PT-WWTBAM Transcript: Rob Placek (8/9/09)

[BBTranscriptTeam]

2nd 10th-Anniversary Fastest Finger Question

Put these “As-Seen-On-TV” products in the order they were introduced, starting with the earliest

A- Ginsu Knives B- George Foreman Grill
C- ThighMaster D- Snuggie

Spoiler

ACBD

And the winner is:

Stephanie Millien-
Linda Sweeney-
Ralph Cambeis- 10.27 s
Neil Schwartz- 10.36 s
Jessica Gerber-
Teresa Reitmeyer-
Rob Placek- 5.00 s
Gary Cousins- 5.75 s
Kristin Williams-

Rob Placek, Alliance, NE, 19 (Video Audition)

Rob is a sophomore at Creighton, where he is majoring in International Relations. He has a scholarship, but must still come up with $11,000 a year. To do that, he is working three jobs.

Categories:

*Tommy Boy
*Colonial Cutie
*United Nations
*Beautiful Couples
*First Dates
*Tech Toys
*It’s Your Birthday
*Natural Habitats
*Ballers
*Famous Names
*Fun With Math
*By George!
*Meet and Greet
*Books for Bozos
*NASA

$100- NASA

Honoring the agency’s 50th anniversary in 2008, Stephen Hawking noted that NASA has achieved major advances in what?

A- Sports B- Science
C- Fashion D- Pocket protectors

Spoiler

”I wish I could say D, but it’s” B- Science (6)

$200- Books for Bozos

“Burgers and Sausages and Hot Dogs- Oh My!” is the title of a chapter in which of these “For Dummies” instructional books?

A- Bookkeeping for Dummies B- Knitting for Dummies
C- Gardening for Dummies D- Grilling for Dummies

Spoiler

D- Grilling for Dummies (7)

$300- Meet and Greet

If someone slangily asks you to “pound it”, what type of greeting should you give them?

A- Double Kiss B- Bear Hug
C- Fist Bump D- Nose Rub

Spoiler

Rob answers C- Fist Bump while giving Regis one (and not saying “final”) (6)

$500- By George!

George Lucas has said that his dog Indiana was the inspiration for the name of the main character in what popular movie?

A- Raiders of the Lost Ark B- Die Hard
C- The Terminator D- The Matrix

Spoiler

A- Raiders of the Lost Ark (9)

Rob: “I’m not even nervous. This is too exciting.” Regis “We’ll get you nervous before you’re finished. I’ll tell you that.”

$1,000- Fun with Math

What is the punch line to the math joke that asks “What does trigonometry have in common with a beach?”

A- Sec ants B- Co sines
C- Tan gents D- Asymp totes

Spoiler

C- Tan gents (7)

Rob now has the ATE lifeline.

—Commercial Break (we get a glimpse of the celebrity, Katy Perry, as we go to commercial)—

Clips of Bob Essig, Joe Trela, and Ed Toutant answering their $1 million questions (in Ed’s case, $1.86 million). Regis repeats the mistake on the factoid about the number of millionaires the show has seen in the NY studio, claiming it is 13 (there have been 12).

Regis introduces “Bobo” (“It’s Bobb-o! You couldn’t stop saying it on the show!”), Joe (“I’m still a millionaire at heart”) and Ed (decked out in the old Regis attire “People ask me who I’m wearing, and I say ‘I’m wearing ‘Regis’!”) All three (well, not Ed!) intimate that they are no longer millionaires- the money is mostly gone.

$2,000- Famous Names

Which of these idioms features the last names of an Oscar-winning actress and actor?

A- Beck and call B- Hunt and peck
C- Rise and shine D- Short and sweet

Spoiler

B- Hunt and peck (14)

$4,000- Ballers

Billed as “Disneyland vs. Disney World”, what two teams competed in the 2009 NBA Finals?

A- The Rockets and the Knicks B- The Spurs and the Celtics
C- The Lakers and the Magic D- The Mavericks and the Heat

Spoiler

C- The Lakers and the Magic (22)

$8,000- Natural Habitats

By definition, where does an abyssopelagic animal live?

A- In the desert B- On top of a mountain
C- Inside a tree D- At the bottom of the sea

Spoiler

D- At the bottom of the sea (17)

$16,000- It’s Your Birthday

All of the following hip-hop artists are turning forty in 2009, except for whom, who turned fifty?

A- Jay-Z B- Ice Cube
C- Flavor Flav D- P. Diddy

With 19 seconds on TDC, Rob uses his ATA lifeline

ATA Results: A- 2%, B- 21%, C- 66%, D- 11%

Spoiler

C- Flavor Flav (14)- Regis interrupts Rob as he’s answering, costing him about 5 seconds

—Commercial Break—

Rob is the 3,264th contestant to have played the American version of WWTBAM. Regis directs contestant wannabes to abc.com to try out for the weekday show.

