in Yosemite National Park worth $8K
Jackpot Round - PHRASE
Julie's first calls are a $400 N and a dud of I via FP before she BANKRUPTS next to top dollar. Monica controls the rest of the round...
N _ _ _ R / A T
A / _ O S S
_ O R / _ O R _ S
She's NEVER AT A LOSS FOR WORDS, so she's won her first $4,250.
SOLE DUD: I (Julie)
BANKRUPT: Julie
UNCLAIMED JACKPOT: $7,850
Pre-Round 2 Scores
Jake: $1K
Julie: $2K
Monica: $4,250
========
Mystery Round - SAME NAME
Right away, Monica puts up three N's while on the Mystery Wedge next to that MDW. She turns down $3K...and BANKRUPTS. Later, Jake gets $5,000 from the other MW but then loses his turn to the only dud vowel of this puzzle (O), so he may have kissed $5,550 goodbye. Afterwards, Julie narrows down the puzzle to this...
S _ _ A R E - D A N C E
& / S P A R R I N G
P A R T N E R
She solves SQUARE-DANCE & SPARRING PARTNER for $2,450.
SOLE DUD: O (Jake)
BANKRUPT: Monica
Pre-Round 3 Scores
Jake: $1K
Julie: $4,450
Monica: $4,250
========
PRIZE PUZZLE Round - ON THE MAP
Jake gets going w/ $7,000 worth of S's and a purchase of three A's, but the MDW's right-side BANKRUPT snatches his remaining $6,750. Secondly, Julie FPs four I's to clean out the vowels already, picks up the green 1/2 KIA w/ an H...
H A _ A I I ' S
_ I _ / I S _ A _ _
...and solves HAWAII'S BIG ISLAND for $500 plus a hotwire.com vacation to the Sheraton Keauhau Bay Resort & Spa worth $9,189, a total of $9,689 that round.
TRIP SPIN ID: DS5221370 (Donna S.)
BANKRUPT: Jake
Pre-Tossup #3 Scores
Jake: $1K
Julie: $14,139 cash and Hawaii
Monica: $4,250
========
$3,000 Tossup - THINGS
D _ _ _ S A U R
_ O _ _ I L _
Jake spots some DINOSAUR FOSSILS to quadruple his starting grand.
Round 4 - PLACE
Right away, Jake gets $10K from the S's. He dominates...
_ O W N T O W N
S _ _ S _ R A _ E R
...and solves DOWNTOWN SKYSCRAPER for $11,750! He's now in the lead w/ $15,750!
PERFECT ROUND!
Round 5 - EVENT (full $1,500 speed-up round)
Pat's first spin was that BANKRUPT next to $5K.
_ R _ S S
_ _ N _ _ R _ N _ _
Julie might be holding a PRESS CONFERENCE about her Wheel journey soon, because she's won the game w/ another $6K in her pockets!
SOLE DUD: T (Jake)
FINAL SCORES
Jake: $15,750
Julie: $20,139 cash and Hawaii
Monica: $4,250
TOTAL MAINGAME WINNINGS: $40,139
========
$100,000 Bonus Round
The E in AMERICA'S is Julie's potential prize.
Category: PHRASE
Let's see some of that RSTLNE...
_ / _ R _ _ _ T
_ _ T _ R E
G, C, M and A give her...
A / _ R _ G _ T
_ _ T _ R E
She still has nothing, so she WON'T have A BRIGHT FUTURE w/ the $30K (fourth straight time that's been lost). That sends her home w/ $20,139 cash and trip. This week is now on a BR SHUTOUT ALERT.
PROPERTYOF WOF LOVERS RECAPPERS. UNAUTHORIZED REPRODUCTION IS PROHIBITED.
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WayoshiM
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Post by WayoshiM on Mar 22, 2012 21:15:46 GMT -5
That was, by far by far by far by infinitely far, the worst freakin' PP in the history of everything. Dock the puzzle writers' pay on that one.
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an007
Popular since the mid '90s.
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Post by an007 on Mar 22, 2012 21:16:11 GMT -5
Good maingame in the end except for that BR. R1: $4,250 isn't too shabby for Monica. R2: Yes, Jake gets the Uvoider label. Too bad for Monica's MW outcome. R3: Bad luck for Jake despite getting the big money. And why puzzle writers did you explicitly state where Julie will be going?!  R4: Great way for Jake to bounce back w/ a five-figure total! Bonus Round: I had that w/ the RSTLNE. I really hate seeing somebody waste a pick on an obvious letter. Wayoshi's FGHI would've been the WTG. EPISODE RATING: 7 out of 10 |
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tenpoundhammer
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Post by tenpoundhammer on Mar 22, 2012 21:16:32 GMT -5
Unspectacular game. Nuff said.
