Saturday, August 17, 2013

Grand Opening (Day 5)

Well, it's time to wrap up an up-and-down week of awesomeness! And I didn't mention it last episode, but we're on the verge of a PERFECT BONUS ROUND WEEK!!! Will it happen tonight?

Tonight's Potential Perfectos: Mark, Katie, Rachel

Toss-Up 1: Food & drink
P E A N U _ _ / _ N
T _ E / S H E _ _

Katie guesses PEANUTS IN THE SHELL...and she's right.

Toss-Up 2: Thing
_ I C T _ _ _
C H _ E _

Mark does a VICTORY CHEER after learning he's just won $2,000.

Featured Prize: Trip to the Canadian Rockies and Glacier National Park, $6,000

Jackpot Round: Things

Mark finds an $1,800 pair of S's, but he's going for a very quick solve...

_ _ _ _ S / &
_ _ _ _ S

WOW!!! He nails ACHES & PAINS for that amount! Very impressive, Mark!

QUICK FIRST-EVER DOMINATION!

Unclaimed Jackpot: $5,900

Mark: $3,800
Katie: $1,000 Toss-Up money
Rachel: $0

Mystery Round: Thing

Katie plays catch-up with Mark by landing on the MW near LaT and calling an S. She flips it...but goes right back down to zero. Rachel can't find an R on $400. This time, after making an impressive R1 solve, Mark promises he's going all the way. He finds a $600 pair of T's, buys 2 E's, picks up the pink 1/2-Car with an N, and finds $400 from an M. After buying a trio of I's, he gets a $300 D and clears the vowel board with an O. He picks up the Wild Card with an H and collects $500 from an F. And staying true to his word, he fills the whole board with a $1,200 pair of C's. The board reads:

S C I E N T I F I C
M E T H O D

Mark must have had a "clever" SCIENTIFIC METHOD for playing that way; in any case, he's earned $2,750 and his cardboard.

Wrong Letter: R (Rachel)
Bankrupt: Katie

Mark: $6,550 + WC + 1/2-Car
Katie: $1,000
Rachel: $0

Prize Puzzle: What are you doing?

Rachel finds a $400 S and a $1,000 (near the MDW) pair of T's. After buy an E trio and an A pair, she goes for 2 L's on $300, but doesn't get any more on $700 with an R. Mark gets a $500 G and a $1,200 N pair...before getting the pink 1/2-Car (his second plate) with a pair of C's! And he's nervous about this, but he's going for the solve...

E A T _ N G
T _ E / L _ C A L
C _ _ S _ N E

With $2,700, Mark can go EATING THE LOCAL CUISINE in BARBADOS! Not only that, he's the first car winner of the season, the new owner of a $10,000 Sedan! With the vacation valued at $6,500, he's earned $19,200 cash and prizes that round!

Wrong Letter: R (Rachel)

Mark: $25,750 cash, Caribbean, and car + WC
Katie: $1,000
Rachel: $0

Toss-Up 3: Phrase
H _ _ / O F F
T H E / G _ _ L L

Here's something HOT OFF THE GRILL - a quadrupler for Katie.

Round 4: Place

Katie starts out with a $1,500 (near the empty MDW) trio of R's, but strikes out with S on $450. After Rachel picks a wrong letter of C on $300, it's Final Spin time...

_ _ R _ _ R _
_ _ R _ _ _ _ _

...and consonants are worth $1,300 each. Mark asks for a pair of T's...

_ _ R _ _ R T
T _ R _ _ _ _ _

...and nails AIRPORT TERMINAL for $2,600 and the blowout win!

Wrong Letters: S (Katie), C (Rachel)

Mark: $28,350 + WC
Katie: $4,000 Toss-Up money
Rachel: $1,000 consolation

Maingame Winnings: $33,350

Perfect Bonus Round Week Alert: Places

Will Mark give us a good ending? He lands on the S in SPIN (he had a medium-strong spin, by the way).

RSTLNE fill in nearly half the puzzle:

R _ _
_ _ _ S E S

He's gonna kill it with WHCO and P (his WC pick)...

