University Challenge last night

yes very Dickensian - bless him!

.
http://cutiesofuniversitychallenge.tumblr.com/post/95038819435/special-mention-this-dude-ted-loveday-from

Ted the star of the final winning team.

yep, really came through last night after being relatively quiet in earlier rounds

I agree, he was on fire last night.

I bet his mum doesn't call him Ted though.

The Great Man utterly dominated proceedings, and the team were deserved winners. We look forward to seeing him make his mark in the world.

It's a real shame they couldn't have had their trophy presented by someone of greater stature, but this is the BBC after all.  I would have thought there are any number of local TV weathermen, for example, who would have surely made better choices.

He was out of the blocks like an Olympic sprinter on the starter questions ,made it impossible for Cambridge.

I thought they were harder than normal questions last night as I only got 5 right.

alun2005   
14 Apr 15 18:17 
It's a real shame they couldn't have had their trophy presented by someone of greater stature, but this is the BBC after all.

Like David Lammy, Blair's Minister For Higher Education

A former London schoolboy has been hailed as the "best ever contestant" on University Challenge after helping his Cambridge team to victory in the show's grand final.



Ted Loveday, 21, a law student in his third year at Gonville and Caius College, answered 12 starter questions correctly, giving his team a huge boost.

They eventually triumphed 205-105 over Oxford's Magdalen College, who had been hoping to become the BBC show's most successful team of all time.

In one particularly impressive moment, Loveday, a former student at Latymer Upper School in west London, took less than three seconds to name the ancient Greek term for an expression which is only found once in literature.

Breaking into a smile as he pressed his buzzer, Loveday answered; "Hapax legomenon".

Will probably be the name of a horse next year

Every Lego fan knew that one surely?

reminded me of ...........Jerry Sadowitz

Was a very performance from the young chap.

*very good

A few observations.

1.  Loveday was brilliant in the Final.
2.  Interesting choice to put him in Trap 1.  This trap is normally reserved for the dunce.  Usually the cleverest is in Trap 3 (us. the captain).     Certainly not the case here - although he was very collaborative.
3.  The questions were harder, think I only got 2 or 3.
4.  When I saw Will Self lurking, I turned off.
5.  I hope Ted had a celebratory hair washing ceremony. I can only assume he superstitiously refused to wash his hair throughout the series.

sixtwosix     14 Apr 15 18:18 
He was out of the blocks like an Olympic sprinter on the starter questions ,made it impossible for Cambridge.



Confused ?

4.  When I saw Will Self lurking, I turned off.

Same here.

last week the question that stumped them all was...

who is the comedian who reached the age of 100, who had a wife named Gracie Allen?

It's selective knowledge - specific criteria that most people are not interested in. University Knowledge. If you ask about everyday knowledge they are stumped.

I wouldn't say that knowing who george burns was is everyday knowledge for students of that age

I'd like to see that team go on The Chase now, for charidy. Make a change from the half baked show off celebrities they have on there at times. Then we'll see how good the Chasers really are.

He was out of the blocks like an Olympic sprinter on the starter questions

Caius Loveday was so fast on a couple of starters that you wondered if he didn't have a part-time job writing questions for University Challenge.

One thing Will Self mentioned which I like to do as well is try to predict the winners based on what subjects teams are reading.

I think these University boys should be challenged by a team of forumites who think they know everything.

Comrade Karla
Cryoftruth
Facts
Wesdaq


The utter humiliation of Betfairians would please me.

A tantalising prospect indeed S&GC.

Remember that one member of that fine body of non-talent is an Oxford Don. I know this because he told us so. Curious then that his writing on the Politics Forum rarely ascends above the petulant (or hysterical if it's a Friday night) and shows little regard for grammar, spelling or coherence.  Minor concerns in the big picture no doubt.

regards etc

I fancy a Chit Chat team might fare quite well on University Challenge, our speed on the button would be formidable and we possess a broad knowledge base.  An Achilles heel may be found, however, with any questions tailored to the opposing students' particular study subjects.

