WoF Retro Recap: January 4, 2012

EPISODE #5538: CALIFORNIA COAST

$1K Tossup: PHRASE

_ A M _ / A N D
_ O R _ U N E  Ann solves the two F’s of FAME AND FORTUNE. Hoping to hit the Jackpot on this Hump Day are…  Ann Beckstrom: retired financial services company worker who also took lessons in driving Zambonis and is married to Jim from Denver

Chris Jamison: Ole Miss graduate & a seven-year minister who’s hoping to be a consulting worker from Byhalia, MS

Heather Bonner: founder of a non-profit coupon-clipping organization to benefit food banks that’s spread to 12 states and married for 6 years from Dacula, GA

$2K Tossup: PLACE

 S _ A T I _ _ E R Y_ _ O R E
Ann triples up w/ STATIONERY STORE. FEATURED CA TRIP: Stevenswood Spa Resort in Little River from Hotwire w/ $6K

Jackpot Round: RHYME TIME

Here she goes w/ three N’s for $2,700, an A, three R’s for the CA trip, six E’s, and four P’s for another $2,200…

P E T E R / P E T E R
P _ _ P _ _ _ / E A T E R

…she solves “PETER, PETER, PUMPKIN EATER” for $10,400 cash & trip.
PRUNCLAIMED JACKPOT: $6,450  Mystery Round: WAYD?

Chris’s first actions are getting three N’s for $2,400 and LOSING A TURN. Second, Heather wastes her first spin w/ the BANKRUPT near TD. Third, Ann picks up the 76 gas card w/ a G, three R’s for $1,050, and four E’s before hitting the MDW’s left side to hand over $1,800 cash & gas. Chris next gets up there a $3,500 W and three A’s, but he then BANKRUPTS the same way Heather did to give up $5,650. That lady in the middle follows w/ a $700 pair of S’s and a B for the MDW, then she’s…   B R E A _ _ N G / AN E W / _ E A R ‘ SR E S _ _ _ _ _ _ N

…BREAKING A NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTION for the house minimum.  SOLE LaT: Chris
BANKRUPTS: 3 (whole gang)  Chris: BAD LUCK/Heather: $1K + MDW/Ann: $13,400 cash & trip 

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PP Round: THING

Heather’s starting letters are a $300 T, an E, a $900 R, and an A, but next is the other normal BANKRUPT to cost her $700 and the MDW. Second, Ann can’t pick up the blue 1/2 KIA w/ an N. Third, Chris lights up an $800 L, a $300 M, an O, a $300 H and B, a $900 D, and two I’s to round out the vowels. But after a $550 W is a baddie of C. Heather then goes for the mystery trip…
_ L O _ _ _
W I D E – B R I M
H A T

…she has the right answer…problem is, she added an unnecessary A in front, so Ann will wear a FLOPPY-WIDE BRIM HAT on a trip to the Sugar Bay Resort & Spa in ST. THOMAS worth $6,925.  DUDS: N (Ann), C (Chris)SOLE BANKRUPT: Heather (2nd of the night)
SOLE DQ: Heather’s blown solve

Chris: GOOSEEGG ALERT/Heather: $1K/Ann: $20,325 cash & trips 

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$3K Tossup: IN THE KITCHEN 

S _ L A D
_ O N _ _

Heather quadruples up w/ SALAD TONGS.   Round 4: SHOW BIZ
Going down her path first are a $1K pair of S’s, an A, two N’s for another grand, and the I at the start before we hear the Speed-Up bell… I / _ _ / A _ _ / _ _
_ _ N / S _ _ N _ S

…and the rest of the consonants are worth $1,500 apiece. Two L’s are said by Ann…
I / _ _ / A L L / _ _
_ _ N / S T _ N T S

…she wrongly says “I DO MY OWN STUNTS” in a good way for $3K and the win.  FINAL SCORESChris: $1K GOOSEEGG/Heather: $4K/Ann: $23,325 cash & trips  GT: $28,325BANKRUPT TRASH (excluding MDW): $8,150 cash & gas  

