October 26, 2011 Game Recap (EPISODE #5488)

EPISODE #5488 - HALLOWEEN WEEK

$1,000 Tossup - ON THE MAP

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ I A

Brandon quickly solves TRANSYLVANIA. On the day of Pat's 65th birthday, let's meet our players...

Brandon Lindloff: poker dealer and sports fan from Rockford, IL
Trista Struve: office manager for a roofing company from Flagstaff, AZ (originally from River Falls, WI)
Nikki Lietzke: major movie studio tour guide as well as an event/wedding planner from Burbank, CA

$2,000 Tossup - LIVING THING

W _ A _ E
S _ _ R K

Brandon's two for two w/ WHALE SHARK.

FEATURED HALLOWEEN PRIZE: trip to the Woodlands Inn (a restored 1906 mansion) in Charleston, SC w/ a Ghost Dungeon Walking Tour of the city worth $5,535

Jackpot Round - TITLE

Brandon begins w/ three T's for $7,500. He dominates...

I T ' _ / T H E
_ _ E A T / _ _ _ _ _ I _
_ H A _ _ I E / _ _ O _ _

...and solves "IT'S THE GREAT PUMPKIN, CHARLIE BROWN" for $7,400.

PERFECT ROUND!
UNCLAIMED JACKPOT: $7,950

Pre-Round 2 Scores
Nikki: $0
Brandon: $10,400
Trista: $0

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Round 2 - BEFORE AND AFTER

Early on, Trista FPs three I's. A little later, she picks up the MDW with five H's. Next is three A's via FP, but after all that work comes BANKRUPT to snatch $5,150 and the MDW. Nikki then puts up three G's for $10,500 and purchases the O's. We now have...

T H I N G _ / T H A T
G O / _ _ _ _ / I N
T H E / N I G H T
_ A T _ H _ A N

...but she blows the solve w/ THINGS THAT GO BUMP IN THE NIGHT MARATHON, possibly costing her $10,250. Brandon then lights up the S for a 1/2 car...

T H I N G S / T H A T
G O / _ _ _ _ / I N
T H E / N I G H T
_ A T _ H _ A N

...and solves THINGS THAT GO BUMP IN THE NIGHT WATCHMAN for the house minimum.

BANKRUPT: Trista
DQ: Nikki's blown solve

Pre-Round 3 Scores
Nikki: $0
Brandon: $11,400 + 1/2
Trista: $0

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Mystery Round - PHRASE (PRIZE PUZZLE)

Early on, Brandon picks up the PartyCity gift tag with two T's. He dominates...

_ H _ _ H / _ _ _ / T O
T H E / _ E _ _ _ H ?

...and solves "WHICH WAY TO THE BEACH?" for $2,100 cash and party supplies...and a trip to the Divi Dutch Village Beach Resort in ARUBA worth $5,100; he's won another $7,200 that round. The bad news for him is that the Ford Fiesta is now out of play.

TRIP SPIN ID: JP6113599 (Jeanine P. from Florida)

SOLE DUD: R (Nikki at the start)

Pre-Tossup #3 Scores
Nikki: $0
Brandon: $18,600
Trista: $0

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$3,000 Tossup - PLACE

C _ S _ _ M E
S H _ P

Brandon's still perfect as he solves COSTUME SHOP for a new total of $21,600.

Round 4 - FUN AND GAMES

B _ B B I N G / _ _ _
_ _ _ _ E S

Brandon solves BOBBING FOR APPLES for the house minimum and $22,600 overall.

DUDS: T (Brandon), D (Trista)
BANKRUPT: Nikki ($0)

Round 5 - WHAT ARE YOU DOING?

Trista starts w/ an N, but we're running out of time...

_ _ _ _ _ _ N _ / _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

...and the remaining consonants each yield $1,350. Much later...

C H _ C K _ N G / M _
H _ R _ S C _ _ _

For the first time since early April of this year, somebody has SWEPT THE MAINGAME!!! Brandon solves CHECKING MY HOROSCOPE for another $2,700!

DUDS: L (Nikki), T (Brandon)

FINAL SCORES
Nikki: gooseegged for $1K
Brandon: $25,300 cash and prizes
Trista: same as Nikki

TOTAL MAINGAME WINNINGS: $27,300

========

TOTAL CLEAN SWEEP ALERT
Brandon lands on the N in SPIN.

Category: THING
This 10-letter answer starts out as...

_ _ R T _
_ _ _ _ R

D, G, M and A give him...

_ A R T _
_ A _ _ R

...but it DOESN'T happen as he says PARTY CAPER and PARTY PAPER. That means he won't be getting a PARTY FAVOR...














































































...worth another $35,000. He leaves w/ $25,300 cash and prizes.