“Grand Slam” Commentary for September 1st

01 Sep

Posted by Alex Davis as GSN, Grand Slam, Opinion, Reader Input

Tonight’s the big semifinal match. Whoever wins the two games tonight will move to the finals and be one step away from $100,000. We will see Ogi Ogas take on David Legler and Ken Jennings against Michelle Kitt. Interestingly we seem to have Ogi, Ken, and Michelle around here, so we might be able to get some fun commentary after the show. Keep checking in our comment boxes, as we have other contestants like Phyllis Harris around as well. Now for my crazy predictions.

The first game will see Ogi Ogas against David Legler. David’s been a lot stronger than I expected. Twenty-One wasn’t exactly that hard of a show to win an assload of money in and the material wasn’t nearly up to Millionaire’s standards. However, he’s just blown me away with how good he’s been so far. However, we come to Ogi Ogas who is just, to use a phrase that I hate but can think of no other way to describe him, crazy good. He has the speed down and is just awesome with basically all the material. I have to give this game to Ogi. Nothing against Mr. Legler, but I just don’t see him beating Ogi. I actually see Ogi winning the entire thing.

The next match pains me: Ken Jennings versus Michelle Kitt. I have connections with both of them. I really like Michelle. Just from what I’ve heard from her in comments and emails, she’s incredible and I feel bad for ever doubting her abilities (I still don’t feel bad for doubting Amy Kelly, though). Then we have Ken Jennings. Back in the Blogger days of Buzzer, I interviewed him and he is also incredible, so I really don’t have any personal feelings swaying my decision. I think this match is going to be simply decided by Ken Jennings. If he stumbles at all, he’s going to lose. If he stays steady, he’ll win. Michelle has proven to be, for lack of a better word, a complete predator at the game. If you show any flaw, she will viciously attack you. She did it to Kevin Olmstead and she did it without mercy to John Carpenter. I just have to say Ken Jennings is going to win. He’s just too strong. If Michelle loses, she deserves such a huge applause from everyone for destroying so many top contestants after being considered an underdog. If she wins, I think I have to buy her flowers for saying she’s going to lose twice and proving me wrong.

And this last statement is nothing against Ken whatsoever. I really want to see an Ogi Ogas/Michelle Kitt finale. I think Ken’s going to win, but (and again, no offense) I want Michelle to win.

28 Responses

Rob
1
September 1st, 2007 at 3:17 pm

I’m just rooting for Michelle because she’s from here in Richmond (and I’m fairly certain, but can’t remember for sure, that she got on Weakest Link from the same Richmond audition from which I wasn’t picked). :)

I hope the show is doing well enough that GSN will find a way to do it again in the future, or tweak the show into either a weekly hour or daily half-hour…
Whammy
2
September 1st, 2007 at 4:47 pm

The Kitt-Jennings match-up is painful. They’re both such good players. The way Michelle’s been playing though, I wouldn’t be surprised if there was an upset tonight. Ogas-Legler, that’s a tough call as well, but in the end, I’d say Ogas d. Legler.

Just the Whammy’s opinion.

“Look out, LOOK OUT!”
Rick M.
3
September 1st, 2007 at 5:20 pm

I’ve been mulling over these matchups for a while now, and am no more convinced of any outcome than I was when I started. All four of these wonderful people have shown beyond a shadow of a doubt that they belong in that upper echelon of game show greats.

That’s not meant as an insult to the other 12 competitors, mind you. Should this competition be rerun with the exact same matchups and different questions, who knows what may have happened.

Anyway, getting back to GS, in my ultra-humble opinion, this could be one of those what you want being different from what you get. Deep down in my heart of hearts, I have to agree with what Alex said, I’d love to see an OO/MK matchup. But KJ is going to be very difficult to get past. Then again, most people thought Brad Rutter was going to go all the way until he got run over by the speeding train that is Ogi.

Personal preference: Ogas/Kitt in finals.
TJ
4
September 1st, 2007 at 6:48 pm

Long time reader, first time poster. (Doesn’t that get cliched after a while?)

But, anyway…

I think both of these semi-final match ups are going to be extremely close.

Ogas vs. Legler will be tight, but I’m seeing Ogas defeat Legler.

Kitt vs. Jennings is the match I’m particularly watching the show for (nothing against Ogas or Legler).

Kitt and Jennings both come from games that being able to think quickly on your feet is the key victory, as is Grand Slam.

