Episode 26.6 - Jeopardy! 3: Rise of the Machines
February 21

Chico: Chico Alexander here... and thank goodness that a computer hasn't been invented to provide thoughtful, provoking and entertainment game show insight. Otherwise... we're screwed.
Gordon-Bot: (blip...blip....blip...) I...am...a...brobot.
Robert: Great, it's Skynet all over again. I'll get the hose.
Chico: Get the hose, Rob.
Gordon-Bot: I...have a hose...in my pants.
Robert: *Sprays the Gordon-Bot*
Gordon: (walks in)...Hey! What are you doing to my robot?
Chico: ... I didn't do it.
Gordon: (stares at Rob)
Robert: ...Jason Block made me do it.
Gordon: Last time I checked, he wasn't in the show this week. And you won't be either if you keep that up.
Robert: *throws away the hose*
Chico: Alright, what Brad and Ken couldn't do, we're about to. Because from somewhere in America... WLTI... is... ON! Thanks for being a part of our week and allowing us to be a part of yours.
Gordon: Gordon Pepper here, along with our suddenly less-than-special guest, from Game Show Garbage... Mr. Robert Seidelman.
Robert: Hey, anything to prevent the uprising of the computer androidian overlords.
Gordon: We have a very very special interview for 20 Questions, but first, we start with the Man Vs. Machine tournament on Jeopardy.
Chico: And the quote that pretty much defined this entire week. This from Ken Jennings as he's resigned to his fate...

"I for one welcome our new computer overlords."

Robert: He was at that game, but may I be somewhat of a cynicist here?
Chico: Why not?
Robert: Thank you. Watson itself is impressive. However, the true pride goes into the people who created the buzzing mechanism for Watson. How quick did he come through for that one. I think you can clock the time that it takes for Watson to buzz in at 1/100th of a second.
Chico: Interesting point. But consider this...100 servers...15 trillion bytes... all receiving the same information at the same time that the contestants do, including when to safely ring.
Gordon: Very true. Even though you didn't have video categories or audio categories, or word play categories (Before and After, etc.), you can counter that with a computer that was successfully able to dominate in a question and answer quizzer.
Robert: True, but you had none of the specialty categories that could trip up even the best players. It was just straight forward Answers and Questions.
Chico: It was basically season 1 Jeopardy!.
Robert: Or what you get in the Video Games
Gordon: And that's a tailored advantage to Watson.
Robert: I'm guessing the people at Jeopardy thought that the special shouldn't be about what Watson couldn't do, it's all about what he can do.
Chico: Yeah, now that I'm reading the games at J-archive.com, all the clues there... there are two or three big words that stand out.
Robert: What are they, Chico?
Chico: Like for this one:

The samplefest "The Grey Album" & the band Gnarls Barkley are 2 projects of Brian Burton, aka this.

Chico: Watson is programmed with millions if not billions of possibilities. All he could do was connect "Grey Album", "Gnarls Barkley" and "Brian Burton" together to get...
Gordon: Who is DJ Dangermouse?
Chico: DJ Dangermouse, yes. It's essentially like playing against Wikipedia. Only he has a buzzer.
Robert: And 2.5 Terabytes of information.
Chico: Doesn't even have a grasp on metastrategy, not that it matters. It was his to lose on broad based knowledge alone.
Robert: And the fine folks at IBM made a very superior machine.
Chico: Oh yeah.
Robert: Although the machine isn't completely infallible. I mean, do we have to mention Toronto as an American city with 2 airports?
Chico: I wonder what the percentage on that one was. I mean, we did get an idea, it was a 5 question mark response. What does that tell you?
Robert: 10-20% Aren't we having another ToC this year?
Chico: Yep. That's going to be awesome. Let it be known that the intent was there to show Watson off to the public, to show that a computer can understand natural language, and to boost ratings for Sony.
Robert: Which it did in spades.
Gordon: All missions accomplished.
Chico: Because it's sweeps and this, and now I'm talking out of my Jason Block... was an infomercial for a research grant to take Watson to the next level. Next up is the Teen Tournament.
Robert: Another excellent tournament. I think it's great that Watson will have practical uses. Isn't he now being used in a DC medical facility?
Chico: Columbia University. As for the game itself, you probably want a Final Jeopardy!
Gordon: Sure.
Robert: I'm game.
Chico: Okay, see if you can find the big words, connect them, and solve this one...19th Century Novelists is the category...

