Transcript 5/9/2008 - Valerie Bashura (sunflower)

[Jenmacjen]

A very good PAF call and congrats to Jenmcjen for getting it right. One question - did Jen google it or did she know it?

Google, baby. I was too panicked to think straight.
Behind-the-scenes scoop: Val's taping fell on the day my family had to evacuate their house from the SoCal wildfires, and I spent the day waiting for calls from both BAM and a family friend who would be letting me know where my family was and whether the house had burned down. Right after BAM called to tell me Val was in the hot seat, my sister texted to tell me everything was ok, and that she'd try to reach Family Friend and tell her not to call. When Meredith called, I could have SWORN it was Family Friend, and told her I'd have to call her back. Then I heard a studio laughing at me. Meredith thought I was trying to be hilarious. Big thanks to the editors!

[MarleysGh0st]

A very good PAF call and congrats to Jenmcjen for getting it right. One question - did Jen google it or did she know it?

Google, baby. I was too panicked to think straight.
Behind-the-scenes scoop: Val's taping fell on the day my family had to evacuate their house from the SoCal wildfires, and I spent the day waiting for calls from both BAM and a family friend who would be letting me know where my family was and whether the house had burned down. Right after BAM called to tell me Val was in the hot seat, my sister texted to tell me everything was ok, and that she'd try to reach Family Friend and tell her not to call. When Meredith called, I could have SWORN it was Family Friend, and told her I'd have to call her back. Then I heard a studio laughing at me. Meredith thought I was trying to be hilarious. Big thanks to the editors!

Whoa!

They probably edited that out because they didn't believe it and don't want PAFs trying to be funny.

I think it would have been funny to leave that part in the tape!



Was your family's house saved?

[sunflower]

A very good PAF call and congrats to Jenmcjen for getting it right. One question - did Jen google it or did she know it?

Google, baby. I was too panicked to think straight.
Behind-the-scenes scoop: Val's taping fell on the day my family had to evacuate their house from the SoCal wildfires, and I spent the day waiting for calls from both BAM and a family friend who would be letting me know where my family was and whether the house had burned down. Right after BAM called to tell me Val was in the hot seat, my sister texted to tell me everything was ok, and that she'd try to reach Family Friend and tell her not to call. When Meredith called, I could have SWORN it was Family Friend, and told her I'd have to call her back. Then I heard a studio laughing at me. Meredith thought I was trying to be hilarious. Big thanks to the editors!

And thankfully they edited out my "deer in headlights" face when I thought Jen was going to hang up and wondered what the official protocol was, whether they would call her back or not!!!! It all worked out though, and it's a fun story to tell. Plus now all my friends think Jen is super smart, everyone assumes she knew it since she googled so fast that the time between reading the question and her saying the answer was seamless.

[tanstaafl2]

Nicely played. I had no problems until the 25K were I suspect I might have gone straight to the PAF even though I would have still had the ATA as I had litte confidence in the audience on this Q. Sounds like your PAF did a great job for you.

Didn't know the second 50K and would likely have guessed pear as well. So much for all the time I have spent in Hawaii including Lanai, the "Pineapple Island". You would think having a girlfriend who was a pineapple picker in her past would help but apparently not!

Then again, I would never have seen it as I was very familiar with the first 50K Q.

[Jenmacjen]

I thought Jen was going to hang up and wondered what the official protocol was

Anyone know this? Would she have been allowed to try me again? I remember asking them what would happen if the person wasn't there, and they said that we'd just move on to another name on my list. Same for accidental idiot hangups?

(Oh, and the house was fine! The pool was full of ash, but whatever, right?)

[Ritterskoop]

I thought Jen was going to hang up and wondered what the official protocol was

Anyone know this? Would she have been allowed to try me again? I remember asking them what would happen if the person wasn't there, and they said that we'd just move on to another name on my list. Same for accidental idiot hangups?

(Oh, and the house was fine! The pool was full of ash, but whatever, right?)

A thousand years ago, I got the sense they would try again if anything goofy happened. But if they are running late or get pissed, I guess they could refuse to call that person.

[sunflower]

I thought Jen was going to hang up and wondered what the official protocol was

Anyone know this? Would she have been allowed to try me again? I remember asking them what would happen if the person wasn't there, and they said that we'd just move on to another name on my list. Same for accidental idiot hangups?

(Oh, and the house was fine! The pool was full of ash, but whatever, right?)

A thousand years ago, I got the sense they would try again if anything goofy happened. But if they are running late or get pissed, I guess they could refuse to call that person.

Glad I wasn't the one to find out!!

