I’ve noticed a sudden increase in hits related to Jeopardy! contestant Larissa Kelly, and now I see why. The Tournament of Champions from March is being rerun. Tomorrow they’ll have the show with Larissa’s loss to Dan Pawson.
I’ve noticed a sudden increase in hits related to Jeopardy! contestant Larissa Kelly, and now I see why. The Tournament of Champions from March is being rerun. Tomorrow they’ll have the show with Larissa’s loss to Dan Pawson.
Steven – Thank you for your comment. It’s been interesting reading the various reactions to Larissa, going back to the beginning in May of ’08. You aren’t the first to question Larissa’s reaction to losing, as you can read here:
http://www.dograt.com/2009/03/24/jeopardy-endgame/
The complete show is there. Start it up and wait for the entire program to buffer, than jump to about 18 minutes into the video. Also, keep in mind that Larissa has lost before. You can see that happen by going 18 minutes into this video from 2008:
http://www.dograt.com/2008/05/29/larissas-last-stand/
When it’s apparent that Larissa has lost the TOC, she is obviously mad at herself. She applauds, she shakes Aaron’s hand, and then she and Dan hug. You can see them sitting together at this link:
http://www.dograt.com/2009/03/23/larissa-kelly-in-the-lead/
(Note: Monte Schulz, son of Peanuts creator Charles M. Schulz, dropped a comment in there because at the time it was the most convenient place for him to do that.)
I suspect that Larissa and Dan had made a connection of sorts earlier, and that rated the hug. What I see in Larissa folding her arms and looking down is somebody who is smart and competitive and who is simply kicking herself for making what she considers to be a stupid mistake. If it were me, I’d be repeating the scene over and over again in my mind.
I understand how Larissa can be seen as being a poor loser, but sincerely, I just don’t see it that way. A small part of me wishes Larissa would come forward and explain herself, but most of me feels that she doesn’t need to do that.
I’ve been watching the TOC rerun, because I honestly forgot who won (although I was pretty sure it was Dan). Something that bothered me at the end of last night’s final was Larissa being a very ungracious loser. During the time Alex was talking to the contestants at the end of the show, she had her hands folded and continuously looked down at the floor. Maybe she was mad at herself, but she came across as very petulant and as a sore loser. Her relative youth came across loud and strong. She is a great player, but a bad loser.