Pretty low vowel count too. I was surprised that R2 and R5 only had two vowels in them each.
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MarioGS
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Post by MarioGS on Mar 22, 2012 21:20:14 GMT -5
TU1: Interesting twist that it's themed toward the game rather than the theme. I still don't like it, but it's better than having it themed after the week, I guess. Too bad there aren't that many possiblities for using the first Toss Up as a theme in that manner.  R2: Yay, the ampersand is back for Same Name. ;D (Watch its next appearance use AND again ) Nice to see a true $1000 space get some action, too. Make it an actual space next season, please. R3: Despite other opinions, I don't think this is the worst puzzle of the season at all. The non-phrase about ski-lift tickets still holds that title in my book (I take back my comments on "EXPERIENCE LIFE IN THE CARRIBEAN" in that episode's recap ) I knew this with no letters thanks to so many PP copies using that. Also, NICKNAME!  R4: Great haul for Jake after starting R3 the same way but Bankrupting. R5: Bankrupt AGAIN? Either leave in the invalid spins or do what you did before by removing the second Bankrupt if R4 will be a full Speed Up... BR: The A wasn't necessarily a waste. With the category being "Phrase", it could have been either A or I, so calling one of the two is usually a good move in that sense. I knew it RSTLNE. She shouldn't have been completely frozen on that. I felt really bad for Jake. If it weren't for the PP, his R4 domination (thanks to the great $5K) would have given him the well-deserved win. This was actually a decent show for once, but that's not really saying much, especially with the shutout alert.
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Post by mcbridebobby on Mar 22, 2012 21:21:52 GMT -5
Nice comeback by Jake; too bad it ultimately fell short.
Another easy bonus puzzle NOT capitalized on.
Score: 7
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whammy007
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Post by whammy007 on Mar 22, 2012 21:26:18 GMT -5
TU1&2: Theme fail on #1 - who gets an early start on the weekend?
R1: There are worse numbers than $4,250 for an opening round. Not too shabby.
R2: By the numbers, that was a good Mystery risk, but too bad that it doesn't work. Nice to get a quintuple on the "regular" $1,000 space though... then we get the ONLY BAD VOWEL again. Should've been a lot better result than $2,450.
R3: Great opening spin here, and I was able to solve with just the S's. Then Bankrupt ruins all the fun, and all we have left to look at is a Trip Puzzle that couldn't possibly be more explicit. Plus we get tripskatery as Julie solves for $500... sigh.
TU3: We're spreading the cash around - third place has $4,000 at this point!
R4: Finally, we get a top dollar hit that pays off!
R5: Julie is able to claim the game here with a nice solve. At least we had no Pity Thousands.
Bonus: I RSTLNE'd this one - the BGH or FGH trios would be a big help. Finally, somebody who doesn't flinch back from the $30,000 like it's $100,000.
Overall: This was very unimpressive, but not disastrous. I'll give it an average 6/10.
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phithpleis
I got the BR puzzle with just the RSTLNE.
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Post by phithpleis on Mar 22, 2012 21:41:47 GMT -5
Always ridiculously cheap when the PP blatantly shows what the prize is supposed to be. When will we ever have better prize puzzles? And yet another easily solvable puzzle blown to smithereens here. Clearly that puzzle was made to prevent a possible BR shutout warning. Quickly had it with the RSTLNE.
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tenpoundhammer
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Post by tenpoundhammer on Mar 22, 2012 23:03:39 GMT -5
The last time they had that bonus puzzle, the contestant got it despite striking out on their letters.
This one was like "Oh hehehehe, A BRIGHT FUTURE" as soon as the F lit up. Sort of like the ditz last year who picked asinine letters on FOOD FOR THOUGHT and yet somehow knew it as soon as the H lit up.
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Post by djcchs2004 on Mar 22, 2012 23:05:30 GMT -5
The Prize Puzzle was a no brainer. Are the writer started to run out of ideas? Probably they need to do some non-trip prizes(like HDTV, computer, etc.).
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tenpoundhammer
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Post by tenpoundhammer on Mar 22, 2012 23:15:49 GMT -5
^ Can they at least use KNEE DEEP BY ZAC BROWN BAND & JIMMY BUFFETT as a PP first? That would be a good tropical puzzle.
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MarioGS
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Post by MarioGS on Mar 22, 2012 23:42:23 GMT -5
They won't. That song is from 2010. They never use new songs in puzzles. Not even during the teen or college weeks. |
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tenpoundhammer
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Post by tenpoundhammer on Mar 22, 2012 23:49:30 GMT -5
They won't. That song is from 2010. They never use new songs in puzzles. Not even during the teen or college weeks. My comment wasn't very serious. But still, I see no reason to avoid the new songs. I mean, except for Moves Like Jagger because it sucked. |
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Post by stardf29 on Mar 23, 2012 1:15:06 GMT -5
I think what irked me most about the PP was the complete lack of consonants in it (H, W, B, G, S, L, N, D: 8 out of 21), and no consonant appeared there more than once.