[MarleysGh0st]

I thought Jen was going to hang up and wondered what the official protocol was

Anyone know this? Would she have been allowed to try me again? I remember asking them what would happen if the person wasn't there, and they said that we'd just move on to another name on my list. Same for accidental idiot hangups?

(Oh, and the house was fine! The pool was full of ash, but whatever, right?)

A thousand years ago, I got the sense they would try again if anything goofy happened. But if they are running late or get pissed, I guess they could refuse to call that person.

I've been in the audience when contestants were told that certain PAFs were not available, but I've never seen anything like this. And the biggest thing going for the contestant in this case would be that everyone in the audience would have heard that this PAF was available, even if a bit distracted.

So I suspect the result would be huge round of laughter in the studio, while the PAF was called back, possibly with a producer getting on the line first to say, "This is Millionaire calling. Would you please stay on the line for Meredith, this time?"

[gsabc]

I thought Jen was going to hang up and wondered what the official protocol was

Anyone know this? Would she have been allowed to try me again? I remember asking them what would happen if the person wasn't there, and they said that we'd just move on to another name on my list. Same for accidental idiot hangups?

(Oh, and the house was fine! The pool was full of ash, but whatever, right?)

A thousand years ago, I got the sense they would try again if anything goofy happened. But if they are running late or get pissed, I guess they could refuse to call that person.

I have a memory that the Big Kahuna was a PAF for someone back in PTBAM days, and his work phone system didn't forward the call properly. His voicemail message came on instead, with Regis then saying "Mike, where are you?". A second try was successful, as was the Kahuna IIRC.

[MyBigFatFabulousBrain]

Valerie Bashura (sunflower)
East Hartford, CT
Internal auditor

Be careful what you wish for.....


Valerie has an eclectic background - she's been a figure skater and then a Zamboni driver, and now she's an internal auditor known as "Ms. Fraud-fighter".

Ms. Fraud-fighter, huh? Well, why don't you do something about the damn fraud this show has become since it kicked Regis to the curb? If you were worth half your salt as a "Fraud-fighter", you'd have had Mere in cuffs assuming the position by now....

She liked driving the Zamboni the best. She's had a couple of accidents with it - crashing into the wall "a little bit".

That may be fine and dandy for someone like Tony Stewart, but my guess is the ice rink wasn't interested in anyone putting any Darlington Stripes on their wall. Who was your Zamboni instructor, Mippy MeepMeep?

The one thing left to do is to become a millionaire. Her boyfriend Robert is in the relationship seat. He's wearing a T-shirt that reads, "Val is my millionaire cutie!"

And Val is wearing a T-shirt that says "Robert is a friggin' dumbass"....


$100 - In a popular slumber party game, players take turns responding to which of these daunting questions?

A - Truth or dare?
B - Work or play?
C - Love or luck?
D - Uncle Ben's or Rice-a-Roni?

$200 - In a classic Eartha Kitt song, who is urged to "hurry down the chimney tonight"?

A - Tarzan Baby
B - Wolfman Baby
C - Santa Baby
D - Zorro Baby

$300 - Which of these kitchen doodads is for stirring drinks?

A - swizzle stick
B - candy thermometer
C - zester
D - basting brush

Valerie knows this one very well.

I'll bet you do.... how many games of wine pong did you play before entering the studio today?

$500 - In the Washington, D.C. memorial honoring him, what U.S. president is depicted in a wheelchair?

A - George Washington
B - Thomas Jefferson
C - Abraham Lincoln
D - Franklin Roosevelt

Roosevelt is the only president Valerie knows that was in a wheelchair during his lifetime but she also knows that Lincoln is depicted sitting down on his monument. She doesn't want to use a lifeline but she doesn't want to go home with nothing. She makes D her final answer.

Thank goodness you had the nerve to realize that Abe Lincoln was not in a wheelchair, nor to the best of anyone's knowledge was he ever cursed to be so by anyone at Rich U. Let this retro question serve as a lesson what an idiotic idea The Damn Clock® is...

$1K - On the TV series "Murder, She Wrote," Angela Lansbury played an amateur detective who was also a famous what?

A - soap star
B - mystery novelist
C - pastry chef
D - defense attorney

$2K - Which of these animal terms comes from a Latin word meaning "to gnaw"?

A - primate
B - amphibian
C - rodent
D - crustacean

Valerie told herself she was going to study Latin words, but she didn't.

I hope you remembered to thank a squirrel after the show.....


$4K - A shout-out to its home turf, Rutgers Unviersity officially identifies itself as "The State University of" what?