William Wilkinson's "An Account of the Principalities of Wallachia and Moldavia" inspired this author's most famous novel.

Robert: Who is Bram Stoker?
Gordon: Who is the Marquis De Sade? Because reading any of Wilkinson's books is the equivalent of torture.
Chico: ... CLOSE. It was Bram Stoker, the book was "Dracula". So Watson becomes the first non-human to win Jeopardy!, and the first non-human to get this...



Gordon: Well done, Watson. Now what about a contest that shows us just how bad some people can play a game?
Chico: How bad you're talking?
Gordon: I'm talking the first Tribal Council where everyone spilled out their guts. And someone's chances to win a million dollars was seriously crippled.



Gordon: Rule #1 of trying to get rid of someone: Don't let them know about it.
Chico: That was just horrible.
Robert: To quote Bob Barker..."That's Dumb!"
Chico: If I may recap...Boston Rob and Philip were going to take a close look at Kristina, who was looking for a clue to the hidden immunity Idol. Kristina finds the idol WITHOUT a clue and tells Francesca and Phillip about it. An alliance is BORN!
Gordon: Yay!
Chico: Then at Tribal, Phillip just lets the cat out of the bag telling everyone that Francesca wanted Rob out. An alliance is DEAD!
Gordon: (plays Taps)
Chico: Phillip flipped, and Francesca was voted out, 4-3-2. So if ever you want to be on Survivor and have plans on forming an alliance the first day, Do yourself a favor and don't do what these three did. Pretty much guaranteed trips to the Ponderosa.
Robert: Yeah, just poor judgment and play all around. And if they were going to capitalize on a golden opportunity, that would have been it. Knowing past Survivor history, the further Rob gets into the game, the most dangerous he is.
Chico: True.
Robert: So, if you were going to get rid of Rob, that was it.
Chico: They had the right idea, but the execution killed it. Dead.
Gordon: Keep in mind that Francesca is not out of the game YET. She has to battle her way back from Redemption Island. On the other hand, Rob right now is in a very pretty spot. He already has 2 expendables (Kristina and Philip) set up to go before he has to think about being jettisoned himself.
Robert: Which is bad news for Kristina, since she has to burn her idol before she gets too far deep into the game.
Gordon: She's going to be hoping for a tribal switch very soon or a run of tribe wins from her tribe.
Chico: In any case, we have our next two victim... err, casualties... err.. morons... you get it. Not the dumbest move in Survivor history, but down there.
Robert: That's pretty bad.
Gordon: It is. But we do have some good. Who's up for singing Idolers?