R O W
H O _ S E S

...and we have our first PERFECT BONUS ROUND WEEK of the season already!!! Mark doesn't live in any ROW HOUSES, but he's earned another 35 large and leaves us with $63,350 cash and prizes! Thank you, so much, Mark!

Friday, August 16, 2013

Grand Opening (Day 4)

Last night was quite ugly. We had a dozen wrong letters and missed opportunities, but Katie still walked away with $49,650 cash and Canada. Let's hope we have a better night tonight.

Contestants: Daniel, Tony, Rachel

Toss-Up 1: Food & drink
H O T / A P P _ E
C I D _ _

Rachel drinks up some HOT APPLE CIDER for her first grand.

Toss-Up 2: Person
C _ _ L D _ O O D
F R I E N _

Tony's NOT my CHILDHOOD FRIEND, but he's earned the right to spin first!

Featured Prize: Trip to Scotland worth $9,500!

Jackpot Round: Thing

Tony can't find a T on $300. Rachel then asks for a $900 R, but buys a bad I. From here, it's all Daniel. He collects a $1,800 pair of S's (although he repeated the T; repeats are allowed) and FPs a pair of E's. After purchasing an A, he picks up the Scotland trip with a N before buying the last vowel of O. And after collecting a $1,000 (near the MDW) pair of G's...

G E O G R A _ _ _
_ E S S O N

...he passes his GEOGRAPHY LESSON for $2,300 and the trip, earning him $11,800 that round! Good job!

Wrong Letters: T (Tony), I (Rachel)
Unclaimed Jackpot: $8,100

Daniel: $11,800 cash and Scotland
Tony: $2,000 Toss-Up money
Rachel: $1,000 T.U. bucks

Mystery Round: Living thing

Rachel hopes to catch up to Daniel, but $300 won't give her an R (the first letter of her name, by the way). Daniel then lands on the MW next to LaT and finds a pair of T's. He flips it...whoops. Tony finds a $400 S and a pair of E's before calling an early dud of C on the blue 1/2-Car. Rachel then slips past $3,500 and Bankrupts, so we're coming back to Daniel. He finds an $1,100 pair of N's and collects the blue 1/2-Car with a B. After buying 2 A's, he picks up the WC with a B and calls the last consonant of L while on $500. The board now shows this...

T _ B E T A N
S P A N _ E L

Daniel DOESN'T own a TIBETAN SPANIEL, but he's $1,850 richer and has temporary possession of that Wild Card and a 1/2-Car.

Wrong Letters: R (Rachel), C (Tony)
Bankrupts: Daniel, Rachel

Daniel: $13,650 + WC + 1/2-Car
Tony: $2,000
Rachel: $1,000

Prize Puzzle: Thing

Daniel starts out with a surprising dud of T while on $400. Tony picks up the Gift Tag with a trio of R's and collects $600 from an S. But after buying 3 E's and 2 A's, he hits the dreaded white space. Lose a Turn, to be exact. Rachel then finds a $600 pair of N's and a pair of I's before going for own trip...

R E _ R E S _ I N _
_ _ E A N / A I R

...and with $350, she'll be feeling the REFRESHING OCEAN AIR of beautiful ARUBA! That vacation is worth $7,500, so she's earned $7,850 that round.

Wrong Letter: T (Daniel)
Lose a Turn: Tony

Daniel: $13,650 + WC
Tony: $2,000
Rachel: $8,850 cash and Caribbean

Toss-Up 3: Things (hey, enough with those!)
A _ T _ O N
F I G U R _ S

Rachel buys a $3K set of ACTION FIGURES, so she's moved closer to Daniel with that solve.

Round 4: Landmark

Rachel and Daniel hit LaT back-to-back. Tony grabs the obvious S for $500 (near the empty MDW), but time's ticking...

_ _ _ _ _ _ ' S
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ / _ _ _ _

...and this will decide between Daniel and Rachel...consonants are worth $1,600 each (a Bankrupt next to $5K was edited out). But Tony's not out of it yet.

Tony - 2 T's!
Rachel - No R.
Daniel - 4 N's!
Tony - 3 L's!

Can Tony solve it with this setup?

