Transcript 12/3/08 - Sharon Morrill

[BBTranscriptTeam]

Sharon Morrill
Erie, CO
Substitute Teacher

Sharon is also a mom of two, 5 1/2-year-old Reed and 15-month-old Luke. Reed plays Millionaire along with Sharon, and gets more questions right than his mom, but he guesses a lot, changes his answers, and lies afterwards, so it may be suspect. Sharons husband, Rodney; dad, TJ; and mom, Barbara are in the audience rooting her on.

Her category tree:

Bring a Sweater!
The Oval Office
Frontmen of Rock
The Big House
Taking Refuge
Name that Pontiff
Pricey Paintings
Twist and Shout
Standing By
Summer Books
In Theaters
Back in the Day
By the Numbers
In-Flight Reading
Long Wars

$100 (Long Wars): Which of these historic wars lasted the longest?
A. Thirty Years' War B. Hundred Years' War
C. Seven Years' War D. The Lohan War

Spoiler

B. Hundred Years' War (9)

$200 (In-Flight Reading): As its name implies, an in-flight magazine is a publication intended to be read where?
A. At a newstand B. In a doctor's office
C. At the library D. On an airplane

Spoiler

D. On an airplane (10)

$300 (By the Numbers): The title of the TV series "90210" features what type of number?
A. ZIP code B. Telephone number
C. Computer password D. License plate number

Spoiler

A. ZIP code (8)

The show is Sharon's guilty pleasure.

$500 (Back in the Day): Which of these historic events took place in 1775?
A. California gold rush B. Paul Revere's ride
C. Oklahoma land run D. Custer's last stand

Spoiler

B. Paul Revere's ride (9)

$1,000 (In Theaters): Woody Allen's 2008 film "Vicky Cristina Barcelona" is set primarily in what country?
A. Italy B. Chile
C. Spain D. Argentina

Spoiler

C. Spain (10)

Sharon can now ATE when she needs to.

$2,000 (Summer Books): Taken from the title of Roger Kahn's acclaimed 1972 book, "the boys of summer" is a common nickname for whom?
A. Baseball players B. Politicians
C. War veterans D. Firemen

Spoiler

A. Baseball players (22)

$4,000 (Standing By): Because of the "Stand By Your Ad" provision in a 2002 campaign reform law, political TV ads often end with a candidate saying what?
A. Remember to vote B. God Bless the USA
C. Thank you for your time D. I approve this message

Spoiler

D. I approve this message (22)

COMMERCIAL BREAK

$8,000 (Twist and Shout): In the classic Dickens novel, Oliver Twist famously says "Please, sir, I want some more" in reference to a type of what food?
A. Cake B. Porridge
C. Bread D. Meat

Spoiler

B. Porridge (24)

$16,000 (Pricey Paintings): Sold in 2008 for over $41 million, Monet's "The Railway Bridge at Argenteuil" depicts two trains crossing what river?
A. Elbe B. Seine
C. Po D. Danube

Sharon elects to PAF (25). Standing by are Sharon's sister, Sally (Superior, CO); her ex-husband, Cory (Erie, CO); and her friend, Leanne (Erie, CO). Sharon chooses to call Sally. Sharon reads the whole question, mispronounces (Ed. note: not surprisingly, as it's a tough word even if you know French!) and then spells "Argenteuil," and Sharon gives no answer before time runs out. Sharon then uses ATA (23):

A. Elbe - 8%
B. Seine - 61%
C. Po - 8%
D. Danube - 23%

Spoiler

B. Seine (20)

THE HORN SOUNDS

Sharon will return tomorrow with two lifelines left to go for $25,000.

[slam]

And yet another case of a contestant reaching for the PAF too soon. If you've planned well, the PAF is by far your most valuable lifeline. Why waste it when another lifeline is likely to help you also? Yet so many contestants do.

[TheConfessor]

And yet another case of a contestant reaching for the PAF too soon. If you've planned well, the PAF is by far your most valuable lifeline. Why waste it when another lifeline is likely to help you also? Yet so many contestants do.

As a general rule, that's true, but I saw no indication that this particular PAF would have done better on a higher valued question.

[15QuestionsAway]

And yet another case of a contestant reaching for the PAF too soon. If you've planned well, the PAF is by far your most valuable lifeline. Why waste it when another lifeline is likely to help you also? Yet so many contestants do.

She might have thought the audience wouldn't be much help, even though they turned out to be.

A friend of mine was watching this and was screaming at the television to call me (use ATE), because he knew I'd know the answer (I did). He (like me when I was watching it) forgot she hadn't used ATA already. I assumed she did when she used PAF.

Now she'll get another Expert. I think it's going to be Tom Spencer again.