A - Missouri
B - New Jersey
C - Pennsylvania
D - Delaware

What is a WE/WE question doing in the middle tier of a stack like this? 3/4 of the contestants on this damn show would know this just by proximity.

$8K - A hand gripping the Holy Grail is depicted on pints of what Ben & Jerry's ice cream flavor?

A - Vermonty Python
B - From Russia with Buzz
C - Neapolitan Dynamite
D - Karamel Sutra

Valerie has been to the Ben & Jerry's factory and she's a conosseur of their products but she doesn't know this, so she wants to ask the audience.

Now don't you wish you'd have joined the Bored like 9 years ago like everyone else did? My Spokesman still gets chided all the time because he's never seen the Holy Grail movie....

ATA results:
A - 81%
B - 2%
C - 9%
D - 8%

Valerie said backstage that she was going to be the person who didn't know the answer but the whole audience would. She had a guess based on the Monty Python movie but the ice cream flavor didn't sound familiar.

81% is not exactly the whole audience, Ms. Fraud-fighter.... and I'd guess maybe 0.005% of them have even heard of this idiotic flavor. What ever happened to there just being 31 flavors? Ben & Jerry have definitely been eating too much of their hemp flavored sherbet....

$16K - A long-necked stringed instrument resembling a mandolin, the bouzouki originated in what country?

A - Spain
B - Ethiopia
C - Chile
D - Greece

If valerie had to guess she would say it sounds Greek. It doesn't sound Spanish in any way which leaves out Spain and Chile. She makes D her final answer. Meredith said that Robert looked very worried, but he shouldn't have.

You think my spokesman is the only one who favors you, how about those damn questions writers. What in the hell kind of distractors were those? Any 4 year old who's watched enough Dora knows that bouzouki can't possible come from any country of Spanish origin... and Ethiopia can't even feed themselves, let alone afford to make musical instruments. And of course Robert is worried, because he was wondering how anyone could possibly play the bazooka....


Meredith says that as an internal auditor Valerie knows something about money.

MBFFB® says that Meredith, as a plastic faced game show host, knows something about being a friggin' pain in the ass....

$25K - "April is the cruelest month" is a line from what famous poem?

A - To His Coy Mistress
B - The Waste Land
C - How Do I Love Thee?
D - Song of Myself

May's a bitch too...

Valerie has no idea and wants to use a lifeline and call Jen, a former contestant on the show. Jen made it to $25K also. Valerie reads the question then repeats the quote. Jen immediately says, "The Waste Land." Before the call can be concluded Valerie makes that her final answer.

Is there any more apropos answer in the history of this show? I think they should change the name of this show from (Who Wants To Be A) Millionaire, to The Waste Land. Have the contestant and host sit on top of trash bags on top os a heaping landfill..... it might actually be entertaining enough to excuse the immense stupidity....

Valerie was hoping to win at least this amount. She loves to bake and would like to open a bakery and make wedding cakes and other special occasion cakes.

Well isn't that sweet..... just what the world needs is more goddamn cakes. Has there ever been a cake in the history of the human party that actually got completely eaten? My mom still has half empty pans of cakes from all of our birthday parties when I was a kid taking up space in the icebox. If you ever go to my mom's house and she offers you a piece of green cake... it might have been from the cake I got for my 5th birthday/college graduation....

Meredith says that as an auditor she deals with dough so there's a connection.

Who writes this stuff for Mere anyway? Frogman? It's too bad you didn't have the Hooligan schtick working back then, because someone could really use a good Louisville Slugger to the head.....

$50K - Melanite is a deep-black variety of what gemstone?

A - garnet
B - amethyst
C - sapphire
D - topaz

Valerie feels that she should know this because she worked in a jewelry store for a while but they didn't sell melanite. She doesn't know enough even if she got it down to two answers, so she would like to switch the question.

Worked in a jewelry store for a while, until the day her boss noticed that all of the gemstones Valerie was handling were scratched "just a little bit" as she used the same Zamboni driving skills she possessed to direct the gems onto the ring mounting. Standing in the corner and looking cute probably didn't cut it in the jewelry business.....

When the answer is revealed Valerie says that if she had been sitting at home that's the one she probably would have guessed.

Assuming that is, she weren't too busy playing Found it, or chatting with my Spokesman all night, or playing Uno on Facebook, or Twittering to her heart's content to have paid any attention to what was going on on her television....

$50K (STQ) - Cayenne, Sugarloaf and Red Spanish are three popular varieties of what?

A - watermelon
B - pear
C - peach
D - pineapple

If these are three "popular varieties", then why exactly is this question being asked for 50K? Does anything on this show make any sense to anyone?