L _ N _ _ N ' S
N _ T T _ N _ / _ _ L L

Nope. Rachel then BLOWS IT with an E. Daniel's next with the first letter of his name (a D)...

L _ N D _ N ' S
N _ T T _ N _ / _ _ L L

...and this is a fitting puzzle for this guy - while on his Scotland vacation, he could visit LONDON'S NOTTING HILL. Well, guess what - Rachel's mistakes have cost her the game. Wow. But Daniel wins it with another $8,000 in his pockets!

Wrong Letters: R (Rachel), E (Rachel)
Lose a Turn: Rachel, Daniel

Daniel: $21,650 + WC
Tony: $2,000
Rachel: $11,850

Maingame Winnings: Better than last night - $35,500

Bonus Round: On the map

After surviving a tight match, Daniel lands on the R in AMERICA'S.

This puzzle is a three-liner, so there's a lot of RSTLNE...

_ _ _ R L E S T _ N
_ E S T
_ _ R _ _ N _ _

This guy doesn't need his Wild Card! He's going with CHVI and his WC pick of W...

C H _ R L E S T _ N
W E S T
V I R _ I N I _

...and he nails CHARLESTON, WEST VIRGINIA for $30K, giving him $21,650 cash and Scotland on the night! Well done!

Grand Opening (Day 3)

You guys are in for a wild ride, and it's not gonna be any good...

Contestants: Patrick, Katie, Greg

Toss-Up 1: Proper name
_ _ _ I _ _ _ _ A
A _ _ _ _ E R A

We all know her name - Patrick quickly IDs CHRISTINA AGUILERA.

Toss-Up 2: Thing
S T O _ W _ T C H

Our STOPWATCH stops taking time right here - Greg solves this puzzle for control.

Prize on the Wheel: Grand Canyon, Arizona, $6,000

Jackpot Round: (Yet another) Proper name

Greg picks up the Wild Card with an R, but Bankrupts between $900 and $600 to give it right back. Patrick gets the same Bankrupt as Greg, while Katie finds $1,400 from a pair of S's. Yet she buys a dud A, so we're coming to Greg...but he fails on $600 with a lackluster L. Patrick then finds a $500 T (although he nearly hit the Jackpot), a $600 N, an $800 B, but then he Bankrupts on the MDW's left side. Katie and Greg then BLOW THEIR TURNS with I (Katie) and $600 C (Greg) calls, respectively. So it's back to Patrick, who decides to just solve this puzzle right now...

B _ S T _ N
R _ _ / S _ _

...and he IDs the BOSTON RED SOX for the house minimum. VERY UGLY ROUND, PERIOD.

Wrong Letters: A (Katie), L (Greg), I (Katie), C (Greg)
Bankrupts: Greg, Patrick 2x
Unclaimed Jackpot: $8,800

Patrick and Greg: $2,000 each
Katie: $0

Mystery Round: Thing (hey, is there some sort of category pattern?)

Hoping to recover from a nasty round, Patrick doesn't do any good thanks to a Bankrupt near $3,500. Katie finds a $600 R, a $1,200 pair of S's, and an E, but can't capitalize on $500 with a T. Greg just doesn't make it to the MW and Loses a Turn instead. Patrick then finds a $300 L, a $300 M, and a pair of N's (what he wanted to say on $300 instead of L) while on the MW near LaT. He flips it...but he isn't the third Mystery Wedge winner. Dang it. Katie then asks for quadruple A's...

A N / A M E R _ _ A N
_ L A S S _ _

...and reads AN AMERICAN CLASSIC for her first $1,350. Could've gone on for those C's...

Wrong Letter: T (Katie)
Bankrupts: Patrick 2x
Lose a Turn: Greg

Patrick and Greg: $2,000 each
Katie: $1,350

Prize Puzzle: Things

Katie tries to end this low-scoring affair with a $550 R and a $300 S. But Lose a Turn doesn't help her. Greg then collects $2,700 from a few T's, but fails with L on $300. Patrick then Bankrupts near $600. It just isn't his night tonight. Katie then goes on a spending spree: an E, an A, and triplet I's. She then finds a $300 C, purchases a few O's...

