For the semifinals I’m going to try posting my outfit reviews both here and Twitter, I’ve enjoyed posting here because I can be a bit more wordy! I’m also including a few fun behind-the-scenes questions I asked some of the semifinalists.
Amy Schneider
Wow!! This is what Amy wore at Jeopardy! Honors. Beautiful bright pink with a fun textured pattern. The square neckline is nice and of course she is wearing her signature pearls. No glasses tonight! Most contestants don’t wear sleeveless outfits on the show since it is chilly in the studio, but I love that she got to show off her Ozma of Oz tattoo.
Maureen O’Neil
A few days ago, I asked Maureen what she wore for semifinals and how she decided on it. Here’s what she said:
I knew my outfit was bang on and I did think about what you would think. I was confident that you would approve.
Well, Maureen, you were right! I love this outfit! On the preview photo I couldn’t see the texture of the blazer, but on TV I saw that it was a velvety texture. Also love the golden yellow color with the dark blue of the blazer. Jewelry and glasses on point (en pointe?) as always.
Tyler Rhode
I love the mint green shirt under the navy sweater! Great color combo (also worn earlier this season by David Sibley) And he even still wore a tie! Tyler would never get banned from MY podcast (if I had one).
Tyler told me a little behind-the-scenes info about his outfit:
I had done a jacket and tie for the quarterfinals, so I wanted to mix it up a little bit. I ended up with an outfit that looked remarkably similar to another semi-finalists proposed outfit, but they ended up having to change for camera-reasons (not matchy-matchy reasons).
Tune in later this week to find out who had to change their outfit!
Ken Jennings
I’ve been neglecting Ken during ToC. I haven’t gotten my tie database organized exactly how I want it, so I can’t always find the previous wearings of a certain tie quickly. I’ll do better soon, I promise!
Q&A with the Semifinalists
I reached out to Maureen and Tyler earlier this week and they were kind enough to answer a few of my random questions. I was curious about their experience going from quarterfinal taping to semifinal taping the next day.
How did you spend the rest of your day after your quarterfinal win?
Maureen: I watched two more games after mine. I had to watch my buddy Margaret. It was wild! After that game I went to my best friend’s house in Valley Village to decompress with some Guinness and a bulldog. I was still jet-lagged and slept like the dead that night, but was up at about 4am. I read a book in the morning and tried to just keep calm.
Tyler: I for sure stayed and watched all the tapings… I have basically no specific memories of the later three games (plus the exhibition) besides that J! was being played at an exceptionally high level… Thinking about the 8 remaining other competitors and that I was somehow at the same tier as them continues to just not compute for me.
Minimal prep that night - I flipped through a couple of flash cards (Presidential years, maybe), but just to go through the motions.
Meghan and I went out for pizza that night, because it seemed like the safest, most tummy-friendly option. Although I did have to squish a massive cockroach that darted out of the kitchen while the LA-based diners recoiled in horror.
Sleep came quick and easy - I was exhausted. And the call time the following morning was a little later, so I didn't have any anxiety about sleeping through my morning routine.
When did you find out who you would be playing against in the semis, and what was your reaction? Was there anyone you were/were not hoping for?
Maureen: I found out that I was playing in the first semifinal after hair and makeup. I was ready to play anyone and was trying to keep my expectations realistic. I had already done what I had set out to do which was to win one game. It really didn’t matter who I played, I was more anxious about the board after a really tough quarter final.
Tyler: I had an inkling I was going to get Amy. Based on some of the seeding from the first round, it seemed like there was a division into thirds, and then sort of a top-ranked to bottom-ranked algorithm. I couldn't quite crack it because I couldn't tell how the tournament / competition winners were counted, but a lot of my scenarios led to Amy. As with all Jeopardy match-ups, I wouldn't be proven right or wrong until 15 minutes before game time.
In terms of the people who made it out of the quarterfinals... honestly, everyone looked so strong -- there was no cheap way through to the finals; every game was going to be tough.
What did you have for breakfast on the day of semifinal taping?
Maureen: I don’t remember eating breakfast. It must have been a bagel from the place across from the hotel.
Tyler: Some plain pastry and coffee, again for tummy-friendliness reasons. This is a recurring theme for me when I travel, and that goes double for when I need to play Jeopardy!