Transcript 4/10/2009 - Max Bernstein (Maxximus)

[BBTranscriptTeam]

Max Bernstein (Maxximus)
Hoboken, NJ
Genetic research technician

Topic tree:
- The Circle of Life
- You Said It!
- The Art Scene
- Diamond Mines
- Child's Play
- Home Pages
- Where in the World?
- Dangerous Foods
- Rotten Spots
- Sein Language
- Pig Latin
- Drama Spoofs
- Reality TV
- Nice Belt!
- Scary Dudes

$100 - Which of these famous kids' lit characters has a curved metal weapon where his hand should be?
A - Rip Van Winkle
B - Captain Hook
C - Humpty Dumpty
D - Johnny Apple-sickle

Spoiler

B - Captain Hook (6)

$200 - Which of these regions of the U.S. takes its nickname from the strong religious beliefs of its residents?
A - Bible Belt
B - Sun Belt
C - Rust Belt
D - Corn Belt

Spoiler

A - Bible Belt (10)

$300 - Airing on TruTV, "The Principal's Office" is a reality series primarily set where?
A - beauty salon
B - airport
C - high school
D - farm

Spoiler

C - high school (10)

$500 - The play "North Atlantic" is a good-natured spoof inspired primarily by what Rogers and Hammerstein musical?
A - State Fair
B - South Pacific
C - The King and I
D - Carousel

Spoiler

B - South Pacific (6)

$1K - Which of the following is a "pig Latin" name for a type of reptile?
A - eetahchay
B - eaverbay
C - andapay
D - akesnay

Spoiler

D - akesnay (7)

commercial break

Max wants folks to know he's not creepy, just a bit odd. He's awkward but he has a good time. He is a research technician in the genetics department of the Albert Einstein School of Medicine in the Bronx. The odd part of his job is that he spends all day watching nematodes "do it". His coworkers wondered how he would explain it to Meredith. The audience howls and Meredith looks alternately embarrassed and pained. "What a bunch of perverts you all are," she comments to the audience, then asks Max why he does that. He explains that nematodes are a perfect genetic model, only about 1000 cells and transparent. They are similar to humans so studying them helps understand human genetics. Meredith interrupts to ask, "But why do you watch them have sex?" Max says it's exciting stuff. Meredith seems to be at a loss for words.

Max has earned the Ask the Expert lifeline. Meredith asks if he's ready to play and Max replies, "Let's do it!" Meredith recoils and says, "Don't say that!"

$2K - The classic sitcom "Seinfeld" is often referred to as a "show about" what?
A - girlfriends
B - idiots
C - boredom
D - nothing

Max says he didn't watch much Seinfeld but he knows what it was about. After the answer is revealed Meredith says she watched it and still does.

Spoiler

D - nothing (22)

$4K - In Shakespeare's "Hamlet" an officer of the palace guard famously notes, "Something is rotten in the state of" where?
A - Denmark
B - Holland
C - France
D - Belgium

Max says he was just there and it wasn't rotten. It was cold, though.

Spoiler

A - Denmark (21)

$8K - Toxic algae blooms commonly known as "red tide" often make it dangerous to consume what kind of food?
A - corn
B - pork
C - spinach
D - shellfish

Spoiler

D - shellfish (22)

$16K - In the chick flick "Nights in Rodanthe" starring Richard Gere and Diane Lane, where is Rodanthe?
A - Georgia
B - North Carolina
C - Maine
D - Massachusetts

Max admits that he has no idea, so he decides to ask the audience, stopping the clock with 23 seconds remaining.

ATA results

ATA results:
A - 3%
B - 62%
C - 28%
D - 7%

Max says that he's going to trust the audience because they're right most of the time.

Spoiler

B - North Carolina (16)

commercial break

Meredith says that Max is an oddball but not a nerd. Max corrects her and insists that he is a nerd. But he's not a creep.

$25K - Which of these Web sites is the home page of the American Numistmatic Association?
A - stamps.org
B - music.org
C - money.org
D - butterflies.org

Spoiler

During Meredith's reading of the question Max is making a fist and shaking it. It means that he knows what's going on. Numistmatists like coins and coins are money.

C - money.org (14)

$50K - The classic rock anthem "Sweet Child O' Mine" was reportedly inspired by Axl Rose's ex, the daughter of one of the what?
A - Righteous Brothers
B - Everly Brothers
C - Allman Brothers
D - Doobie Brothers

Max says "This sounds something that I want to go to the expert about" so he uses his Ask the Expert lifeline, stopping the clock with 35 seconds remaining.

ATE conversation

Meredith tells Jonathan that it's a music question so she hopes it's right up his alley. Jonathan says that he should absolutely know this but he's sorry that he doesn't have an answer. He thinks it might be "Everly Brothers" but he's not sure.