Kitt may be Jennings toughest opponent, and for Jennings, I may as well say the same. Jennings d. Kitt, my prediction.
lobster
5
September 1st, 2007 at 6:58 pm

this is gonna sound ultra-gameshow-nerdy, but i’m actually nervously excited to watch tonight’s ep .. I guess since a lot of GS folks have been posting on here, it’s like we family now ! :p .. it really does raises the excitement a little being able to talk first-hand to the people involved..

two points for the internet :D

LObS
Rick M.
6
September 1st, 2007 at 7:48 pm

Watching GS now…somehow I’m thinking the limb I climbed out on in my prediction is about to snap under the weight of my hopes. :D
Alex Davis
7
September 1st, 2007 at 7:49 pm

I have to say I loved Ogi’s little smirk when Pat Kiernan read how much time he had in the final round. I think after each round, I finished with “Holy shit is he good.” I’m telling you, Ogi’s going to win this, I just have a feeling. He’s just kicking ass left and right.
Rick M.
8
September 1st, 2007 at 8:01 pm

Well, that settles it. I was half right. Good luck to Ogi and Ken, may the best man win. And congrats to Ken on his perfect game. Though my money is still on Ogi. He took down Rutter, he can take down Jennings.
Don H.
9
September 1st, 2007 at 8:14 pm

Man, that was one heck of a semi-final round!

The more I see Ogi, the more impressive he looks! I agree that David had been stronger than expected in the first 2 rounds, but tonight, it looks like Ogi was just too much for him. I was expecting it to be closer, but really, I’m not surprised at who won. Great job, Ogi!

I was also expecting the second semi-final to be close, but… wow. I kinda feel sorry for Michelle after seeing that one. Ken was just on fire tonight! Simply amazing!

All I have left to say now is that I really can’t wait until next weekend. Ken and Ogi going head-to-head… I’m going to have to think about this one before making a prediction!
lobster
10
September 1st, 2007 at 8:27 pm

wow. what a gripping show :D looks like Ogi’s icy cold showers are hookin’ him up. Mad skills.

I know the big four are busy over on GSN chattin’ (I tried to submit a question about the effects of catfish and pancakes and how their consumption can figure in to success on the show but the moderators didn’t post it) I figured I’d get my real question in over here:

For the final, is it going to be just a regular regulation-timed round mixed in with 45 minutes of interviews, recaps, commentary, and trophy presentation? Or does the final round somehow involve longer/more rounds? Just curious how they’re going to milk a full hour out of one 8-minute game.

congrats guys ..
cheers
LObS
Quincy Hughes
11
September 1st, 2007 at 8:56 pm

Congrats to Ogi Ogas and Ken Jennings! The semifinals were unexpectedly rather one-sided, which actually was a bit of a damper, but that’s not to say that David and Michelle didn’t belong there. It just turned out to go this way in both matches, Ogi and Ken dominated. I can’t wait for next week’s final. I was also curious as to what they would do for the final hour-long program since the format of each match is normally half of that.

I checked out the GSN thing and I don’t know if mine was working or not, but I have to tell you all: click the “see transcript” button or whatever it’s called, because the repartee between the four semifinalists is about the funniest thing I’ve read in forever.

Kudos again to the finalists and everyone have a safe holiday weekend!
Bobby McBride
12
September 1st, 2007 at 8:56 pm

Michelle Kitt’s luck finally ran out tonight.

The finals could go either way.
Ogi Ogas
13
September 1st, 2007 at 9:33 pm

That chat sure was fun! Ken was witty as usual, Michelle got a marriage proposal, and even David was in high spirits despite his loss.

I’ll continue my sleep and drugs narrative about the road to KenJen and the Grand Slam Championship tomorrow. Right now I’m celebrating with a bottle of riesling with my wife Polina…

… but I will tell you this: The finals are going to be every bit as intense as everyone is expecting!!!
davec
14
September 1st, 2007 at 11:02 pm

I’m glad to hear that the final is intense, because we got 2 “Conference Championship” games that were 30-3 routs going into the “Super Bowl” here.

My prediction would be Ogi over Ken. I would assume it will be close, and Ogi alludes to that, but, even though Ken has played increasingly well, Ogi has just been a machine. One of the most impressive things about Ogi I’ve noticed is the spelling questions.. he just seems to get into a zone and answers them extremely quickly and confidently. None of the words are really “National Spelling Bee” material, but, its still very impressive given the pressure of the show. Did you get into any high level spelling bees as a kid Ogi?