[MarleysGh0st]

And yet another case of a contestant reaching for the PAF too soon. If you've planned well, the PAF is by far your most valuable lifeline. Why waste it when another lifeline is likely to help you also? Yet so many contestants do.

She might have thought the audience wouldn't be much help, even though they turned out to be.

A friend of mine was watching this and was screaming at the television to call me (use ATE), because he knew I'd know the answer (I did). He (like me when I was watching it) forgot she hadn't used ATA already. I assumed she did when she used PAF.

Now she'll get another Expert. I think it's going to be Tom Spencer again.

This might be another instance where the contestant wouldn't have needed any lifeline, if not for the damned clock. With more time to think, she might have noticed that Monet and Argenteuil were both French and there's only one French river listed in the choices.

[NellyLunatic1980]

Bring a Sweater!
The Oval Office
Frontmen of Rock
The Big House
Taking Refuge
Name that Pontiff
Pricey Paintings
Twist and Shout
Standing By
Summer Books
In Theaters
Back in the Day
By the Numbers
In-Flight Reading
Long Wars

"Name That Pontiff"... ummm, Albino Luciani!

Nihil obstat®

[earendel]

Sharon Morrill
Erie, CO
Substitute Teacher

Sharon is also a mom of two, 5 1/2-year-old Reed and 15-month-old Luke. Reed plays Millionaire along with Sharon, and gets more questions right than his mom, but he guesses a lot, changes his answers, and lies afterwards, so it may be suspect. Sharons husband, Rodney; dad, TJ; and mom, Barbara are in the audience rooting her on.

They showed a cute picture of the kids.

$8,000 (Twist and Shout): In the classic Dickens novel, Oliver Twist famously says "Please, sir, I want some more" in reference to a type of what food?
A. Cake B. Porridge
C. Bread D. Meat

Spoiler

B. Porridge (24)

"Gruel, glorious gruel..."

$16,000 (Pricey Paintings): Sold in 2008 for over $41 million, Monet's "The Railway Bridge at Argenteuil" depicts two trains crossing what river?
A. Elbe B. Seine
C. Po D. Danube

Sharon elects to PAF (25). Standing by are Sharon's sister, Sally (Superior, CO); her ex-husband, Cory (Erie, CO); and her friend, Leanne (Erie, CO). Sharon chooses to call Sally. Sharon reads the whole question, mispronounces (Ed. note: not surprisingly, as it's a tough word even if you know French!) and then spells "Argenteuil," and Sharon gives no answer before time runs out. Sharon then uses ATA (23):

A. Elbe - 8%
B. Seine - 61%
C. Po - 8%
D. Danube - 23%

Spoiler

B. Seine (20)

A shame that she didn't make the connection between the nationality of the artist and the locations of the rivers.

OK, so since Jeff isn't the expert for Thursday and Friday I wonder who she'll get.

[peacock2121]

And yet another case of a contestant reaching for the PAF too soon. If you've planned well, the PAF is by far your most valuable lifeline. Why waste it when another lifeline is likely to help you also? Yet so many contestants do.

It both puzzles and surprises me when someone who has been in the hot seat says this kind of stuff this way.

[gsabc]

Given her next category, I hope that her Expert was wintergreen.

Two obviously French names in the question, one French river in the choices and she uses two lifelines. She's probably been kicking herself ever since the taping. I wish her retroactive luck with her remaining questions. Substitute teaching is less fun than regular teaching, and less pay as well.

[MarleysGh0st]

And yet another case of a contestant reaching for the PAF too soon. If you've planned well, the PAF is by far your most valuable lifeline. Why waste it when another lifeline is likely to help you also? Yet so many contestants do.

It both puzzles and surprises me when someone who has been in the hot seat says this kind of stuff this way.

Slam hasn't been in the Hot Seat.

[slam]

And yet another case of a contestant reaching for the PAF too soon. If you've planned well, the PAF is by far your most valuable lifeline. Why waste it when another lifeline is likely to help you also? Yet so many contestants do.

It both puzzles and surprises me when someone who has been in the hot seat says this kind of stuff this way.

As Marley has pointed out, I haven't been in the Hot Seat (yet!).

But I don't understand what you're saying. I'm simply saying that she made a bad strategic decision in her use of her Lifelines. And on a number of occasions, I've seen people use the PAF when it seemed clear to me that they should be using the ATA.

[earendel]

And yet another case of a contestant reaching for the PAF too soon. If you've planned well, the PAF is by far your most valuable lifeline. Why waste it when another lifeline is likely to help you also? Yet so many contestants do.

It both puzzles and surprises me when someone who has been in the hot seat says this kind of stuff this way.

As Marley has pointed out, I haven't been in the Hot Seat (yet!).