O _ T _ O O R
A C T I _ I T I E S

...and solves this puzzle for only $150, but that's just enough to pay for OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES on her $5,500 trek to QUEBEC, CANADA. She's earned $5,650 that round.

Wrong Letter: L (Greg)
Bankrupt: Patrick
Lose a Turn: Katie

Patrick and Greg: $2,000 each
Katie: $6,950 cash and Canada

Toss-Up 3: People
_ O O S _ E _
C L U B

Katie guesses BOOSTER CLUB...correct, so she's moved up to $9,950.

Round 4: On the map

Katie starts out with an $1,800 trio of S's, but fails on $300 with an R. Greg can't find an L on $300, but it's Final Spin time anyway...

_ _ _ _ _ _ S
_ _ _ _ _ S S _ _

...and consonants are worth $1,450 each. Still anybody's game.

Patrick - 1 T.
Katie - 5 E's!
Greg - 1 I; the last of the vowels.

Does Greg solve this puzzle with this setup?

_ E _ _ _ I S
T E _ _ E S S E E

Nope, he blanks out. Let's see if Patrick can solve it after asking for double N's...

_ E _ _ _ I S
T E N N E S S E E

...not a word comes out of his mouth. Does Katie get it with a pair of M's?

M E M _ _ I S
T E N N E S S E E

Of course, with MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE! She's $4,700 richer.

Wrong Letters: R (Katie), L (Greg)

Patrick and Greg: $2,000 each
Katie: $14,650

Maingame Winnings: Not very good - just $18,650

Bonus Round: Thing

Looks like Katie's survived an ugly game. She lands on the C in AMERICA'S.

RSTLNE gives some decent help:

_ L _ S S _
_ _ _ T _

She knows it like I do! She's going with PHYO...

_ L O S S Y
P H O T O

I'll be absolutely willing to take a GLOSSY PHOTO of her winning $35,000, giving her $49,650, cash and Canada! Better job done by her!

Grand Opening (Day 2)

Contestants: Patrick, Katie, Greg

Toss-Up 1: Phrase
_ A I _ Y
G R I N _

Katie's on the DAILY GRIND, so she's earned one grand.

Toss-Up 2: Place
_ E _ _ _ _ E
V _ L L A G _

Patrick is WAY OFF with PEOPLE VILLAGE...

S E _ S _ D E
V _ L L A G _

...while Katie's "got both Toss-Ups" (that's what Pat said) with SEASIDE VILLAGE.

Featured Prize: Trip to Belize (a "seaside village", what a coincidence) worth $7,500

Jackpot Round: What are you doing?

Katie picks up the pink 1/2-Car with an R and finds a $900 S (could've gotten the Gift Tag, however). But after buying a pair of E's and a trio of E's, she calls a T for terrible on $800. Greg can't pick up the MDW with a D, so that begins Patrick's road to redemption. He locates an $1,800 pair of N's and nearly hits Bankrupt...but finds $5K worth of 2 L's instead! After getting another $1,800 from a pair of M's and $1,600 from two G's...

_ _ N S _ M _ N G / A
L A R G E / M E A L

...he's CONSUMING A LARGE MEAL for $10,200! Nice job, sir!

Wrong Letters: T (Katie), D (Greg)
Unclaimed Jackpot: $12,300

Patrick: $10,200
Katie: $3,000 Toss-Up money
Greg: $0

Mystery Round: Food & drink

Trying to catch up to Patrick, the other guy named Greg begins his turn with a $400 roadblock of T. Patrick picks up the Gift Tag with an S and picks up the pink 1/2-Car with an R (although he nearly repeated the T). But after purchasing two E's, he buys a baddie in A. Afterwards, Katie slips past $600 and into a Bankrupt, while Greg finally gets something going with $1,600 from two N's...yet he makes a lackluster call of L while on $300 (though he dodged a Bankrupt). Patrick then lands on the Mystery Wedge next to the MDW and finds a pair of D's. He turns down the $2K offer...for $8K more than that! He next finds a $300 C, purchases a trio of O's...

