Transcript 6/24/09: Carla Wills (Carryover)

[BBTranscriptTeam]

Carla Wills
Jersey City, NJ
Magazine editor

Carla's career as a magazine editor and singer didn't impress Meredith as much as the fact that Carla is a grandmother, despite the fact that she looks like a teenager. Carla has a 7-month-old granddaughter named Eva (whose picture is shown). When Eva gets old enough to talk, Carla wants to be called "MORE" (pronounced "Moray"), which stands for "Mother Once REmoved" (since "Grandma" sounds too old). Eva's home with Carla's daughter (her mother), Janelle, but Carla's other daughter, Erica, is in the audience relationship chair.

Carly has $200, and all of her lifelines are remaining. Her category tree:

Head Count
Raccoons
Crime Fighters
Thugs
Vocals
The Godfather
Going to the Show
No Turning Back Now
We Are the Champions
What's Your Point?
The Mafia
All Mixed Up
Shoot Me Straight
(Nasty Weather)
(Amelia Earhart)

$300 (Shoot Me Straight): Hypocritically stating an opinion you don't truly believe is known as "paying" what kind of "service"?
A. Elbow service B. Gut service
C. Chin service D. Lip service

Spoiler

D. Lip service (9)

$500 (All Mixed Up): The unusual 1966 movie "Jesse James Meets Frankenstein's Daughter" is a combination of what two film genres?
A. Western & horror B. Drama & disaster
C. War & film noir D. Musical & gangster

Spoiler

A. Western & horror (7)

$1,000 (The Mafia): Because most of them were Latter-day Saints, the men in Howard Hughes' entourage were known by what nickname?
A. The Jewish Mafia B. The Mormon Mafia
C. The Catholic Mafia D. The Quaker Mafia

Spoiler

B. The Mormon Mafia (7)

Carla has earned the ATE lifeline, with Carmen Wong Ulrich of CNBC's "On the Money". Meredith asks Carmen how she's enjoying being an "expert," and Carmen says she is loving it. She's a big trivia buff, and was telling her colleagues that when the show first came out, she actually went on-line and applied to be on the show. Meredith asked, "What happened?" to which Carmen replied, "I didn't get picked!" Meredith's comeback was "Well, if you're too smart, maybe they were afraid you'd get the million." [Ed. Note: Yeah, that's my theory as to why so many BBs aren't picked, too!]

$2,000 (What's Your Point?): A long, rambling joke capped off by a pointless punchline is commonly known as what kind of "story"?
A. Talking bird B. Old horse
C. Damp fish D. Shaggy dog

Carla has an idea, but decides to ATA (18 seconds on the clock).

ATA Results

A. Talking bird - 8%
B. Old horse - 29%
C. Damp fish - 21%
D. Shaggy dog - 42%

With underwhelming ATA numbers, and no risk (since if she misses, she still leaves with $1,000), Carla decides to DD (9). Her first answer,

Spoiler

B

, is incorrect. Her second answer is right.

Spoiler

D. Shaggy dog (7)

COMMERCIAL BREAK

Carla, her two daughters, and her granddaughter all live together in a small apartment, with one bathroom. She's hoping to win enough to buy a house. Erica (who is 19) is a sophomore in college, and says that her mom is doing great. Meredith asks if she has any advice for her mom, and Erica says, "Be in the moment, be in the present, and don't doubt yourself." Carla's motto is "Just breathe."

$4,000 (We Are the Champions): With a World Series victory in 2008, what U.S. city claimed a major sports championship for the first time in over twenty-five years?
A. Sacramento B. Philadelphia
C. Indianapolis D. Miami

Spoiler

B. Philadelphia (23)

$8,000 (No Turning Back Now): Used when someone passes a point of no return, the familiar phrase "crossing the Rubicon" makes reference to a famous what?
A. Mountain B. River
C. Desert D. Sea

Carla says she thinks she knows it but wants to be sure, so she chooses to PAF (20). Standing by (with no Meredith intro) are Mark (New York, NY), Karen (Washington, DC) and Janelle (Jersey City, NJ). Carla decides to call Mark. She shortens the question to just the second half, and Mark answers with

Spoiler

River

immediately (with 24 seconds left on the clock).

Spoiler

B. River (19)

$16,000 (Going to the Show): At the Austin Museum of Art, what artists were the focus of a show that included works by Dorothea Lange and Walker Evans?
A. Photographers B. Comic book illustrators
C. Sculptors D. Muralists

For the third time, Carla says she thinks she knows the answer, and uses a lifeline (ATE, 18). Carmen asks Carla what she's thinking, and Carla replies,

Spoiler

"I'm thinking they were photographers, right? But I'm not sure. Were they photographers or sculptors?"

Carmen replies,

Spoiler

"I'm with you on this one...Dorothea Lange did Depression Era photography, and she's actually been back in the paper lately."

Carmen reinforces her answer by mentioning that she has an undergraduate degree in Art History.

Spoiler

A. Photographers (15)

COMMERCIAL BREAK.