Valerie says that if she guesses wrong she still gets $25K. She asks for the 50/50, which leaves B and D. Those were the two she was leaning toward. She makes B her final answer and leaves with $25K.

Well, so much for you boyfriend's stupid ass shirt. I don't think $25,000's gonna let you open up a refrigerator-clogging cake baking business, but maybe it will at least allow you to buy yourself a decent boyfriend. And I am kind of proud of myself that, despite my Spokesman's pleadings, I think I did a very fair job of critiquing your stack, and didn't cave in to any blatant favoritism..... I should pat myself on my big, fat, fabulous back for that.....

Oh, by the way, don't think I'm letting you get away with that paltry result without using my famous catch phrase.....

Valerie...... you're a friggin'

Spoiler

cutie!

Nihil Obstat®

[ulysses5019]

Valerie Bashura (sunflower)
East Hartford, CT
Internal auditor

Be careful what you wish for.....


Valerie has an eclectic background - she's been a figure skater and then a Zamboni driver, and now she's an internal auditor known as "Ms. Fraud-fighter".

Ms. Fraud-fighter, huh? Well, why don't you do something about the damn fraud this show has become since it kicked Regis to the curb? If you were worth half your salt as a "Fraud-fighter", you'd have had Mere in cuffs assuming the position by now....

She liked driving the Zamboni the best. She's had a couple of accidents with it - crashing into the wall "a little bit".

That may be fine and dandy for someone like Tony Stewart, but my guess is the ice rink wasn't interested in anyone putting any Darlington Stripes on their wall. Who was your Zamboni instructor, Mippy MeepMeep?

The one thing left to do is to become a millionaire. Her boyfriend Robert is in the relationship seat. He's wearing a T-shirt that reads, "Val is my millionaire cutie!"

And Val is wearing a T-shirt that says "Robert is a friggin' dumbass"....


$100 - In a popular slumber party game, players take turns responding to which of these daunting questions?

A - Truth or dare?
B - Work or play?
C - Love or luck?
D - Uncle Ben's or Rice-a-Roni?

$200 - In a classic Eartha Kitt song, who is urged to "hurry down the chimney tonight"?

A - Tarzan Baby
B - Wolfman Baby
C - Santa Baby
D - Zorro Baby

$300 - Which of these kitchen doodads is for stirring drinks?

A - swizzle stick
B - candy thermometer
C - zester
D - basting brush

Valerie knows this one very well.

I'll bet you do.... how many games of wine pong did you play before entering the studio today?

$500 - In the Washington, D.C. memorial honoring him, what U.S. president is depicted in a wheelchair?

A - George Washington
B - Thomas Jefferson
C - Abraham Lincoln
D - Franklin Roosevelt

Roosevelt is the only president Valerie knows that was in a wheelchair during his lifetime but she also knows that Lincoln is depicted sitting down on his monument. She doesn't want to use a lifeline but she doesn't want to go home with nothing. She makes D her final answer.

Thank goodness you had the nerve to realize that Abe Lincoln was not in a wheelchair, nor to the best of anyone's knowledge was he ever cursed to be so by anyone at Rich U. Let this retro question serve as a lesson what an idiotic idea The Damn Clock® is...

$1K - On the TV series "Murder, She Wrote," Angela Lansbury played an amateur detective who was also a famous what?

A - soap star
B - mystery novelist
C - pastry chef
D - defense attorney

$2K - Which of these animal terms comes from a Latin word meaning "to gnaw"?

A - primate
B - amphibian
C - rodent
D - crustacean

Valerie told herself she was going to study Latin words, but she didn't.

I hope you remembered to thank a squirrel after the show.....


$4K - A shout-out to its home turf, Rutgers Unviersity officially identifies itself as "The State University of" what?

A - Missouri
B - New Jersey
C - Pennsylvania
D - Delaware

What is a WE/WE question doing in the middle tier of a stack like this? 3/4 of the contestants on this damn show would know this just by proximity.

$8K - A hand gripping the Holy Grail is depicted on pints of what Ben & Jerry's ice cream flavor?

A - Vermonty Python
B - From Russia with Buzz
C - Neapolitan Dynamite
D - Karamel Sutra

Valerie has been to the Ben & Jerry's factory and she's a conosseur of their products but she doesn't know this, so she wants to ask the audience.

Now don't you wish you'd have joined the Bored like 9 years ago like everyone else did? My Spokesman still gets chided all the time because he's never seen the Holy Grail movie....