C _ O _ _ E D
R E D / O N _ O N S

...and eats up some CHOPPED RED ONIONS for $10,050 and the Gift Tag, a Horse Statue from Washington DC, totaling $11,050 that round!

Wrong Letters: T (Greg), A (Patrick), L (Greg)
Bankrupt: Katie

Patrick: $21,250 cash and horse statue
Katie: $3,000
Greg: $0

Prize Puzzle: Place

Patrick tries to add on to his lead, but Lose a Turn won't help him at all. Katie lands on $500 next to the MDW and finds a pair of R's, then gets a trio of S's from $600. But her next trio of T's is WAY BETTER...because they're worth a whopping $10,500! But then she buys a bad vowel of A. Greg then fails on $300 with a C, allowing Patrick to attempt a stab at this puzzle...

_ _ R _ _ ' S
_ _ _ _ _ S T
S T R _ _ T

...but WORLD'S BIGGEST STREET is surprisingly incorrect. Katie tries again with a trio of E's, but then another critical dud vowel (I think it's the I). Greg then collects a $600 pair of L's and a $600 N...

_ _ R L _ ' S
L _ N _ E S T
S T R E E T

...and will be traveling to the city with the WORLD'S LONGEST STREET - CHICAGO, ILLINOIS! With that trip valued at $5,000 and his cash at $1,200, he's earned his first $6,200! Sadly for Katie, she missed out on $17,550 cash and Chicago due to her bad purchases. Sorry, ma'am.

Wrong Letters: A (Katie), C (Greg), I (Katie)
Lose a Turn: Patrick
Disqualification: Patrick's missolve

Patrick: $21,250
Katie: $3,000
Greg: $6,200 cash and Chicago

Toss-Up 3: Person
O V E R _ I _ H T
S U _ C _ S S

Katie's NOT an OVERNIGHT SUCCESS, but she's swept the T.U.'s to double up.

Round 4: Phrase

Katie instantly Bankrupts next to $600. Greg then fins a $300 S and buys a trio of E's, but time's runnin' out...

_ / _ _ E _ _
S _ E E _

...and consonants are worth $1,600. He asks for free twin A's...

A / _ _ E A _
S _ E E _

...but doesn't have a clue, so a $950 bonus might go down the drain. Patrick then asks for a W...

A / _ _ E A _
S W E E _

...and solves A CLEAN SWEEP for the Final Spin amount and the win!

Bankrupt: Katie

Patrick: $22,850
Katie: $6,000 T.U. bucks
Greg: $6,200

Total Maingame Winnings: $35,050

Bonus Round: Proper name

Patrick lands on the E in AMERICA'S (could've hit the R).

RSTLNE is quite generous...

N _ _ _ L E _ N
_ _ N _ _ _ R T E

His BPDO combo leaves only the A's remaining...

N _ _ O L E O N
B O N _ P _ R T E

...and he nails NAPOLEON BONAPARTE for $30,000, giving him $52,850 on the night!

Thursday, August 15, 2013

Grand Opening (Day 1)

All right, the show is open for business and entertainment! It's our "Grand Opening"! (Kinda redundant - definition: repeated meaning, huh?) Let's see if our season premiere week is awesome!

Contestants: Tony, Katie, Rachel

Jim Thornton, our announcer mentions that Pat and Vanna are "the stars of our show". And Pat tells Vanna that it's "time for [them] to travel in different directions. See you soon." Vanna chuckles.

And all this week, Pat, Vanna, and Jim will explain the basics.

Toss-Up 1: What are you doing?
_ _ A R I N _
_ _ / L U N _ _

Tony's not SHARING MY LUNCH, but he's earned his first grand!

Toss-Up 2: Thing
_ I R
_ _ N _ _ T _ _ _ _ R

Tony's "2 for 2", according to Pat, since he solves AIR CONDITIONER.

Premiere Prize on the Wheel: Trip to Florence, Italy, $8,500

Jackpot Round: Food & drink (1-liner)

Tony starts out by landing on the blue 1/2-Car, but there's no T for him; no surprise since it's a one-liner. Katie then finds a $600 R, then buys the only vowel of this puzzle, a pair of A's (I thought an E would be in there). She then picks up an N thanks to the $400 wedge near the Gift Tag. But thanks to a soft spin, she just doesn't make it to $550 and Bankrupts to give up $750. Rachel's first spin nabs her the Wild Card (although she could've gotten the pink 1/2-Car plate) with a P, but can't pick up the blue 1/2-Car plate that Tony just landed on with an S. Neither can our lone man with a C. Katie then picks up the Florence trip with a Y...