Rob’s dad Bob is in the relationship seat. The first thing they did was unpack, and then did a “dry run”, walking to the studio and back. Rob talks about Alliance, a small town of about 8,000, saying the last popular thing to come out of Alliance was the world champion steer wrestlers. Rob discusses his three jobs (including working as a groundskeeper for a convent), and mentions he sent to the French president for an autographed picture. Regis asked if Sarkozy sent one of his wife

$25,000- Tech Toys

The new iPhone 3G S boasts a touchscreen with an “oleophobic coating” which is specifically designed to do what?

A- Never scratch B- Not show fingerprints
C- Display brighter colors D- reduce glare

At 18 seconds, Rob uses his Phone a Friend lifeline. Rob’s PAFs are Ed from Crete, NE, Eric from Leavenworth, KS, and Geoff from Omaha, NE. He chooses Geoff (Dr. Geoff Bakewell)

Rob: “Oleophobic, O-l-e-o-phobic. What’s that mean? Does it not show fingerprints?”
Geoff: “Should mean ‘it resists oil’ or ‘does not like oil’”

Rob: “That’s my classics language guy. Thank you very much”.

Spoiler

B- Not show fingerprints (17)

$50,000- First Dates

On their first official date in 1989, Barack Obama and his future wife Michelle went to see what movie?

A- Driving Miss Daisy B- Glory
C- When Harry Met Sally D- Do The Right Thing

Rob: “This is the year I was born”. Regis: “I was afraid of that”. At 20 seconds, Rob uses his Double Dip Lifeline.

Rob’s first guess is

Spoiler

C- When Harry Met Sally

Rob’s second guess is

Spoiler

A- Driving Miss Daisy

and leaves with $25,000.

Spoiler

D- Do The Right Thing

—Commercial Break—

[hbomb1947]

I needed to ATA on the $16K hip-hop question.

As mentioned in another thread, I had no idea on what was essentially a WWOQ about the Obamas' first date. I probably would have PAF'd on that one; it was relatively easily googlable (based on my own experimentation with search terms after the show).

Otherwise, nihil obstat.

[Jeemie]

What does WWOQ stand for?

[Bob78164]

What does WWOQ stand for?

Wacky Weed-Out Question. --Bob

[hbomb1947]

What does WWOQ stand for?

Wacky Weed-Out Question. --Bob

I always thought it was Wicked Weed-Out Question.

[Appa23]

Bluejays in the House!!!!!

I was rooting for Rob (though I did have an interest in having him fall early in the third tier).

Nihil Obstat. (I did find it interesting that we both had questions that required knowing that oleo refers to oil, at nearly the same level.)

[ulysses5019]

What does WWOQ stand for?

Wacky Weed-Out Question. --Bob

Ooh, I like to say Wicked.

[Jeemie]

What does WWOQ stand for?

Wacky Weed-Out Question. --Bob

Oh- OK.

I wouldn't have called that a WWOQ.

If the contestant had still had his PAF, that was eminently Googlable.

And today I figured out why "Driving Miss Daisy" was in my head when the question appeared...and it had nothing to do with Obama.

It was because I have an SI desk calendar with funny quotes from sports' figures, and the weekend quote was from Andy Van Slyke, who once remarked after a bad day at the plate that it was so bad "I couldn't have driven Miss Daisy home".

[MarleysGh0st]

What does WWOQ stand for?

Wacky Weed-Out Question. --Bob

I always thought it was Wicked Weed-Out Question.

Yes, it's Wicked.

[Bob78164]

Wacky Weed-Out Question. --Bob

I always thought it was Wicked Weed-Out Question.

Yes, it's Wicked.

Then we should change it. "Wacky" conveys a sense of arbitrariness -- any question that's simply undervalued (such as the Magritte question) could qualify as a "Wicked" Weed-Out Question. --Bob

[elwoodblues]

What did his being born that year have to do with anything? Even if you were an adult in 1989 you would not have known this unless you heard or read about it in the last year or so. Some of the younger contestants use their age as an excuse even when it does not apply.

[Odyssey]

Although I hate rap, I could get the rap question just because I remember Flav having a band called NWA while I was in h.s., which was quite controversial. Therefore, he had to be the only one older than I am.

On the i-pod question, it helps to have knowledge of fat-free products made with olean and olestra.

Obama Q was ridiculous, but DTRT seemed most fitting to me. I never would have said WHMS. I also think Donaldson would have known this.

[Bob78164]

On the i-pod question, it helps to have knowledge of fat-free products made with olean and olestra.