Chico: Show me the good, G.
Gordon: We do have 60 singers left. Next week, what will determine who we vote for will hinge on ...The Beatles.
Chico: Interesting choice of song. I'm guessing that'll be the new "Vegas Round"?
Gordon: Apparently. On one aspect, I like it, since it really is something the Idolers will have to do - that is select a song among limited choices. On the other hand, do we really want to waste the Beatles on this round of the competition instead of a Beatles week of some sort?
Chico: I don't know. The last time they had something like that they stretched it into two weeks. And it ended up sucking.
Robert: It just seems like a humongous waste.
Gordon: I'll ask again...thoughts on the talent?
Chico: Again, it's not any better, it's just more.
Robert: It's very ho-hum to me.
Chico: I mean, wait until the finals when they pressure is on and they REALLY start to get groomed. No one is willing to grow. You see the groups. They stick with their own. They feed on each other. It's not doing anything for them personally.
Robert: It's just like they're all the same make and model in the long conveyor belt that is the early American Idol Eliminations before Hollywood.
Chico: Then comes the live rounds and the bottom drops out and you point and laugh. :-)
Gordon: What makes it worse for me this year is that usually we have some sort of unique voice or talent, like a Crystal Bowersox or Adam Lambert. This year, we're getting the sob stories, but not the uniqueness of talent,
Chico: EXACTLY.
Gordon: And when that happens, hot guy with guitar (tm) wins.
Chico: We have hot guys and guitars, but the two have not met as of yet. The only thing stopping them from meeting is that unique voice. That we have yet to hear. We've yet to see a lot of things that usually signify a champion. So I ask again... Where's the good?
Gordon: We're one week closer to actually seeing who got selected and getting to vote for them, which is good because we'll be that much closer to getting to the meat and potatoes of the competition.
Chico: Meanwhile, I feel like catching a cab... or two.
Gordon: That would signify the debut of the new seasons of Cash Cab: NYC and Chicago. Which city are we starting in first?
Chico: Let's start in your city. NYC begins run 8 of the Emmy-award winning series.
Gordon: Good old NYC
Chico: Nothing out of the ordinary to report, but Ben Bailey does get an EP credit now. After his Emmy win, well deserved.
Robert: Yes it is. He's a venerable guy there and he's a great guy behind the wheel.
Gordon: Now what did you think of Chicago?
Chico: It's no different from NYC. The X factor here is Beth Melewski, the host. Ben was New York, and Beth is Chicago.
Robert: Being in Chicago the week before she started, she does have some good aspects. I think it's no different than Ben's hosting, but I slightly prefer Ben to her, but I think she'll grow on ya.
Chico: Yeah, but then again, I've never been a Chicago guy, but she fits the city to a tee.
Robert: She does have the Chicago feel. It just adds to the atmosphere.

	CASH CAB CHICAGO Discovery - 6:30p ET Weeknights
	GORDON	CHICO	ROBERT	AVERAGE-O-MATIC
	B	B+	B+	B+

Chico: I agree. She has her own style that takes some time to get used to. I still think she has potential. And she's more light-hearted, less wry, and that's the double-edge sword. When you're following a seasoned vet (can we call Ben a seasoned vet now?)... you're going to draw comparisons. I think both have something to offer, and Beth is going to come into her own given time. B+
Robert: Yeah, I think she'll be fine. It's Cash Cab, Host who holds her own, but not as good as Ben, I gotta agree with Chico, Really Solid B+
Gordon: Well the show is solid. They don't change anything from the NYC version. and I think Beth will be good. B for me.
Chico: NOW... is it as good as Jump City?
Robert: That's the Parkour Free-running show on G4, right?
Gordon: Right, Rob. Jump City is about Parkour. Parkour shows can either be really good, or really, really cheesy, like MTV's version of the show.
Robert: They are in my neck of the woods for this go-round.
Chico: Hence the title, Jump City Seattle. Because holding a show in Seattle and naming it Jump City Orlando would be effin' stupid. Anyways, four teams converge onto the city of Seidelman to see who is the best of the best in the urban jungle.
Gordon: They go against each other in 2 types of events. One is the speed round, where they have to parkour their way around an obstacle course. The other is a 'style' round, where they get graded on their moves. If a team wins both rounds, they win the match. If not, we go to Sudden death, where one person represents the team. Now the good: This is not nearly as awful as the NTV show.
Chico: And that, if you recall, was pretty gruesome.
Gordon: And if you follow Sasuke, you'll see Levi "Skynative" Meeuwenberg on the show, as well as Brian "Nosole" Orosco.
Chico: And Paul Darnell, and Caine Sinclair, all of whom took to Mount Midoriyama at one time or another. They make up the LA team - Team Tempest. The show is pretty much all business. I mean, whereas the MTV show was about style over substance, this is about substance. This show has meat on it.
Gordon: And now, the bad.
Chico: It's nothing we haven't seen before.
Gordon: True, and I really don't like the Freestyle Round. It's pretty, but it's subjective, which means I'm guessing we'll see a lot of the teams that lose round 1 wins round 2 so we can get to the tiebreaker. I also wasn't too impressed with the first time round. I'd like them to be creative and have obstacles that need true teamwork to get through. Not an individually run course.
Chico: So it's basically engineered for Sudden death.