I don’t know how people would rank the players on the show now, but, IMO, the top echelon were:
1. Ogi (if Ken does win it all, he’ll obviously rank ahead, but, I’m going by my prediction here.
2. Ken
3. Brad. It sounds like Ogi/Ken is close. If Ogi would have (or does) “trounce” Ken (more than 50 seconds left on Ogi’s clock at the end) I’d have to say that Brad actually had the better round and I’d maybe put him at #2 above Ken.
4. Legler. I have to give him credit, I was underestimating the 21 contestants, but, he definately has chops.
5. Leszek. He got very flustered against Legler, but, I think of the final 8 who didn’t win their 2nd games, he performed the best in their 2 games played (after Brad).
6. Kitt. Not to take anything away from Michelle, she certainly proved that she could play. I just think her competition in getting to the final four wasn’t what some other players had to handle (Carpenter didn’t play a good first game either really, her big win was really against Olmstead). I just have the feeling if she’d had to play Brad, Legler, or Leszek, she wouldn’t have faired as well. Of course, another series of “Grand Slam” to prove me wrong would be great :)
Ryan
15
September 2nd, 2007 at 2:07 am

And then there were 2. Ogi. Ken. 1 match, 5 rounds. 2 contestants. 1 champion. Who will take home the glory?

Frankly, Ken’s been the most dominant through the entire tourney. Combine his matches against Michelle and Phyllis, he had over 5 cumulative minutes on his clock at the end of those 2 matches! Against Michelle, he was just flat-out in the zone. He even said in the live chat that he had his hardest time against Victor because he wasn’t used to the format yet. As he’s adapted to it more, he’s defeated the 2 brainy ladies handily, and while Ogi dominated Nancy and David, he didn’t do so by as wide a margin. At this point, I assume it’s fairly obvious that I think Ken will win it. I think it’ll be close, but I’ve got Ken Jennings winning it all.
Whammy
16
September 2nd, 2007 at 9:23 am

I bet that the finals will be a best 2 out of 3 match, to fill up the hour. Oh, and GSN, GET A NEW PAIR OF HOSTS!!!!!!!!
rarejoule
17
September 2nd, 2007 at 10:24 am

Well, ya’ll it has certainly be both interesting and fun. Thanks very much to those that were pulling for me. I’m not disappointed in my performance and have few regrets (mainly just regretting not trying to answer a few questions I probably knew). Everyone else has said it already, but the best part of participating in Grand Slam was the opportunity to meet great people and make new friends. For me, it was like “finding the flock” - people with whom all your random references are gotten and given back on equal footing.

As I said on the chat last night, what’s next for me is some career exploration (long term) and redoing my kitchen (hopefully short term)!

And as a footnote, I did want to share this response (below) from Ken in the chat last night. For me, it was validating in lots of different ways. Grand Slam is a combination of knowledge, skill, and as with every game show - luck. Luck can be excellent buzzer skills, a well-chosen lifeline, a good guess, the questions you get… in the end it’s an undefined, unpredictable combination with so many possibilities, you can’t help but feel lucky when it all works out for you and you win. I suppose my luck “finally ran out” (thanks Bobby McBride) but it happens to everyone, eventually. Now if you will excuse me, I have some wallpaper to peel. I’m hoping my Grand Slam Luck will transfer and become Kitchen Re-doing Luck…

17:09:08 PDT Dizzydoll4: What Was The Hardest Question For All Of You??
17:09:08 PDT Ken Jennings->audience) Michelle got all the hard questions in tonight’s round.
The size in cubits of Noah’s Ark? Are you kidding me? I went to Sunday School every Sunday my
entire childhood, and I still would have been off by an order of magnitude.

MK
lobster
18
September 2nd, 2007 at 12:02 pm

Michelle — you indeed did put up a good fight and you did get the brunt of the harder questions.. (Perhaps a more fair way to play this would be to have both contestants in isolation booths answering the same questions — but that’d ruin the face-to-face effect and it’d maybe resemble Win Ben Stein’s Money a little too much? :p) .. But really the only true way to test “who knows more” in a head-to-head trivia match is to allow them equal chance to answer the same questions.

