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.
Matt Amodio
Wonderful sapphire blue shirt and striped tie! He did not wear this outfit on his original run but he did wear it on a Good Morning America interview last year. Very dapper look that coordinates with the Jeopardy! set!
John Focht
John and Matt almost match. Love the striped tie and the bright blue shirt is a great touch.
I talked to John a bit about his outfit selection process and he admitted he had a bit of a “superstition” that played into his wardrobe.
Here is where you get my superstitions. During the baseball season, I have a shirt that I wear during the first game of every homestand…I don't believe in superstitions, but I do think it's useful to give myself useless things to control when I'm up against things I can't control.
In getting ready for the tournament, I was thinking about what I had worn the first time around. I realized that I'd taken four shirts, worn them all, and then lost when I'd reworn one. Obviously this meant I needed new shirts that had never been on set… I brought five new shirts to Culver City - I had worn my favorite in the quarterfinal and picked a different color palette for the semifinals. Same jacket, though. I only own the one.
Sam Buttrey
Look at that floral tie!! I love the pink and yellow colors on this, very nice. Happy to see all 3 contestants and host wearing ties tonight!
I asked Sam about how he decided what to wear in the semifinals, here’s what he said:
Don't tell Lilly, but I'm not great at selecting cool outfits, so I brought a bunch of clothes to the wardrobe people and asked their opinion.
Ken Jennings
Ken has been wearing a lot of new ties lately, but this one is a classic from last season. It was one of his most-worn ties last season and also one of my favorites! I like the bright purple color and the geometric design.
Q&A with the Semifinalists
I asked John & Sam a bit about their experience between winning the quarterfinal & preparing for semifinals the next day. They were nice enough to answer all my questions, even the hard-hitting ones like “What did you have for breakfast?”
How did you spend the rest of your day after your quarterfinal win?
John: I watched the remainder of the games in the audience, joining my mom and grandmother, but I don't remember a whole lot about it. A bunch of us went to dinner at a nearby place Yungsheng recommended. After dinner I wound down by playing Cities: Skylines and then reading.
The most notable thing about the evening is that I think this is when the hotel AC wasn't working well, and I asked them for a fan just in case it was still out during the night. They delivered one while I was out at dinner and I slept basically how I sleep at home that time of year - windows open, fan on, light LA traffic sounds going by. Brian was mad when he saw I'd gotten the fan, but you get what you ask for.
Sam: My quarter final win was the 6th of the day. So The "real" competition was over, and I was able to watch the exhibition match among the three Super Champions in the studio. At the beginning of the quarter-finals, the green room was filled with contestants rooting each other on; by the time mine came around, there was nobody back there except for the three people in my quarter-final. Once the exhibition was over, we all headed back to the hotel. Although my wife was with me, we went very low-key: we just strolled down to the nearby Trader Joe's grocery store for dinner. We stayed quiet and I have to admit I was a little bit worried about the next day, but mostly exhausted from the long first day.
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?
John: I didn't really think about the matchups at all at any point. I knew each game would be tough, but closer than most people generally thought, and that since expectations were generally low I would probably exceed them. So long as I did well for myself, I'd be satisfied.
Sam: I found out about my semifinal matchup after we had returned to the studio for the second day of taping. I don't think I had any particular preference about whom I would face among the three Super Champions; all three of them had a fearsome reputation.
What did you have for breakfast on the day of semifinal taping?
John: I'm not a breakfast person generally but I knew I needed to have something, so I'd brought food from home for the purpose (and to pack for snack breaks at the studio). I ate some dry cereal, two packs of fruit snacks, and dried mango. I packed the same things plus some zero-cal soda for caffeine to go to the lot, but I'd slept well enough that I didn't take any caffeine at the hotel.
Sam: During my first Jeopardy experience, we were not allowed to have guests. So, all alone in my hotel room, I would go to the grocery store and buy a salad for dinner, and a wrap for breakfast. And that's what I did this time: some kind of wrap.
There’s one more semifinal to go, and I’m looking forward to seeing Mattea, Eric, and Andrew compete tonight! Don’t miss it.