Or to be old enough to have heard of oleomargarine. --Bob

[silvercamaro]

On the i-pod question, it helps to have knowledge of fat-free products made with olean and olestra.

Or to be old enough to have heard of oleomargarine. --Bob

One does not have to be "old enough." One might have to "read books."

[MarleysGh0st]

I always thought it was Wicked Weed-Out Question.

Yes, it's Wicked.

Then we should change it. "Wacky" conveys a sense of arbitrariness -- any question that's simply undervalued (such as the Magritte question) could qualify as a "Wicked" Weed-Out Question. --Bob

No messing with a Bored tradition!

"Wacky" sounds like too much fun. That Japanese import "MXC" asks it's contestants to perform wacky stunts.

[Appa23]

Although I hate rap, I could get the rap question just because I remember Flav having a band called NWA while I was in h.s., which was quite controversial. Therefore, he had to be the only one older than I am.

Well reasoned, except:

- Public Enemy and NWA (Niggaz with Attitudes) were both huge hip hop groups of the mid-late 1980s.

- Flava Flav was in Public Enemy.

- Ice Cube was in NWA.

[hf_jai]

$300- Meet and Greet

If someone slangily asks you to “pound it”, what type of greeting should you give them?

A- Double Kiss B- Bear Hug
C- Fist Bump D- Nose Rub

I think I would have needed to ATA on this one. When I heard "pound it" I initially thought of only one thing. A second or two later, I thought of the expression, "to pound sand." Either one would probably elicit a fist in the nose, not a fist bump.

[heelsrule1988]

...and then this guy comes along and wipes away my fears. A solid run, indeed. Since the contestants are half auditioners and half phone gamers, there's going to be fluctuations like this. One game, we'll get a really smart contestant, and the next... not so much. Hopefully we'll get more of the former.

[jurisdoctor07]

On the i-pod question, it helps to have knowledge of fat-free products made with olean and olestra.

Or to be old enough to have heard of oleomargarine. --Bob

One does not have to be "old enough." One might have to "read books."

Well, if you watch when they are dialing, trying to get his professor on the phone, you can tell that Rob figures out the answer. So, he wasn't totally in the dark on that one.

I really liked Rob! He seemed fun and genuine.

[ten96lt]

I'm just surprised he didnt ATE on the $50k question. My first instinact would have been to ask Donaldson since he's a news guy in Washington, this would have been up his alley.

[Odyssey]

Although I hate rap, I could get the rap question just because I remember Flav having a band called NWA while I was in h.s., which was quite controversial. Therefore, he had to be the only one older than I am.

Well reasoned, except:

- Public Enemy and NWA (Niggaz with Attitudes) were both huge hip hop groups of the mid-late 1980s.

- Flava Flav was in Public Enemy.

- Ice Cube was in NWA.

Yes, I mixed up the groups. Still, I know that Flav was past h.s. age when I was in h.s. I have no knowledge of Ice Cube at all, but it wouldn't matter since only one was not like the others.

[ten96lt]

Although I hate rap, I could get the rap question just because I remember Flav having a band called NWA while I was in h.s., which was quite controversial. Therefore, he had to be the only one older than I am.

Well reasoned, except:

- Public Enemy and NWA (Niggaz with Attitudes) were both huge hip hop groups of the mid-late 1980s.

- Flava Flav was in Public Enemy.

- Ice Cube was in NWA.

Yes, I mixed up the groups. Still, I know that Flav was past h.s. age when I was in h.s. I have no knowledge of Ice Cube at all, but it wouldn't matter since only one was not like the others.

I would have guessed Flav because I remember watching the roast and a lot of the jokes were about his age so I figured he would be the oldest out of the 4.

[silvercamaro]

Or to be old enough to have heard of oleomargarine. --Bob

One does not have to be "old enough." One might have to "read books."

Well, if you watch when they are dialing, trying to get his professor on the phone, you can tell that Rob figures out the answer. So, he wasn't totally in the dark on that one.

I agree. The way he phrased the question to his PAF indicated that he was looking for confirmation, nothing more. I liked Rob, too.

My point was that any contestant's age is not an excuse, in itself, for not knowing an answer. I wasn't born yet when Napoleon Bonaparte, Dante, or Leonardo Da Vinci were alive, but I didn't aim for the hot seat without knowing who they were.

[Weyoun]

I recall the Obama movie story - I remember thinking it was too good to be true, or something - though the first date I went on with my current gal was The Wrestler, so go figure.

[Odyssey]

My first movie date with my husband was Sleepers--all about molestation in a juvenile detention center. We didn't realize that was what it was about and laughed about how it was our first movie together!