"What to do, what to do?" Max wonders as he ponders the question. The clock continues to tick and Max finally says, "I'm not really thinking right now and I shouldn't be wasting time." He adds, "I'm going to go big or go home; I'm going to Double Dip."

DD choices

Max goes with Jonathan's answer and it turns out to be the right answer.

Spoiler

B - Everly Brothers (16)

commercial break

Meredith says they've been joking around about his occupation, but he's really a charming guy.

$100K - Until they were also discovered in Brazil in the 1720s, most of the world's diamonds came from what country?
A - Egypt
B - India
C - China
D - Spain

Max's original guess wasn't one of the answers. He has no clue so he wants to call a friend, stopping the clock with 27 seconds remaining. On his PAF list are: Max's stepfather Alan, from Westbury, NY; Max's friend Andy, from Mount Kisco, NY; and Max's boss, Scott, from Sea Cliff, NY. Max opts to call Andy.

PAF conversation

Max reads the question and answers in a straightforward manner, then paraphrases it. Andy says he's not sure, then after a few moments of silence says, "India". Max asks how sure Andy is. "Very confident - positive," he says as time runs out. Max says, "It's like a switch came on." Meredith replies, "Yes, it's amazing."

Meredith reminds Max that if he's wrong he falls back to $25K but if he gets it right he doubles his money. Max says that Andy is a trustworthy guy; Meredith says that in his picture he doesn't look all that trustworthy. "You know what?" Max asks, "I gotta do it."

Spoiler

B - India (10)

THE HORN!!!!!!!!

Max will return on Monday going for $250K with no lifelines remaining.

[Kazoo65]

OK up to $16K.  ATA on that one-it's a movie, figure the audience would know it.The next lifeline I'd burn would be ATE at $50K. Since this guy's an editor at Rolling Stone, he should know.  $100K-PaF or DD.

[Bob78164]

This guy's banter with Meredith was a lot of fun to watch -- the nematode sex exchange was priceless. I think it's worth watching even for those who don't normally bother. --Bob

[KillerTomato]

This guy's banter with Meredith was a lot of fun to watch -- the nematode sex exchange was priceless. I think it's worth watching even for those who don't normally bother. --Bob

I agree. I really liked this kid.

[doitneatly]

Max was a lot of fun in the green room, and he and Meredith really hit it off in the Hot Seat;
But I watched this run with particular interest because I suspect that I almost got this stack of questions instead of Max.

It's merely a guess (since TPTB are decidedly silent on their methodology for deciding who to pull from the green room when) but I think that as the taping day was starting to end, Max got tapped before me because of his huge contingent of friends/family in the audience that day - 9 people I believe.

I am still a teeny bit frustrated by this suspected opportunity to be the earlier contestant, because that first day of taping was the only day that my wife and I had managed to arrange for child care. So I didn't tape that Tuesday, and she flew home on the 7am Wednesday flight even as I headed in to the studio to tape my "post-Max" appearance.

But enough whining. As for the stack... I would've definitely followed Max step-for-step in terms of lifeline usage.
But I'm not sure if my PAF could've pulled off that $100k answer - that was a tough google, IMO! (and my PAFs were all Googlers, I'm not ashamed to admit So I might have been faced with a guess moment; maybe I would've been gutsy and gone with the India "educated hunch", or maybe I would've walked with $50k.

But I can say that I knew the answer to Max's $250k question.

[KillerTomato]

Max was a lot of fun in the green room, and he and Meredith really hit it off in the Hot Seat;
But I watched this run with particular interest because I suspect that I almost got this stack of questions instead of Max.

It's merely a guess (since TPTB are decidedly silent on their methodology for deciding who to pull from the green room when) but I think that as the taping day was starting to end, Max got tapped before me because he of his huge contingent of friends/family in the audience that day - 9 people I believe.

I am still a teeny bit frustrated by this suspected opportunity to be the earlier contestant, because that first day of taping was the only day that my wife and I had managed to arrange for child care. So I didn't tape that Tuesday, and she flew home on the 7am Wednesday flight even as I headed in to the studio to tape my "post-Max" appearance.

But enough whining. As for the stack... I would've definitely followed Max step-for-step in terms of lifeline usage.
But I'm not sure if my PAF could've pulled off that $100k answer - that was a tough google, IMO! (and my PAFs were all Googlers, I'm not ashamed to admit So I might have been faced with a guess moment; maybe I would've been gutsy and gone with the India "educated hunch", or maybe I would've walked with $50k.

But I can say that I knew the answer to Max's $250k question.

Well, that's easy to say NOW, since nobody else knows what that question will be until tomorrow!

Looking forward to seeing you then!