That starter question in full.

Paxo: Said only once, what two-word Greek term denotes a word
Caius Loveday: hapax legomnemon

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N9Io0KYrKUQ

That starter question in full (with it made clearer that Loveday interrupts -- the forum swallowed my html).

Paxo: Said only once, what two-word Greek term denotes a word -- buzz -- "Caius, Loveday"
Caius Loveday: hapax legomnemon

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N9Io0KYrKUQ

spellingandgrammarchecker     15 Apr 15 22:47 
I think these University boys should be challenged by a team of forumites who think they know everything.

Comrade Karla
Cryoftruth
Facts
Wesdaq


The utter humiliation of Betfairians would please me.




Being exposed as a gullible fool has really upset you hasn't it ?

I think the forumite called FACTS would definitely have to be the captain of the team, given the evidence of his tough-talking "hard man" persona emerging here.

I copied a link about Abbott the racist from the politics forum, and that makes me gullible? 

How about Comrade Karla, in her urgent desire to make me look gullible she said that I had posted it twice. Another lie, in her rush she didn't see that the original post wasn't by me at all.

Now I know you'll find this hard to answer, but do YOU think Abbott is racist?

Don't type a long paragraph or make out to ignore it, just post 'yes' or 'no'.     


FWIW, any time you want to take me on in a general knowledge quiz Facts, meet me in 'Nibbs's place', you can get the web address from the quiz thread, which is easy enough to spot on here.

After all, somebody as intelligent as you think you are should trounce me with no problems.

It may even draw a large crowd, who knows?

spellingandgrammarchecker   
15 Apr 15 22:47 
I think these University boys should be challenged by a team of forumites who think they know everything.

Comrade Karla
Cryoftruth
Facts
Wesdaq
The utter humiliation of Betfairians would please me.

alun2005   
15 Apr 15 23:32 
A tantalising prospect indeed S&GC.
Remember that one member of that fine body of non-talent is an Oxford Don. I know this because he told us so. Curious then that his writing on the Politics Forum rarely ascends above the petulant (or hysterical if it's a Friday night) and shows little regard for grammar, spelling or coherence.  Minor concerns in the big picture no doubt.

As Facts and Wesdag, to the best of my knowledge, have never ventured on to the politics forum, am I to assume that 'The Don' is crybaby Jim Breaks, or Comrade Komedy?

Hi S&GC,

If you can bear to go to the Politics Forum and tiptoe through Page 2 of the utterly ridiculous "Enoch Powell Satanic Abuse" thread, the full glory will be revealed.

I'm in a taxi now.

I'll divert it.

Only you lot could reduce a discussion about a quiz into a name calling race war

I haven't called anybody names, big nose.

I'd like to reserve my ringside seat for the upcoming quiz between SAGC and Facts, please.

I hope he accepts PM, it's his golden opportunity to show how clever he is, and how thick he thinks I am.

He won't have heard of the prowess of Nirvana.
On one of my better days I took him to to a tie break.
Iirc it was in a semi-final, and I scored first, but alas, class prevailed in the end.

To paraphrase Vito Corleone, it's an offer he can hardly refuse.

You should probably issue an official challenge on a new thread, sir.

You'd be surprised about that PM. Quite a few lefties have lost big bets on the Chit Chat/Politics this last few years, and run away without paying. The accounts are still active but they've not posted since.

We also have third one in-progress on the Politics Forum at present, plus a few who we are waiting to hear from.

Is that right, Alun!

I'd like to hear about those wagers, sir.  Maybe some kind soul could start a dedicated thread on here to enlighten those of us in the dark?

PM, if you'd like to go over to the Politics Forum, I've bumped a thread called "Here come the usual suspects" (or similar) up to the top.

That was a particularly squalid affair.

Many thanks, sir, I'll have a read.