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$100K Bonus Round

Ann’s got the E envelope of GAME.  Category: THING  This is what all actors and actresses need to know…  _ _ _ L _ _ _ E   DMPA is good enough for…  D _ A L _ _ _ E   …only the first half of DIALOGUE. The last time they used this back in Chicago on May 14, 2008 during “Get in the Game” (I was in the audience on that day), the $40K was lost…

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…BUT IN ANN’S CASE, SHE’S THE FIRST $100K LOSER OF THE YEAR (and third overall this season). IT’S ALSO THE SECOND STRAIGHT SEASON THAT WE HAVE A GRAND PRIZE LOSER ON THIS PARTICULAR DAY OF THE YEAR. Bummer.  MY EP. RATING: 5

WoF Retro Recap: January 3, 2012

EPISODE #5537: CALIFORNIA COAST

$1K Tossup: ON THE MAP

_ _ N S _ _
_ _ _ L _ _ _ _ D

Ian has a brain fart.

S _ N S E _
_ O _ L _ V A R D

Jame solves SUNSET BOULEVARD. And she’s the only lady of Tuesday’s panel, which looks like this…

Jame Scott: licensing/recruiting coordinator for a foster care agency from Memphis (orig. from S.F.)

Daniel Certner: Duke University graduate and Billy Joel fan (he’s attended 18 of his concerts) who’s hoping to start a business from Morristown, NJ

Ian Freed: a student and aspiring teacher going back to college to get his Master’s Degree from Bayside, NY; also, he once threw the first pitch as a NY Mets contest winner because he’s a Mets and NY Giants fan 

$2K Tossup: LIVING THINGS

_ _ _ R G _ _ _ N
T _ E _ _

Daniel solves EVERGREEN TREES.

FEATURED CA TRIP: caravan.com tour of the CA Coast and Yosemite Park worth $5,500
Tues./Thurs. Gift Tag: BeachBikes.com

Jackpot Round: FOOD & DRINK

He wastes a spin w/ the BANKRUPT near TD. Second, Ian says T for terrible. Third, Jame FPs an A, calls up a $300 N and two Jackpot R’s, and picks up the Beach Bikes.com gift tag w/ two S’s. But after her buy of six E’s is the other normal BANKRUPT to forfeit $2,050 cash & GT. Daniel’s second turn ends quickly w/ the LaT, allowing Ian to call an L for the WC, a $900 F, an O, a $550 H, and an I before he…

F R E S H L _
S _ _ E E _ E _
O R A N _ E / _ _ I _ E

…drinks some FRESHLY SQUEEZED ORANGE JUICE for a $50 refund.

SOLE DUD OF THE ROUND: T (Ian)
SOLE LaT OF THE ROUND: Daniel
BANKRUPTS: 2 (Daniel, Jame)
UNCLAIMED JACKPOT: $8,050 

Mystery Round: SONG LYRICS

First from our R1 winner are three T’s for $900, two R’s for the tour, purchases of two I’s and O’s, five FP E’s, amd two S’s while on the MW near LaT. He goes for a quick solve after taking the $2K bribe…

T _ E S E / _ R E / _
_ E _ / O _ / _ _
_ _ _ O R I T E
T _ I _ _ S

…he solves “THESE ARE A FEW OF MY FAVORITE THINGS” (from “The Sound of Music”) for $7,900 cash & CA…but it could’ve been $15,900 had he taken the risk.

PR

Jame: $1K/Daniel: $2K/Ian: $8,900 cash & CA + WC

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PP Round: WAYD?