	JUMP CITY SEATTLE G4 - 8p ET Tuesdays
	GORDON	CHICO	ROBERT	AVERAGE-O-MATIC
	C+	C+	NO GRADE	A 3.... out of 5

Gordon: Pretty much. I want to see action and teamwork, not artistry that's subjective. So I like the talent and I like the idea, but the execution falls flat for me. Sorry. C+
Chico: I'm going to have to agree with G. It's just Ultimate Parkour done better. C+. Or in G4 parlance, a 3 out of five.
Gordon: We switch from jumping for fun to jumping for joy over a big payout.



Gordon: (divided by 4)
Chico: This week, it's Carter Prescott, a speechwriter from New York City. She is risking $75,000 on this question for $250,000.

After a 1960s contest to name him, ad mascot Mr. Clean was given what first name?

A: Veritably
B: Rollo
C: Wink
D: Gently

Chico: Now if you've been paying attention, this one is easy. ESPECIALLY for a $250,000 question.
Gordon: For some bizarro reason, I remember seeing this recently, and I think it's A.
Chico: You remember correctly, and it was on a recent episode of Jeopardy!.
Gordon: A-ha.
Chico: Carter went with B... this was for the Women's College at Denver...They're only getting $25,000, which is better than nothing, all things considered.
Robert: True.
Gordon: It's only easy because it was recent. But yes, $25,000 is a good amount. Now Eve told me she has a question for you, Chico.
Chico: Hit me

Where did you put the food for the BrainVision Hamsters?

A. In the refrigerator
B. By the TV
C. In the closet
D. You kept it in your car and forgot to bring it into the BrainVision newsroom, so I had to go out, buy extra, and overspend on the budget

Chico: Ok. It was that ONE time. And the answer: B. It's always B.
Gordon: Eve's shaking her head and pointing to the back of your car, bro.
Chico: At least she's bringing it in...
Gordon: That's one nasty looking scowl
Chico: ... uh oh. Let me... uh... go help her.
Gordon: While you too patch things up, Roll that Beautiful Brain Footage.

(Doug: Live, local, and latebreaking... From the four corners of the globe to your frontal lobe, this is WLTI Brainvision News, and now here's Gordon Pepper, Chico Alexander, and the award-winning Brainvision News Team)

Chico: ... okay, we've got the food over to the hamsters, and the cat is separated from them. BAD EVE!
Robert: Need the hose, Chico?
Chico: Maybe. But let's get to the datebook first.
Robert: Sounds good to me.

Wednesday is Doubleheader day for the CW. We have America's Next Top Model, followed by Shedding for the Wedding.

Robert: Is it wrong for me to be a bit worried about Shedding for the Wedding?
Gordon: No. We've seen this before.
Chico: Basically Biggest Loser... Plus Bridalplasty... minus surgery.
Robert: Right. This should be interesting then.
Chico: Doing it the old fashioned way... as old fashioned as TV can make it, anyway.
Gordon: You mean an old fashioned train wreck.
Chico: It's on the CW isn't it?
Robert: BTW, who's the people behind this one?
Chico: 25/7 productions for Warner Horizon TV.
Robert: These are the people behind Stylista and The Search for the next Pussycat Doll. Now I'm really worried.
Chico: Well, I got something that's a little less worrisome. First... I need a bluelight.
Gordon: We're not at a diner.
Chico: Nope, we're at a Kmart
Gordon: Ah. I know what's coming.

And so does Univision, for their new show, Arrasa con Todo con Kmart. That translates into "Sweep It All with Kmart". It's essentially Supermarket Sweep meets Shop til You Drop in a Kmart

Robert: I've heard some good stuff about this show.
Chico: Well, something about the Spanish game show that just breeds success. We've seen it for years with Sabado Gigante, Que Dice la Gente, Trato Hecho, et al. They basically remember that the game and the players are the stars. It airs Saturdays at 4 on Univision & Univision HD. BTW, Drew Carey's Improv-a-Ganza is delayed two weeks to April 11. Newlywed Game premieres one week later.
Gordon: That makes sense. You want to roll out your properties together.
Robert: It does make good sense.
Chico: And 1 vs. 100 gets the shoe.
Robert: I heard it gets shoed to Weekends starting Next weekend.
Gordon: They're in repeats anyways. You need to get rid of that for the new shows.
Chico: Right. Smart move. Now, a dumb one.
Gordon: Now this makes no sense...or no cents.

