GAME THREE - Wednesday, June 18

You can find the clues, correct responses, and results of the game HERE. (Thanks again to the folks who maintain the J! Archive.)

After a quick (and this time uneventful) change of clothes it was back into the studio for Game 3. After another Hometown Howdy (something lame about watching to see if I could "Three-peat"), it was time to play.

My attitude was different going into this game. I was much more relaxed. I had achieved my three big goals:

1. Don't finish the first game in the negative and miss out on FJ and the conversation with Alex.
2. Win one game.
3. Win a second to prove that it wasn't a fluke.

Remember, these were goals, NOT expectations. I was so happy to have won two games I was just having fun in this game. Was I as focused? No. Did I play as well? No. But I did enjoy this game more - in the first two games I never would have said, "I couldn't have been more wrong" after fumbling the "Waterboy" clue (I responded "Drowning" instead of "Dehydration" as the way The Waterboy's father died in the movie). It was cool to hear what sounded like canned laughter added to the broadcast after my comment. Being relaxed also didn't help me to be judicious in ringing in - I gave a whopping FOUR incorrect responses.

Jules and Lucyanne were both excellent players. It was apparent that Lucyanne was quite nervous, but she played great. Her getting both DD's in DJ totally neutralized the way I had won the first games with big DD wagers. It also hurt that I got the J round DD so early - and that I had gone in and out of the negative prior to that so I didn't have much to wager.

Watching the game last night, as the clues dwindled and I fell behind Lucyanne, I said to my wife, "I don't know how I won this game." I was seriously surprised that I took the lead and held it with the last category - "We Have Met the Anime." What do I know about Anime? Thanks to my son, I knew the Pokemon and Transformers clues cold (Lucyanne beating me to the buzzer and responding "Bee Movie" instead of Transformers was really the clincher - a 2400 swing). I ALMOST knew the Akira clue (I responded "Akiro" and was negged 800) not from the Anime but from the part of the clue about Kirosawa's name. Where I knew "Sailor Moon" from I have no idea. God has just designed my brain to be "sticky," I guess, and pick up things when I don't even realize it.

On FJ, I wrote down "Henry Fonda" immediately then spent about 25 seconds trying to think who else it could be. When Jules got it right I knew I was right and knew I had won (the math was easier in this game). I had wagered to beat second-place Lucyanne by a dollar, but she missed anyway. I had won a third game!

I can't say enough how gracious both Lucyanne and Jules were. I hope I was as gracious a winner.

Now it was time for lunch. After being selected to play the first game of the day, I was quite pleasantly surprised to still be around. The remaining players were escorted to the studio commissary. The walk was quite cool - "Over there is where they filmed the Wizard of Oz . . . on that street they were just filming Men in Black II. "

Here's some inside info for tonight's game: If I look a little green, here's why - for lunch we could order pretty much whatever we wanted on J!'s dime. I was looking for something bland, so I ordered a grilled cheese sandwich. It was really good, but it was really good because it was fried in a lot of butter. The grease of the sandwich and the cheese did not do well on my hyped-up stomach. I'll have more about the effects of lunch in tomorrow's entry (isn't that something to look forward to!)

For now, advice for future contestants - stay away from anything greasy.

To the Next Installment - GAME FOUR