The sole lady of the panel kicks off w/ five N’s for $3K, a G for the MDW, five I’s, two A’s, five T’s for another $4,500, two S’s for the green 1/2 KIA, and the rest of the vowel shop. But after a $300 C, she says a MAJOR DUD in M while on the other 1/2 KIA — oh brother. She’s thinking the last word’s MOUNTAIN. Daniel LaTs out for the second time this game following his $300 H. Ian then…

T O S S I N G / A
C O I N / I N T O / T H E
T _ E _ I
_ O U N T A I N

…will soon be TOSSING A COIN INTO THE TREVI FOUNTAIN, because he’s won a trip to the Hotel Quirnale (part of worldhotels.com) in ROME from Hotwire.com worth $7,628. Jame’s late blunder denies her of $15,178 cash & trip (it would’ve been twice as painful if she had picked up that other plate).

SOLE DUD: M (Jame)
SOLE LaT: Daniel

Jame: $1K/Daniel: $2K/Ian: $16,528 cash & trips + WC

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$3K Tossup: FUN & GAMES

_ _ _ P P I N G
_ _ _ E

Jame’s SKIPPING ROPE to multiply her total by four.

Round 4: PEOPLE

Her starters are four S’s for $1,200, a $900 N, and three E’s, followed by a FP D, a $900 trio of T’s, but then the signal for Speed-Up Mode…

S T A _ S / A N D
S T A _ _ _ T S

…and the two remaining consonants are worth $1,300 apiece. She puts up the R’s next, but still blanks out for $5,850. Daniel then puts up the L…

S T A R S / A N D
S T A R L _ T S

…and sees a few STARS AND STARLETS.

FINAL SCORES
Jame: $4K/Daniel: $3,300/Ian: $16,528 cash & trips + WC 

GT: $23,828
BANKRUPT TRASH: $2,050 cash & GC

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$100K Bonus Round

Ian also lands on the &.

Category: FOOD & DRINK
Two letters on the bottom to start…

_ _ _ _
_ E _ S

It’s some kind of PEAS. After he says MDBA and C…

B A B _
_ E A S

…he eats up these BABY PEAS for $35K and a final total of $51,528 cash & trips.

MY EP. RATING: 7

WoF Retro Recap: January 2, 2012

EPISODE #5536: CALIFORNIA COAST

$1K Tossup: PLACE

_ _ T Y / O F
A _ G _ L S

This is a nickname for L.A., and Michelle knows that it’s the CITY OF ANGELS. Let’s meet our first panel of 2012…

Michelle Whitaker: firefighting lieutenant for 15 years who also plays golf amd bakes stuff at home while collecting recipes from Memphis

Andrew Boston: chemical engineering student at Northwestern University who’s the VP of a fraternity called Fiji and is currently researching catalysts for industrial progress as of six months ago from South Elgin, IL

Meghann Sullivan: Army Major and sports fan married to Randy Barton (they named their two dogs after Carl Yastrzemski & Jason Varitek) whose parents are from Massachusetts (Inbelieve she’s from that state as well)

$2K Tossup: THING

_ E A _ H _ R
J _ _ _ E T

Meghann dons a LEATHER JACKET.

FEATURED CA TRIP: InterContinental The Clement Monterey worth $5,270
Mon./Wed./Fri. Gift Tag: 76 gas card

Jackpot Round: SONG/ARTIST (red airplane wipe)

She instantly hits the MDW’s  left side. Second, Michelle picks up the 76 gas card w/ four R’s, calls up two T’s for $1,800, buys three E’s and two O’s, grabs the WC w/ four N’s, and plugs in an $1,800 trio of B’s. We now have…

B O R N / T O / R _ N
B _ / B R _ _ E
_ _ R _ N _ _ T E E N

…she solves “BORN TO RUN” BY BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN for $4,100 cash & gas card.

SOLE BANKRUPT: Meghann
FIRST UNCLAIMED JACKPOT OF ’12: $6,500

Mystery Round: BEFORE & AFTER

The early leader begins w/ three R’s for $10,500 and uses the WC to find a $7K pair of T’s, then she says seven E’s, an A, a $300 H, an O, two N’s for the green 1/2 KIA, a $300 D, and the leftover vowels. Afterwards are a $500 S, two F’s for another $900, a $450 V, two C’s for the CA trip, and two L’s for a grand before she finally solves w/ all of this showing…

C R E A _ – F I L L E D
C E N T E R
O F / T H E
U N I V E R S E

…she discovers the CREAM-FILLED CENTER OF THE UNIVERSE for a total of $25,970 in cash & CA!

