Jeopardy UTOC is heating up

Quarter-final lineups starring "Elite 18" have been announced and the games will start next week. Whatever happens in the quarters and semis, one thing is for sure. Ken Jennings is going to have to work hard to make 2 million more. The next couple of rounds will be brutal and whoever survive those will be ready to throw a credible challenge to Ken who will show up in the finals without having to qualify. He could be a bit rusty as it has been a while since his record-breaking incredible stretch of 74 wins ended.

Now I will pick up my Nostradamus hat and make some random predictions. All of them are so good, it's impossibly hard to predict.

May 9: Steve Chernicoff vs. Brad Rutter vs. Michael Rooney
Very tough game. Both Michael and Steve are exceptional players, but not quite enough to stop Rutter I think. Rutter wins this one.

05/09: 1/1 - Got the result right, but it did not happen in the way I expected it to happen. Brad was in the third place going into FJ after missing a couple of DDs. However, he was the only one to get FJ right. That and some very strange wagering by MRooney saw him through.


May 10: Pam Mueller vs. Phil Yellman vs. Brian Moore
Brian is the favorite here. But I predict an upset by Pam from 2nd place going into FJ. Brian is a bit too aggressive in his DDs and the tougher material might go against his risky wagers.

Way to go Pam ! Got it right again. 2/2, not bad. Pam dominated the second half of the game after a slow start and the FJ category was probably her strongest.

May 11: Shane Whitlock vs. Grace Veach vs. Frank Spangenberg
Frank is the favorite, but Shane is my pick. I predict an upset, but very close call again.

Should have stuck to the favorite. Probably have underestimated Frank considering his run happened a while back and his tournament record is not that stellar. He proved me wrong. he seems to be stronger than ever.

May 12: John Cuthbertson vs. Robert Slaven vs. April McManus
Another really close call. On her current form, April should be able to win this.

Very close game. Great fight by April, but in the end John had a little bit extra. 2/4 so far not bad.

May 13: Matt Zielenski vs. Chris Miller vs. Lan Djang
Lan is tough, but Chris should win this.

Chris proved me right. Great Game. His buzzar skills are probably even better than Ken's. Now if Dan and Chris qualify for the final and somehow morph into human being, we have the killer knowledge base+ buzzer combo that can outKen Ken.

May 16: Jerome Vered vs. Dan Melia vs. Michael Daunt
Undoubtedly the toughest match. Dan should prevail though.

Just incredible. This was supposed to be a tough game. A lockout against Michael and Dan Melia must count as one of the greatest performances ever. If I were Ken, I would be a bit scared. Jerome all the way. On the prediction front, 3/6 is not too bad.

Jeopardy message board is a fun place. Quite a few of the UTOC players post regularly and share their experiences.