But I don't understand what you're saying. I'm simply saying that she made a bad strategic decision in her use of her Lifelines. And on a number of occasions, I've seen people use the PAF when it seemed clear to me that they should be using the ATA.

I would never to presume to speak for Pea, but I think she was saying that someone who has been in the Hot Seat knows what it can do to one's thinking processes, so criticizing someone for lifeline choices, especially now with TDC involved, seems inappropriate coming from someone who should know what it's like.

[MarleysGh0st]

But I don't understand what you're saying. I'm simply saying that she made a bad strategic decision in her use of her Lifelines. And on a number of occasions, I've seen people use the PAF when it seemed clear to me that they should be using the ATA.

Pea is saying that one is infused with empathy while sitting in the Hot Seat, so that one would never again criticize another contestant's performance, limiting one's comments to compliments about their excitement, anecdotes, outfits, etc.

We, obviously, have not yet had that infusion.

[slam]

It both puzzles and surprises me when someone who has been in the hot seat says this kind of stuff this way.

As Marley has pointed out, I haven't been in the Hot Seat (yet!).

But I don't understand what you're saying. I'm simply saying that she made a bad strategic decision in her use of her Lifelines. And on a number of occasions, I've seen people use the PAF when it seemed clear to me that they should be using the ATA.

I would never to presume to speak for Pea, but I think she was saying that someone who has been in the Hot Seat knows what it can do to one's thinking processes, so criticizing someone for lifeline choices, especially now with TDC involved, seems inappropriate coming from someone who should know what it's like.

Fair enough. Since I haven't been there, it's hard for me to comment about the effect of the pressure.

But when (let's think positive) I get to the Hot Seat, I believe that having thought about these issues in advance will help me make better decisions under pressure. Watching from home, it seems obvious to me that it would be a rare stack which would cause me to use the PAF prior to the ATA. Having come to that conclusion in advance should help me stick to that strategy when actually in the Hot Seat.

To me, this question screamed for using the ATA before the PAF. It's a $16K so the chances that the ATA will be useful on later questions is significantly reduced (not impossible, just unlikely). It's a question where at least some of the audience is likely to know the correct answer, hopefully enough to give clear results. If the ATA proves less than useful, then you can go to another Lifeline. The results of the ATA may even make the Double Dip a reasonable choice. And since that Lifeline can have pitfalls, it might be useful here in combination with the ATA.

[silvercamaro]

But I don't understand what you're saying. I'm simply saying that she made a bad strategic decision in her use of her Lifelines. And on a number of occasions, I've seen people use the PAF when it seemed clear to me that they should be using the ATA.

Some contestants may see a question and think, "Oh, my friend Dave knows this!", and use the PAF without considering that nearly everybody in the audience probably knows that, too. On the other hand, sometimes the contestant may recognize some reason that the audience does not seem to be typical, and therefore perhaps not as reliable for a particular question. An anomaly of that sort (limited age range, tourists vs. New Yorkers, or whatever) would not be apparent to the viewing audience. I used my PAF first by design, not because I hadn't considered other choices.

[slam]

But I don't understand what you're saying. I'm simply saying that she made a bad strategic decision in her use of her Lifelines. And on a number of occasions, I've seen people use the PAF when it seemed clear to me that they should be using the ATA.

Pea is saying that one is infused with empathy while sitting in the Hot Seat, so that one would never again criticize another contestant's performance, limiting one's comments to compliments about their excitement, anecdotes, outfits, etc.

We, obviously, have not yet had that infusion.

I very much doubt that would be my reaction after my hoped for Hot Seat opportunity.

[slam]

But I don't understand what you're saying. I'm simply saying that she made a bad strategic decision in her use of her Lifelines. And on a number of occasions, I've seen people use the PAF when it seemed clear to me that they should be using the ATA.

Some contestants may see a question and think, "Oh, my friend Dave knows this!", and use the PAF without considering that nearly everybody in the audience probably knows that, too. On the other hand, sometimes the contestant may recognize some reason that the audience does not seem to be typical, and therefore perhaps not as reliable for a particular question. An anomaly of that sort (limited age range, tourists vs. New Yorkers, or whatever) would not be apparent to the viewing audience. I used my PAF first by design, not because I hadn't considered other choices.

Sure, that could easily explain why people misuse the PAF. I consider (and it seems you agree) that doing that is a strategic error.

If you made a conscious decision to adopt the strategy that you did (and I didn't see your appearance), then that's a very different situation. Although I can't be certain, my general impression is that relatively few contestants make this sort of decision by applying any sort of rational thought. They are more likely to use the type of flawed logic that you describe above.

[ulysses5019]

But I don't understand what you're saying. I'm simply saying that she made a bad strategic decision in her use of her Lifelines. And on a number of occasions, I've seen people use the PAF when it seemed clear to me that they should be using the ATA.