[doitneatly]

$25K - Which of these Web sites is the home page of the American Numistmatic Association?
A - stamps.org
B - music.org
C - money.org
D - butterflies.org

Spoiler

During Meredith's reading of the question Max is making a fist and shaking it. It means that he knows what's going on. Numistmatists like coins and coins are money.

C - money.org (14)

You can see Max chuckle to himself after he gives this answer, and I can tell you why: (in fact, I was sitting just offstage by this point, and I chuckled too)

During the many hours of killing time in the green room, we all fell into the habit of swapping favorite trivial tidbits. This topic ("coin collectors are called numistmatists", "stamp collectors are philatelists", etc) happened to come up.

I'm not saying that Max would've had a problem with this question, (in fact, I clearly remember Max spelling out n-u-m-i-s-t-m-a-t-i-s-t-s to another person who was unfamiliar with the term...) but that recent review undoubtedly helped shave a moment or two off of his response time!

One other thing that struck me about Max's run was that he came very close to an interesting temptation as it relates to the topic tree:

What if the horn had sounded just a bit sooner, such that Max had to stop at $50k instead of $100k?

• This was the last taping of the day, Max went home that night and came back the next morning to finish out his run
• The topic of the $100k question was Diamond Mines, a pretty narrow field (assuming no silly play on words)
• 20/20 hindsight tells me that if Max had noted this next topic and chosen to act on that knowledge...
• ...30 minutes of wikipedia research would've certainly had him equipped to knock down his $100k question instead of having to spend his PAF lifeline.

Of course, this point is moot; Max did face the "Diamond Mines" question before the horn sounded that day, and the remaining topics in the tree were sufficiently vague as to be useless if he were actually inclined to try and study like that. (and I know he wasn't so inclined, anyway)

[NellyLunatic1980]

Max Bernstein
Hoboken, NJ

WE®

$4K - In Shakespeare's "Hamlet" an officer of the palace guard famously notes, "Something is rotten in the state of" where?
A - Denmark
B - Holland
C - France
D - Belgium

E - Illinois

$16K: Never heard of Rodanthe. I would also ATA.

$25K: Numismatist and philatelist. One collects stamps, one collects coins. Crap, I can't remember which is which. Double Dip.

$50K: Sounds like one in the wheelhouse for the Expert. I also would've asked him... and gotten no help. So I'd also have to use PAF.

$100K - Until they were also discovered in Brazil in the 1720s, most of the world's diamonds came from what country?
A - Egypt
B - India
C - China
D - Spain

I thought that it would be India because I've seen "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom" dozens of times and I remember that the Indian child slaves mined for diamonds.

So I will also play for $250K with no lifelines.

[MarleysGh0st]

$50K - The classic rock anthem "Sweet Child O' Mine" was reportedly inspired by Axl Rose's ex, the daughter of one of the what?
A - Righteous Brothers
B - Everly Brothers
C - Allman Brothers
D - Doobie Brothers

Max says "This sounds something that I want to go to the expert about" so he uses his Ask the Expert lifeline, stopping the clock with 35 seconds remaining.

ATE conversation

Meredith tells Jonathan that it's a music question so she hopes it's right up his alley. Jonathan says that he should absolutely know this but he's sorry that he doesn't have an answer. He thinks it might be "Everly Brothers" but he's not sure.

"What to do, what to do?" Max wonders as he ponders the question. The clock continues to tick and Max finally says, "I'm not really thinking right now and I shouldn't be wasting time." He adds, "I'm going to go big or go home; I'm going to Double Dip."

DD choices

Max goes with Jonathan's answer and it turns out to be the right answer.

Spoiler

B - Everly Brothers (16)

If Jonathan ever returns as an expert, will Meredith give him credit for getting this answer "right"? Even though, with a question that was squarely in his only apparent field of expertise, he could do no better than give an unsupported hunch, forcing Max to burn his Double Dip?

[earendel]

Max Bernstein
Hoboken, NJ
Genetic research technician

He is a WE® but despite that I found myself liking the guy and rooting for him.

Max wants folks to know he's not creepy, just a bit odd. He's awkward but he has a good time. He is a research technician in the genetics department of the Albert Einstein School of Medicine in the Bronx. The odd part of his job is that he spends all day watching nematodes "do it". His coworkers wondered how he would explain it to Meredith. The audience howls and Meredith looks alternately embarrassed and pained. "What a bunch of perverts you all are," she comments to the audience, then asks Max why he does that. He explains that nematodes are a perfect genetic model, only about 1000 cells and transparent. They are similar to humans so studying them helps understand human genetics. Meredith interrupts to ask, "But why do you watch them have sex?" Max says it's exciting stuff. Meredith seems to be at a loss for words.

Max has earned the Ask the Expert lifeline. Meredith asks if he's ready to play and Max replies, "Let's do it!" Meredith recoils and says, "Don't say that!"