MAJOR PERFECT ROUND!

Andrew: ZERO/Meghann: $2K/Michelle: $31,070 cash & prizes

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PP Round: PHRASE

Now finally getting to hear from Andrew, he leads off w/ a $450 T, an $800 H, two E’s, an $800 N, but then a worthless O. Meghann secondly puts up a $500 S but nothing more w/ R. Third, Michelle also strikes out w/ L. Back to Andrew who finds a $900 M, three I’s, and an obvious $300 G, then he buys two A’s to clean out the vowels, inserts a $900 Z, FPs D for dud, and puts up a $300 V to leave only one letter remaining…

T H E / V I E _ / I S
A M A Z I N G

…he’ll likely say “THE VIEW IS AMAZING” from a room at Nick Troubetzkoy’s Anse Chastanet in ST. LUCIA; this hotwire.com trip is worth $9,600, and he’s on the board w/ $13,050 in cash & trip.

DUDS: O (Andrew), R (Meghann), L (Michelle), D (Andrew)

Andrew: $13,050 cash & St. Lucia/Meghann: $2K/Michelle: $31,070 cash & prizes

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$3K Tossup: AROUND THE HOUSE

F A M _ _ _
_ O _ T _ _ I T

Andrew recalls a FAMILY PORTRAIT to jump to $16,050.

Speed-Up: FICTIONAL CHARACTERS 

The first FS of the year is $1,600.

Andrew: 3 T’s
Meghann: 2 N’s
Michelle: 2 H’s

_ N _ _ H T _ / _ _ / T H _
_ _ _ N _ / T _ _ _ _

Michelle solves KNIGHTS OF THE ROUND TABLE for $3,200.

FINAL SCORES
Andrew: $16,050 cash & St. Lucia/Meghann: $2K/Michelle: $34,270 cash & prizes 

GT: $52,320
ZERO BANKRUPT TRASH!

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$100K Bonus Round

The Volkswagen Eos wasn’t won twice during Great Escapes, but maybe the third time’s the charm for it to be won this week. Michelle lands on the &.

Category: PHRASE
This puzzle that was last used in HI at the start of “Best Friends Week” in S26 starts out as…

_ R _ N _
_ _ _

CGDA gives her…

_ R _ N G
_ A _

…she literally goes the WRONG WAY starting her guesses w/ BRING, and she loses the $40K (previously, it went unsolved for $30K after a team struck out w/ DKCI).

MY EP. RATING: 7

WoF Retro Recap: December 30, 2011

EPISODE #5535: BEST OF THE BEST

$1K Tossup: PERSON

_ _ R F E _ _ _ O _ I _ T

Becca says she’s a PERFECTIONIST. Here are the last three aired players of 2011…

Becca Christian: Riverlakes Community Church administrative assistant and hospital registration clerk going to Bakersfield College and is working on completing the prerequisites to become a future physician’s assistant from Bakersfield

Melissa Malka: a single, healthy baker who has pictures of her feet taken while she travels (early in her interview, she mistakenly said she’s married w/ two children) from Sunrise, FL

Eric B. Grant II: Montgomery County Schools substitute teacher for the middle & high levels who’s also a big sports fan (especially the Virginia Tech Hokies) from Blacksburg, VA

$2K Tossup: WAYD?

_ O _ _ _ _ G
C H _ _ P A _ N E

Becca’s clueless this time.

_ O _ R _ _ G
C H _ M P A _ N E

Eric’s POURING CHAMPAGNE to lead off the opening round.