Aaanyway, Ken is indeed a gracious and modest winner, and it is for those reasons, I have the suspicion he lost the final :D (If he won, it seems his modesty would prevent him from gleefully plugging how great the Final was) .. That, and I think the heuristical metaphysical mind-bending ways of the Ogi might have taken hold. I guess we’ll see in a week :D

By the way, Michelle — your “flexing-muscle clip” shot game idea would have had me tanked as I counted six potential shots of mescal. ;P GOod show..

LObS
Alex Davis
19
September 2nd, 2007 at 12:15 pm

I’d be afraid to meet Michelle in a dark alley, Rob. Those muscle poses and her general game face just scared me, and I’ve been playing hockey for 15 years. Completely insane.

I generally hate to go down this route, but Michelle did get the greater deal of harder questions just by luck of the draw. That Noah’s Ark question? Who the fuck knows that? Regardless it was completely entertaining, and good luck on your kitchen.

I strongly hope Michael Davies brings this show back for a 2nd season eventually. This show’s just too sweet and entertaining to let go.
Andrew
20
September 2nd, 2007 at 2:39 pm

good luck to both of you..
rarejoule
21
September 2nd, 2007 at 4:51 pm

Alex: Believe it or not, Legler knew. I asked him back in the green room and he immediately said - as if he were on the stage - “300 cubits.” (He didn’t see our match either).

Also, I am not that scary. I could really only pull some aerobics-kick-boxing moves on you at which point your high threshold of pain (you do play hockey after all) would dominate my wussiness.
ronaldraymond
22
September 2nd, 2007 at 6:53 pm

michelle, gotta commend you on your poise and confidence. even when things were not going your way, i noticed you just put on a smile and charged ahead. at no time did i see you crack emotionally. way to go!
David Howell
23
September 2nd, 2007 at 7:42 pm

I did think all along that the Kitt-Jennings match would come down to whether Jennings could deliver. By the sounds of it, he did.

I’d call Jennings to win this, but I know from what Ogas has said here that he’ll be more ready for the final than he was for the semi. I honestly did think Legler would beat Ogas after what Ogas said here.

But he did get through, and I really think this is going to be a final to remember. Shame the semis weren’t close - if there is one major flaw in this format it’s how many one-sided games seem to occur. But our final was the one really close game of the tournament - hopefully this final will also be close.

My prediction: Ogas by 19 seconds.
The Great Butler
24
September 2nd, 2007 at 8:02 pm

Ogi freaks the hell out of me. In a good way, though. He’s just so damn smart and the fact that he has his whole little analysis of the different regions of the brain and his coginitive trickery is just…..wow.

They couldn’t have had four better semifinalists. Michelle shattered all kinds of stereotypes by showing beauty and brains can go together, Ogi got to show off his IQ of like 1000000, Ken kept up his winning ways and I bet none of us thought David would’ve made it so far at the beginning.
Rob (non-lobster division)
25
September 2nd, 2007 at 11:54 pm

Quoth Prof. Beverly at tvgameshows.net: “The Jennings-Ogas finale will be preceded by a half-hour recap of the 14 episodes to date and a day-long Grand Slam marathon next Saturday on GSN.”

So… if I read that right, it’s a 30-minute clip show on Saturday night followed by a 30-minute final match?
lobster
26
September 3rd, 2007 at 12:42 am

well if the perfesser says so! :D

it is amazing how they can milk 30 minutes out of something that theoretically can last no longer than eight minutes in length. commercials + miller n’ amanda yappin = tivo is so very awesome.

(and along those lines, with tivo i can watch an entire hour of Power of Ten in three minutes)..

when my kid is older and we’re watching Match Game 2014 I’m going to have to explain to him “back when daddy first started to watch game shows we had to SIT THROUGH these things called COM-MER-CIALS!” and he’ll go “whoaaa” ..

anyway, thanks for the heads up..

LObs
Ed Toutant
27
September 3rd, 2007 at 5:15 am

Saturday’s championship episode may include some clips from earlier in the tournament, but it won’t be just a 30 minute clip show followed by a standard game. The main change is that the final includes an added round of “contemporary knowledge” before the mixed round. So it adds 25% more game play to the standard format. There may also be brief comments and predictions from the losers, and other miscellaneous filler. It will be worth watching.
Intelligentfan777
28
September 4th, 2007 at 10:22 pm

The Jennings-Kitt match wasn’t even close. Kitt is a good player, but she just looked dazed in this match. I’m not sure if she just ran out of gas, or if the nerves of having to face Ken got to her.

I personally expected there would be a Jennings-Ogas final, and that’s what we have. It’s going to be an awesome match!