ATA results:
A - 81%
B - 2%
C - 9%
D - 8%

Valerie said backstage that she was going to be the person who didn't know the answer but the whole audience would. She had a guess based on the Monty Python movie but the ice cream flavor didn't sound familiar.

81% is not exactly the whole audience, Ms. Fraud-fighter.... and I'd guess maybe 0.005% of them have even heard of this idiotic flavor. What ever happened to there just being 31 flavors? Ben & Jerry have definitely been eating too much of their hemp flavored sherbet....

$16K - A long-necked stringed instrument resembling a mandolin, the bouzouki originated in what country?

A - Spain
B - Ethiopia
C - Chile
D - Greece

If valerie had to guess she would say it sounds Greek. It doesn't sound Spanish in any way which leaves out Spain and Chile. She makes D her final answer. Meredith said that Robert looked very worried, but he shouldn't have.

You think my spokesman is the only one who favors you, how about those damn questions writers. What in the hell kind of distractors were those? Any 4 year old who's watched enough Dora knows that bouzouki can't possible come from any country of Spanish origin... and Ethiopia can't even feed themselves, let alone afford to make musical instruments. And of course Robert is worried, because he was wondering how anyone could possibly play the bazooka....


Meredith says that as an internal auditor Valerie knows something about money.

MBFFB® says that Meredith, as a plastic faced game show host, knows something about being a friggin' pain in the ass....

$25K - "April is the cruelest month" is a line from what famous poem?

A - To His Coy Mistress
B - The Waste Land
C - How Do I Love Thee?
D - Song of Myself

May's a bitch too...

Valerie has no idea and wants to use a lifeline and call Jen, a former contestant on the show. Jen made it to $25K also. Valerie reads the question then repeats the quote. Jen immediately says, "The Waste Land." Before the call can be concluded Valerie makes that her final answer.

Is there any more apropos answer in the history of this show? I think they should change the name of this show from (Who Wants To Be A) Millionaire, to The Waste Land. Have the contestant and host sit on top of trash bags on top os a heaping landfill..... it might actually be entertaining enough to excuse the immense stupidity....

Valerie was hoping to win at least this amount. She loves to bake and would like to open a bakery and make wedding cakes and other special occasion cakes.

Well isn't that sweet..... just what the world needs is more goddamn cakes. Has there ever been a cake in the history of the human party that actually got completely eaten? My mom still has half empty pans of cakes from all of our birthday parties when I was a kid taking up space in the icebox. If you ever go to my mom's house and she offers you a piece of green cake... it might have been from the cake I got for my 5th birthday/college graduation....

Meredith says that as an auditor she deals with dough so there's a connection.

Who writes this stuff for Mere anyway? Frogman? It's too bad you didn't have the Hooligan schtick working back then, because someone could really use a good Louisville Slugger to the head.....

$50K - Melanite is a deep-black variety of what gemstone?

A - garnet
B - amethyst
C - sapphire
D - topaz

Valerie feels that she should know this because she worked in a jewelry store for a while but they didn't sell melanite. She doesn't know enough even if she got it down to two answers, so she would like to switch the question.

Worked in a jewelry store for a while, until the day her boss noticed that all of the gemstones Valerie was handling were scratched "just a little bit" as she used the same Zamboni driving skills she possessed to direct the gems onto the ring mounting. Standing in the corner and looking cute probably didn't cut it in the jewelry business.....

When the answer is revealed Valerie says that if she had been sitting at home that's the one she probably would have guessed.

Assuming that is, she weren't too busy playing Found it, or chatting with my Spokesman all night, or playing Uno on Facebook, or Twittering to her heart's content to have paid any attention to what was going on on her television....

$50K (STQ) - Cayenne, Sugarloaf and Red Spanish are three popular varieties of what?

A - watermelon
B - pear
C - peach
D - pineapple

If these are three "popular varieties", then why exactly is this question being asked for 50K? Does anything on this show make any sense to anyone?

Valerie says that if she guesses wrong she still gets $25K. She asks for the 50/50, which leaves B and D. Those were the two she was leaning toward. She makes B her final answer and leaves with $25K.

Well, so much for you boyfriend's stupid ass shirt. I don't think $25,000's gonna let you open up a refrigerator-clogging cake baking business, but maybe it will at least allow you to buy yourself a decent boyfriend. And I am kind of proud of myself that, despite my Spokesman's pleadings, I think I did a very fair job of critiquing your stack, and didn't cave in to any blatant favoritism..... I should pat myself on my big, fat, fabulous back for that.....

Oh, by the way, don't think I'm letting you get away with that paltry result without using my famous catch phrase.....