On returning from the Break, we meet the On Deck Contestant, Chet Greenleaf, a retired middle-school teacher from New Jersey.

Carla chides herself for using all of her lifelines because she doubted herself, and says her daughter did tell her not to doubt herself.

$25,000 (The Godfather): What is the name of the horse that meets an unfortunate end in "The Godfather"?
A. Tripoli B. Marrakesh
C. Khartoum D. Nairobi

Carla says this is the question she wishes she had the audience for, because she knows they'd know it. She thinks she knows it, but the self-doubt creeps back in, and she doesn't want to risk her $16,000, so she chooses to walk away by letting the time run out.

Spoiler

C. Khartoum (0)

[Ed. Note: That scream you heard at about 6:55 this evening was your humble transcriptionist, agonizing over the fact that yet another "Godfather" question has been used up before he can get to the Hot Seat. The second scream you heard was a very loud "NO!" when Carla revealed after walking away that she thought the answer was

Spoiler

Tripoli

.]

[MarleysGh0st]

Carla has earned the ATE lifeline, with Carmen Wong Ulrich of CNBC's "On the Money". Meredith asks Carmen how she's enjoying being an "expert," and Carmen says she is loving it. She's a big trivia buff, and was telling her colleagues that when the show first came out, she actually went on-line and applied to be on the show. Meredith asked, "What happened?" to which Carmen replied, "I didn't get picked!" Meredith's comeback was "Well, if you're too smart, maybe they were afraid you'd get the million." [Ed. Note: Yeah, that's my theory as to why so many BBs aren't picked, too!]

Well, we all know that one did not have to go online to play the Phone game when the show first came out, but let's say that was just a slip of the tongue. What I really want to know is how many times she was OTC after round one and how many times she got the callback to play round two?

[KillerTomato]

Carla has earned the ATE lifeline, with Carmen Wong Ulrich of CNBC's "On the Money". Meredith asks Carmen how she's enjoying being an "expert," and Carmen says she is loving it. She's a big trivia buff, and was telling her colleagues that when the show first came out, she actually went on-line and applied to be on the show. Meredith asked, "What happened?" to which Carmen replied, "I didn't get picked!" Meredith's comeback was "Well, if you're too smart, maybe they were afraid you'd get the million." [Ed. Note: Yeah, that's my theory as to why so many BBs aren't picked, too!]

Well, we all know that one did not have to go online to play the Phone game when the show first came out, but let's say that was just a slip of the tongue. What I really want to know is how many times she was OTC after round one and how many times she got the callback to play round two?

I do believe she meant that she signed up for an audition when the syndicated show started. At least that was the impression I got.

[TheConfessor]

Carla has earned the ATE lifeline, with Carmen Wong Ulrich of CNBC's "On the Money". Meredith asks Carmen how she's enjoying being an "expert," and Carmen says she is loving it. She's a big trivia buff, and was telling her colleagues that when the show first came out, she actually went on-line and applied to be on the show. Meredith asked, "What happened?" to which Carmen replied, "I didn't get picked!" Meredith's comeback was "Well, if you're too smart, maybe they were afraid you'd get the million." [Ed. Note: Yeah, that's my theory as to why so many BBs aren't picked, too!]

Well, we all know that one did not have to go online to play the Phone game when the show first came out, but let's say that was just a slip of the tongue. What I really want to know is how many times she was OTC after round one and how many times she got the callback to play round two?

I do believe she meant that she signed up for an audition when the syndicated show started. At least that was the impression I got.

The impression I got was that she was referring to her attempts to qualify in the Regis Philbin era. I don't think she would have been eligible for the syndicated version, since she works for the same corporation as Meredith and she seems to be one of Meredith's personal or professional friends. But maybe that wasn't true when SyndieBAM started.

[Rafferbee]

Carmen reinforces her answer by mentioning that she has an undergraduate degree in Art History.

Ahem. I wish to Switch The Expert, please.

[earendel]

Carla Wills
Jersey City, NJ
Magazine editor

$2,000 (What's Your Point?): A long, rambling joke capped off by a pointless punchline is commonly known as what kind of "story"?
A. Talking bird B. Old horse
C. Damp fish D. Shaggy dog

Carla has an idea, but decides to ATA (18 seconds on the clock).

ATA Results

A. Talking bird - 8%
B. Old horse - 29%
C. Damp fish - 21%
D. Shaggy dog - 42%

With underwhelming ATA numbers, and no risk (since if she misses, she still leaves with $1,000), Carla decides to DD (9). Her first answer,

Spoiler

B

, is incorrect. Her second answer is right.

Spoiler

D. Shaggy dog (7)

The punchline to a shaggy dog story is NOT pointless - it's a pun. Or at least that's how I've always understood a shaggy dog story to be.