Are You Smarter than...Aaron Buerge, who finds himself in a debt of 9.3 million dollars. That's not the dumb part, as people get into trouble every day.

Chico: Of course.

The dumb part is when asked about him filing for bankruptcy, he gives us this, 'I'm not broke. I'm not in financial distress -- nothing like that. Otherwise, I wouldn't be paying everybody, We've been making payments every month, but they've just been coming more quickly than I had planned'.

Chico: On what planet is $9.3M in the hole "not broke"?
Gordon: DeNial is not a river in Egypt.
Chico: He and MC Hammer been trading stock tips or something?
Robert: Ouch.
Chico: ... Too soon?
Robert: *checks calendar* Nope, but still ouch.
Gordon: Have some Haterade.
Chico: Yes please

David Archuleta's first album sold 765,000 copies. ALbum #2 , which got almost zero publicity, sold 67,000 copies. Hence he's been dropped from his label like a sack of potatoes.

Chico: He needed a guitar. Justin Bieber had a guitar.
Robert: And a great haircut.
Gordon: David needs to get fully loaded. I think he's legal to do that.

If you liked the Watson matches, you can pick up Stephen Baker's book, "Final Jeopardy: Man vs. Machine and the Quest to Know Everything", out this week. While you're at your local store, you can also pick up "You Don't Know Jack", which is also out.

Chico: Versions exist for the big five. Those being Xbox, PS3, Wii, DS and PC. I got the PS3 version... Cookie's back.
Gordon: It's a great game when I was growing up. It would be hot if it was just as good now.
Robert: I'll have to Gamefly that baby.
Chico: You have to. The only thing is it's just 10 questions and the Jack Attack. But there is DLC, so there's that.
Gordon: True. And they always have questions on Media Hoes.
Chico: (Plays "Pimpin' all Over The World")

In this week's Media Ho Report, Katharine McPhee does a pilot, Tim Gunn doesn't want Snooki or any Teen Moms anywhere near Project Runway, Jeff Probst launches a web site...Wayne Brady and Holly Robinson Peete host the NAACP Image Awards, Simon Cowell may do a lottery game show, Bob Barker wants all elephants out of Canada...Ben Bailey does Comedy Central, Melissa Rycroft has a baby girl, and Boy George wants to do The X Factor - if he gets Cheryl Cole's Wardrobe Budget.

Gordon: But none of them are the ho of the week.
Chico: What do you got this week?
Gordon: I got Tom Johnston, who is a member of the Doobie Brothers. His daughter is Lara Johnston, who is still on American Idol as a potential contestant.
Chico: Still in Hollywood?
Gordon: Still there. The question is...will she stay there?
Chico: We'll see.
Gordon: And those...are your hoes.
Chico: Meanwhile, let's take a trip.
Robert: Alrighty.

There was a fire in Nigeria a while back. After repairing their set to Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, they're back in business.

Robert: That's damned good for them.
Chico: Awesome
Gordon: I'm glad everyone was ok.
Chico: So am I. And that's Brainvision. Shut'er down, Rob.
Robert: Yes sir. *shuts down Brainvision*
Chico: Thanks, sir.
Gordon: When we come back, we have a very special interview with Todd Crain, the host of the 170 game demos between Ken Jennings, Brad Rutter and Watson and ex-Jeopardy! contestants.
Chico: And then... other people saying interesting things. You're riding shotgun with WLTI.. You give us 22 minutes, we'll give you 22 other stupid things castaways have done in front of supercomputers.

(BrainVision is sponsored by Pic-Ho-Reka, Try to find all of the Media Hoes and relatives of media hoes to be. This week; The Lindsay Lohan and the family portraits.)

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