Valerie...... you're a friggin'

Spoiler

cutie!

Nihil Obstat®

What? Has MBFFB gone soft? Too much butter cream frosting.

[littlebeast13]

What? Has MBFFB gone soft? Too much butter cream frosting.

Time for a little Old School MBFFB®......

4/13/05
Dan Avila (ulysses5019)

$100- Which of the following is commonly marked with the warning "Do Not Duplicate"?

A. Compass B. Wristwatch
C. Key D. Hilton sister

$200- In the army, soldiers who are trained to jump out of planes are commonly called what?

A. Paratroopers B. Snipers
C. Artillerymen D. Bombardiers

$300- Which of these common ailment is classified as a repetitive stress injury?

A. Hypothermia B. Migrane headache
C. Asthma D. Carpal tunnel syndrome

$500- Which of these Biblical names is also a word meaning "a silly, foolish person"?

A. Gideon B. Nimrod
C. Barabbas D. Methuselah

$1000- Last seen in 1986, what celestial body is visible to the naked eye from Earth every 76 years?

A. Halley's comet B. North Star
C. Jupiter D. Little Dipper

You know what else was in the news in 1986? Uranus. Just a seemingly useless tidbit to you from someone who's a lot smarter than you are.

$2000- With a traditional French manicure, a person's nails receive which of these treatments?

A. Buffing with no polish B. White polish at the tips
C. Red polish all over D. White polish with dark tips

I get a French manicure every week, so this was easy. I don't see what all the fuss was about.

$4000- In 2003, what athlete filed for bankruptcy after reportedly squandering a $300 million fortune?

A. Dennis Rodman B. Darryl Strawberry
C. Pete Rose D. Mike Tyson

And I made a killing as the only one to bet on Buster Douglas back in 1990. Maybe I'll use some of it to buy an island in the middle of the Arctic to send this big, fat, fabulous thug to.

$8000- After killing its prey, what animal is known to take up to half an hour catching its breath before dining?

A. Crocodile B. Hawk
C. Cheetah D. Cobra

I think I found some new students for Bix. How friggin' out of shape must cheetahs be if takes them 30 minutes to catch their breath after running? My 350 lb. neighbor only takes 20 minutes to cool down after walking out to the mailbox.


Besides losing while going for $2 million on Greed, Dan has won $5,300 on Jeopardy! and $600 worth of women's shoes on Sale of the Century (all size 7 1/2).

Wow, that's impressive. By my calculations, I've now won a total of $3,875,856,119.68 on game shows.... if they'd have ever let me play on any of them, that is.


$16,000
What famous explorer was the first governor of Puerto Rico under the Spanish?

A. Ferdinand Magellan B. Juan Ponce de León
C. Vasco da Gama D. Francisco Pizarro

"Well sometimes you gotta take chances and I've been known to take chances. I don't know this for a fact. I'm going to say--Magellan was killed in the Phillipines, Vasco da Gama went around Africa, Pizarro was mainly in the southwest, I think. I'm gonna go with B, final answer."

I agree with you 100%, Danny boy. These distractors make it so easy, a Kalamazoo first grader could get it. But hey, who's complaining, right?


$25,000
In the occult, "besom" refers to what magical object?

A. Witch's broom B. Crystal ball
C. Amulet D. Wand

Having ancestors from the Salem, Massachusetts area, I knew this cold.

Dan decides to PAF: "Let me call Leszek."

Meredith: "Leszek? That sounds like a wizard or something, Leszek."

Come on, Meredith. How many contestants have called Leszek already, about 252? Don't act like you've never heard of Leszek before, unless the only names you ever remember are those of those "interesting" people you get to schmooze with over on The View.

Dan: "I'm hoping, yes."

Dan reads the question and choices, spelling "besom" twice.

Leszek: "It's a witch's broomstick."

Dan: "Are you positive of that?"

Leszek: "Yes, I am. Hang on a second."

Dan: "You've got seven of them left."

Leszek: "OK. Well, yes, it is a broom. Absolutely."

Nice job, Zek! If there's anyone out there who comes even close to being as smart as I am, you're the one, man!


$50,000
Since 1991, the Burning Man festival has been held in the late summer in what U.S. state?

A. California B. Arizona
C. Nevada D. New Mexico

See, this was meant to trip up any of those WABC contestants who happened to luck their way this far. They weren't planning on having someone from the Southwest on the show anytime soon, I guess, or this probably would've gone for about $500.

It was a piece of cake for me. I have a calendar with every festival in the world listed on it. The bank gave it to me because they ran out of toasters.