$8,000 (No Turning Back Now): Used when someone passes a point of no return, the familiar phrase "crossing the Rubicon" makes reference to a famous what?
A. Mountain B. River
C. Desert D. Sea

Carla says she thinks she knows it but wants to be sure, so she chooses to PAF (20). Standing by (with no Meredith intro) are Mark (New York, NY), Karen (Washington, DC) and Janelle (Jersey City, NJ). Carla decides to call Mark. She shortens the question to just the second half, and Mark answers with

Spoiler

River

immediately (with 24 seconds left on the clock).

Spoiler

B. River (19)

So she's now wasted two lilfelines on questions that she knew. Not a good sign.

$16,000 (Going to the Show): At the Austin Museum of Art, what artists were the focus of a show that included works by Dorothea Lange and Walker Evans?
A. Photographers B. Comic book illustrators
C. Sculptors D. Muralists

For the third time, Carla says she thinks she knows the answer, and uses a lifeline (ATE, 18). Carmen asks Carla what she's thinking, and Carla replies,

Spoiler

"I'm thinking they were photographers, right? But I'm not sure. Were they photographers or sculptors?"

Carmen replies,

Spoiler

"I'm with you on this one...Dorothea Lange did Depression Era photography, and she's actually been back in the paper lately."

Carmen reinforces her answer by mentioning that she has an undergraduate degree in Art History.

Spoiler

A. Photographers (15)

Yet again a lifeline squandered.

On returning from the Break, we meet the On Deck Contestant, Chet Greenleaf, a retired middle-school teacher from New Jersey.

Uh, oh, cue the ominous organ music...

Carla chides herself for using all of her lifelines because she doubted herself, and says her daughter did tell her not to doubt herself.

Looks like you finally made the connection, Carla.

$25,000 (The Godfather): What is the name of the horse that meets an unfortunate end in "The Godfather"?
A. Tripoli B. Marrakesh
C. Khartoum D. Nairobi

Carla says this is the question she wishes she had the audience for, because she knows they'd know it. She thinks she knows it, but the self-doubt creeps back in, and she doesn't want to risk her $16,000, so she chooses to walk away by letting the time run out.

Spoiler

C. Khartoum (0)

Yep, unnecessary lifeline use claims another victim. That and showing the on-deck contestant.

As for me, I would have had no idea, so it would be time for a lifeline. I'd go with ATA first and hope the audience is familiar enough with the movie.

[gsabc]

Carla wants to be called "MORE" (pronounced "Moray"), which stands for "Mother Once REmoved" (since "Grandma" sounds too old).

So she wants to be called an eel. Good for her.

You get a "mother once removed" when the father gets custody. Why don't you just let the kid call you by your first name, while you're at it? How vain can you get?

[NellyLunatic1980]

Carla's career as a magazine editor and singer didn't impress Meredith as much as the fact that Carla is a grandmother, despite the fact that she looks like a teenager. Carla has a 7-month-old granddaughter named Eva (whose picture is shown).

I wish I had Carla's genes because I look older than she does.

Carla has earned the ATE lifeline, with Carmen Wong Ulrich of CNBC's "On the Money". Meredith asks Carmen how she's enjoying being an "expert," and Carmen says she is loving it. She's a big trivia buff, and was telling her colleagues that when the show first came out, she actually went on-line and applied to be on the show. Meredith asked, "What happened?" to which Carmen replied, "I didn't get picked!" Meredith's comeback was "Well, if you're too smart, maybe they were afraid you'd get the million."

Thank you for stating the obvious, Mere.

$2,000 (What's Your Point?): A long, rambling joke capped off by a pointless punchline is commonly known as what kind of "story"?
A. Talking bird B. Old horse
C. Damp fish D. Shaggy dog

Even though I knew the right answer to this one, I think this question was undervalued. "Shaggy dog story" is not as common nowadays as it once was.

$4,000 (We Are the Champions): With a World Series victory in 2008, what U.S. city claimed a major sports championship for the first time in over twenty-five years?
A. Sacramento B. Philadelphia
C. Indianapolis D. Miami

Anybody else besides me and Melly emphatically scream the answer before the choices came up?

$16,000 (Going to the Show): At the Austin Museum of Art, what artists were the focus of a show that included works by Dorothea Lange and Walker Evans?
A. Photographers B. Comic book illustrators
C. Sculptors D. Muralists

I assume this is the same Walker Evans who collaborated with James Agee on the book "Let Us Now Praise Famous Men", per Dr. Kevin Olmstead's $250K question.

On returning from the Break, we meet the On Deck Contestant, Chet Greenleaf, a retired middle-school teacher from New Jersey.

And Carla will soon be done.

$25K: I've seen the movie once, but I have NFC on what the horse's name was. I'll try the audience. If they're stumped, then I'll PAF.

[TheConfessor]

She's a big trivia buff, and was telling her colleagues that when the show first came out, she actually went on-line and applied to be on the show. Meredith asked, "What happened?" to which Carmen replied, "I didn't get picked!" Meredith's comeback was "Well, if you're too smart, maybe they were afraid you'd get the million."

I was buying that theory until I saw Thursday's show. But we all have our blind spots.