Some contestants may see a question and think, "Oh, my friend Dave knows this!", and use the PAF without considering that nearly everybody in the audience probably knows that, too. On the other hand, sometimes the contestant may recognize some reason that the audience does not seem to be typical, and therefore perhaps not as reliable for a particular question. An anomaly of that sort (limited age range, tourists vs. New Yorkers, or whatever) would not be apparent to the viewing audience. I used my PAF first by design, not because I hadn't considered other choices.

Sure, that could easily explain why people misuse the PAF. I consider (and it seems you agree) that doing that is a strategic error.

If you made a conscious decision to adopt the strategy that you did (and I didn't see your appearance), then that's a very different situation. Although I can't be certain, my general impression is that relatively few contestants make this sort of decision by applying any sort of rational thought. They are more likely to use the type of flawed logic that you describe above.

I agree with sliver on this. I knew that the audience would not have known the question I PAF'd on. And I also knew they would be guessing on the high value one where I finally used them (they "guessed" wrong by a 2-1 ratio).

[peacock2121]

And yet another case of a contestant reaching for the PAF too soon. If you've planned well, the PAF is by far your most valuable lifeline. Why waste it when another lifeline is likely to help you also? Yet so many contestants do.

It both puzzles and surprises me when someone who has been in the hot seat says this kind of stuff this way.

Slam hasn't been in the Hot Seat.

who am I thinking of? shade! that is who I am thinking of.

so sorry

my bad

[peacock2121]

It both puzzles and surprises me when someone who has been in the hot seat says this kind of stuff this way.

As Marley has pointed out, I haven't been in the Hot Seat (yet!).

But I don't understand what you're saying. I'm simply saying that she made a bad strategic decision in her use of her Lifelines. And on a number of occasions, I've seen people use the PAF when it seemed clear to me that they should be using the ATA.

I would never to presume to speak for Pea, but I think she was saying that someone who has been in the Hot Seat knows what it can do to one's thinking processes, so criticizing someone for lifeline choices, especially now with TDC involved, seems inappropriate coming from someone who should know what it's like.

close.

Someone who has been there might know (first hand) the myriad of influences that could go on for one in the seat.

Someone who has been there might have made a decision that they will tell you they never would have made while sitting on their couch at home.

Someone who has been there might have compassion that comes from experiencing something that they never expected they would experience.

[peacock2121]

But I don't understand what you're saying. I'm simply saying that she made a bad strategic decision in her use of her Lifelines. And on a number of occasions, I've seen people use the PAF when it seemed clear to me that they should be using the ATA.

Pea is saying that one is infused with empathy while sitting in the Hot Seat, so that one would never again criticize another contestant's performance, limiting one's comments to compliments about their excitement, anecdotes, outfits, etc.

We, obviously, have not yet had that infusion.

well now, wasn't that helpful.

[MarleysGh0st]

who am I thinking of? shade! that is who I am thinking of.

Oh, I see that shade stopped by while I was on vacation to post a comment in his transcript thread. He's been scarce around here, lately.

[TheCalvinator24]

And yet another case of a contestant reaching for the PAF too soon. If you've planned well, the PAF is by far your most valuable lifeline. Why waste it when another lifeline is likely to help you also? Yet so many contestants do.

It both puzzles and surprises me when someone who has been in the hot seat says this kind of stuff this way.

I feel like I wasted my PaF, but I don't think I've ever chastised another contestant for his or her use.

[MarleysGh0st]

But I don't understand what you're saying. I'm simply saying that she made a bad strategic decision in her use of her Lifelines. And on a number of occasions, I've seen people use the PAF when it seemed clear to me that they should be using the ATA.

Pea is saying that one is infused with empathy while sitting in the Hot Seat, so that one would never again criticize another contestant's performance, limiting one's comments to compliments about their excitement, anecdotes, outfits, etc.

We, obviously, have not yet had that infusion.

well now, wasn't that helpful.

I know it was a most unempathetic ways of interpretting your comment and not the choice of words you would have used.

Was it inaccurate?

[peacock2121]

Pea is saying that one is infused with empathy while sitting in the Hot Seat, so that one would never again criticize another contestant's performance, limiting one's comments to compliments about their excitement, anecdotes, outfits, etc.

We, obviously, have not yet had that infusion.

well now, wasn't that helpful.

I know it was a most unempathetic ways of interpretting your comment and not the choice of words you would have used.

Was it inaccurate?

It was not accurate. I have never limited my comments to compliments about their excitement, anecdotes, outfits, etc. Nor am I puzzled when other ex-hotseaters don't.

I often wonder what the hot-seater thinking was and have asked on many occasions.

It is always easy to call logic 'flawed' after the fact.