$100,000
What is the name of the famous sculpture by Man Ran that features a picture of an eye affixed to a metronome?

A. Measure for Measure B. Persistence of Vision
C. Last Picture Show D. Indestructible Object

"The only one that it sounds like it couldn't be is Persistence of Vision, but I'm not going to risk the 50/50 on the other three, which I don't know."

Dan decides to Switch The Question.

Well, I guess not everyone has a replica of this Man Ray sculpture in their bathroom. I find it handy for holding the toilet paper roll.


$100,000
When President James Garfield was shot in 1881, who invented a type of metal detector to try to find the bullet?

A. Nikola Tesla B. Thomas Edison
C. Alexander Graham Bell D. George Westinghouse

50/50 leaves C and D.

Well, if your only resource for American history was WWTBAM questions, you'd swear that everything in the world was invented by either Bell or Edison. You just lost Edison...

"I was going to guess Mr. Edison, but..."

ATA - Studio: A. 0% B. 0% C. 32% D. 68%
ATA - AOL: A. 0% B. 0% C. 37% D. 63%

Well, that ATA's no good anymore anyway. May as well buy some more time to realize that it has to be Alex Bell.

"My leaning is towards Bell, for some reason."

Way to go! Now you're catching on!

Meredith warns Dan that the audience is usually right, but not always.

Meredith, stick some of the cotton from one of those bottles of Bayer in your mouth.


$250,000
In the famous 1888 poem "Casey at the Bat," what is the game's final score after Casey has struck out?

A. 2 to 0 B. 3 to 1
C. 1 to 0 D. 4 to 2

No problem here. I still have the scorecard from this game in my closet.

"If I was to guess, I'd say A, but I'm not going to guess."

Dan walks with $100,000.

What? You're walking already? Well, at least you fared better than some of the usual riffraff they drag in off the streets. I was expecting a guy who took a 2.2 million dollar risk to give it the old Kati try, but at least you left with some real game show money, and not New York City apartment rent.

Nihil Obstat®

[ulysses5019]

What? Has MBFFB gone soft? Too much butter cream frosting.

Time for a little Old School MBFFB®......

4/13/05
Dan Avila (ulysses5019)

$100- Which of the following is commonly marked with the warning "Do Not Duplicate"?

A. Compass B. Wristwatch
C. Key D. Hilton sister

$200- In the army, soldiers who are trained to jump out of planes are commonly called what?

A. Paratroopers B. Snipers
C. Artillerymen D. Bombardiers

$300- Which of these common ailment is classified as a repetitive stress injury?

A. Hypothermia B. Migrane headache
C. Asthma D. Carpal tunnel syndrome

$500- Which of these Biblical names is also a word meaning "a silly, foolish person"?

A. Gideon B. Nimrod
C. Barabbas D. Methuselah

$1000- Last seen in 1986, what celestial body is visible to the naked eye from Earth every 76 years?

A. Halley's comet B. North Star
C. Jupiter D. Little Dipper

You know what else was in the news in 1986? Uranus. Just a seemingly useless tidbit to you from someone who's a lot smarter than you are.

$2000- With a traditional French manicure, a person's nails receive which of these treatments?

A. Buffing with no polish B. White polish at the tips
C. Red polish all over D. White polish with dark tips

I get a French manicure every week, so this was easy. I don't see what all the fuss was about.

$4000- In 2003, what athlete filed for bankruptcy after reportedly squandering a $300 million fortune?

A. Dennis Rodman B. Darryl Strawberry
C. Pete Rose D. Mike Tyson

And I made a killing as the only one to bet on Buster Douglas back in 1990. Maybe I'll use some of it to buy an island in the middle of the Arctic to send this big, fat, fabulous thug to.

$8000- After killing its prey, what animal is known to take up to half an hour catching its breath before dining?

A. Crocodile B. Hawk
C. Cheetah D. Cobra

I think I found some new students for Bix. How friggin' out of shape must cheetahs be if takes them 30 minutes to catch their breath after running? My 350 lb. neighbor only takes 20 minutes to cool down after walking out to the mailbox.


Besides losing while going for $2 million on Greed, Dan has won $5,300 on Jeopardy! and $600 worth of women's shoes on Sale of the Century (all size 7 1/2).

Wow, that's impressive. By my calculations, I've now won a total of $3,875,856,119.68 on game shows.... if they'd have ever let me play on any of them, that is.


$16,000
What famous explorer was the first governor of Puerto Rico under the Spanish?

