Jeopardy! Megathread

[brucejoel99]

Second-highest losing final score ever was set yesterday! Really great game all around.

Thanks for that!  I was wondering about it at the time.  What was the highest losing score?

That record belongs to Adam Levin's $53,999 against James Holzhauer's $54,017 in the latter's 18th game.

[brucejoel99]

In recent announcement news, the College Professors Tournament that J! was blasting out try-out advertisements for over the summer will air from Dec. 6th-17th & will be hosted by Mayim (Ken is expected to host the remainder of the regular syndicated episodes 'til then). This'll be the first non-ToC tournament since May 2020's K-12 Teachers Tournament, which had been taped in that short span of Mar. 2020 between J! getting rid of its audience & suspending production altogether (the College Championship that aired in Apr. 2020 had been taped with a full audience before COVID truly showed up on anybody's radar). Moreover, if past tournaments are anything to go by, then the winning professor can expect a guaranteed spot in the next ToC, meaning that the current 15th seed, 3-day champ Amanda Ganske, who overlapped between Bill Whitaker's stint & Mayim's initial guest-hosting stint back in May, can expect to be bumped out of the expected line-up thereof & into the 1st alternate spot - thereby displacing the aforementioned Katie Sekelsky out of that spot - pretty soon.

[brucejoel99]

With just 3 wins but winnings already totaling $107,101, Andrew He vaulted into being the 8th seed for the next ToC today, already displacing the aforementioned Amanda Ganske into the 1st alternate slot before the College Professors Tournament could even begin. Presumably, said tournament would now displace the new 15th seed, Mike Nelson, a 3-day champ from back in April during Anderson Cooper's guest-hosting stint, into being the 1st alternate, & Amanda to being the 2nd, but I'd also forgotten that the primetime "National College Championship" that's supposed to be held early next year prior to the next ToC will also likely produce a winner that's guaranteed a spot therein, in which case, Patrick Hume, a 3-day champ who's also from back in April during both the Aaron Rodgers & Anderson stints (& whose reign, incidentally, was brought to an end by the aforementioned Mike), would be the 1st alternate & Mike the 2nd. Intriguingly, such a state of affairs also spells peril for the potential ToC final that'd consist of a Matt Amodio rematch-of-rematches featuring both Josh Saak & Jonathan Fisher, as Josh would now be the 15th seed & would very likely be displaced before the ToC could be held in May. So, for anybody out there who may wanna see such a rematch-of-rematches, I guess it's time for you to start hoping that no post-Andrew 3-day champs emerge between now & whenever the ToC cutoff ends up being (presumably early April?).

[brucejoel99]

Oh, f**k yes:

https://www.cinemablend.com/television/why-jeopardy-host-mayim-bialik-allegedly-isnt-fitting-in-while-working-on-the-game-show

With former champ Ken Jennings currently in the hot seat - or behind the hot lectern, as it were - Mayim Bialik's latest hosting stint seemingly didn't win over producers enough to offer her a permanent position beyond primetime tournaments. Not that it's clear if she could do that anyway, what with her other professional commitments such as Fox's Call Me Kat.

Granted, the article also tries to say that Ken is also somehow out of the running, but its only support for that claim is a link to an article that doesn't actually say anything about him being out of the running, so I see this as an absolute win.

[GeorgiaModerate]

Excellent game tonight.  Andrew is a formidable player.  Ken is looking a lot more comfortable in the host role as well.

[H.E. VOLODYMYR ZELENKSYY]

Excellent game tonight.  Andrew is a formidable player.  Ken is looking a lot more comfortable in the host role as well.

I’m loving that we’re having this sudden run of ToC-level players since Matt. And Andrew’s games are so exciting!

[Хahar 🤔]

Beyond Jeopardy, Sporcle and the Spelling Bee, does America have much of a quiz culture?

I would say that the answer is not really, at least not in the sense that you're thinking. I was a fairly prominent quizbowl player in college (and I can think offhand of at least half a dozen others on this site who also played quizbowl at a high level) and I'm involved administratively in high school quizbowl at a nationwide level, but quizbowl is fundamentally an interscholastic activity. It's much less widespread and less recognized than, say, debate, although many (probably most) metropolitan areas do have some sort of televised competition between high schools.

Bar trivia is ubiquitous; any large city will have several dozen places that offer it at least once a week. I've gotten many free meals that way, and I've ingratiated myself to plenty of people by helping them win. I would not say that there's any sort of culture associated with it like what appears to be the case in Britain.