OK, let me say that I got a kick out of this particular banter, especially Meredith's facial expressions.

$16K - In the chick flick "Nights in Rodanthe" starring Richard Gere and Diane Lane, where is Rodanthe?
A - Georgia
B - North Carolina
C - Maine
D - Massachusetts

Max admits that he has no idea, so he decides to ask the audience, stopping the clock with 23 seconds remaining.

ATA results

ATA results:
A - 3%
B - 62%
C - 28%
D - 7%

Max says that he's going to trust the audience because they're right most of the time.

Spoiler

B - North Carolina (16)

I'd have done the same thing (ATA, that is). My first impression was that it took place in New England somewhere, but at this level I wouldn't have wanted to risk the DD.

$50K - The classic rock anthem "Sweet Child O' Mine" was reportedly inspired by Axl Rose's ex, the daughter of one of the what?
A - Righteous Brothers
B - Everly Brothers
C - Allman Brothers
D - Doobie Brothers

Max says "This sounds something that I want to go to the expert about" so he uses his Ask the Expert lifeline, stopping the clock with 35 seconds remaining.

ATE conversation

Meredith tells Jonathan that it's a music question so she hopes it's right up his alley. Jonathan says that he should absolutely know this but he's sorry that he doesn't have an answer. He thinks it might be "Everly Brothers" but he's not sure.

"What to do, what to do?" Max wonders as he ponders the question. The clock continues to tick and Max finally says, "I'm not really thinking right now and I shouldn't be wasting time." He adds, "I'm going to go big or go home; I'm going to Double Dip."

DD choices

Max goes with Jonathan's answer and it turns out to be the right answer.

Spoiler

B - Everly Brothers (16)

This would have been an ideal question to ask this particular expert. Unfortunately although he gave the right answer he didn't "sell" it, so I might have wanted to go with another lifeline - in this case, PAF.

$100K - Until they were also discovered in Brazil in the 1720s, most of the world's diamonds came from what country?
A - Egypt
B - India
C - China
D - Spain

Max's original guess wasn't one of the answers. He has no clue so he wants to call a friend, stopping the clock with 27 seconds remaining. On his PAF list are: Max's stepfather Alan, from Westbury, NY; Max's friend Andy, from Mount Kisco, NY; and Max's boss, Scott, from Sea Cliff, NY. Max opts to call Andy.

PAF conversation

Max reads the question and answers in a straightforward manner, then paraphrases it. Andy says he's not sure, then after a few moments of silence says, "India". Max asks how sure Andy is. "Very confident - positive," he says as time runs out. Max says, "It's like a switch came on." Meredith replies, "Yes, it's amazing."

Meredith reminds Max that if he's wrong he falls back to $25K but if he gets it right he doubles his money. Max says that Andy is a trustworthy guy; Meredith says that in his picture he doesn't look all that trustworthy. "You know what?" Max asks, "I gotta do it."

Spoiler

B - India (10)

I, also, was expecting South Africa to be one of the choices; however of the four, India is the only one that I associate with diamonds, so I'd have gone with that answer, leaving me only the DD to go on to the next question.

[silvercamaro]

For those of you who needed a lifeline on the 16K question --

I have not seen the movie nor do I know anything about the plot, but I knew the answer to this question because of this very WWTBAM Bored. Following a hurricane some months back, Mini talked about the movie and posted photos of the house where much of it was filmed.

Other films have entered my consciousness because BBs have been extras in them -- or, in one spectacular example, had a featured role.

So, if you typically read only your own posts and/or responses to them, you are missing lots of interesting information and observations about topics that very well might turn up on future quiz shows.

[MarleysGh0st]

For those of you who needed a lifeline on the 16K question --

I have not seen the movie nor do I know anything about the plot, but I knew the answer to this question because of this very WWTBAM Bored. Following a hurricane some months back, Mini talked about the movie and posted photos of the house where much of it was filmed.

I'm sure I must have read that thread.

Didn't remember it.

[earendel]

For those of you who needed a lifeline on the 16K question --

I have not seen the movie nor do I know anything about the plot, but I knew the answer to this question because of this very WWTBAM Bored. Following a hurricane some months back, Mini talked about the movie and posted photos of the house where much of it was filmed.

I'm sure I must have read that thread.

Didn't remember it.

Same here.

[gsabc]

For those of you who needed a lifeline on the 16K question --

I have not seen the movie nor do I know anything about the plot, but I knew the answer to this question because of this very WWTBAM Bored. Following a hurricane some months back, Mini talked about the movie and posted photos of the house where much of it was filmed.

I'm sure I must have read that thread.

Didn't remember it.

Same here.

Ditto, but was leaning the right way for possibly the wrong reason. Seemed to me that more chick flicks are based out of the Carolinas than those others - I'm thinking of "Message in a Bottle", but may even be wrong there.