I remember watching the 2003 ToC, keeping score as I always do. I believe I got 3 of the 5 correct, all of them from the extra hints in the clue, and not because I actually know what city is the capital of any of the Australian states. I had a mental list of Australian cities in my head from a quiz bowl question I heard a loooooong time ago. That question asked the players to put them in order from north to south. I couldn't do it then, and I can't do it now. But there they are: Darwin, Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbaine, Adelaide, Hobart (Perth did not appear in that question, nor would I have remembered it, probably.)
Let's run them down. From the 2003 ToC (all clues today courtesy j-archive.com):
For $400:
Its opera house lies on Bennelong Point in Port Jackson Harbour
Easy. Opera house = Sydney. Fun fact, the Sydney opera house opened to the public on October 20, 1973, the day I was born.
For $800:
Named for a British naturalist, it's Australia's northernmost capital
Also easy. The British naturalist in this case = Darwin. Not quite as obvious if you don't know Darwin is an Australian city, but still probably guessable.
For $1200:
This capital of Victoria served as Australia's capital from 1901 to 1927 when the seat of govt. was moved to Canberra
You've got the "former capital" clue here, as well as the very specific "capital of Victoria". I didn't know it was Melbourne.
For $1600:
This capital of Queensland was founded as a convict colony in 1824 & named for a governor of New South Wales
Again, the very specific "capital of Queensland", as well as "named for a person", "convict colony", and "name for a governor of NSW". None of the contestants that day knew it was Brisbane. Neither did I. Mark guessed Cairns, a different city in Queensland, named for a former governor of the state.
For $2000 (Daily Double):
This capital of South Australia is the only Australian capital named for a woman
"Capital of South Australia" (specific clue) + "named for a woman" (lateral clue) = Adelaide. Yep, I got this one, and so did Mark Brown, who had also answered 2 of the other clues. I got it from the "woman" part.
So, that's a hint-filled way to play the category.
Now, I've just finished watching last night's episode of Jeopardy, again scoring along at home. Let's see how I did:
For $400:
In this capital of New South Wales, try the Bridge Climb, an exhilarating trek to the top of its Harbour Bridge
So, in the five clues we've already seen "capital of New South Wales" has not appeared. But the word "harbour" has. In this case, the city is the same, but the harbour is different. It's the Sydney Harbour Bridge, and so the answer again at the top row of the board is Sydney. I missed this; there weren't any clues I could suss out.
For $800:
It lies within the Australian Capital Territory
Canberra isn't really an Australian capital, in the same way that Washington isn't really the capital of the District of Columbia. A lot of countries have their capitals in special administrative areas, as opposed to in one of their states. So, yeah, I didn't get this one right, even though it's just asking "What is the capital of Australia?" If you can't handle that question, you probably won't be playing the ToC any time soon. Jeoaprdy phrased their clue a little harder, as they are wont to do in their championship. Nothing wrong with that.
For $1200
The metro area of this Victorian capital contains more than 70% of the state's population
Here we have "capital of Victoria", with "heavily populated" as a bonus clue. It hasn't changed in the 3 minutes you've been reading. It's still Melbourne, and I still don't know it.
Note that Melbourne is the $1200 clue both times it shows up.
For $1600:
It was named for William IV's wife, who was queen when it was founded in 1836
"Named for a woman" still equals Adelaide. This will be the only clue I get right in the category today as I play along; for the contestants it's a triple stumper, which helps my ego a little bit. $1600 this year is "easier" than $2000 before, but Adelaide still ranks lower on the board with the harder material.
For $2000
Anzac Square War Memorial in this Queensland capital honors Aussie war vets
Maybe you know where the war memorial is, but that part of the clue is basically "frill". The crux is "capital of Queensland", which is Brisbane, which, at $2000, is valued slightly harder than last time, apparently. Not for me, of course. Not knowing it is not knowing it.
So, here are the correct responses, the two times the category has been used in the Tournament of Champions:
2003 2010
$400 Sydney Sydney
$800 Darwin Canberra
$1200 Melbourne Melbourne
$1600 Brisbaine Adelaide
$2000 Adelaide Brisbaine
Pretty similar, no?
But Jeopardy tends to repeat its material every 4 years or so. Shouldn't there have been an Aussie Capitals category in 2006 or 2007 or so?
Yup. There should have been all right:
AUSSIE CAPITALS, from the Double Jeopardy round of the episode airing January 30, 2006. You should do pretty well at this.
For $400
This capital of New South Wales is the home of Opera Australia
For $800
Of all the world's urban centers exceeding 1 million in population, this capital of Victoria is southernmost
For $1200
This city's harbor was discovered in 1839 by John Stokes, surveyor aboard the HMS Beagle
For $1600:
This capital of South Australia was named for a queen, the consort of King William IV
For $2000
This capital was once the government seat of a British colony called Van Diemen's Land
Wait a minute. That $2000 clue looks very unfamiliar. It's also pretty dang hard. It's a two-step question. First you have to know that Van Diemen's Land is the original name of Tasmania. Then you have to know that the capital of Tasmania is Hobart. Well, now you do. All of these clues were correctly responded to by players that day, although Sarah slipped up and said "Tasmania" for the last one.
2003 2006 2010
$400 Sydney Sydney Sydney
$800 Darwin Melbourne Canberra
$1200 Melbourne Darwin Melbourne
$1600 Brisbaine Adelaide Adelaide
$2000 Adelaide Hobart Brisbaine
So, to take a page from mrbungle at the Jeopardy message boards (aka ToC player Ryan Chaffee):
jeopardy pavlov: australian capitals
$400 - $800 - $1200 clues
Sydney (New South Wales)
opera
opera house
harbor
Darwin (Northern Territory)
British naturalist
Beagle
Melbourne (Victoria)
former capital until 1927
heavy population
Canberra (Australian Capital Territory)
capital
$1600 - $2000 clues
Brisbaine (Queensland)
named for governor of NSW
penal colony
World's Fair Expo 1988 (It's shown up a couple of times)
"royal Australian state"
Adelaide (South Australia)
named for a woman/queen
Hobart (Tasmania)
Van Diemen's Land [for Tasmania]
Perth (Western Australia)
Kalgoorlie
gold mine
Perth hasn't shown up in the ToC yet, but it has thrice been a bottom-of-the-board clue using the hints I've listed. It's also pretty "remote", so put that on the list as well.
Your homework: Identify another category that tends to show up every 4 years or so, especially in the Tournament of Champions, and that only has about 8 possible answers. If you need help, turn to page 96 of "Prisoner of Trebekistan".
-M