Over the past year and a half, there's been some cross-pollination between the American quizbowl community and what I would think of as British quiz culture, driven by British interscholastic quizbowl players. I compete right now in a weekly online British quiz competition and I've done fairly well. In general, though, the attitude of Americans I know toward "British old man quizzers" has tended toward bemusement or hostility.

[H.E. VOLODYMYR ZELENKSYY]

RIP to Andrew but congrats to the second ever openly trans Jeopardy champion!

[brucejoel99]

With just 3 wins & winnings already totaling $110,200, the contestant who dethroned Andrew He after his 5-day run, Amy Schneider, vaulted into the 10th seed's slot for the next ToC yesterday, meaning that this next ToC is brewing up to have lots of rematch potential: Brian Chang & Zach Newkirk (who'll be the last ToC contestant to have ever competed on the show with Alex as the host), Josh & Matt, Matt & Jonathan, & now Andrew & Amy. (Although Amy's wins now mean that Josh is now the 15th seed, so if the show's producers wanna strive for as much rematch potential as possible, then they're gonna need to call a cut-off date & cap the field for this next ToC - hopefully in May 2022 - following the completion of both Amy's run & the Professor's Tournament, & defer the new primetime National College Champ to the TOC after that, in 2023 or 2024.)

What's also worth noting: Amy is set to be the first ever post-transition trans ToC contestant! (Previously, Catherine Ramen was a 5-day champ & semifinalist at the 1998 ToC who won a UToC Round 1 game as "Fred Ramen" before her transition.)

[brucejoel99]

Amy has been kicking some serious butt & I'm absolutely loving it! In her 12th game yesterday, she won $61,800, her largest single-day total to date, & in combination with her 7th ($50K) & 9th ($47K) games, she now holds the top 3 records for highest single-day winnings by a female contestant, with the previous non-Amy record, $46,801, having been set by none other than Emma Boettcher on the fateful day that she ended the infamous James' reign. Amy's 12-day total of $483K also means that she's now surpassed David Madden to take 5th place in the all-time regular-season winnings rankings, behind only Jason, Matt, James, & Ken, who she's taping with & recently said she supports for permanent host.

[GeorgiaModerate]

https://twitter.com/RadioFreeTom/status/1466933401496207363

Nichols was an undefeated 5-time champion under the old rule (so there might be an element of sour grapes in his post) but I think there's some truth in it.  Perhaps they should reinstate something like a 10-win limit.

[brucejoel99]

https://twitter.com/RadioFreeTom/status/1466933401496207363

Nichols was an undefeated 5-time champion under the old rule (so there might be an element of sour grapes in his post) but I think there's some truth in it.  Perhaps they should reinstate something like a 10-win limit.

Not to unduly ascribe a pejorative motive to Mr. Nichols, but is it perhaps possible that he's just - for lack of a better word - butthurt about not having been able to compete after the cap removal? Because in the aftermath of the 5-day cap removal, the disadvantage that he suggests exists was first pointed out less than one season thereafter, 17 years ago, by none other than one Ken Jennings during his streak, & as a result, the producers of the show changed the rules during his off-season break so as to give incoming contestants a significant amount of on-set buzzer practice before they take the stage (as opposed to the zero amount of buzzer practice that existed prior to then, including during Mr. Nichols' time as a contestant). Nowadays, all of the contestants on that podium have a relatively equal "mastery" of the buzzer. Amy's challengers are comparative to her skill in terms of buzzer speed, just as Andrew's were, as Tyler's were, as Jonathan's were, as Matt's were, & as every champion since 2004's has been. In light of that, it truly is just mostly about the knowledge base at this point (though not all: somebody does still have to get to the buzzer first, after all), & I think it may just be possible that Mr. Nichols is upset that he didn't have more time than 5 days to show off his own knowledge base.

[Roll Roons]

Current arrangement (Ken hosting regular shows and Mayim Bialik hosting specials) is staying for the rest of this season: https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/jeopardy-mayim-bialik-ken-jennings-to-host-through-remainder-of-season-38-1235059265/

I could see them just going with that as the permanent arrangement. Ken is a pretty good host and I don't think most people care about some stupid old tweets.

[NewYorkExpress]

Current arrangement (Ken hosting regular shows and Mayim Bialik hosting specials) is staying for the rest of this season: https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/jeopardy-mayim-bialik-ken-jennings-to-host-through-remainder-of-season-38-1235059265/

I could see them just going with that as the permanent arrangement. Ken is a pretty good host and I don't think most people care about some stupid old tweets.