FEATURED TRIP: Bernardus Lodge in Carmel Valley, CA worth $5,790

Jackpot Round: EVENT

He gets that trip right away w/ two T’s, a $300 H and five E’s, then he puts in two Jackpot S’s, a $2,500 M, two A’s, five I’s, and a FP U to round out the vowels. But after he picks up another $4,500 worth of N’s, he lands on the MDW’s left side to give up $13,340 cash & trip…

_ I N _ I N _ / I N
T H E / N E _
_ E A _ / I N
T I M E S / S _ U A _ E

…and Becca’s RINGING IN THE NEW YEAR IN TIMES SQUARE way too early, so she ties the man for the early lead.

SOLE BANKRUPT: Eric
LAST UNCLAIMED JACKPOT OF ’11: $9,700

Round 2: BEFORE & AFTER 

Becca says an automatic dud of T. Second, Melissa finds two R’s for $600, a $350 S, E and A singles, but no more w/ P. Third, Eric puts in two L’s for $1,200, a $350 M, and three N’s for the WC…

_ _ N N A M _ N
R _ L L S –
R _ _ _ E

…he solves CINNAMON ROLLS-ROYCE for $1,550 when he could’ve gone for the C’s.

DUDS: T (Becca) and P (Melissa)

Becca: $2K/Melissa: ZERO/Eric: $3,550 + WC

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Mystery/PP round: THING

S for sorry is how Melissa begins. Eric secondly gets up there four T’s for $3,600, three E’s, an A, four N’s for another $1,200, and three I’s to clean out the vowels…

I N – _ _ I _ _ T
E N T E _ T A I N _ E N T

…he wins another $4,050 and will enjoy some IN-FLIGHT ENTERTAINMENT early on his trip to the Breezes Runaway Resort, Spa & Golf Club in JAMAICA worth $6,540.

SOLE DUD: S (Melissa)

Becca: $2K/Melissa: ZILCH/Eric: $14,140 cash & trip + WC

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$3K Tossup: PROPER NAME

_ _ D E R _ O N
_ _ _ P E _

Melissa IDs CNN anchor ANDERSON COOPER to finally strike pay dirt.

Round 4: PHRASE

Her first actions are calling a $900 M, buying three I’s, but then LOSING A TURN. Second for Eric are two T’s for $600, three O’s, a $1,200 pair of N’s, four G’s for $3,600 more, and two E’s before the light bulb turns on again…

I ‘ M / G O I N G / T O
G E T / O _ G _ N I _ E _

…and he says “I’M GOING TO GET ORGANIZED” for another $4,900.

SOLE LaT: Melissa

Becca: $2K/Melissa: $3K/Eric: $19,040 cash & trip + WC

Speed-Up: LIVING THING

The last FS of the week’s $1,900. Two D’s get called up by Becca…

_ L D / _ N _ L _ S H
S H _ _ _ D _ _

…but she blows the $11,400 solve w/ OLD ENGLISH SCHNEIDER. Melissa next wastes another turn for repeating the H, allowing Eric to buy three E’s for free…

_ L D / E N _ L _ S H
S H E E _ D _ _

…and solve OLD ENGLISH SHEEPDOG for another $5,700.

DUDS: T (Eric), R (Melissa), M (Melissa)
DQs: 2 (Becca’s blown solve, Melissa’s H repeat)

FINAL SCORES
Becca: $2K/Melissa: $3K/Eric: $24,740 cash & trip + WC

GT: $29,740
BANKRUPT TRASH: $13,340 cash & CA

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$100K Bonus Round

He lands on the * space.

Category: PHRASE
Let’s get this biggie started…

S _ _ _ / T _ E
S _ R _ _ _ E

CHDA and M will add besides the obvious H…

S _ _ M / T H E
S _ R _ A C E

Jim Lubinski from Monday won’t be happy to hear that Eric will SKIM THE SURFACE of the roads in this Chrysler 200 Convertible Limited worth $32,885! He ends 2011 on a good note w/ $62,625 cash & prizes!

MY EP. RATING: 8