R4 was definitely the highlight: nice to see him cash in pretty well on the big money outside of the Speed-Up.
Another blown Bonus Round. I had that easily at RSTLNE, and while B, F, G, H, and I all would have helped, the lone G she got should have been all she needed. At least it was just the minimum (again)...
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WarioSajak
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Post by WarioSajak on Mar 23, 2012 1:46:49 GMT -5
Round 3 was a clear stinkbomb -- the Trip Puzzle is clearly broken, and there's only one way to fix it: stop restricting the "Prize" Puzzle to trips. Firing the bozos responsible for writing the current, terrible ones would be a plus, especially if Friedman's among them. Knowing Wheel, they'll take the route of "do nothing"...which has been their solution to various other problems over the years that doesn't involve the editing room. R3: Despite other opinions, I don't think this is the worst puzzle of the season at all. The non-phrase about ski-lift tickets still holds that title in my book WHERE DO I PICK UP MY SKI-LIFT TICKETS? (The sad part is, I have that burned into my memory. Even sadder is that it's so bad that I screwed up the first word.) I felt really bad for Jake. If it weren't for the PP, his R4 domination (thanks to the great $5K) would have given him the well-deserved win. This, this, a thousand times this. The funny thing is, this goes completely against Pat's "good solvers/lousy solvers" thing regarding returning players (a reasoning I think is a load of BS in the first place) -- a good puzzle-solver can be beaten by a lousy one solely because the lousy solver got the guaranteed prize. |
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Post by Flerbert419 on Mar 23, 2012 2:10:47 GMT -5
I actually agree with Julie's call of the A for the bonus round, since it eliminates something starting with "I". That being said, it was a completely gettable puzzle that she just whiffed on. A good puzzle-solver can be beaten by a lousy one solely because the lousy solver got the guaranteed prize. Isn't part of being a good player knowing about the Prize Puzzle and using it to your advantage? If it has to get given away to somebody, it might as well be me. |
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Guint
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Post by Guint on Mar 23, 2012 5:43:29 GMT -5
My comment wasn't very serious. But still, I see no reason to avoid the new songs. I mean, except for Moves Like Jagger most every recent song because they suck. Fixed. As per the second statement, it's probably because every time there's a puzzle with recent pop culture, it seems the contestants somehow fail spectacularly at it (remember the X FACTOR puzzle from November?). Oh, and worse PP candidate. EDIT: FTFY. Also, anyone remember WHICH WAY TO THE BEACH? |
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germanname1990
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Post by germanname1990 on Mar 23, 2012 7:55:20 GMT -5
And with this week being a bonus shut-out alert and Friday being March 23rd, I remember the on last three March 23rds (2009, 2010, 2011; I don't know about 2008) the $100,000 envelope was landed on. Of those three, only 2011 was a loss, and with the way things have been going lately, however, if the $100,000 is landed on for at least the fourth March 23rd in a row, I can smell the week ending on a real bad note.  |
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Post by borusa on Mar 23, 2012 12:37:12 GMT -5
Pat said at the end of the show that Vanna wears overalls in her garden. I hope she does. I would love to see videos or photos of Vanna in them. I'll keep checking Vanna's Voice.
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WarioSajak
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Post by WarioSajak on Mar 23, 2012 18:50:08 GMT -5
I remember the on last three March 23rds (2009, 2010, 2011; I don't know about 2008) the $100,000 envelope was landed on. Of those three, only 2011 was a loss Going backward... * 2008: Sunday; next day had a $100,000 win, previous Friday had a $25,000 loss * 2007: $30,000 loss * 2006: $25,000 loss * 2005: $25,000 win * 2004: $40,000 loss (with a $100,000 loss two days later) * 2003: Sunday; previous Friday had a $25,000 win (and a $100,000 loss the following Thursday) * 2002: (unlisted on TPH's Bonus Puzzle Compendium) A good puzzle-solver can be beaten by a lousy one solely because the lousy solver got the guaranteed prize. Isn't part of being a good player knowing about the Prize Puzzle and using it to your advantage? Yes, but it's just a problem. "Well, you solved the most puzzles, but you didn't win. Our big winner, thanks entirely to the Trip Puzzle, is..." It's just not fair to good solvers when they lose because the show insists on something idiotic. (Also, Guint, thanks for the correction. That's how terrible the frickin' thing was.) |
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