I think they're looking for an excuse to get rid of Biyalik. For whatever reason, be it her availabilty or her anti-vaxxer stance, it isn't working out.

I don't think they'll go with Ken as the sole host, and I think when they do get rid of Biyalik he'll do the prime time specials (and stuff like the Power Players Tournament and maybe annual tournaments), while someone else gets the full-time gig (I'm personally hoping for Meredith Vieria)

[brucejoel99]

Current arrangement (Ken hosting regular shows and Mayim Bialik hosting specials) is staying for the rest of this season: https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/jeopardy-mayim-bialik-ken-jennings-to-host-through-remainder-of-season-38-1235059265/

I could see them just going with that as the permanent arrangement. Ken is a pretty good host and I don't think most people care about some stupid old tweets.

Plus, Mayim just signed onto some other new sitcom for next year, which is either a sign that she's deemed getting the full-time day-to-day position from Sony unlikely, or a direct indication from her to Sony ahead-of-time that she's unwilling to abandon her full-time acting career in order to dedicate herself to J!'s full-time schedule.

I don't think they'll go with Ken as the sole host, and I think when they do get rid of Biyalik he'll do the prime time specials (and stuff like the Power Players Tournament and maybe annual tournaments), while someone else gets the full-time gig (I'm personally hoping for Meredith Vieria)

[brucejoel99]

ISTFG, SONY!!

https://twitter.com/Snoodit/status/1468645327947264004

[brucejoel99]

A Note From Jeopardy! EP Michael Davies

Wow, somebody who clearly loves the show & wants to see it & its contestants succeed!? Damn, he's already my favorite Jeopardy! EP whose first name is Michael & whose last name is a first name that ends with an S. (But seriously, he's such a stark contrast to Mike & a needed breath of fresh air, so I'm thankful this statement makes it seem like he's here to stay.)

Also, I don't wanna read too much into it, but Sony approving a statement that treats Ken & Mayim as equals is very nice.

[brucejoel99]

18 days in, with $706,800 now under her belt, Amy just became the 1st-ever contestant to have been the reigning J!-champ on both Thanksgiving & Christmas!! Will she soon add New Year's to the record? We shall see, as time will tell...

[GeorgiaModerate]

Amazingly, she missed both Daily Doubles in the Double Jeopardy Round but still had a runaway, and then missed Final Jeopardy too.  She definitely seemed a little off in this game, but is a strong enough player to get through it anyway.  Last taping of the day, so I wonder if it was fatigue creeping in.

[brucejoel99]

Amy is now at 23 games & $855,600, well past Julia Collins's 20 games, meaning she's now only 4th behind James (32, $2.46M), Matt (38, $1.52M), & Ken (74, $2.52M)! All I can say is that I've never been more excited for a TOC in my life!!

[GeorgiaModerate]

This is an interesting article:

What’s Behind All the Winning Streaks on ‘Jeopardy!’ This Season?

[brucejoel99]

With her 28th win, Amy is now the 5th millionaire in Jeopardy! history (& the 4th in its regular gameplay history). It's crazy how we've now had 2 J! millionaires within a month of each other. The ToC is gonna be great with all of these superchamps.

[brucejoel99]

Per EP Michael Davies, the ToC will air in Nov., & not in May as had been previously predicted (so, say goodbye to any hopes for Josh/Matt/Jonathan match, unless it's just 2-day champs from here on out post-Amy), but for some even bigger news: starting with this year, it'll start being held on a consistently annual basis again for the first time since the '90s!!

[Podgy the Bear]

Amy continues to do well during the show but has missed the last two Final Jeopardy! questions and has lost sizable wages--resulting in merely mortal payouts.

She was close to losing the lead late in the second round yesterday when the other contestant hit the Daily Double and made a bet to pull ahead if correct.  But she missed the question and fell back, and Amy was never threatened after that.

[brucejoel99]

Amy continues to do well during the show but has missed the last two Final Jeopardy! questions and has lost sizable wages--resulting in merely mortal payouts.

She was close to losing the lead late in the second round yesterday when the other contestant hit the Daily Double and made a bet to pull ahead if correct.  But she missed the question and fell back, and Amy was never threatened after that.

3 now, she hasn't gotten one since she broke $1 million on Fri.