A. Ferdinand Magellan B. Juan Ponce de León
C. Vasco da Gama D. Francisco Pizarro

"Well sometimes you gotta take chances and I've been known to take chances. I don't know this for a fact. I'm going to say--Magellan was killed in the Phillipines, Vasco da Gama went around Africa, Pizarro was mainly in the southwest, I think. I'm gonna go with B, final answer."

I agree with you 100%, Danny boy. These distractors make it so easy, a Kalamazoo first grader could get it. But hey, who's complaining, right?


$25,000
In the occult, "besom" refers to what magical object?

A. Witch's broom B. Crystal ball
C. Amulet D. Wand

Having ancestors from the Salem, Massachusetts area, I knew this cold.

Dan decides to PAF: "Let me call Leszek."

Meredith: "Leszek? That sounds like a wizard or something, Leszek."

Come on, Meredith. How many contestants have called Leszek already, about 252? Don't act like you've never heard of Leszek before, unless the only names you ever remember are those of those "interesting" people you get to schmooze with over on The View.

Dan: "I'm hoping, yes."

Dan reads the question and choices, spelling "besom" twice.

Leszek: "It's a witch's broomstick."

Dan: "Are you positive of that?"

Leszek: "Yes, I am. Hang on a second."

Dan: "You've got seven of them left."

Leszek: "OK. Well, yes, it is a broom. Absolutely."

Nice job, Zek! If there's anyone out there who comes even close to being as smart as I am, you're the one, man!


$50,000
Since 1991, the Burning Man festival has been held in the late summer in what U.S. state?

A. California B. Arizona
C. Nevada D. New Mexico

See, this was meant to trip up any of those WABC contestants who happened to luck their way this far. They weren't planning on having someone from the Southwest on the show anytime soon, I guess, or this probably would've gone for about $500.

It was a piece of cake for me. I have a calendar with every festival in the world listed on it. The bank gave it to me because they ran out of toasters.


$100,000
What is the name of the famous sculpture by Man Ran that features a picture of an eye affixed to a metronome?

A. Measure for Measure B. Persistence of Vision
C. Last Picture Show D. Indestructible Object

"The only one that it sounds like it couldn't be is Persistence of Vision, but I'm not going to risk the 50/50 on the other three, which I don't know."

Dan decides to Switch The Question.

Well, I guess not everyone has a replica of this Man Ray sculpture in their bathroom. I find it handy for holding the toilet paper roll.


$100,000
When President James Garfield was shot in 1881, who invented a type of metal detector to try to find the bullet?

A. Nikola Tesla B. Thomas Edison
C. Alexander Graham Bell D. George Westinghouse

50/50 leaves C and D.

Well, if your only resource for American history was WWTBAM questions, you'd swear that everything in the world was invented by either Bell or Edison. You just lost Edison...

"I was going to guess Mr. Edison, but..."

ATA - Studio: A. 0% B. 0% C. 32% D. 68%
ATA - AOL: A. 0% B. 0% C. 37% D. 63%

Well, that ATA's no good anymore anyway. May as well buy some more time to realize that it has to be Alex Bell.

"My leaning is towards Bell, for some reason."

Way to go! Now you're catching on!

Meredith warns Dan that the audience is usually right, but not always.

Meredith, stick some of the cotton from one of those bottles of Bayer in your mouth.


$250,000
In the famous 1888 poem "Casey at the Bat," what is the game's final score after Casey has struck out?

A. 2 to 0 B. 3 to 1
C. 1 to 0 D. 4 to 2

No problem here. I still have the scorecard from this game in my closet.

"If I was to guess, I'd say A, but I'm not going to guess."

Dan walks with $100,000.

What? You're walking already? Well, at least you fared better than some of the usual riffraff they drag in off the streets. I was expecting a guy who took a 2.2 million dollar risk to give it the old Kati try, but at least you left with some real game show money, and not New York City apartment rent.

Nihil Obstat®

You like me! You really like me!

[sunflower]

OMG that was freakin' hysterical!!!!

I got scared when I logged in and saw my name in the list of threads...had to do a double take there, but I love it!

I have to go now...I have a shirt to make...

[frogman042]

Meredith says that as an auditor she deals with dough so there's a connection.

Who writes this stuff for Mere anyway? Frogman? It's too bad you didn't have the Hooligan schtick working back then, because someone could really use a good Louisville Slugger to the head.....

No, I write all the puns in the headlines for all human interest stories in the papers. I believe it is against the law to have a human interest story without its headline being a pun.

Also, in the not too distant future, when my grandson is on my shoulders, I'll be getting a Louisville Slugger to the head...

Hey MBFFB...

can you guess in what city he was born?