WTF was with Jeopardy?!?

[clayton_e]

I've missed the last couple episodes and I only caught the last few moments before the commercial break that goes into Final Jeopardy. I noticed that the max catagory question was worth $2000!?! Is this something they're doing to compete with the big reality shows? Is this going to stay this way?

[Agrippina]

I dunno, but Alex Trebek needs to seriously regrow that mustache. I liked him better with it, and I'm not the only one.

[DrFidelius]

Looks like it's time to get back into the contestant pool...

[Opus1]

Yup. They doubled all the values. About time. Inflation has more than doubled everything else in the last two decades or however long they've been on. Winning 7-10 thousand on a game show isn't what it used to be.

[Genseric]

Also notice how quickly the contestants' totals changed. The girl went from first to last place pretty fast. Answering those $2000 questions wrong is really bad.

[clayton_e]

That's going to take some getting used to.

[Tenebras]

Genseric said:

Also notice how quickly the contestants' totals changed. The girl went from first to last place pretty fast. Answering those $2000 questions wrong is really bad.

Unless they only doubled the top values, it really shouldn't make any difference at all. The two games are isomorphic to each other. If they only doubled the top value, then I think that they really threw off the balance they had before.

Also, the awards on Jeopardy were still pretty competetive, I mean, there are basically 5 game shows on the air right now (*), Millionaire, Weakest Link, Jeopardy, Wheel of Fortune, and Ben Stein. You don't win any money on Ben Stein (a cap of 5000 dollars, and there are no returning champions). WoF, unless it's changed since the last time I watched, which is possible, is about equal to or slightly below Jeopardy (barring the $25,000 win at the end). Millionaire I think is more of a slot machine than a game show. You're not competing against anybody, you're competing against the house. They even have flashy lights. It's one big gimmick, but people seem to like it, don't ask me why. So... boring... Weakest link has the same problem. Way too long. It has about the same number of questions, but spread out over a whole hour. Egad! Er.. also, at least the times I've watched it, you end up winning, if you last that long, about 40,000. This reflects a good deal of inflation in the move across the ocean, but hey, American game show contestants tend to be a pretty narky lot. THe point is, that when you win Jeopardy, you not only get the $10,000, you also get some nice gifts to go with your win. They tend to down play them, but usually there's some sort of trip or something involved. Not bad, I don't htink...

Of course, I haven't seen it in a while, so maybe I'm full of it, who knows?

Tenebras

[Tenebras]

Er.. the asterisk was supposed to go down to this:

* Not counting the Price is Right, which is in a league all it's own. But I heard you don't get to reach into Bob's pockets anymore? How depressing is that...

Tenebras

[Genseric]

Yeah you're right, it would play exactly the same as the old version, since all the prizes are doubled. I just noticed she went from about $7800 to about $3000 really fast. The guy who won only took home about $7000, which is not a particularly high win for Jeopary! Of course he missed the final question, but if he'd have gotten it right he only would have won about $12000 I think.

[clayton_e]

Yeah, It won't really change anything, it's just something odd to look at, a $2,000 question.. just seems odd.. We'll get used to it.

[Cliffy]

I generally agree with Tenebrass with the exception of Millionaire. It seems to me that contestants who are pretty good on that show (good enough that they'd beat two others on Jeopardy!) almost always end up with $32,000 or $64,000, which is a bigger payday than most Jeopardy! champs, who usually hit around $25,000 before losing. Of course, a really good/lucky Jeopardy! champ goes home with $45,000, while on Millionaire he gets ten times that even if he doesn't go for the Million.

--Cliffy

[The Controvert]

Weakest link has the same problem. Way too long. It has about the same number of questions, but spread out over a whole hour. Egad!

The key to Weakest Link viewing pleasure is the VCR. If you tape it, you can fast forward past the repetitive rules and it condenses viewing time by 1/2 or more. Also, the camera swings is conducive to this method, as the visual cues telegraph the start and end of the rules speeches.

[ElvisL1ves]

Originally posted by Cliffy
Of course, a really good/lucky Jeopardy! champ goes home with $45,000.[/b]

Plus the 2 new Chevrolets, and a slot in the $200K Tournament of Champions. And a five-timer now gets more like $90K than 45 after the long-overdue doubling.

[JubilationTCornpone]

Originally posted by Tenebras
I mean, there are basically 5 game shows on the air right now (*), Millionaire, Weakest Link, Jeopardy, Wheel of Fortune, and Ben Stein.

What about Whose Line Is It Anyway? I mean, there are those nifty points that they give out...

[JonScribe]

Originally posted by Opus1
Yup. They doubled all the values. About time. Inflation has more than doubled everything else in the last two decades or however long they've been on. Winning 7-10 thousand on a game show isn't what it used to be.

I'm sorry, Opus, but you forget to phrase your answer in the form of a question. That's going to cost you.

[SlickUSA]

Should be expecting an increase on dollar amounts for Win Ben Stein's Money? I mean, players are only competing for $5K, how much longer is the popularity going to hold up with such a miniscule amount of legal tender?

[Tony]

I think they doubled the values so that they could avoid what happens pretty much every day:

Jeopardy genius answers tough questions for half an hour, amassing 9,000 dollars and goes in to a show-down with the four day champ. He or she knows the name of the easternmost Asian capital that is not located on an island and whose population are at least 23% Hindu but doesn't wager enough and winds up losing to the now five day champ who walks away with 25,000 dollars in winnings.

Hooray!

Now, time for Wheel of Fortune where a ding-dong, who happens to be married to a "wonderful" spouse, and likes to collect leaves, will spin the wheel and land on the Jackpot and walk off with winnings of over 25,000 because he or she knows how to say CARROT STICK OF DYNAMITE or A WALK IN THE PARK AVENUE.


That's why they doubled the point values.

[USCDiver]

Originally posted by Tenebras
THe point is, that when you win Jeopardy, you not only get the $10,000, you also get some nice gifts to go with your win. They tend to down play them, but usually there's some sort of trip or something involved. Not bad, I don't htink...

Tenebras

The other prizes go to the runner's up. It would be possible to win the game one day with $1 while the chump next to you walks off with a $4000 trip to Tahiti, then come in the next day, get blown away and walk off with your $1 and a home version of Jeopardy for your troubles.