_ A N / _ R A _ Y

...and I don't know if there's any PAN GRAVY in Italy, but I do know that Katie's earned that trip with that solve!

Wrong Letters: T (Tony), S (Rachel), C (Tony)
Bankrupt: Katie
First Unclaimed Jackpot: $7,500

Tony: $3,000 Toss-Up money
Katie: $8,500 trip to Florence
Rachel: $0 + Wild Card

Mystery Round: Thing (yet ANOTHER 1-liner)

Our big leader can't capitalize on $900 with an R. Rachel then lands on the Mystery Wedge next to the Million Dollar Wedge and finds an S. She's going for it since she's way behind...there's the $10,000! She also Free Plays a wrong letter of T...but slips past the Gift Tag, right into $400, and into a dud of C. Uh-oh. Tony lands on $3,500...but doesn't uncover a Y. Katie finds a $300 L and an E to subtract $250, but Bankrupts between $900 and $600 to give back the $50 difference. Rachel gets a second chance, finding a $300 (near $900) N and buying a pair of O's to clear the vowels...

_ O O _ / L E N S

...and we have our $10K Mystery win of the season already! Rachel uses a ZOOM LENS to look at the $10,050 she just earned!

Wrong Letters: R (Katie), T (Rachel on Free Play), C (Rachel), Y (Tony)
Bankrupt: Katie

Tony: $3,000
Katie: $8,500
Rachel: $10,050 + WC

Prize Puzzle: What are you doing? (A bigger puzzle)

Rachel finds a $1,500 quintet of S's and a $300 T, but near $3,500, she Bankrupts away $1,800 and her Wild Card. Tony finds a $300 H, a $400 K (near the Gift Tag) , and $2,100 worth of three N's. After buying a pair of A's, he goes on...FINALLY picking up the blue 1/2-Car with a G, earning a $300 payoff from a P, and just missing the other 1/2-Car (he didn't want the plates anyway) but finding $350 from the last consonant of L. Now for the solve...

T A K I N G
S P A N I S H
L _ S S _ N S

...and with $3,700, he'll be TAKING SPANISH LESSONS on his $7,000 trip to BUENOS AIRES, ARGENTINA! He's earned $10,700 that round and is the new leader!

Bankrupt: Rachel

Tony: $13,700 cash and Buenos Aires
Katie: $8,500
Rachel: $10,050

Toss-Up 3: Thing
Y O _ _ _ E _
L O O K

Tony might not have a YOUNGER LOOK for now, but he's completed the first Toss-Up sweep of the season! He wasn't sure with his answer; in any case, he's $300 shy of the $17K mark.

Round 4: Proper name

Tony begins this round with a $1,200 pair of N's, purchases a trio of A's, and finds $1,800 worth of two R's before we head into Final Spin mode...

_ A R _ _ _ N A
_ A N _ _ _ R _

...and consonants are worth $1,900 apiece.

Tony - 1 L
Katie - 1 S
Rachel - 1 T
Tony - 1 H

_ A R _ L _ N A
_ A N T H _ R S

Tony IDs the famed NFL team, the CAROLINA PANTHERS for $6,550 and the win!

Tony: $23,250 (green indicating the winner)
Katie: $8,500 trip to Florence
Rachel: $10,050

Maingame Winnings: A respectable $41,800

Bonus Round: People

Tony's strong spin lands him on the E in AMERICA'S (nearly hit the M).

You see these people often, and RSTLNE fill in more than half the puzzle...

_ _ R
_ _ N E R S

BDWI only adds the obvious W...

_ _ R
_ W N E R S

...but he still solves this puzzle! And Tony may not be one of those CAR OWNERS, but he's earned another 40 large! He leaves us with $63,250, cash and Buenos Aires! You did great tonight, sir!